Agenda item

1.    The Chairman welcomed Mr Garsed and Mr Roy, the Scrutiny Committee’s two Parent Governor Representatives to their first meeting.

2.    Mr Gough introduced the report which sought to respond to the recommendations of the Grammar School and Social Mobility Select Committee.  Mr Gough highlighted a couple of areas in which this was being done:

a.    Engagement with schools and parents to determine ways in which barriers to children from lower income families attending grammar school, whether real or perceived, could be addressed.

b.    Working with admissions to ensure that Pupil Premium (PP) was taken into account in Grammar schools admissions criteria

3.    It was helpful to look at the difference between children from disadvantaged backgrounds who achieved well at KS2 and their peers who also achieved well and to study the differential between those who go on to grammar school.  It was also essential to look at the barriers to grammar school candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds.

4.    Mr Abbott explained that the September 2018 intake would be the first time that it would be possible to test if the recommendations from the Select Committee had had an effect. 

5.    Mr Bagshaw explained the success the team had had with engaging with schools, 85% of schools had Free School Meals (FSM) PP priority within their arrangements.  The few schools which hadn’t could demonstrate that they were taking a higher than average intake of FSM PP children.  There was currently no legal mandate to include but KCC did encourage schools and had had positive feedback. 

6.    Members discussed the Kent Test; Mr Gough explained that changes had been made; it was not possible to make the test tutor proof but it would be a better reflection of raw ability. Practice material was online to ensure all children had access to similar tests to familiarise themselves with the test. 

7.    In response to a query about the timing of the test this was to allow families to make an informed choice about schools, before the deadline to apply. 

8.    One Member commented on the many circumstances which put PP children at a disadvantage, the response usually resulted in a system which advantaged everyone but this didn’t solve the problem of social mobility in children.  The Member asked for more data, such as the numbers of pupil places which had been freed up in grammar schools, how many new places were being made available within the admission criteria along with data setting out how many PP children had been put forward for the Kent Test. 

9.    Members discussed Virtual School Kent (VSK) and the officers committed to send Members the link to the information on the VSK website. 

10. Mr Bagshaw explained that for 2017: 11,085 pupils in Kent who sat the Kent Test of those 1,660 were FSM Ever.  Of those 4,671 children in Kent Schools were assessed as suitable for Grammar Schools and of those 356 were FSM Ever.

11. Children assessed as suitable for grammar via headteacher assessment were just under 40% of the total. 

12. A Member referred to the outreach within grammar schools and the sharing of best practice, and Mr Bagshaw explained that the schools would provide a summary of activities which had taken place, KCC had no control over this but encouraged it as much as possible.  Officers would provide this summary information to Members. 

13. The officers were asked to circulate data relating to the number of PP pupils who succeeded in the Kent Test and then did not take up a place in grammar schools. 

14. Referring to KCC’s transport policy Mr Bagshaw explained that this met its legal obligations, further discussion would be had with members and through formal consultation. 

RESOLVED that Members welcome the information offered by officers during the meeting and the Scrutiny Committee acknowledge the completed actions and stated approach to delivering the Select Committee recommendations as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.