Agenda item

The Panel will receive a verbal update on this item from the Corporate Director.

The Corporate Director addressed the Panel, a summary is set out below.

Admissions

National Offer Day for secondary admissions for September 2019, is 1^st March. This year we did receive a greater number of 4^th and 5^th preferences from parents (an increase from 5% to 19% of parents making use of these) and fewer selecting only 1 or 2 preferences (reduced from 74% to under 60%). We hope that this will mean fewer parents disappointed by the outcome of the admissions process, but there is clearly further to go in getting the message across that limiting your application to one or 2 preferences simply limits your chances of getting a school that is convenient or preferable and in no way strengthens your application for your top choice schools.

Academies

Four more schools have Regional Schools Commissioner agreement to become academies in the coming months, so we anticipate that by the start of the new academic year in September 2019, 83 % of schools (and 83% of pupils) will be in academies. That will leave 2 secondary and 12 primary maintained schools.

Elective Home Education (EHE)

The local authority continues to address rising numbers of vulnerable families removing children from school rolls to electively home educate and has been carrying out the following actions:

• Created additional capacity within the role of the EHE Co-coordinator.
• Formalising links with our Student & Family Support Service to create support packages for families who are considering EHE
• Developing links between our school nursing team and children missing education service to ensure that the health needs of these children are not left unassessed.
• Started a consultation with Head teachers to amend our Fair Access protocol to allow parents a 10 day cooling off period before children are removed from a school roll. The outcome of this will be known at the beginning of February 2019

We are awaiting the outcome of the DFE consultation on EHE. This is expected in early spring.

We anticipate bringing a full update on EHE to the Panel’s March meeting.

Youth Connect

Following the Cabinet decision in October to support, in principle, the establishment of the staff mutual, there has been a process of due diligence underway as well as planning for the set up and transition. A final decision on the establishment of the Staff Mutual is expected in the next few weeks. Work is progressing to finalise lease arrangements for the Youth Hubs at Riverside and Peasedown St John, although there is a slight delay with the latter, at the request of the Church.

Adoption West

Adoption West, the new Regional Adoption Agency serving B&NES, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire is still proceeding through the set up process but the start date has been delayed again to 1^st March 2019, to ensure the arrangements are finalised and robust. A Service Director has been appointed to lead the new service.

Bath West Children’s Centre

We have written to the Bath Gazette to correct inaccurate reports that Twerton is losing its children’s centre, and suggesting that the Council has cut the funding.

Although the former Children’s Centre building at Dominion Road closed in April 2018, Action for Children have established an alternative base at Woodhouse Road in Twerton, which is a purpose built Children’s Centre building, where they are co-located with First Steps Nursery and local Health Visitors. There are no plans to reduce the funding for the service.

Councillor Liz Hardman commented that although it was good to see an improvement in the numbers of parents utilising their five preferences she felt that this was still not high enough and asked what more could be done.

The Corporate Director replied that this year’s outcomes will be assessed and then proposals for this coming year will be considered.

The Director of Education Transformation added that earlier access to the admissions video launched last year could be given.

The Chair asked if a provisional figure of £500,000 had been set aside for work associated with the Staff Mutual.

The Corporate Director replied that this was correct.

Councillor Hardman asked if any changes were planned for the Southside Youth Hub.

The Corporate Director replied that it is to be retained as a main Hub.

The Chair thanked the Corporate Director for his update on behalf of the Panel.