Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Children, Education & Families

Forward Plan Ref: 2014/175

Contact: Rebecca Matthews, Interim Deputy Director – Education & Early Intervention Tel: (01865) 815125

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA12).

The growth of school autonomy has triggered a debate about the role of local authorities and the conditions necessary to encourage and sustain a self-improving system. This paper argues that there is still significant strategic value in retaining in-house school improvement services.

 The Corporate Plan 2015-18, A Thriving Oxfordshire, states that the Council ‘has a crucial leadership role in ensuring there is a diverse supply of strong schools for the county’s children and a key role in continuing to improve educational attainment in the county.’

Oxfordshire’s Children and Young People’s Plan 2015-18 wants Oxfordshire to be ‘the best place in England for children and young people to grow up in, by working with every child and young person to develop the skills, confidence and opportunities they need to achieve their full potential.’

The plans set out in this paper  reinforce the Council’s aim for strong schools, which provide children and young people with appropriate knowledge, skills and understanding, which will be fundamental to the future of a thriving Oxfordshire. An in-house service, able to trade with all schools and settings to ensure its future viability, will provide the Council the opportunity to continue to improve educational standards for all.

While schools can, and do, receive support services from a variety of sources, the Council would be well placed to continue to have in-house capacity to achieve the corporate aims and targets. The proposals in this report  will provide for an integrated approach across health, social care, safeguarding and post 16 education and training. It will also enable a more integrated and bespoke approach for the future, to address whatever particular pressures or concerns face the county.

Cabinet  is RECOMMENDED To:

a)       approve, in principle, the creation of a ring-fenced trading service for Schools and Learning, trading with third parties and to allow for further developmental work and consultation with key stakeholders; and

b)       endorse the proposal to reconfigure the remaining services into a streamlined and integrated Central School Support Portfolio comprising the remaining non-delegable functions.

Recommendations agreed.

The growth of school autonomy has triggered a debate about the role of local authorities and the conditions necessary to encourage and sustain a self-improving system. Cabinet considered a report that argued that there is still significant strategic value in retaining in-house school improvement services.

Councillor Gill Sanders, Shadow Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Families expressed the Labour Group’s support for the recommendations and stressed the importance of keeping experienced and valued members of staff.

In response to a question Cabinet was advised that further reports would be submitted as necessary.

RESOLVED:           to:

(a)      approve, in principle, the creation of a ring-fenced trading service for Schools and Learning, trading with third parties and to allow for further developmental work and consultation with key stakeholders; and

(b)      endorse the proposal to reconfigure the remaining services into a streamlined and integrated Central School Support Portfolio comprising the remaining non-delegable functions.