Agenda item

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

Councillor Michael Evans, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services addressed the Panel.

He informed them that the Council has been hit with an unexpected extra cut in government funding in the settlement at the end of December and has to find an extra £3.64m in addition to the anticipated £3.67m in 2016/17 alone. He said that discussions regarding the budget were ongoing and that the Cabinet would announce its recommended budget on February 10^th. He stated that every effort was being made to protect front-line services, including those within Children’s Services.

He explained that following the involvement of the National Union of Teachers, the headteacher of the Academy of Trinity, Pepe Hart resigned at the end of last term. He said that the Department for Education is conducting an investigation into the school’s governance and that the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership had taken over responsibility for the management of the school, with the heads of Clutton and High Littleton stepping into the breach.

He said that this case raises questions about the system’s ability to hold Academies to account in good time.

He informed them that the Council has made its recommendations for the sponsors of the new schools scheduled to open in September 2017 at Ensleigh & Somerdale to Sir David Carter, Regional Schools Commissioner for South West England, who will make the final decision.

He said that he had also attended meetings of the Schools Forum, Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and the Youth Offending Service.

He wished to thank the Director of Public Health, Bruce Laurence for inviting him to a team meeting and to a further discussion about fitness and obesity in young people.

The Strategic Director for People & Communities commented with regard to the budget that there appears to have been a complete change in funding methodology without consultation.

Councillor Matt Cochrane asked how long the Council had been aware of the situation at the Academy of Trinity.

The Strategic Director for People & Communities reminded the Panel that as with all academies the Council’s role is limited and that accountability lies between the Academy Trust and the Secretary of State. He said that the Regional Schools Commission and Ofsted also have roles to play in this process. He added that the Council has an overarching standards role with regard to the safeguarding of pupils and teachers.

He stated that any issues that the Council had been made aware of had been passed to the previous mentioned agencies. He said that he maintains his belief that there is a gap in the law for how a Council can deal with academies and that he had previously contacted the Department for education on the matter in 2013.

He said that the Council had been aware for quite a while that there were problems at the Academy of Trinity and that a governance review will be carried out.

Councillor Liz Hardman said that she did not feel that the Regional Commissioner role was functioning properly.

The Strategic Director for People & Communities replied that the Commissioner has arranged for more Local Boards to meet and that the review was appropriate and that action was taken in good time given the current structure. He added that academies in the main are well run and led.

Councillor Sally Davis commented that locally they had been aware for 2 – 3 years that they were some problems at the school.

The Strategic Director for People & Communities said that the school had seen a 100% turnover of staff each year for the past three years.

The Director for Children & Young People, Strategy & Commissioning added that the service was offering support to the new management team at Trinity and also seeking to support others that had been affected – eg schools nearby receiving a significant number of pupils transferring from Trinity.

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member for his update.