Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence and notification of any substitutes present

Apologies for absence had been received from Mr Northey, Mr Burgess, Mr Roper and Mr Tear.

To receive any declarations of interest made by Members in relation to any matter on the agenda.  Members are reminded to specify the agenda item number to which it refers and the nature of the interest being declared

There were no declarations.

To consider and approve the minutes as a correct record

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 22 September 2016 were correctly recorded and that they be signed by the Chairman.

To receive verbal updates from the relevant Cabinet Members and Corporate Director for Education and Young People’s Services portfolio.

1.    Mr Gough, Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform, gave the following update:

(a)  There were three funding related issues, which were potentially coming to a head.  The first of which related to overall Social Care funding and the National funding formula.  KCC was part of the F40 group of relatively underfunded local authorities.  There had been a campaign over a period, to address some rebalances nationally.  This was something which was taken up by Government in a consultation paper earlier in the year. Emerging from this were a set of proposals, which were of some concern.  Although from the point of view of Kent Schools, funding formula changes were likely to be helpful, at the same time, the degree of separation away from high needs funding was a cause for concern.  The government did have a number of proposals as to how the risks associated with high needs funding might be dealt with, but it was not seen at this time to be substantial.  There was a large scale consultation.  The new Education secretary took the view that she needed time in her new role to digest the information, and therefore deferred the decision, which has caused concern for schools.  It was hoped that information would be available before Christmas.

(b)  Secondly, in relation to the Education Services Grant (ESG), the Government had sent out proposals in a consultation document on academisation, that local authorities should remove their duty on school improvement, and take a step back in the summer of 2017. With that, the ESG, which was set to be phased out anyway, would function for a few months in 17/18 then disappear completely.  This would leave KCC with a £4million funding shortfall, growing in the following financial year.  It seemed a strange way to rush things even if it took seriously the Governments proposals to have full academisation of the system by 2022. This proposal had now gone, the legislation was not at the moment being brought forward any time soon to remove the local authority statutory duty around school improvement, and yet the funding was set to go by the summer of 2017.  The Leader of the Council had raised this at Ministerial level.

(c)  The final financial element was the Early Years Funding consultation.  KCC had responded a couple of months ago.  Concerns were that the government has brought proposals which would in theory modulise funding across the country.  In fact, the changes proposed had relatively little to do with modulisation and would not be favourable to Kent. There would be an effect on Kent providers.  There were particular concerns about proposals for withdrawing quality premium, which would affect a number of provisions.  It was not in the interests of Kent providers, and did not tackle government concerns. 

All three of the above issues were a cause for concern.

2.         Mr Oakford, Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services,  then gave the following update:

(a)  He had recently attended a day out with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 222.

To agree that meetings of the Cabinet Committee in 2017/18 will take place as follows:

22 June 2017

7 September 2017

22 November 2017

18 January 2018

8 March 2018.

It has previously been agreed that meetings will take place on 1 February and 30 March 2017

RESOLVED – that the Committee meeting dates for 2017/18 be agreed.

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform and the Corporate Director for Education and Young Peoples Services, and to consider and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member on the proposed decision set out in the report.

(Mr J Nehra, Area Education Officer – West Kent attended the meeting for this item).

1.    Mr Nehra introduced the report which set out the results of the public consultation on the proposed changes to Oakley (Special) School, Pembury Road, Tunbridge Wells.

2.    RESOLVED – That the proposed decision of the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform to:

Issue a public notice to:

(i)            increase the designated number of places from 218 to 242

(ii)          extend the lower age range at Oakley (Special) School to age 2 for 1st September 2017 in order to develop an observation and assessment nursery provision

And, subject to no new objections to the public notice

(iii)         Implement the proposals for 1 September 2017.

(iv)         Allocate £586,000 from the Education and Young People’s Services Capital Budget

(v)          Authorise the Director of Infrastructure in consultation with the General Counsel (Interim) to enter into any necessary contracts/ agreements on behalf of the County Council.

(vi)         Authorise the Director of Infrastructure to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts, be endorsed.

To consider and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform on a proposed decision to expand Harrietsham CEP School

(Mr J Nehra, Area Education Officer – West Kent attended the meeting for this item).

1.    Mr Nehra introduced the report which set out the results of the public consultation on the proposed changes to Harrietsham CEP School, Maidstone.

2.    Mr Nehra advised that there was a risk in terms of the additional land which needed to be acquired to provide appropriate facilities.  He suggested that the recommendation in the report be amended to include the wording ‘subject to planning approval’.  The Committee agreed to this amendment.

3.    RESOLVED – That the proposed decision of the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform to:

Issue a public notice to:

(i)            Expand Harrietsham CEP School, West Street, Harrietsham, Kent ME17 1JZ from 210 to 420 increasing the published admission number (PAN) from 30 to 60 for Year R entry for 1 September 2018, subject to planning approval.

And, subject to no new objections to the public notice

(ii)          Implement the proposals for 1 September 2018.

(iii)         Allocate £3 million from the Basic Needs budget, which over a period of time will be offset by approximately £1 million from developer contributions.

(iv)         Authorise the Director of Infrastructure in consultation with the General Counsel (Interim) to enter into any necessary contracts/ agreements on behalf of the County Council

(v)          Authorise the Director of Infrastructure to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts, be endorsed.

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform and the Corporate Director of Education and Young People’s Services, and to consider and endorse or make recommendations on the Plan, prior to the final version being considered and approved by the Cabinet on 9 January 2017.

(Mr K Abbott, Director of Education Planning and Access, and Mr D Adams, Area Education Officer – South Kent, attended the meeting for this item).

1.         Mr Gough, Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform introduced the report which set out the Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2017-21.  He extended his thanks to Mr Adams and Mr Abbott for their work.

2.         Mr Leeson then added that the plan had been successful to date, and always delivered the required number of places.  He asked thanks to be recorded to the schools who had helped in delivering the plan, as well as property colleagues.

3.         Mr K Abbott and Mr D Adams also added the following points:

(a)  To emphasise the scale of the task faced, over the past 4 or 5 years, colleagues in schools and in Education had put in additional provision for 15,000 new students, and over the next 5 to 6 years, they would need to do the same again for a further 23,000 students.  164 forms of entry needed to be provided in the next 4 to 5 years.  Primary enrolments were not expected to peak until 2030, so substantial additional provisions were needed in primary schools due to the high birth rate.

(b)  Next week, they were meeting with the Delivery Manager for the South East for the EFA to look at the position statement on individual free school projects, looking at legal, planning, contractors and acquisitions to assess risks. 

(c)  Rebecca Spore would be meeting with the EFA in early December to push the idea of Kent taking on the local delivery of free school projects.

(d)  Significant uplift was continuing, with housebuilding increasing. Migration and house building continued to be the key driver on pupil number pressures in Kent.

(e)  Additional capacity was needed in the SEN section which could only be delivered through new free schools.  There was no government funding for SEN specialist provisions, so it was hoped to secure this via the free school route.

4.         Mr Gough then responded to some of the questions raised, and made points including the following:

(a)  The outcome of the bid for Early Years funding was not yet known, but it was a limited pot.

(b)  The free for two scheme had been successful in boosting take up rates.

(c)  As stated in the response to Early Years consultation, the 30 hours was a desirable aspiration, but the government had clearly not been able to support this with funding to make it viable.

(d)  In terms of local insight, dialogue had taken place with District Councils, Dioceses and Archdioceses regarding the Plan, and there was also scope for Members to feed any further comments in to the Plan prior to the Cabinet Meeting on 9 January 2017.

(e)  There were no proposals presently around capacity at Edenbridge, but he was aware of the issues, particularly around transport, and was keeping a watching brief.

5.         Mr Leeson then added the following  ...  view the full minutes text for item 226.

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform and the Corporate Director for Education and Young People’s Services, giving a summary of the Kent Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Assessments, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (SATs), and GCSE and post 16 results for 2016, which Members are asked to note.

1.         Mr Gough, Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform introduced the report which provided a summary of the Kent Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Assessments, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) and GCSE and post 16 results for 2016, and included comparison to national data where available.  It also reported on the achievements of vulnerable groups and achievement gaps in each Key Stage.  The data was not final validated data so outcomes were provisional until January 2017, and some national comparative data was still unavailable for some indicators.

2.         Mr Leeson then added that the trend continued to be upwards in terms of outcomes.  He expected to have more information around progress measures in Primary. The progress data in Primary, should be available in December/January. He also highlighted that the National data on achievement gaps was not yet available.

3.         Mr Leeson then responded to questions from Members and made points including the following:

(a)  Progress and outcomes were the top priority for schools. He welcomed new progress measures, as he felt success should be measured by the progress of all children from their starting points.  Schools were increasingly being judged on acceleration of progress to match other children. The OFSTED framework had always focussed on progress rates for children and young people, and gaps.  There had been a shift in expectations, and more understanding in schools that it was the job of the school to look for expected and better than expected for individual children.

(b)  Kent had a collaborative approach with schools, and this has helped the quality of leadership in schools to improve. 

(c)  There were a range of new qualifications available for pre and post 16, which were more likely to encourage young people onto the next step of their education.  There was a transitional period towards a more high quality vocational skills system and the Government was driving this forward. More schools were taking up the new qualifications overall in Kent, but there was still a predominantly academic A level Programme in school sixth forms, which needed to be more blended.  There were still barriers to young people wanting to access the new qualifications, such as a requirement for level 2 English and Maths. There were 21 High schools in Kent now offering the International Baccalaureate Careers Related programme qualification.  A conference was being held the following day focussing on these areas, attended by 60 schools in Kent to look at the different 14-19 pathways available.

(d)  70% of High schools in Kent were academies, so comparisons between KCC maintained schools and academy schools was difficult. Capacity to deliver good progress measures had been variable this year across all types of school.  It was a mixed picture, and there was no clear pattern.

4.         RESOLVED that the following be noted:

(i)            The Improvements in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

(ii)          The positive outcomes at Key Stages 1, 2, 4 and A Level and technical qualifications at Post 16.

(iii)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 227.

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform and the Corporate Director for Education and Young People’s Services setting out an update on Teacher Recruitment and Retention Activity for 2016 and key issues in relation to teacher recruitment and retention in Kent schools, on which Members are asked to note.

1.         Mr Gough introduced the report which gave an update on Teacher Recruitment and Retention Activity for 2016 and key issues in relation to teacher recruitment and retention in Kent schools.

2.         Mr Leeson then added that the supply of teachers was still an issue, and retention was key, as around 25-30% of newly qualified teachers were being lost in the first five years of teaching.  He then responded to questions of Members and made points including the following:

(a)  There were a range of measures available to address teacher wellbeing, and more schools were looking at ways to take care of their staff.  Collaboration between schools did have an impact.

(b)  Teaching engagement and enjoyment were important, and timetables included a rich diet of art and sports to increase motivation of pupils.

(c)  There had always been difficulties recruiting male teachers to primary schools. 

(d)  Recognition of the achievements of all involved in the retention work was important, and credit should be spread widely.

3.         RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To receive a report that sets out the current process around identifying school sites as surplus to requirements

(Mark Cheverton, Senior Asset Manager, KCC, and Rod Lemerle, Disposals Surveyor, GEN2 attended the meeting to present the report).

1.         Mr Cheverton introduced the report which set out the current process around identifying school sites as surplus to requirements.

2.         Mr Cheverton responded to one of the questions raised by Members and advised that options were being considered for disposal of the Gap House School in Broadstairs, including exploration of development proposals, but there was no decision as yet.

3.         RESOLVED that the details of the process around identifying school sites as surplus to requirements be noted.

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform, Specialist Children’s Services and Community Services; and the Corporate Director of Education and Young People’s Services outlining performance against the targets set out in the Strategic Priority Statement, Vision and Priorities for Improvement, and service business plans.

1.         Mr Leeson, the Corporate Director for Education and Young People’s Services introduced the report which gave an update on current performance against targets and milestones, as set out in the Strategic Priority Statement, Vision and Priorities for Improvement and service business plans.

2.         RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To receive the report from the Head of Democratic Services that gives details of the proposed Work Programme for the Education and Young People’s Services Cabinet Committee.

1.    RESOLVED that the work programme for 2017 be agreed.

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform, the Cabinet Member for Community Services, the Cabinet member for Children’s Services and the Corporate Director for Education and Young People’s Services setting out the draft EYPS Strategic Vision and Priorities for Improvement 2017-2020 document, progress made in delivery EYPS priorities for 15-16, and proposed priorities and targets for 16-17 which Members are asked to note.

1.    Mr Leeson, Corporate Director for Education and Young People’s Services introduced the report which provided:

(i)            An updated draft Education and Young People’s Service Strategic Vision and Priorities for Improvement (formerly Education Bold Steps) 2017-2020 document, which detailed the headline priorities and targets for the EYPS Directorate for 16/17 onwards;

(ii)          An assessment of progress and achievements against key targets in 15-16, supported by key service developments and improvements.

2.    RESOLVED that:

(i)            The refreshed draft EYPS Strategic Vision and Priorities for Improvement 2017-20 document attached as an appendix to the report; and

(ii)          The progress made in delivering EYPS priorities for 2015-16 and the proposed priorities and targets for 16-17 and beyond, as the right focus and challenge to secure further improvements in outcomes, be noted.