Agenda item

3:00

Members requested an update following the revision of Oxfordshire's In Year Fair Access Protocol which is attached at (ESC12).  The purpose of the protocol is to ensure that vulnerable children not on roll at school, are admitted on a school roll in a fair, equal and transparent manner.

https://www2.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/sites/default/files/folders/documents/childreneducationandfamilies/educationandlearning/schools/startingschool/admissionrulesandpolicies/rules_2019_20/FairAccessProtocol2018onwards.pdf

The Committee is asked to consider the protocol and related Fair Access issues.

At its last Meeting, the Committee had requested an update following the revision of Oxfordshire’s In Year Fair Access Protocol.  The Committee had before them a report (ESC12) which set out the revised protocol, together with plans for the development of an Alternative Provision Commissioning Strategy.

Deborah Bell, Head of Learner Engagement reported that the purpose of Fair Access Protocols was to ensure that - outside the normal admissions round - unplaced children, especially the most vulnerable, were found and offered a school place quickly, so that the amount of time any child was out of school was kept to the minimum. Oxfordshire County Council policy stated that all children must be placed on school rolls within 15 days.  This was why Oxfordshire and every local authority was required to have in place a Fair Access Protocol, developed in partnership with local schools.

Following the Members deep dive into exclusions in 2018, the In Year Fair Access Protocol was reviewed by OCC officers and secondary school Headteachers and inclusion leaders from across the county in a task and finish group convened for this purpose. Working with the Oxfordshire Secondary Headteachers Association, Headteachers were consulted about changes during the review process. This raised awareness of the reasons for placing children in a timely fashion and schools’ responsibilities in this.  The reviewed document was put out to consultation for all schools (including primary schools) and published for implementation from 1April 2019.

School leaders and LA officers needed to work together to ensure places were offered in a fair manner in accordance to the Admissions Code 2014. The Code gave local authorities and schools, including Academies, the freedom to develop and agree Protocols which best serve the needs of children in their area. It was for participating schools to ensure that the local Protocol worked for them and was reviewed as required with the LA.  Participation was mandatory for all state funded mainstream schools.

Reducing exclusion of children from school remained a focus for all stakeholders in the area.  This included the number of children needing school places following permanent exclusion through In Year Fair Access processes.

Inclusion processes had also been reviewed with key stakeholders alongside the In Year Fair Access Protocol. This has resulted in new terms of reference for the meetings, new processes that support schools to work together across the county to cultivate inclusive practices and challenge exclusive practices involving key partners from Policy, Health and Social Care.

Since Easter 6 Children had been place in the Fair Access Protocol.  All six had been placed.

The Committee welcomed the content of the protocol and made the following points during discussion:

In relation to Fair Access Panels, the Committee questioned whether there was any opportunity for a split between North and West Oxfordshire as West Oxfordshire seemed to participate to a much greater extent.

The Committee questioned what work was being carried out to address more localised provision.

In response, officers reported that a large piece of work was being carried out including an audit to understand what the provision was currently and to check for quality assurance; how may children there were currently and how many were coming in, with a view to commissioning an in-house alternative provision.  A further update would be available in November, once the audit had been undertaken.

The Committee noted that the Fair Access Panel held a small budget out of the High Needs Block to enable them to place a child that had not been able to be placed due to Finance.

The Committee thanked Deborah Bell for all the work undertaken thus far, and requested a further update in six months time.