Agenda item

10.25 am

 

This item is one of the three principle topics earmarked at the last meeting for review, the others being ‘Bullying in Schools’ and ‘ Science in Schools and the Community’. Plans are underway for presentations to be given at the 23 February meeting on the latter two topics.

 

A presentation will be made by Sandra Higgs, Strategy Leader, 14 – 19 Oxfordshire after which there will be a question & answer session. A brief which has been prepared by the officers will follow.

Members of the Committee were given a presentation based on a briefing paper prepared by (CH5) by Sandra Higgs, Strategy Leader, 14 – 19, and Richard Savage, Service Manager, Supporting Choices. This item had been one of the three principle topics earmarked at the 22 September meeting for review, the others being ‘Bullying in Schools’ and ‘Science in Schools and the Community’. Plans were underway for presentations to be given to the 23 February meeting on the latter two topics.

 

Following the presentation, the Committee conducted a question and answer session, some of the responses to which are set out below:

 

Q         Is Health & Safety, and in particular Manual Handling,  part of the curriculum?

R         Health & Safety is part of the curriculum for both the new Diploma and the Apprenticeship programmes. It is also a stand alone qualification. We have to think about the needs of the learners and, at the same time avoid duplication of courses in order to make them cost effective.

 

Q         Will those that have started in the sixth form at Carterton College qualify for subsidised travel?

R         It is the Local Authority’s responsibility to organise travel and to ensure access to college courses. However, there are thresholds in place for qualification. We are finding that not all wish to apply for  it and, to this end, we are working with Carterton College.

 

Q         In my division there are a significant amount of small businesses, pubs, post offices, corner shops and farms employing young people aged under 18 and access to courses can be impossible without independent transport. In addition, might a number of small business employers lose their day release facilities? Will EU workers qualify for language course?

R         Part of the changes is to give more flexibility to employers and providers and to make learners used to different styles of learning. Part of this flexibility could be via learning on the job, receiving both assessment and mentoring support. The challenge in Oxfordshire is to try to communicate this message to employers and providers in a better way and to ensure that types of programme availability matches up to need. Currently there are a large number of employers not giving training as employees are still required to travel to a central venue. Yes EU workers will qualify for language courses.

 

Q         Will 16 year olds who are already in day release training, be breaking the law ?

R         There is a nationwide debate currently going on about who to criminalise in these circumstances – the young people (or their parents), or the employers who take them on. We do not have an answer to that at this time. It is a matter of concern.

 

The Leach report said that young people not receiving training, and not willing to engage in training will be unlikely to remain in a job for a long time. Statistics suggest that young people currently in year 6 and 7 will be likely to have up to 17 jobs before the age of 50.

 

Local authorities responsible for post 16 training are concerned about the numbers of young people not in employment. Moreover, because they are not in learning, it is difficult to find them. We are working with the Learning & Skills Council to try to secure Government funded, extra learning places within Oxfordshire for young people up to the age of 17.

 

Q         What is in the contract for current year 11’s?

R         We have a contract with Connexions to provide a range of information via the schools. This includes an area wide prospectus which includes a collation of all apprenticeships available, with the addition of job seeking information which is followed up with advice. For those young people who are struggling there is a guidance and support service, and their parents are also invited to come in to look at what is available. This is backed up by a guarantee that all 16 – 17 year olds will be given an offer of learning and this will be monitored.

 

Q         Do we as a local authority have a legal obligation now to provide a place?

R         We will pick up accountability from the LSC next year. There is no absolute legal requirement for the moment.

 

Q         Would, say, a short block of one month’s training  in Agricultural College meet the requirement over one year?

R         Yes, if they are working. There might be visiting assessors to their work etc. This would lead to a nationally recognised qualification. This Authority would provide the assessor.

 

Q         Of the 8 new staff transferring from April, are any of these finance staff?

R         The LSC have to employ very capable financial business managers, as they have to be able to manage large business envelopes. Of the staff transferring, 4 are financially competent. However, they are not accountants.

 

Q         How will they be paid?

R         The LSC conducts this on a national basis. This will amount to 9 extra monthly payments . The act of paying them will not be a challenge, the challenge will be around working pot how much they will receive. The formula is being worked up by the LSC at the moment and then they will instruct the providers. We might receive some administrative support, but we do not expect to get accountants.

 

Q         Could there be significant financial implications for the Council?

R         The current Government has made it clear that they are committed to spend on this as much they are doing now. Statistics suggest that there will be the same number of learners in the system in 2013 as now, but there will be a difference in what they will be doing. One could argue that the funding accessed at the moment is expensive.

 

Q         Won’t some youth clubs, for example, have some extra facilities which could be accessed?

R         Functional skills are firmly embedded throughout all four pathways. For example, all young people are expected to have the opportunity to reach level 2 in English and IT        and they are also expected to continue until they reach level 3, regardless of which pathway they are following. We enable this via the curriculum at 14, or by innovative means.

 

There is also a scheme called ‘Back on Track’ whereby the youth centre hosts pre 16 learners who are not in school. They provide a range of activities which are well suited to the youth centre environment. The first run of this has just finished in Didcot. All youth centres are getting an update programme in IT which is available to all users. There is not, however, any specialised input.

 

Q         What would a young person do is they had not achieved good grades at GCSE and had not been able to find an apprenticeship?

R         The thinking behind the Leach report is that some young people take longer than others to reach higher qualifications; and thus should be able to access skills in different ways. There is a recognition within the education field that the current system is not necessarily maximising the ‘pot’ of skills which young people can offer. This is already being addressed in a number of ways, one being via the broadening of the curriculum at age 14 giving the opportunity to study a diploma in a particular subject. This constitutes a different angle of learning. We aim to create more opportunities such as this.

 

Q         I understand that the resource envelope remains the same – and you intend to introduce more opportunities? Has the Directorate a sense of where the money will come from to do this? And will there be a shortfall?

R         We are very aware that we will have to create more expensive provision for the same amount of funding. At the moment we are receiving primary funding and many young people are benefiting from this. However, it won’t last forever. There has been some collaboration and participation in the reduction of cost inefficient provision at the moment. For example, there are very small classes carrying small groups of 3 or 4 in neighbouring schools. We are in the process of reducing the amount of inefficient provision and placing it with good provision, where there are good facilities and the right staff in the right place .We have to look at current provision so that we can pay for more expensive provision. We are also trying to set up seven  14 – 19 consortia comprising representatives from the special, secondary and FE sectors to discuss how needs can be met and what the potential is.

 

Q         Is there any central monitoring? Will the form filling be an extra burden on the School/College? This Scrutiny Committee supported  has supported post 16 education into special schools. Has there been any clarity as to the funding streams with regard to this? This Council has put in additional monies to effect this.

R         Getting clarity for this is a responsibility which will be retained by the Young People’s Learning Agency. A member of the Local LSC will be transferred precisely for that reason. More work has to be done on it.

 

Q         With the delay in will the current situation with regard to funding continue?

R         At the moment there is a gap and there is no guarantee of what will fill it. It is currently based on LSC funding. This issue is currently being explored within the Directorate. The Leach report also refers to funding.

 

Q         Few small businesses employ young people, one of the problems being that they need experience.

R         Cllr Waine – Many people ‘dumb down’ lower qualifications. The Council takes the view that people with a lower number of qualifications are fulfilling roles in society which we cannot do without. With regard to young people,  I have not seen the new diploma course working, in relation to the different levels of qualifications, as yet

 

On the conclusion of the above question and answer session it was AGREED to:

 

(a)               thank Sandra Higgs and Richard Savage for their briefing paper and for their attendance for the question and answer session; and

(b)               congratulate the officers on the positive progress to date and request Lisa Michelson to arrange a seminar  for the Spring 2010 to which all members of Council will be invited.

 

Sandra Higgs undertook bring along her colleagues to the seminar who would be able to give the finer detail on funding. She also agreed to provide an electronic link to the Leach Report for members to look at prior to the seminar. Councillor Hallchurch also suggested that representatives from Oxfordshire Economic Partnership be invited also.