Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the Meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Anda Fitzgerald O’Connor (Councillor Liam Walker substituting) and Mr Ian Jones.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2017 (ESC4) and to receive information arising from them.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 19 July 2017 were approved and signed subject to, in page 3,  changing ‘AMT’ to ’MAT’ and  removing an apostrophe in paragraph 3.

14:15

Roy Leach, Strategic Lead for Educational Sufficiency will present an early overview of the provisional educational outcomes of children and young people in Oxfordshire primary schools for the academic year 2016-17.

The report provides an overview of attainment across school partnership and type of school, as well as highlighting the number of schools of concern.

As a means of scrutinising educational attainment in more depth, the Committee is RECOMMENDED to consider the merits of a deep dive following the availability of validated attainment data, and visits to low and high performing schools.

At its last Meeting, the Committee had identified Educational Attainment as a top priority for scrutiny and agreed to give consideration as to whether the Committee should undertake an in depth investigation into attainment levels in Oxfordshire particularly the gap for vulnerable learners.

Accordingly, Roy Leach, Strategic Lead for Educational Sufficiency, Alison Wallis, Performance Information Manager and Rachael Etheridge, Education Inclusion Manager attended to present an overview to the Committee of the provisional educational outcomes of children and young people in Oxfordshire primary schools for the academic year 2016-17.

The presentation and report provided an overview of attainment across school partnership and type of school in Oxfordshire, as well as highlighting the number of schools of concern. 

In introducing the report, Alison Wallis reported that provisional data showed that educational performance had increased in all four of the key assessment stages.  3 year trend data was available for Early Years and Phonics screening. However, due to the changing curriculum and assessments, only two years of data was available for key stages 1 and 2.

Increases in performance generally reflected a similar increase to provisional national figures. Performance at Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) had risen from 60% of children with a good level of development in 2014 to 73% in 2017. In 2016 the Oxfordshire figure rose above the national average for the first time since the new assessment started. This trend looks like it is continuing this year. Validated figures and national comparisons would be published by the DfE in October.

In 2016 the proportion of Oxfordshire children reaching the expected standard in writing at key stage 1 was amongst the lowest nationally (62% compared with 66%). This proportion had increased to 66% this year. Early indications were that although this figure was likely to remain below the national average, the gap would have decreased.

Key stage 1 and phonics validated data and national comparisons were due to be published by the DfE at the end of September.  Key stage 2 comparisons had already been published by the DfE. In Oxfordshire the proportion of children reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths had increased from 52% to 61%. Oxfordshire now performed in line with the national average for this measure.

For individual subject areas at key stage 2, Oxfordshire performed above the national average in reading (74% compared with 71%), in line with the national average in maths (75%) and below the national average in writing (73% compared with 76%).

There continued to be a degree of variation in performance between school partnerships.  At key stage 2 the proportion of children reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths varied from 42% across the Oxford South East partnership to 76% across the Sonning Common partnership, although it should be noted that there was also a difference in cohort sizes – there were 260 children at the end of this key stage in the Oxford South East partnership but 100 in the Sonning Common partnership. This affected  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69/17

15:30

Rachael Etheridge, Education Inclusion Manager will present data on permanent and fixed term exclusions that have taken place in 2016/17.

The report highlights trends in exclusion rates and the schools that have excluded. Further analysis of the data will follow for the committee to interrogate the causes of exclusions and the reasons behind their increased use.

As a means of scrutinising education exclusions in more detail, the Committee is RECOMMENDED to consider the merits of a deep dive and visits to schools.

At its last Meeting, the Committee had identified Exclusions as a top priority for scrutiny and agreed to give consideration as to whether the Committee should undertake an in depth investigation into exclusions in Oxfordshire.

Accordingly Rachael Etheridge, Education Inclusion Manager attended to present data on permanent and fixed term exclusions that had taken place in 2016/17, together with a report which highlighted trends in exclusion rates and the schools that had excluded.

In introducing the report, Ms Etheridge indicated that she would be producing more socio demographic information for the deep dive investigation.  During debate, members identified the following for consideration by the group:

·           were exclusions affected by the physical location of school or catchment area?

·           by pupils or where school the school was situated?

·           was there a link to the Index of Multiple deprivation;

·           Children in LAC should not be excluded;

·           secondary schools excluded 62 children;

·           5 times more boys were excluded than girls;

·           32% of children excluded had SEN;

·           all primary school permanently excluded children had SEN;

·           was there a link between delay in EHCP and exclusion figures and low numbers of EHCP in comparison with National average;

·           SEN breakdown needed of those children excluded;

·           There needed to be an analysis of the difference between academies and maintained primary schools;

·           Since academisation a whole raft of data has gone missing.  Schools were not reporting data – secondary – RSC involvement – DfE did not do any data cleaning.  Need to look at ways of reminding schools to report data;

·           Unique pupil numbers should enable DfE to identify when they get data;

·           Growing trend in permanent exclusions – the safeguarding Board was doing a piece of work around this need to liaise with them;

·           most children that were excluded were not on FSM;

·           needed weighting factor;

·           Fixed rate exclusions also increasing – need to investigate whether this is due to a greater focus on exclusions or more rigorous reporting;

·           rates are increasing in primary and not so much in secondary;

·           poor support for primary – need to look at what other authorities provide;

·           There had been a piece of work commissioned with St. Gregory’s and Banbury – need to establish what this is and not duplicate;

·           Work to done through governing bodies;

·           Managed moves/fair access protocols – why isn’t more being made of these;

·           Growth in fixed term exclusions particularly in early years and key stage 1;

·           Number of exclusions in yrs. 7, 9 and 10 –d due to poor transition period?

·           Year 10 vital for child’s progress, first year of G.C.S.E, some academies will not take child after permanent exclusion difference between success and failure;

·           Need to look at attitudes towards children in primary school and then secondary school;

·           Links with progress 8 and attainment 8 and Ebac;

·           Were secondary schools aware of primary school records or not;

·           Good practice and sharing how not to permanently exclude.

Following debate, the Committee: RESOLVED:

(a)       nominate Councillor Mrs Anda Fitzgerald O’Connor, Councillor Jeannette Matelot and Carole Thomson to conduct  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70/17

16:45

An opportunity to discuss and prioritise future topics for the Committee, potential approaches to its work and to discuss the schedule for future meetings.

The Committee considered the forward plan Committee and AGREED the following additions and deletions shown in bold italics and strikethrough: