Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Public Health & Education

Forward Plan Ref: 2018/039

Contact: Lauren Rushen, Policy Officer Tel: 07990 367851

Report by Asistant Chief Executive (CA6).

The Education Scrutiny Committee working group completed an investigation into school exclusions in March 2018.

A working group of Education Scrutiny Committee members has investigated the increased use of exclusion across schools in Oxfordshire with the aim of identifying the underlying reasons for this and to make recommendations to help reduce the number of fixed term and permanent exclusions in the future.

The working group report and recommendations were considered and endorsed by the Education Scrutiny Committee on 14 March 2018. The report contains a number of recommendations for the Council, which the Cabinet is asked to consider and respond to within six weeks, as per the requirements in the Council’s constitution.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)          consider the recommendations of the Education Scrutiny Committee Exclusions working group for the Council;

(b)         agree which recommendations the Cabinet will accept; and

(c)          ask the Director for Children’s Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Education, to prepare a response for the next meeting of the Education Scrutiny Committee.

The Education Scrutiny Committee working group completed an investigation into school exclusions in March 2018.

A working group of Education Scrutiny Committee members had investigated the increased use of exclusion across schools in Oxfordshire with the aim of identifying the underlying reasons for this and to make recommendations to help reduce the number of fixed term and permanent exclusions in the future.

The working group report and recommendations were considered and endorsed by the Education Scrutiny Committee on 14 March 2018. Cabinet considered a report that contained a number of recommendations which the Cabinet was asked to consider and respond to within six weeks, as per the requirements in the Council’s constitution.

Councillor John Howson, thanked councillors and officers involved in the first deep dive investigation undertaken by the Education Scrutiny Committee. Councillor Howson paid tribute to the work carried out by the Head of the Virtual School and by staff at Meadowbrook. The challenge was how to develop the experience of pupils here to all pupils and this was the responsibility of all partners. He welcomed the collaboration between schools and fully endorsed the recommendations of the working group report.

Councillor Gill Sanders, Chairman of the Working Group on School Exclusions explained the context for the decision to investigate school exclusions and the particular concern over the exclusion of pupils with Special Educational Needs, the numbers of primary and children in transition to secondary school and pupils in Years 10 and 11 being excluded. Councillor Sanders detailed the work of the Group, emphasising the range of people they had spoken to and visits to several schools. Councillor Sanders in commending the recommendations to cabinet highlighted the generally good collaborative working between schools, the merit in pre-exclusion panels, the importance of continuing to support the work of the The Virtual School and Meadowbrook, the delays in the CAMHS process and the Didcot initiative. Councillor Sanders thanked officers particularly Katie Read, Senior Policy Officer, for their work and also thanked Councillor Howson, who though not a member of the Working Group, had joined them and made a valuable contribution to the work of the Group.

Councillor Michael Waine, Chairman of the Education Scrutiny Committee, noted that this was the first of three planned deep dive investigations and thanked Councillor Gill Sanders for leading the Group and thanked officers for the excellent support received. Councillor Waine in detailing the recommendations noted that it was a cause for celebration that schools were not excluding children who are looked after. Councillor Waine highlighted the important support and challenge role of governors in the exclusions process. He referred to schools that were exemplars of good practice and the need for that to be shared. The timeliness of Education Health and Care Plans was seen as a major issue. Councillor Waine also highlighted the importance of robustly challenging schools on the use of reduced timetables as this had safeguarding implications.

Councillor Hibbert-Biles, Cabinet Member for Public Health & Education, thanked the Education Scrutiny Committee and echoed thanks to the work of The Virtual School and Meadowbrook. All of the recommendations were laudable. She would like to put them all in place but although there were some where work was already being undertaken, others would need costing.

Looking at each of the recommendations in turn Councillor Hibbert-Biles commented as follows:

(a)     Councillor Hibbert-Biles agreed with the recommendation but it would need to be costed;

(b)     This was already being thought about but further consideration of the financial implications were necessary.

(c)     This was already being done;

(d)     Councillor Hibbert-Biles agreed with the recommendation but it would need to be costed as there would need to be consideration of what could be done with the resources available;

(e)     Councillor Hibbert-Biles agreed with the recommendation

(f)      This was key to the development of the child

(g)     This was already being done;

(h)    Work had already started to put this in place.

Councillor Hudspeth referred to the progress report requested at paragraph 12 of the report and suggested this come include potential costings and come back to Cabinet and the Education Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED: to:

(a)          consider the recommendations of the Education Scrutiny Committee Exclusions working group for the Council;

(b)          ask the Director for Children’s Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Education, to prepare a response for the next meeting of the Education Scrutiny Committee.

(c)          Instruct that the progress report referred to at paragraph 12 include potential costings of the recommendations and be considered by Cabinet during the autumn.