Agenda item

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

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Michael Evans addressed the Panel, a summary of his update is set out below.

Bath Community Academy

The Secretary of State’s decision on closure is expected very soon.

Children’s Services and Children’s Centres.

The work to provide options for the future of Children’s Services and the Centres is ongoing.  First Steps, the charity which currently runs two of the centres in west Bath, is naturally concerned and has its own proposals, so officers have been asked to engage with First Steps as part of the process.

Home To School Transport

B&NES has a statutory obligation to provide transport to certain ‘entitled’ categories of student, for example SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) children or children who live more than a certain distance from their nearest school. In the past, where there is a bus with spare spaces, ‘unentitled’ children have also been carried at a subsidised cost to parents. It has always been made clear to parents that this is not an entitlement, and that the responsibility to get the child to school rests with the parents.

A typical situation is where a child lives near a school like Chew Valley or Writhlington, but chooses St Gregory’s on religious affiliation grounds.

When a bus is due for replacement the Council selects a bus size that corresponds to the estimated number of entitled children. Recently this has resulted in some parents being told that there is no longer a place for their (‘unentitled’) child on the bus.

We acknowledge that this may cause hurt and distress, but the law does not require taxpayers to subsidise the transport costs or take on the transport responsibility for children whose parents have selected a more remote school. I would like to see schools taking on the responsibility of organising their own school transport; some primaries do.

Schools Capital Programme

As part of the £11.47m schools capital programme for 2017/18, Castle Primary School will expand from a one form entry to two form entry primary school. Currently proposed is phase 4 of a 4-phase project, financed from S106 contributions (reflecting the demand caused by new housing in Keynsham) and Basic Need Funding (central Government funding reflecting demand caused by population growth). 

St Saviours Junior School will receive an additional classroom to accommodate the bulge coming through from St Saviours Infant School, this will be financed by some S106 money but mostly Basic Needs funding.

Budget Forecast Position

The end of year overspend for Children’s Services is now forecast at £1.48m, a £355,000 increase on the previous forecast. This is a serious additional budget pressure for the Council.

Demand for Care

Relevant to the budget figures: the demand for Looked-After placements has risen significantly in the past few months. The current figures are the highest we have been for over three years. The rise does include 6 recent Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) (making a total of 11), but the underlying current trend is upwards. 

Councillor Liz Hardman asked if as expected Bath Community Academy is to close, are measures in place to support pupils and parents.

Councillor Michael Evans replied that provision has been in mind for some time, including individual support.

Councillor Liz Hardman said that she was pleased that officers were discussing the future of Children’s Centres with First Steps and asked if a decision was still due to be made in March / April.

Councillor Michael Evans replied that options were still being developed, but they were on target for that timescale.

Councillor Alison Millar asked on the subject of Home to School Transport if there was more work the Council could do with schools to involve them.

Councillor Michael Evans replied that an area to focus on could be the religious schools.

The Chair commented that it would help if we engaged earlier in the process with schools by giving at least a term notice of any changes. She added that she was aware of a school that had been given funding regarding SEN pupils and siblings and agreed their own provision with a transport company.

The Strategic Director for People & Communities said that a term notice is normally given regarding any changes.

Councillor Alison Millar said that she would like to see this subject as a future agenda item for the Panel.