Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 14 July 2009 at 10.00 am at County Hall, Oxford Membership Chairman: Councillor Ann Bonner Deputy Chairman: Councillor Neil Owen
Notes: Date of next meeting: Tuesday 22 September 2009
Tony Cloke About the County Council The Oxfordshire County Council is made up of 74 councillors who are democratically elected every four years. The Council provides a range of services to Oxfordshire’s 630,000 residents. These include:
Each year the Council manages £0.9 billion of public money in providing these services. Most decisions are taken by a Cabinet of 10 Councillors, which makes decisions about service priorities and spending. Some decisions will now be delegated to individual members of the Cabinet.
About Scrutiny Scrutiny is about: · Providing a challenge to the Cabinet · Examining how well the Cabinet and the Authority are performing · Influencing the Cabinet on decisions that affect local people · Helping the Cabinet to develop Council policies · Representing the community in Council decision making · Promoting joined up working across the authority’s work and with partners Scrutiny is NOT about: · Making day to day service decisions · Investigating
individual complaints. What does this Committee do? The Committee meets up to 6 times a year, developing a work programme and carrying out the projects it wishes to investigate. Once an investigation is complete, the Committee will provide its advice to the Cabinet, full Council, or to the relevant strategic partnership bodies. All of its meetings are open to the public and its agenda and reports are available on the County Council’s website.
1. Apologies for Absence and Temporary Appointments
2. Declarations of Interest – see guidance note
3. Minutes
To approve the minutes of the meetings held on 18 March 2009 (CH3(a)) and 16 June 2009 (CH3(b)) and to note for information any matters arising on them.
4. Speaking to or petitioning the Committee
5. 2008/09 Scrutiny Work Programme
Reducing Teenage Conceptions in Oxfordshire 10:15 (1) To receive a joint report from the Children, Young People & Families Directorate and Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust (CH5); and
(2) To ask for two volunteers from the Committee to form a Working Group to take this work forward, in conjunction with two members from the Oxfordshire Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
BUSINESS PLANNING (To consider future work items for the Committee)
6. Annual Scrutiny Work Programme July 2009 – July 2010 10:45 Introduction
(a) This item will begin with an explanation of the scrutiny work processes, to be given by Lisa Michelson, Corporate Performance & Review Officer.
Presentation from Children, Young People & Families field 10:55 (b) As a preliminary to the Committee setting its work programme in the coming months, the Cabinet members for Children, Young People & Families and Schools Improvement, respectively, together with officers from the Children, Young People & Families Directorate have agreed to attend the meeting to inform the Scrutiny Committee about the challenges and priorities facing this area for the period 2009/10.
Discussion by Committee on next year’s Scrutiny Work Programme 11:15 (c) Ongoing Education Attainment review – reforming of the Working Group and the way ahead. 11:25 (d) The Committee are asked to consider items that they might like to see included within the Committee’s Work Programme for July 2009 – July 2010. Suggestions will then be worked up as proposals during the summer by the Corporate Policy & Performance Team and a report submitted to the 22 September meeting for decision.
REVIEW WORK (To take evidence, receive progress updates and consider tracking reports)
7. Lead Member/Task Group Reports 11. 55 Tracking report from 21 April 2009 Cabinet with regard to Educational Attainment – Module 1
Relationship Between Leadership And Improving Attainment In Schools
The Cabinet considered a report by the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee (CA8) setting out the findings of a review that considered whether anything specific could be done to raise attainment in Oxfordshire’s schools to the level that is expected of them. The report ( the first of four) addressed the subject of how the leadership of a school, including the Governing Body, headteacher, deputy head, supporting management team and the Governing Body, could affect attainment levels. The Cabinet also considered the response of the Cabinet Member for School’s Improvement (please note that this has been attached to the end of this Agenda (download as .doc file).
Councillor Sue Haffenden, Lead Member of the Review introduced the report, setting out the background and referring to the delays in the work due to shortages in staff resources. The Review had been a small focussed review that had sought to avoid duplication with officer work that was underway. She referred to the recommendations and in particular highlighted those in relation to the central list of businesses willing to be involved with schools, the concept of federation.
Councillor Val Smith, Review Member, expressed the hope that the three remaining elements of the review could be undertaken.
Councillor David Turner, Shadow Cabinet Member for School’s Improvement referred to a booklet on governorship produced by Martin Pounce and asked that consideration be given to supplying each governing body with a single copy.
The Cabinet Member for Schools Improvement thanked the Lead Member of the Review and fellow review members for their efforts. In response to comments made he noted that federation was being discussed as recommended in recommendation 11; it was not the role of SIP’s to interpret their school’s performance data; and he would take up the question of the booklet with Governor Services.
8. Forward Plan 12:00 The Committee is asked to suggest items from the current Forward Plan on which it may wish to have an opportunity to offer advice to the Cabinet before any decision is taken, together with details of what it thinks could be achieved by looking at any items.
(Please bring to the meeting the latest copy of the Forward Plan which at the time of writing covers June – September 2009).
(Members are asked to contact the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and/or the Committee Officer at least 3 days before the meeting should they wish to raise an item on the Forward Plan for possible consideration).
12:05 Close of Meeting
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