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 Corporate Director addressed the Panel, a summary is set out below.
Ofsted/CQC Local area inspection of SEND
We had the call on Monday 11th March, notifying us that inspectors from Ofsted and CQC would arrive on Monday 18th to inspect the local area’s effectiveness in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Inspectors spent a week in B&NES talking to Council and CCG staff, service providers, schools, early years settings and the college, parents and children and young people. They also reviewed our data and a sample of case files. Their report, which will be in the form of a letter highlighting strengths and areas for development (it will not include an overall ‘grading’) will now be published after the local elections. I would like to express my appreciation to all those involved in delivering the relevant services and to those who contributed to the inspection process in whatever way.
Youth Connect
An officer delegated decision was confirmed earlier this month to approve the establishment of a Public Service mutual to deliver this service from 1 July 2019. Congratulations to the staff team who have put a lot of effort into making this a reality.
Adoption West
Adoption West, the new Regional Adoption Agency serving B&NES, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire finally came into being on 1st March 2019 and is now providing adoption services on our behalf. The new company is wholly owned by the 6 local authorities and commissioned to provide services across the area.
Proposed changes to Schools Forum membership
Both Schools Forum and the Schools Standards Board have discussed proposals to alter the basis on which the membership of the forum is constructed. This reflects the rising number of academy schools and will ensure a balance of representation across the various Multi-Academy Trusts as well as for single academies and maintained schools. These changes are anticipated to be in place by the autumn.
Councillor Liz Hardman commented that she understood that fifty young people were not offered a place at any of their preferred secondary schools and asked if it were possible to have a further analysis of this figure.
She also asked were these young people mainly located in one specific geographic area, where have these students been offered a place and did they use all their preferences.
The Corporate Director replied that of the 1,800 applications 88% were offered their first preference, with 97.2% being allocated one of their preferences. He added that 40 of the 50 young people lived within the city of Bath and that they had all been allocated a place at St Mark’s Secondary School.
He said that none of these 40 applications used all five of their preferences, with 29 just using their 1st / 2nd preferences. For 12 of them, St Marks was the nearest school anyway and a further 21 of them would have been allocated their nearest school had they named it within their preferences.
The Chair thanked the Corporate Director for his update on behalf of the Panel.
The Chair wished to take this opportunity to thank all of the officers that had contributed to the work of the Panel over the past four years and for their ongoing work within the Council. She also thanked the members of the Panel for their commitment and input in their roles.