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ITEM EX3

EXECUTIVE –13 MAY 2003

Minutes of the Meeting commencing at 2.00 pm and finishing at 4.50 pm

Present:

The Executive considered the matters, reports and recommendations contained or referred to in the agenda for the meeting, together with a schedule of addenda tabled at the meeting, and decided as set out below. Except insofar as otherwise specified, the reasons for the decisions are contained in the agenda, reports and schedule, copies of which are attached to the signed Minutes.

126/03. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor David Robertson.

127/03. MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 29 April 2003 were approved and signed.

Minute 116/03 – Financial Forecast 2004/05 – 2008/09

Arising on press reports that revenue funding for schools was being spent on capital projects and that the Government had allocated extra money to LEAs to fund pay awards for teachers, the Leader of the Council advised that it was for schools to choose how they allocated the funding which had been passed on to them by the Council, and that the relationship between the amount of government funding and the increased costs faced by schools was being assessed.

128/03. PETITIONS AND PUBLIC ADDRESS

The following requests to address the meeting had been agreed:-

Request from	Agenda Item
Mrs Sue Neville	5 - Secondary Education in the Banbury Area
Mr Melvin-Griffin	) ) 6 - Inclusion in Mainstream Education )
Mrs C. Kyle
Mr T. Burns

129/03. SECONDARY EDUCATION IN THE BANBURY AREA

(Agenda Item 5)

The Executive considered a report (EX5) setting out the background to a possible merger of the Blessed George Napier Catholic VA School, Drayton School and Banbury School.

Mrs Neville addressed the Executive on behalf of the Association of Drayton School Parents. She challenged the content of the report and felt that misinformation had contributed to the fall in pupil intake to the school. Pupils, parents and teachers supported retention of the school and would work vigorously to achieve that. She referred to levels of proposed new housing in Banbury, which would increase the pressure on the availability of school places in the town. There would also be a large increase in vehicle movements resulting from any merger.

Councillor Harper also challenged the content of the report. The school had in fact made great progress as demonstrated by a national citation for attendance and attainment. He was confident that it would continue to improve. The merger proposal was flawed and it was vital to the local community that Drayton School should be retained.

RESOLVED:

1. that the feasibility work suggested by the Governing Bodies be undertaken, with an initial report back to the Executive by the end of the summer;
2. that any other options that might emerge from a needs analysis should be researched in a similar timeframe.
   
   

130/03. SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS – INCLUSION IN MAINSTREAM EDUCATION

(Agenda item 6)

The Executive had before it (EX6) the report of the independent panel which it had agreed in December 2002 to set up to review current policies on inclusion in mainstream schools.

Mr Melvin Griffin urged the Executive to support the retention of Iffley Mead Special School.

Mrs Chris Kyle addressed the Executive on behalf of the Oxfordshire Special Schools Protection League. She questioned the worth and independence of the report and suggested that the way forward lay in partnership to achieve special educational provision based on genuine need without undue emphasis on mainstream schools.

Mr Burns referred to the continuing role of SEN schools in Oxfordshire and the need for their retention to meet the needs of children with SEN. Any future provision should recognise that Woodeaton Manor was a residential school and that Woodeaton Manor and Iffley Mead should be developed to full capacity and given full support. He commended a number of proposals to the Executive for inclusion in the consultation.

Councillor Patrick felt that the work of the Panel had been a valuable contribution to the process of supporting children with special needs. Inclusion should be supported but not to the detriment of special schools.

Councillor Segaran speaking as local member for the Iffley division supported the line being taken by the County Council and stressed that the County Council’s first priority should be to the residents of Oxfordshire through service provision with financial issues secondary.

Councillor Witcher supported the view put forward by Councillor Patrick and commended the report and its findings.

Dr Evans presented the Panel’s report. She recognised the valuable amount of work undertaken but added that there was still an enormous amount to be done. Referring to misinformation about the closure of special schools she saw their role enhanced and flexibility with mainstream schools encouraged. It was of paramount importance to provide quality education in Oxfordshire and in that context SEN provision would benefit from a partnership concept. The report provided a nucleus for that and she commended it to the Executive.

Councillor Purse declared a personal non-prejudicial interest insofar as she was a Governor of Woodeaton Manor and felt the proposals for consultation by the School were worthy of support.

Councillor Crabbe thanked Dr Evans and the Panel for their work and commended the report to the Executive.

RESOLVED: to:

1. accept the proposals set out in Sections 1 – 10 of the Panel’s report for consultation;
2. carry out consultations as set out in Appendix 1 to the Panel’s report;
3. invite Inclusive Solutions to facilitate an exercise on further developing the County Council’s shared vision for inclusion;
4. consider adopting the draft action plan at Appendix 2 in the light of the responses to the consultation referred to above and a further report on the resource implications;
5. ask the Director for Learning & Culture to make proposals for the creation of an SEN Development Partnership Group to co-ordinate the task groups proposed in the draft action plan.
   
   

131/03. SPECIAL SCHOOL PLACEMENTS: RESOURCE AND ASSESSMENT PANELS

(Agenda Item 7)

The Executive considered a report (EX7) which had been requested by the Executive as one of the actions resulting from consideration of the Scrutiny Review report on Special Educational Needs.

Councillor Witcher considered that the process of consultation should be open and transparent and led by officers who were not directly involved in the process. The lack of trust on the part of parents needed to be addressed.

RESOLVED: to note the content of the report in the context of the recommendations of the Independent Panel and to ask officers under the leadership of the Chair of the Independent Panel to review the working of the panels within three months.

132/03. ASYLUM SEEKERS ACCOMMODATION CENTRE - INFRASTRUCTURE

(Agenda Item 8)

The Executive considered a report (EX8) which described arrangements for the provision of education and library services for residents at the Accommodation Centre for asylum applicants proposed by the Home Office near Bicester and sought formal authority for the completion of a contract so that appropriate action could be taken if development went ahead.

Councillor Mrs Fulljames expressed concern that the submission of a tender was premature pending an announcement regarding the siting of the centre itself; and that provision of services should be sustainable and at no financial cost to Council taxpayers.

The Leader of the Council confirmed the County Council’s continuing opposition to the siting of a centre in Bicester and that the tender for provision of services should not be seen as support. The concern was to ensure that the best services available were provided and to avoid unacceptable pressures on local services in Bicester.

Councillor Janet Godden suggested that the lack of provision for social & health care referred to in paragraph 10 was a cause for concern and should be communicated to the Government.

RESOLVED to authorise the completion, in the event that consent for the Accommodation Centre was given and its development proceeded, of a contract to provide education and library services to the contractors appointed by the Home Office to operate the Centre, subject as set out in the report EX8 and to such other terms as the Director for Learning & Culture, in consultation with the Solicitor to the Council, the Head of Finance, and the Executive Members for Schools, Learning & Culture and Children & Young People, considered appropriate.

133/03. HEADINGTON QUARRY FIRST SCHOOL: PROPOSED CLOSURE

(Agenda Item 9)

The Executive considered a report (EX9) which set out a decision by the governing body of Headington Quarry First School to close the school.

RESOLVED: to support the proposal by the Headington Quarry First School Governing Body for closure of the school and inform the School Organisation Committee accordingly.

134/03. DISCRETIONARY AWARDS FOR STUDENTS

(Agenda Item 10)

The Executive had before them a report (EX10) which set out a proposal to maintain the approach for 2003/04 as adopted in previous years.

RESOLVED: not to take up the power to make discretionary awards in any circumstances for the 2003-2004 academic year and not to make any provision for considering applications.

135/03. PROPOSALS FOR NEW EARLY YEARS UNITS

(Agenda Item 11)

The Executive considered a report (EX11) which presented applications to open a number of new Early Years Units.

RESOLVED:

1. subject to (b) below, to approve in principle the proposals for new Early Years Units from September 2003 at St. Thomas More RC Primary School, Kidlington; Christopher Rawlins School, Adderbury; Blewbury Primary School, Langford Village Primary School, Bicester; Sonning Common Primary School; and Great Rollright CE (Aided) Primary School;
2. to authorise the Director for Learning & Culture, in consultation with the Executive Member(s) for Children & Young People and Schools, formally to determine the proposals in the light of the recommendations and other comments of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.
   
   

136/03. FIRE SERVICE DISPUTE

(Agenda Item 13)

The Director for Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer reported that the employers’ current offer would be considered again by the FBU on 15 May 2003. The Fire Services Bill was expected to be enacted in 2 months’ time which would enable the Government to impose a pay deal if no agreement had been reached.

A Fire Service White Paper was due for publication in the near future which would be the Government’s response to the independent review of the Fire Service. The intention of the White Paper would be to improve public safety through completion of an Integrated Risk Management Plan for each fire authority, which represented a move away from national standards to locally determined ones.

Should further strike dates be announced, he had been advised that military assistance would be considerably reduced from that previously available. The likely impact of that with regard to alternative provision of fire cover in Oxfordshire was under assessment.

RESOLVED: that the report be noted.

137/03. CAPITAL PROGRAMME

(Agenda Item 13)

The Executive considered a report (EX13) which updated the capital programme and the resources available to fund it.

RESOLVED: to:

1. note the report;
2. approve the temporary use of funds of £7 million originally identified to cover the anticipated cashflow shortfall on the Oxford City Schools Capital Programme to cover the cashflow shortfall on the main Capital Programme;
3. approve the addition of £22,000 to the Community Safety capital programme in 2003/04 in respect of weighing equipment to undertake vehicle overloading checks;
4. note that the current shortfall of £1.6m could be met by slippage on the capital programme or additional capital receipts.
   
   

138/03. "CPA – THE NEXT STEPS"

(Agenda Item 14)

Following the introduction by the Government in 2002 of Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) to measure both corporate and service performance of local authorities the Executive considered a draft response to the Audit Commission.

RESOLVED: to approve the draft response set out in EX14, amended as set out in the addenda sheet, for submission to the Audit Commission by the 22 May deadline.

139/03. BANKING SERVICES CONTRACT

(Agenda Item 15)

The Executive considered a report (EX15) which explored an initiative for a joint approach with the City Council on the possibility of joint commissioning of banking services

City Councillor Bill Baker welcomed the joint initiative, particularly if it would be to the advantage of Council Tax Payers and looked forward to future co-operation.

Councillor Mitchell endorsed his sentiments.

RESOLVED: to approve the proposal to explore a joint commissioning arrangement with the Oxford City Council for the contract for banking services.

140/03. CONCESSIONARY FARES

(Agenda Item 16)

On 1 April 2003 Council had referred to the Executive a motion by Councillor Roy Mold which had proposed that the County Council should consider joining the District Councils in giving the new entitlement the widest publicity possible.

RESOLVED to ask the Executive Members for Transport and Strategic Planning & Waste Management to include in their proposed discussions with District Councils about concessionary fares the possibility of publicity for the extension of the concession to men aged 60 to 65.

141/03. FORWARD PLAN AND FUTURE BUSINESS

(Agenda Item 17)

The Executive considered schedules of proposed additions and amendments to the Forward Plan, together with a list of items for the next two meetings.

RESOLVED: to:

(a) agree the additions and amendments set out in Schedules 1 - 3 for the purpose of the Forward Plan for the ensuing four months subject to:

1. 2003/90 – deferred to June;

2. 2002/230 – deferred to June or possibly later;




(b) subject to (a) above, note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings as set out in Schedule 4.

In the Chair

Date of signing 2003

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