Agenda item

1.                  The Cabinet Member, Mr Gough, and the Corporate Director, Mr Leeson, gave their verbal updates and highlighted work undertaken since the last Education Cabinet Committee meeting, which included the following:

Update on Sevenoaks Grammar School Annex

2.         Mr Gough explained that, following the update given at the Committee’s December meeting, the Secretary of State had turned down two applications, from Invicta Grammar School and the Weald of Kent Grammar School, for the establishment of a grammar school annex in Sevenoaks. Legislation stated that no new grammar schools should be established, so the question to be determined about the application was whether it should be classed as an expansion or a new school. A key issue had been that both schools were single sex while the proposed annexe would be mixed sex. Mr Gough recommended to Members that they read the letters sent to the two applicant schools by the DfE as these set out the issues which would need to be addressed by each school in any new application. The planning process for the proposed new school annex would continue, andthe County Council was pursuing with the schools ways to address the specific concerns expressed by the Secretary of State.

Ofsted Annual Report

3.         Mr Leeson reported that Ofsted had published its annual report and league tables shortly before Christmas, in which Kent had scored as follows:-

• 55th out of 150 local authorities, in terms of the percentage of secondary school pupils having access to a school rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’;

• 130th out of 155 local authorities, for the percentage of primary school pupils having access to a school rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’; and

• 68% of the total of Kent’s school population had access to a school rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, and 25,000 more children in Kent were receiving a good education than in the previous year.

4.         Mr Gough responded to comments and questions from Members and the following points were highlighted:-

a)         the legality of the process for proposing and pursuing new grammar school provision was challenged, as legislation clearly stated that no new grammar schools were to be established.  Detail of the wording of the legal documents had previouslybeen requested by the speaker but had not yet been received.  In the speaker’s opinion, the County Council had let down the people of Sevenoaks. Mr Gough undertook to respond to the speaker’s concerns outside the meeting. He said he did not believe it would have been right to ignore a petition signed by more than 2,000 local people. He asserted that the people of Sevenoaks had not been let down; the County Council had proceeded with what local people had asked for; and

b)         another speaker set out similar concerns and said the County Council was investing time and resources in something which was essentially a gamble.

5.         Mr Gough reiterated that there was a Sevenoaks issue and a West Kent issue. There was pressure on places in West Kent so it seemed bizarre not to tackle the two issues together.  He said he had had a difference of opinion with the Secretary of State about the need to change the law, to allow the provision of new grammar school places in West Kent.

6.         RESOLVED that the information given in the verbal updates and in responses to questions by the Committee be noted, with thanks.