Agenda

Ruth Bennie has resigned from the Committee and the Diocese of Oxford has nominated Toby Long to replace her. 

The Committee is recommended to APPROVE the minutes of the meeting held on 18 January 2024 and to receive information arising from them.

Members of the public who wish to speak at this meeting can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection. 

To facilitate ‘hybrid’ meetings we are asking that requests to speak or present a petition are submitted by no later than 9.00 a.m. four working days before the meeting, i.e., 9.00 a.m. on 14 May 2024.  Requests to speak should be sent to the Scrutiny Officer at scrutiny@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

If you are speaking ‘virtually’, you may submit a written statement of your presentation to ensure that your views are taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9.00 a.m. two working days before the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

The Committee has requested an update on the Priority Action Plan. Cllr Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for SEND Improvement, Cllr John Howson, Cabinet Member for Children, Education, and Young People’s Services, have been invited to present the report and will be accompanied by Lisa Lyons, Director of Childrens Services, and Ian Smart, SEND Transformation Programme Director.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Cllr Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for SEND Improvement, Councillor John Howson, Cabinet Member for Children, Education, and Young People’s Services, Lisa Lyons, Director of Children’s Services, and Zaheer Ahmed, Interim Head of School Improvement and Learning, have been invited to present a report on the Validated Examinations Data.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

Cllr Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for SEND Improvement, Cllr John Howson, Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Young People’s Services, Lisa Lyons, Director of Children’s Services, and Jean Kelly, Deputy Director for Childrens Social Care, have been invited to present a report on the recent ILACS inspection.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and raise any questions, and to AGREE any recommendations it wishes to make to Cabinet arising therefrom.

The Committee’s terms of reference, as approved by Council when establishing the Committee, set out that:

In addition to the county councillors the People Overview & Scrutiny Committee shall include in its membership the following voting representatives:

·       one Church of England representative appointed by the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education;

·       one Roman Catholic representative appointed jointly by the Archbishop of Birmingham and the Bishop of Portsmouth to represent the Roman Catholic Church;

·       two persons who shall be parent governors of maintained schools elected in accordance with a procedure approved by the Council.

·       two persons who, at the time of their original appointment, shall be aged 25 or under and either living in Oxfordshire or working for an organisation in Oxfordshire supporting or representing children and young people.

The Scrutiny Officer will provide an update on any expressions of interest received from parent governors and/or from young people.  The Committee is recommended to DELEGATE confirmation of their appointment to the Chair and the Scrutiny Officer. 

The Committee is recommended to NOTE the progress of previous recommendations and actions arising from previous meetings, having raised any questions on the contents.

The Committee is recommended to AGREE its work programme for forthcoming meetings,  taking account of the Cabinet Forward Plan and of the Budget Management Monitoring Report.

Cabinet responded to the report submitted by the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the Oxfordshire Education Commission at its meeting on 23 April 2024.

The Committee is asked to NOTE the response.