Interim Joint Managing Directors update
Additional documents:
Minutes:
(1) Dr Craig gave a verbal update and, with Mr Abbott, answered questions from Members.
Children, Families and Education Directorate - the interregnum
(2) Dr Craig explained that currently he and Mr Abbott were Interim Joint Managing Directors and he set out the other arrangements that were in place prior to the new Director being in post.
Annual Performance Assessment (APA)
(3) A paper was due to be submitted to Cabinet shortly setting out the results of the APA., the service had achieved “good” in all five “every child matters” category which was a marvellous result.
Safeguarding review
(4) Dr Craig reminded Members that the Chief Executive had commissioned a review of safeguarding in children’s services in Kent. The budget for 2009/10 included an extra £1.5m to increase the number of front line social workers.
GCSE results
(5) Dr Craig referred to the GCSE results what had been announced in the national press the previous day. He stated that the figures were incorrect and the Department for Children, Schools and Families had acknowledged that this was due to inaccurate loading of data by their contractor. This would mean an increase in the scores shown for Kent schools.
Abolition of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
(6) Mr Abbott referred to the Governments intention to abolish the LSC and transfer their funding to Local Authorities and two new Quango’s. KCC expected to be part of a sub national group with Medway Council, a transition group had been established and it was expected that shadow arrangements would be in place by April 2010.
National Challenge
(7) Dr Craig referred the “national challenge” group of schools. Although school did not have to hit the target of pupils achieving 30% A* to C grades until 2010, a list of school that had not hit this target had been set up, this included 30 Kent schools, it appeared that once a school was on this list, even if it achievement level improved they would still remain on the list. The Department of Children, Schools and Families (CSF) published on its website what action each school was proposing to take to achieve the target.
(8) RESOLVED that the update be noted and that a report be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee on the abolition of the Learning Skills Council.