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ITEM CH12

CHILDREN’S SERVICES SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 12 JULY 2005

The Future of the Education Development Plan Working Group

During 2003, the former Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee established this Group. Its role was described as "Budget and Policy Framework – Developing the EDP – matching the development with PSA priorities, working on the first 4 priorities of the EDP".

The 8 priorities of the EDP were:

1 – Raising standards in the early years and in primary education.

2 – Raising Standards in KS3.

3 – Raising Standards 14 –19.

4 – Tackling underachievement.

5 – Support for schools of concern.

6 – Raising standards through leadership, governance, management development.

7 -The Supply recruitment and retention of teachers.

8 – Improve schools, raise standards, widen participation etc.

The Committee agreed in May 2004 to continue with the Working Group and to review its future in May 2005. Last year it was reported that the Group’s work would continue to focus on attainment and on challenging officers and that it might wish to extend this to head teachers and schools on behalf of the Committee.  The Committee was advised that the Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP) was likely in future to include the EDP. The Plan includes services that are the responsibility of the Learning & Culture, Social & Health Care, Community Safety and Environment & Economy Directorates. The EDP Group wished to extend its remit, in association with one or two representatives from other scrutiny committees whose briefs would also be affected by the new plan, to focus in the short term (that was until April 2005) on the development of the Shadow Children and Young People’s Plan.

Before the elections, the Scrutiny Co-ordinating Group considered the EDP Working Group’s request to extend its remit. It was advised that in relation to policy development work, the scrutiny function could not be involved unless invited to do so by the former Executive or Council. If the Executive wanted the current EDP Working Group to support it in developing proposals in relation to the Children & Young People’s Plan, then they would need to commission scrutiny to do that. However, members of the Group would not have been able to participate in any scrutiny activities in relation to the work they had been involved in or decisions of the former Executive on those issues.

The Group agreed to advise the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee that the EDP Working Group could not undertake the activities proposed unless specifically invited to do so by the Executive (Cabinet) and that there might be further work for scrutiny to engage with once they had sight of the recommendations from the Best Value Review of Children’s Services.

At that time, the Scrutiny Committee AGREED to:

1. consider the future of the Education Development Plan Working Group at the Committee’s first meeting after the County Council elections in 2005;
2. appoint a working group to scrutinise the development of the Children and Young People’s Plan;
3. ask the Head of Democratic Services to seek expressions of interest from members of the Committee to be members of the working group;

The EDP Group previously comprised former Councillor Andrew Brown, Councillors Alan Bryden and David Turner and Mrs Sue Matthew.

It is likely that the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee’s future Work Programme may well include development of details in the CYPP and educational attainment remains a very relevant issue where the Council has targets to improve upon current performance.

The Committee is therefore requested to consider the future of this Group, perhaps under a different title, its terms of reference and membership, if appropriate.

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