Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Day and Councillor Naylor (substituted by Councillor Blakemore), Mrs Merrielees (Church Representative) and Mr Hoseason and Mr Lait (Co-opted Members.)

In accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct, Members are requested to declare any interests orally at the start of the meeting and again immediately before consideration of the matter. Members are reminded to specify the agenda item number to which it refers and the nature of the interest being declared.

Councillors Evans, Eady and Chappell requested that with regard to Item 4 Call In – Governor Appointments it be noted that they were all members of the Governors Vacancy Advisory Group.

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 04 December 2012 – attached.

The minutes of the meeting held on 4 December 2012 were approved as a correct record of the meeting and the Chairman authorised to sign them.

In accordance with Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 16, the Chief Executive (as Proper Officer) has called in the Cabinet Member Decision on Local Authority (LA) Governor Appointments to Academies, having been requested to do so by two Members of the Education and Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Councillor Eady and Councillor Nicholson.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Schools attached.

In accordance with Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 16, the Chief Executive (as Proper Officer) has called in the Local Authority Governor Appointments Cabinet Member Decision dated  3 December 2012, having been requested to do so by two Members of the Education and Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Eady addressed the Committee regarding his reasons for Call-in. He explained that it was his view that the established practice of recommending governor appointments to the Cabinet Member had not been followed in the case of the Local Authority appointments to convertor academies and that the custom and practice relating to appointments broadly in line with the Authorities political balance had been broken. He explained that due to occurrences at the meeting and issues on which further clarification had been sought, he did not feel Members of the Group had been given the opportunity to formally vote on the appointments.

Councillor Nicholson endorsed the reasons for Call-in and noted that it was in the best interest of schools to have continuity in governor appointments where possible to ensure expertise was maintained. She reported that all Governors should carry out their role in view of the interests of the school and should not have a political mandate.

In response to questioning, the Committee was informed of the ways in which potential Governors were sought both locally and via national campaigns. Mr Whitfield, Director of Education, Children’s and Cultural Services confirmed the composition of Governing Bodies for Academies and the local request by the most recent convertor academies that a Local Authority Governor be nominated as main link between the academy and the Local Authority.  Members were informed that existing procedures did not state a requirement for appointments to be made inline with the political balance of the Local Authority.

Councillor Hodgins addressed the Committee and responded to the reasons for Call-in. He noted that it was his view that the usual processes carried out by the Governors’ Vacancy Advisory Group had been followed and that there was no established policy regarding political balance.  He outlined the significant education changes which were taking place both within Academies and across the Borough as a whole and that as a result, it was essential that the Local Authority Governors appointed to Academies could provide a positive communication link between the policies of the Local Authority and their local implementation. Mr I Dodds, Head of Culture and Service Improvement noted that the Cabinet Member made the final nomination to Academies for Local Authority Governors however, these needed to be accepted by individual schools.

Councillor Evans, as a member of the Group provided his view of the process by which the recommendations to the Cabinet Member had been made.

Members of the Committee considered the importance of all Governors acting in the best interests of their appointed schools and examples were provided where Local Authority Governors had separated their political interests from their Governor role successfully. It was noted that where a Local Councillor was appointed as a Governor to a school in their ward, they could act as an additional link between the school and the Local Authority on issues relating to highways and planning matters. It was requested that in making recommendations to the Cabinet Member, the Governors’ Vacancy Advisory Group should try ensure all appointments are made in the best interest of schools and that the work of Governors once appointed should support this aim.

Resolved: That the Committee:

1. Note the decision taken by the Cabinet Member for Schools relating to Local Authority Governor Appointments for Convertor Academies
2. Note the procedures in place to govern the work of the Governors’ Vacancy Advisory Group
3. Request that the Governor’s Vacancy Advisory Group should try to ensure all appointments are made in the best interest of schools and that the work of Governors once appointed should support this aim.

This report sets out the performance of the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) and its prescribed functions.

Report of the Head of Safeguarding Quality and Performance, Education, Children and Cultural Services and annual report of the LSCB attached.

Mr N Whitfield, Director of Education, Children’s and Cultural Services addressed the Committee to request that consideration be given to deferring the item to a future meeting of the Committee to enable the item to be scrutinised fully. He noted the importance of ensuring detailed consideration of issues relating to safeguarding and in particular the Council’s role as Corporate Parent.

It was resolved that:

1. An additional special meeting be arranged to consider the Local Children’s Safeguarding Board Annual Report.

This report sets out the detailed revenue budgets for Education and Children’s Services for the financial year 2013/14.

Report attached.

The Committee considered the proposed 2013/14 budget for the Education, Children’s and Cultural Services Directorate. Mr P Bettles, Head of Finance, Building Development & PFI, explained that due to some major changes in grant funding mechanisms for the 2013/14 budget and the late timing of the Local Government Finance settlement, some grant changes had not been fully reflected in the report. These areas related to Early Intervention and two year old funding. Further decisions about provision and financing would for two year old funding would be taken once grant funding had been confirmed .

Members considered the impact of proposed grant funding changes on the total budget available for spend by the Local Authority and the potential impact on services provided for children and young people across the Borough. With regard to the £284,000 anticipated reduction in Education Services Grant Funding, Mr Bettles reported that this reduction would be met from the Corporate Finance budget. In response to questioning, he reported that the Education Services Grant replaced the Local Authority block element of the Local Authority Central Spend Equivalent Grant (LACSEG) for academies and the corresponding element of local authority revenue funding.

Consideration was given to the proposed efficiency savings listed at Appendix B and clarification regarding the overall budget from which some of the efficiencies had been proposed.

A discussion took place regarding the pupil premium and increased grant income for the Council should all those families eligible for free school meals register to claim them. Mr N Whitfield, Director of Education, Children’s and Cultural Services reported that a local campaign to try and increase the number of eligible families registering to claim was under way based on a successful project of a similar nature in Kingston.

The reduction in the budget for Integrated Youth Support was noted to be as a result of the transfer of the responsibility for services provided by the Connexions Service to secondary schools and that for school support as a result of the Local Authority no longer being able to hold budgets for this area centrally.

Funding for children and young people with Special Educational Needs was scrutinised and Mr Bettles confirmed that it was now part of the Higher Needs block of the Designated Schools Grant (DSG) but was still transferred directly to special schools and for designated units attached to other schools. Funding above the £6,000 per statemented child and £10,000 per placement was made by top-up monies and Members considered the balance required to fund schools to an appropriate level to ensure the needs of children were fully met and staffing and resources were available.

The Committee considered the staff establishment funded within the budget area and noted the role of the Council’s Vacancy Panel in ensuring vacancies were filled where required to support the needs of children and families within the Borough. Mr Whitfield explained that staffing levels had increased in part due to transfer of Health Authority staff into the employ of the Authority. Central to budget decisions within the Directorate was ensuring that resources were used efficiently to ensure quality outputs for children and families. As part of the Achieving for Children (AfC) proposals more staff would be working across both Boroughs and it was therefore not anticipated that staffing levels would rise further at the current time.

In response to questioning it was noted that money for the ‘Troubled Families’ agenda had been listed under the Education and Family Support heading with approximately 190 families to be supported in the coming 3 years, with the attachment and results based ratio changing based on positive outcomes for those families.

Members expressed their thanks to Mr Bettles and his team for the work undertaken to prepare the budget for the Education, Children’s and Cultural Services Directorate.

Resolved: That the Committee:

1. Note the proposed budget for 2013/14.
2. Receive a brief report clarifying the impact of the grant funding areas yet to be confirmed by Government at the Special Meeting of the Committee to be held in February 2013.

This report gives details of the proposed work programme for the Education and Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Report of the Head of Democratic Services and Appendix A attached.

Resolved that the Committee:

1.      Note the Workplan for the 2012/13 Municipal Year

2.      Note the addition of a special meeting in February 2013 to consider the Local Children’s Safeguarding Board Report and an update report relating to the 2013/14 Education and Children’s Services Budget.

A. Fees and Charges

B. Quarter 3 Finance Update

Information Items will not be discussed at the meeting. Any questions regarding these reports should be directed to the report authors.