Minutes:
(Verbal Report by Ms S Dunn, Head of the 14-24 Innovations Unit)
(1) The Chairman asked Ms Dunn to introduce herself to the Committee and give her presentation.
(2) Ms Dunn gave a presentation in three parts, which included; the formal transfer of the post 16 funding arrangements acquired from the Learning and Skills Council, the National Commissioning Framework (tabled at the meeting) and how Kent County Council (KCC) will move the agenda forward working with partners and providers supporting the young people of Kent.
The formal transfer of the post 16 funding arrangements acquired form the Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
(3) The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) ceased to function as from 31 March 2010. KCC had now taken over those functions which meant that 13 Members of the LSC staff had been transferred into KCC. Ms Dunn’s Team had increased from 4 to 18 working on the 14 to 19 agenda. Two of those transferred staff were placed in Finance, which was a significant element of the former LSC activity and function. All the staff that had transferred from the LSC had undertaken a rigorous induction programme and all new providers, work place providers and colleges had been paid on time.
(4) Work was still being undertaken in the area of the Learning Difficulties and Disabilities(LDD) especially with those placed outside Kent in Independent Specialist colleges. Those placements were costly up to £170k per year. Work was being carried out with the Young Peoples Learning Agency (YPLA) to solve a number of issues that had arisen.
National Commissioning Framework
(5) Ms Dunn referred to the tabled document highlighting the page headed ‘Key Contributors to the Commissioning Process’ advising that the Local Authority was duty bound to provide learning and training in Kent for 16 to 19 year old and LDD through working in a National planning and commissioning Framework. Ms Dunn stressed that this was not KCC’s process and was a National Process that had to be followed prescribed by the Department of Education. The local authorities flexibility in using the Framework maybe to meet local priorities was very limited. The function was discharged through the Children’s Trust arrangements and the sub group 14 to 19 Strategic Forum, which looked at how we plan 14 to 19 provision in localities. The partnerships included schools, colleges, work based providers, Connexions and in some cases employers. There were currently 9 Forums, however through the Children, Families and Education Directorate restructuring this would be arranged in 6 Planning Forum Areas. KCC had been asked to work with Medway to ensure a coherent pattern of learning across local authority boundaries as there were a number of young people who resided in Kent opted to look for provision in Medway and vice versa. There was also work to be undertaken to strengthen the cross boundary borders with Bexley and Dartford in particular.
(6) The agency that there would be most connectivity with was the YPLA, new relationships needed to be forged as this agency had the jurisdiction over funding and the overarching levels of funding to ensure that our colleges and providers had sufficient revenue to deliver the strategic priorities for Kent. The YPLA had no direct contact regarding planning which was entirely with KCC.
(7) Ms Dunn then spoke on the role of the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), office located a Kings Hill, West Malling, that oversees the National Apprenticeship Service. Kent’s college Principals who interfaced with KCC on local planning and funding allocations would also have to work with the SFA on matters of quality assurance, performance management and capital. Ms Dunn felt that KCC needed to look at how it would work more effectively with the SFA as it was unclear how this would operate and was a priority for the 14 to 19 provision particularly in relation to, performance management, exchange of data, exchange of information to avoid an over bureaucratic process.
(8) Ms Dunn went on to explain the critical timeline for the process explaining that KCC was in data collection mode at present and had received, from the YPLA, its first bundle of data, which gave the first part of the strategic statistical analysis for post 16 provision to enable work to commence with colleges about what offer they should have in place for September 2011. Ms Dunn highlighted some of the challenges for KCC that included; narrowing the gap for post 16 at level 2 and 3, tackling the issue of 19 year olds not maintaining the same progress from Key Stage 4 to the end of Key Stage 5 and improving participation at 17. On a more positive note there was success in reducing the figures of those young people Not in Education Employment or Training (NEETs). This formed part of the information that would be considered with the Strategic Forum and then aid discussions with the schools and colleges over the coming months.
(9) Members were given the opportunity to ask questions and make comments which included the following:
(10) In response to a question by Mr Jarvis, Ms Dunn advised that although the local authority was given the power and duties to ensure that there was enough provision for learning and training there was a myriad of stakeholders before you get to front line delivery. Ms Dunn suggested that one function of the local authorities could be, through the Local Government Association and the FE Principals, to make constructive comments about how the system could be streamlined and focus more on the aspirations and opportunities of young people.
(11) In response to a question by Mr Myers, Ms Dunn reassured Mr Myers that discussions had been undertaken to ensure that the funding for special needs children was in place for the placements for 2010 with the LSC prior to its closure.
(12) RESOLVED that the answers to the questions by Members and the presentation be noted.