Agenda item

To consider the following motion on the theme submitted by Councillor Victoria Mills, the cabinet member for children and schools:

·  Children and Young People

(See pages 3-5 of main agenda, pages 2 - 3 of supplemental agenda 2 and pages 6 – 10 of supplemental agenda 2)

Community evidence submissions

·  The Right Honourable Dame Tessa Jowell MP

Council assembly heard community evidence from The The Right Honourable Dame Tessa Jowell MP, in her capacity of Chair of the Southwark and Lambeth Joint Childcare Commission.  The following members had questions for The Right Honourable Dame Tessa Jowell MP:  Councillors Ian Wingfield, Victoria Mills and Anood Al-Samerai. 

At the close of the questioning, the Mayor then thanked The Right Honourable Dame Tessa Jowell MP for her submissions.

·  Friends of John Donne Primary School

Council assembly then heard community evidence from the Friends of John Donne Primary School who had a question for the cabinet member for children and schools.  Following the cabinet member’s response, the following members had questions of the submissions:  Councillors Fiona Colley, Peter John, and Andy Simmons. 

At the end of the questioning, the Mayor thanked the Friends of John Donne Primary School for their submissions.

MOTION ON THE THEME – CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE (see pages 3 - 5 of the main agenda and page 6 of supplemental agenda 2)

Councillor Victoria Mills, cabinet member for children and schools introduced her motion on the theme.

Councillor James Okosun, the Liberal Democrat group spokesperson for children’s services responded and proposed Amendment A. 

Following debate (Councillors Charlie Smith, Claire Maughan, Hamish McCallum, Stephanie Cryan, Johnson Situ, Lisa Rajan, Jasmine Ali, Peter John, Ben Johnson, Maisie Anderson), Councillors Lisa Rajan and Jasmine Ali made points of personal explanation.  Thereafter, the cabinet member for children and schools responded to the debate.

Amendment A was put to the vote and declared to be lost.

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

RESOLVED:

Schools

1.  That council assembly recognises that there are real challenges ahead for local authorities to meet demand for school places, with more than one in four councils forecasting a shortage of primary school places this coming September, and nearly half of local authorities facing a places shortage in September 2015.

2.  That council assembly welcomes the work of the current administration over the last four years to expand school places to meet demand, by expanding popular local schools and working with partners to open new ones, ensuring that last year every on time applicant in Southwark was offered a reception place.

3.  That council assembly acknowledges that there continues to be a shortage of school places in certain areas and that some parents in Southwark feel they have little choice especially when they are unable to secure places at the community schools nearest to where they live.

4.  That council assembly recognises that the work being done by the current Labour administration to ensure that there are sufficient school places to meet demand in the borough is being done against the backdrop of the Liberal Democrats working with the Conservatives in government making it harder and harder for councils to build new schools in the places they are most needed.  

5.  That council assembly notes with concern that the coalition government’s flagship free schools policy is failing to address the national shortage of school places, with an estimated two thirds of primary school places not in areas of need. Council assembly calls on the government to stop putting politics before the needs of children by diverting money away from areas with a real shortage of places.

6.  That council assembly recognises that the current situation in Southwark, where despite increasing demand some schools are struggling to fill places, with 335 vacancies in secondary schools and 201 vacancies in primary schools currently across the borough, is unsustainable.

7.  That council assembly calls on cabinet to continue to drive up standards in Southwark schools and to bring forward a programme to work with schools to ensure that over 70% of students in every secondary school in the borough get at least five good GCSEs. Council assembly also calls for this programme of work to look beyond schools and to what additional support can be given to our looked after children and children from troubled families who all too often achieve well below their potential.

8.  That council assembly also recognises the challenge where there are secondary schools in the borough which are rated as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, but where parents do not want to send their children.

9.  That council assembly therefore calls on the cabinet to work with local parents and the Department for Education to ensure that decisions about new schools are based on the needs of the community.

10.  That council assembly calls on the cabinet to ensure that free schools work as part of the educational mix of the borough, by continuing to work with popular local schools who choose to come forward with free school proposals, sponsors who can demonstrate their commitment to working in partnership with both the council and local parents, and committed parents who want to open new schools in their area.

Childcare

11.  That council assembly recognises that the increasing cost of childcare is one of the most pressing issues affecting families in Southwark. Childcare prices have risen significantly while real earnings have fallen – contributing to the cost of living crisis – and there are serious gaps in provision for quality affordable childcare, particularly for working parents.

12.  That council assembly recognises that the rising childcare costs are particularly detrimental to women and are pricing half a million British mothers out of work. Council assembly welcomes Labour’s commitment nationally to increase the provision of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds from 15 hours to 25 hours a week, but recognises that more needs to be done across the council’s services to support mothers back into work.

13.  That council assembly welcomes the commitment of this administration to invest in Southwark’s children’s centres and work with parents to set up two new community nurseries to increase the number of affordable childcare places in the borough.

14.  That council assembly recognises the need for real long term solutions to this growing problem and therefore welcomes the establishment of the Childcare Commission, bringing together experts, parents, providers and employers to find ways to secure childcare provision that is accessible and affordable to all parents, supports them to be economically active, and delivers quality education and development for children in the early years.

15.  That council assembly calls on the cabinet to implement the recommendations of the Childcare Commission and to look for opportunities for facilitating and encouraging employment through the provision of quality, affordable childcare, particularly for working mothers.

Beyond education and childcare

16.  That council assembly recognises that the council’s duty towards children and young people goes beyond education and childcare. Therefore, council assembly also welcomes the council’s commitment to:

·  Ensure a top quality playground in every local area and to introduce “play streets”, closing some streets to traffic during school holidays to ensure children have the opportunity to play safely.

·  Continue to deliver free healthy school meals for every primary school child in Southwark and extend free fruit to all primary school children as a morning snack.

·  Keep young people safe at home and in our community and protect children from abuse or neglect by investing in early support for families.

·  Help more people to foster and adopt by paying their council tax, to help give more children a home where they are loved, safe and secure.

·  Help young people to get sound financial education by opening a credit union account with a £10 deposit for every 11 year old and helping them get good money advice.

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.