Agenda item

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 an Outcome led deep dive into Exclusions with immediate effect and appoint Councillor Gill Sanders to oversee the process and report back to Committee;

(b)       ask the Director for Children’s Services to allocate adequate resources to support the deep dive to ensure positive outcome;

(c)       set up an extraordinary meeting in January to receive the outcome of the deep dive;

(d)       give consideration to how the information will be disseminated to schools following the outcome.