Agenda item
People and Communities Strategic Director's Briefing
The Panel will receive a verbal update on this item from the People and Communities Strategic Director.
Minutes:
The Strategic Director for People & Communities addressed the Panel, a summary is set out below.
Connecting Families: He said that during August there had been some national press reporting relating to the Troubled Families Programme, suggesting the suppression of evaluation reports and over-stating of success in local areas.
He explained that following this the DCLG commented that: “It is wrong to say that any report on Troubled Families has been suppressed. There were several strands to the evaluation work commissioned by the last Government and there is not yet a final report”.
He stated that locally, the Troubled Families work called Connecting Families is delivered by a small core team and wider partners both internal and the voluntary sector. He added that the figure of 215 families was allocated to B&NES by the DCLG for the three year programme. However, in B&NES partners supported significantly more than this number and were able to evidence that at least 300 families made positive outcomes in line with DCLG’s guidance.
Children Missing Education: He explained that all children who are deleted from roll or leave a school without a recorded destination school are defined as Children Missing Education and are followed up. This will include a small number of children excluded from school and awaiting a new school place to be identified / agreed, but also those moving school or moving home, where we do not initially know the new school they will attend as well as those who have not sustained the expected levels of attendance.
He added that all children recorded as Missing Education are followed up and data sought from a wide range of local agencies as well as through regional and national networks to confirm their destinations where necessary.
He informed the Panel that there had been a lot more movement during the last academic year, leading to a rise from 50 children identified in 2013/14 to 85 in the 2015/16 academic year. He stated they continuously review their practise to find ways of improving and sharing information and will be updating their policies in response to new DfE guidance which has just been published.
Bath Community Academy: He stated that on 18th July, the Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) which operates Bath Community Academy (BCA), announced to parents at the school that it would be commencing a dialogue with the DfE regarding the possible closure of the school. He added that officers are liaising closely with the school and CLF to ensure that any implications of this announcement are fully understood and managed appropriately. In particular, we have been working over the summer to support families with children with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities to ensure they can give early consideration to the future education of their children.
New School for Mulberry Park: He said that they anticipate launching by the end of September the process to seek a sponsor for the new primary school being built a Mulberry Park. He added that the Panel will be advised when a sponsor has been determined by the DfE in the spring. The school is expected to open in September 2018.
Academies: He informed the Panel that there have been a steady flow of schools converting to academies, with the current figures at;
Primary – Maintained (47), Academy (14)
Secondary – Maintained (3), Academy (10)
Studio – Maintained (0), Academy (3)
Special – Maintained (0), Academy (3)
Total – Maintained (50), Academy (30)
He said that 4 more primaries were planned for conversion in November and 4 more were planned but with no specific date.
The Chair asked if Hospital Education would still be possible within a Teckal.
The Strategic Director for People & Communities replied that it would and that schools were supportive of this work.
The Chair asked what support was available within schools for apprentices.
The Strategic Director for People & Communities replied that this was due to be discussed at the Schools Forum this afternoon.
The Chair thanked him for his update on behalf of the Panel.