Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and those present introduced themselves.

The Chair will draw attention to the emergency evacuation procedure as set out under Note 5.

The Chair drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure.

Councillors Lesley Mansell and Paul Crossley had sent their apologies to the Panel. Councillors Robin Moss and Andy Wait were present as their respective substitutes for the duration of the meeting.

Chris Batten, Co-opted Member had also sent his apologies to the Panel.

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting. Members are asked to indicate:

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest, (as defined in Part 4.4 Appendix B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officeror a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

Councillor Eleanor Jackson has registered to make a statement to the Panel.

Councillor Eleanor Jackson had registered to make a statement to the Panel regarding the SACRE Annual Report (Agenda Item 12).

Kevin Burnett made the following observations on the minutes.

·  The Panel are still waiting to receive a Community Summit summary from the Education team. The Director of Education & Safeguarding replied that he did not attend the summit, but would ask an officer who did to provide some feedback.

·  The Panel had asked how many schools involved in the Supervised Toothbrush Scheme were also receiving support from the St. John’s Foundation.

·  Lucy Baker, BSW ICB had said she would provide a response to the Panel regarding overall GP capacity concerning student numbers. Laura Ambler, BSW ICB said that she would follow that up on behalf of the Panel.

The Panel confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting as a true record and they were duly signed by the Chair.

The Cabinet Member(s) will update the Panel on any relevant issues. Panel members may ask questions on the update provided.

Councillor Paul May, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services addressed the Panel and highlighted the points below from his update report. A copy of the report will be attached as an online appendix to these minutes.

School Streets

Councillor May informed the Panel that he had met and discussed this matter with Councillor Wright and Councillor Heijltjes and that potentially such a scheme could be an advantage to some schools.

He explained that the Climate Emergency and Sustainability Panel have responsibility for this work area and that the CAHW Panel would be updated as progress is made.

Skills

Councillor May said that he had met with the new acting Principal of Bath College to stress how important it is for them to maintain the support they have in place for SEND pupils.

He added that discussions had also started with the College around the Somer Valley Enterprise Zone (SVEZ) scheme to see if training, apprenticeships and work experience opportunities can be provided during and after the construction phase of the Zone.

SACRE Annual Report

Councillor May said that he felt that there was a slightly inconsistent approach to the teaching of Religious Education across the B&NES schools and added that it is important that multi faith teachings help children to understand each other from an early age as possible.

Care experienced protected status

Councillor May informed the Panel that the Council are talking to Bath University about a memorandum of understanding which may include one or two scholarships, adopting the principle for all students, developing a mentoring scheme, possible accommodation support and apprenticeship schemes.

He added that they have also been discussing the possibility of moving people from Band B to Band A on the housing waiting list for care experienced young people.

Councillor Andy Wait asked how a school would be identified as wanting to take part in the School Streets scheme.

Councillor May replied that there was currently enough budget for one school to be initially considered to take part in the scheme and that practically the number of available schools was limited. He stated that the process, in the main, must be driven by the school and that the Council would discuss options with those that volunteer to take part.

The Chair asked if the schools should consult with their local Ward Councillors.

Councillor May replied that they should and added that he has asked for an item to be placed on the next School’s Standard Board agenda for when they are next due to meet on 16th July 2024.

Councillor Andy Wait reiterated that the process must be led by the school and that steps should be taken to identify those that are interested in taking part.

Councillor May stated that there was a budget in place and an officer available for a scheme to progress. He said that feedback on the scheme would be provided to both this Panel and the Climate Emergency Panel.

Councillor Joanna Wright stated that the Green Party has twice had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 126.

The Panel will receive an update from the B&NES, Swindon & Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB) on current issues.

Laura Ambler, BSW ICB addressed the Panel and highlighted the following sections from the update report that had been provided. A copy of the report will be attached as an online appendix to these minutes.

Health Inequalities funding update

BSW Integrated Care Board is working to tackle health inequalities across B&NES, Swindon in Wiltshire. In B&NES, a health inequalities core network team was established in May 2023.

The team works closely with partners in a number of areas including overseeing a cross-partnership B&NES Health Inequalities Network, awareness raising, supporting health inequalities work at the RUH and in primary care, holding outreach events and coordinating and allocating health inequality-related funding streams and leading applications for any further grants relating to health inequalities.

Grants have been awarded to 12 projects in B&NES for 2024/25 including inclusive afterschool clubs for children with SEND, perinatal mental health support, targeted family support for vulnerable families in Twerton and developing a new service for people experiencing homelessness to access palliative and end of life care.

Royal United Hospitals awarded £21.6m grant for energy efficiency projects

A £21.6million decarbonisation grant will bring the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust one step closer to achieving its net zero goals.

The grant has been awarded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as part of the Salix Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and will fund improvements including more environmentally friendly lighting, insulation, and heating and cooling controls.

When the proposed improvements are completed, by 2026, they will result in an estimated 24 per cent annual reduction in carbon emissions over which the RUH has direct control.

Dental Van update

On 7th February, the Department of Health and Social Care published its Dental Recovery Plan with the ambition to make dental services faster, simpler, and fairer for our population. One priority is to bring dental care directly to under-served, more isolated communities via the deployment of mobile dental vans. On the same day as the dental recovery plan was published, the Secretary of State named the 12 ICBs where dental access remains most challenging, which included BSW ICB.

Options are now being appraised for the acquisition of vehicles, and a national market engagement exercise as part of a procurement exercise has taken place. We are still waiting for the service specification.  We are keen in BSW to ensure these plans support and supplement the ongoing local work with the Public Health teams to support access and our focus on inequalities and oral health plans.

We are working across the South West and as an ICB we are scoping the unmet need and vulnerable populations and key demographic areas for a targeted approach, including specific areas for the van to deliver services with a view the service will commence September / October 2024.

Councillor Joanna Wright asked how our local areas will become included in the visits of the Dental Van.

Laura Ambler replied that they are currently mapping where the local vulnerable communities and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 127.

The SEND travel policy has been reviewed and rewritten in line with new Department for Education guidance. It has also been updated to clarify the eligibility criteria and to outline all travel support options for SEND children and young people more clearly.

Councillor Paul May introduced the report to the Panel and sought to compliment the Head of SEND for the work that has taken place regarding the review of the policy. He stated that the policy was currently in a consultation phase and that they would welcome any comments from the Panel.

He added that they have met with the local Parent & Carers Forum who have been complimentary on the work of the review.

The Head of SEND addressed the Panel and explained that the current SEND Home to School Travel Policy had not been updated for several years and since then a number of DfE guidance updates have been issued, causing the current policy to become out of date.

She stated that the SEND Home to School Travel Policy has been reviewed and rewritten in line with new Department for Education guidance and has also been updated to clarify the eligibility criteria and to outline all travel support options for SEND children and young people more clearly.

She informed the Panel that the consultation process has been followed robustly, including writing to 477 parent/carers, contacting 69 schools, transport providers, B&NES parent carer forum and consulting our B&NES colleagues.

She said that feedback was given online, via the telephone and at 6 in person events. She said that through the consultation process some concerns had been raised regarding whether any changes would make it more difficult for young people to attend their current schools and said that this was not the case and that as part of the Annual Review process they discuss travel options with families and would continue to do so.

She added that some families have also raised the issue of whether they could change schools once the proposed new facilities are in place as they might be closer to their home.

Councillor Robin Moss thanked the officer for a comprehensive report, but said that he felt that the issue was bigger than just this review. He added that the policy was likely to have financial consequences on a budget that is already overspent and that any changes need to be fully understood as to how they will affect our young people and their families.

He stated the need to make the most of the money that is being spent.

Councillor May replied that the changes are driven by the conditions that have been set down by the Government and that the procurement of the associated transport services is a separate matter. He added that this review was about establishing whether this policy is correct and fair for our young people and their families.

The Head of SEND added that there is an option for families to have an individual budget to claim fuel expenses so that their young person can be driven to school by somebody that they know.

Councillor Liz Hardman said that she considered there to be three significant changes to the current policy.

1.  A child / young person would attend their  ...  view the full minutes text for item 128.

The Department for Education (DfE) has introduced two programs: the Safety Valve (SV) and Delivering Better Value. These programs collaborate with local authorities to create recovery plans for financial sustainability. The SV program, specifically, provides financial support from the DfE.

Councillor Paul May introduced this item to the Panel and began by apologising that they were unable to provide a full report at this stage. He said that this was a complicated area of work and was a major issue for the Council to get correct.

The Director of Education & Safeguarding added that the Council has until May 24th to submit updated plans to the Department for Education (DfE), working closely with three DfE-appointed Safety Valve advisers.

He informed the Panel that an independent review of the finances and plans involved has been carried out and that they are working on refinements within their existing plan.

He said that Safety Valve is an opportunity for rapid service improvement to be achieved in the following areas.

·  Early Help

·  SEND Support

·  Free School / AP School capital investments

·  7 new Resource Bases

·  Bolster SEND Team Leadership

He stated that all draft plans have been shared with the local Parent & Carer forums.

Kevin Burnett said that it should be acknowledged the excellent work the officers within the Council do for their pupils with SEND. He said he was concerned though as to whether this work will put them under undue pressure / scrutiny from the DfE in terms of cost cutting from what they would like to see versus what B&NES needs.

He asked if assurances could be given with regard to being able to stick to their plan, once it has been submitted, and not to have to dilute on the request of the DfE. He added that it was acknowledged that all of these issues, especially the new schools would take time.

The Director of Education & Safeguarding thanked hm for his comments and replied that there were no plans to reduce the amount of funding through our EHCPs and that the plans contain the right level of service investment. He added that he was very comfortable that the plans will not be detrimental to the Council.

Councillor Robin Moss commented that the Council is in the position it is in because the current Government has been removing funds from Councils for many years. He stated that he was concerned that services would be continued to be cut in order to fund the National Insurance tax cut plans due for September.

He asked how confident was the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services that these plans will come to fruition, especially for those schools that will be expecting to receive certain services.

Councillor May replied that if plans within Safety Valve should fail it will leave a lot of Local Authorities in trouble and stated the Government needs to provide these services to our schools and our young people. He added that the officers involved have worked tirelessly in a professional way to have these plans in place. He stated that Early Help provision must remain in place and that they would endeavour to submit a full report to the Panel on this issue in due course.

Councillor Liz Hardman asked why  ...  view the full minutes text for item 129.

The Annual Report contains key actions and findings throughout the year. The Panel is asked to review the SACRE Annual Report for information.

Councillor Eleanor Jackson addressed the Panel. A copy of her statement will be attached as an online appendix to these minutes whilst a summary is set out below.

We flatter ourselves in this country about the degree of ‘tolerance’ towards and between the main faith communities and individual ‘people of faith’ but I think this is meaningless if it is based on ignorance and lack of understanding. Conversely, the Hebrew Scriptures Book of Psalms explain more about the Israeli attack on Gaza than any BBC news guru. Religious faith itself is meaningless if it is kept as a private hobby and does not address real life problems.

So where does this leave SACRE? We should thank the officer and the RE advisor for producing the Report, but it should be appreciated that more than any other council work I can think of, it is volunteers at the heart of it. We owe a special debt to Jane O’Hara, the chair, from the Bath Inter-Faith Group.

The SACRE report is not about ‘naming and shaming’, though we know from the recent OFSTED Report that about a third of schools in England do not observe their legal obligations. Rather, it is to identify and commend good practice, and to encourage schools with resources and advice, as well as training, for example on the Holocaust. 

It is still my ambition to produce material on ‘black religious experience’ and utilise Fairfield House appropriately. SACRE is about opening children’s eyes to a new world where they can develop their spirituality and ethics and co-operate in society, whether they believe or not.

Councillor May said that he would like to encourage all young people to have an understanding of the many religions and beliefs that are present in society today.

Councillor Liz Hardman asked if the increased budget of £15,000, agreed last year, was now the baseline figure that would be carried forward.

The Head of Education Commissioning replied that it was her understanding that this figure was now the baseline budget.

The Panel RESOLVED to note the report.

This report presents the latest workplan for the Panel. Any suggestions for further items or amendments to the current programme will be logged and scheduled in consultation with the Panel’s Chair and supporting officers.

The Chair introduced the workplan to the Panel and the following subjects were noted as potential future items of discussion.

·  Suicide Prevention

·  Safety Valve Update

·  Budget Update – 3^rd Sector providers

·  GP Services – Access / Waiting times / Closures (ICB Update)

·  Dental Services / Provision (ICB Update)

The Panel RESOLVED to note their current workplan alongside these proposals for future work areas.