Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and in particular the new members of the Committee.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Anda Fitzgerald O,Connor (Councillor Mike Fox-Davies substituting) and Councillor John Howson (Councillor Kirsten Johnson substituting) and from Richard Brown.

To approve the minutes of the meetings held on 13 March 2017 and 16 May 2017 (ESC4) and to receive information arising from them.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 March 2017 were approved and signed subject to the following amendments:

Minute 52/17, 9^th paragraph, substitute ‘alga rhythm’ with ‘algorithm’;

Minute 53/7 2^nd paragraph, substitute ‘Learners’ with ‘Leaners’, 16^th paragraph substitute ‘1 language to 3’ with ‘3 languages to 1’.

Matters Arising on the Minutes:

In response to a question from Councillor Gill Sanders regarding the local Authority MAT, the Chairman reported that all schools had been written to over the summer and that the analysis of that work would be coming to members in due course.

The Director for Children’s Services will present the education landscape, the current and future challenges and opportunities and their impact on shaping the councils role in education and key priorities for the committee based on our actual responsibilities.

(In the event Agenda Items 6-9 were all discussed as one item)

It had been recognised that the new Council presented an ideal opportunity for the Education Scrutiny Committee to examine how the role of Education Scrutiny could be enhanced to tackle the changing education landscape and new ways of working to make scrutiny more effective.

Accordingly, the Director for Children’s Services and relevant staff had been invited to give a presentation to the Committee examining the current education landscape, the current and future challenges and opportunities and their impact on shaping the Council’s role in education and key priorities for the Committee based on actual Responsibilities.

The Director for Children’s Services, together with Ruth Ashwell, Education, employment & Training Manager, Roy Leach, Strategic lead, Education Sufficiency & Access, Janet Johnson, Strategic Lead for Vulnerable Learners and Christine Malone, Strategic Lead for Education Quality gave a presentation (a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of the Minutes) detailing the current challenges Education was facing and the Directorate’s focus for the future.

During the presentation, officers highlighted the following points:

The current challenges for Education were as follows:

·      The rise of child protection issues and increasing concerns for welfare;

·      The Gap for vulnerable learners and attainment for all children in Oxfordshire;

·      Exclusion and attendance rates;

·      Recruitment of head teachers and teachers;

·      Academy vs the improvement agenda;

·      the uncertain future based on environment and money;

·      the narrow curriculum vs what employers want;

·      systems with systems AMT’s, RSC, Ofsted inspections;

·      funding

·      testing

The four main area’s (obsessions) for children and families were: Increasing school attendance – leading to improved attainment; Helping early – most effective, least intrusive, solutions to problems; Safely reducing the number of looked after children - providing support to enable families to care and Improving the confidence and capability of the whole workforce - to work effectively with families experiencing domestic abuse, parental mental health and drugs and alcohol issues.

The success would be measured by Ofsted confirmation that the Council was providing a good service; by delivering financial sustainability; by reducing family breakdown and improving attainment and aspirations.

Nationally, councils could not keep delivering services in the way that it had been doing or were doing today.  The model was breaking and was not sustainable, costs were rising, but budgets continued to fall. 

The significant rises in demand locally though were not sustainable in the longer term. There needed to be a re-focus on earlier intervention wherever possible to better manage demand and improve outcomes for children and families. Social Care was rising and some of it was unnecessary and was unsustainable and therefore a systems shift was needed.

Officers then went on to outline issues and challenges faced in Education sufficiency and Access, Education Quality and Vulnerable Learners and the Skills Agenda.

•     Role ever changing to adapt to new world

•     Still waiting on review by Government

•     Autonomous school system

•     Self-improving – sector led school system

•     LA key role in shaping place –  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62/17

This item presents the opportunity for members to examine how the role of education scrutiny could be enhanced, through for example:

ØDeep Dives or single member study groups

ØWork programme “Action Tracking”

ØUsing the full range of powers available to the committee

ØShaping policy through a focus on best practice

ØWell informed and focussed questioning

ØBroadening membership of the Education Scrutiny Committee

(Taken under Agenda Item 6)

In light of discussions above, this will be an opportunity for Members to review the current terms of reference for the Education Scrutiny Committee and to agree amendments to put forward for approval by the Audit and Governance Committee.

The Committee is asked to consider and agree areas to update the current terms of reference and to refer proposed amendments to the Audit and Governance Committee.

(Taken under Agenda Item 6)

To review the annual work programme for the Committee and to agree the both individual issues proposed and the shape of the overall programme of topics being proposed. 

(Taken under Agenda Item 6)