Issue - meetings

1.    The Chairman introduced the item which was a call in of Decision 15/00114 – Proposal to Close Pent Valley Technology College.  He welcomed the witnesses and explained the process of the meeting.  The Chairman also referred to a written submission from Mr Whybrow, one of the local Members, which had been circulated to Members of the Committee. 

2.    Mr Cowan briefly explained his reasons for calling in this decision which were set out in the supplementary agenda pack.  Mr Cowan had held a meeting with Mr Gough, Mr Adams and Democratic Services prior to the call-in being approved but was pleased that the decision would be fully scrutinised at the Scrutiny Committee meeting.  Mr Latchford supported the call-in. 

3.    The Chairman asked the two external speakers, Mrs Claire Potts and Miss Bethany Smith, to set out their view on the proposed decision.

4.    Mrs Potts thanked the Committee for allowing her to speak to them about this decision, she highlighted the main areas of concern for parents and the community which included the following:

a.    At the Education Cabinet Committee, 17 February 2016, it was stated that: if the intake for September 2016 was 100 pupils or more KCC would try to keep the school open with a recovery plan.  Mrs Potts asked why, when the original 54 first choice requests were made, the remaining 46 places could not be filled with pupils who had requested Pent Valley as their second choice. 

b.    What alternative options there were to the proposal to close the school and what evidence of the alternative options? 

c.    Referring to the £1.5million investment into Pent Valley in June 2015 – why was this undertaken and now there is a proposal to close the school. 

d.    The consultation period ran from 6 January 2016 – 3 February 2016.  On 9 December Pent Valley students received allocation letters to other schools.  Teachers at Folkestone Academy had been informed that their class sizes would be increasing and there were concerns over the support staff needed in classes of 40 pupils. 

e.    Had all pathways been lit to ensure children could travel in the dark and was there a plan for buses on relevant routes? 

f.     Mrs Potts was aware that KCC had received emails from Folkestone Academy parents setting out concerns such as inadequate teaching and bullying.  Parents were planning on moving their children from Folkestone Academy in to Pent Valley. 

g.    Why year 9 students at Pent Valley, who had recently chosen their GCSE options could not be guaranteed the same subjects at alternative schools due to class sizes and classes being full.

h.    Pent Valley Ofsted report was ‘good’ in Jan 2013 the last Ofsted report for  Folkestone Academy was ‘requires improvement’ 

5.    Miss Smith was then invited to speak to the Committee.  Miss Smith raised the following points and questions:

a.    The Government had stated that by 2020 every school was to become a free school or an academy.  Presumably the Council did not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 97

To receive the report by the Corporate Director for Education and Young People’s Services setting out the results of the public consultation on the proposal to close Pent Valley Technology College and asking the Education and Young People’s Services Cabinet Committee to consider and endorse or make recommendations on a decision to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform report.

1) The Chairman explained he would not be allowing a member of the public to speak at the meeting. This was because their opportunity to respond has already been explored through the consultation. However, the Chairman agreed to the distribution of a written statement from a member of the public against the closure of Pent Valley.

2) Patrick Leeson, Corporate Director of Education and Young People’s Services, introduced the report on the closure of Pent Valley School. He explained that it was always a difficult decision to move to close a school. Mr Leeson also gave the following information;

a)    The Local Authority’s priority is to improve and increase the opportunities and quality of education of Kent’s children and young people. Pent Valley School was judged to be good by Ofsted in 2012. In 2013-14 the Local Authority monitoring was giving cause for concern and following the poor 2014 GCSE results it was not believed that Pent Valley School management was taking sufficient action.

b)    Further to this Mr Leeson confirmed School results had plummeted in recent years in 2014 and 2015. A major review of the School was carried out in response to this and an improvement plan was agreed. As the conditions of this improvement plan had not been met the school had been issued with a formal warning notice, requiring the governors to bring in new executive leadership.

c)    Mr Leeson informed Members the number of students going to Pent Valley School had been falling each year since 2010. The school is designed for an intake of 180 students each academic year. Contrary to this in 2010 there were 145 students joining year 7 and by 2015 this had reduced further to only 43 students. The numbers that might start in 2016 are now as low as 34. He further confirmed that as 90% of the schools budget is determined by pupil number this is a serious issue for the funding available to the school.

d)    He confirmed that following the current trend Pent Valley School would be £2 million in deficit by the end of this year. The School has been unable to bring its finances into order.

e)    Mr Leeson stated that it is with great reluctance that in spite of new management the School cannot be turned around in time.

f)     In regards to the future of the site he informed Members he anticipated in 2 or 3 years’ time a free school could be opened there.

g)    Mr Leeson stated that their consultation process had been very open.

3) Mr Vye expressed a view that Kent County Council should assist with the cost of travel for those who were within a short distance of Pent Valley School and are having to move their children further afield. Members of the Committee and the Chairman expressed support for this. Mr Leeson also stated that he was supportive of the points raised in regards to travel arrangements.

4) In response to concerns raised by Members of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 152