Agenda item

6.1  Liz Britton, manager of priority learners, introduced the work done to improve the performance of children in care. She explained that the data in the paper is based on children who were in 12 months continuous care as of March , as this is the performance measure that central government sets . However the team work with all children who come into care.

6.2  The chair invited questions and the following issues were raised by committee members and SYC young people:

6.3  Please explain the placement of young people in borough and out of borough and the impact on education?  The officer explained that it is important to place children with the best and most suitable foster carer and some these are out of borough. In addition to this some children need to be placed out of borough for good reasons. She was then asked if children do better in borough or out of borough and the officer explained that many of the children placed out of borough are young people in years 10 & 11 with challenging behaviour -moving does negatively impact on education, as does the trauma of going into care and the incidents that have led up to this, however sometimes for their safety children do have to be moved out of borough.

6.4  What training and support is available for foster carers?  The council have a letterbox training programme, where we write directly and provide guidance on how to support children through their education.

6.5  What about gifted children? Do you have a special programme? No, but children each have an individual learning programme, and children can be pushed.

6.6  Can you help the SYC get into all schools? The committee members expressed surprise and disappointment that given the good work SYC do that they are not able to access all schools and asked the SYC to provide details and in order to try and facilitate this.

6.7  What work is being done to get local foster carers? There is an outreach and training programmes to get more local people to apply.

6.8  Does being in care trigger pupil premium? Yes 

6.9  What has most enabled the council to improve the results of children in care? Having half a dozen education offices who are co located with social services has been very effective; the education workers focus exclusively on the education part, but also have a dialogue with social workers and this has improved outcomes.  The children’s PEP (Personal Educational Plan) has also been re-written so there is a more systemic approach. This is more focused and restricted in the data recorded.

6.10  The chair invited Darren Coghlan, Head of Secondary and Further Education, Employment and Inclusion to present his area of work. He summarised the report and highlighted an error; the new GCSE will not be graded 1 to 10 with 1 being highest grade, rather it will be graded 1-9, with an ungraded level, and 9 will be the highest grade.

6.11  The chair invited the committee and SYC members to ask questions.

6.12  What vocational options are available for preparation for students who are less academic?  There is a university technical college and studio schools.

6.13  What about the apprenticeship scheme? There is a 6 week traineeship started by Lend Lease and others.

6.14  Are these paid? No, but there are job centre plus exceptions.

6.15  How are the apprenticeships promoted? There is an employment and training advisor who visits school.  The local authority used to offer careers advice but now this obligation now goes to school.

6.16  How many apprenticeships are there? 310

6.17  Why is the system moving to 1-9 grades? To show greater differentiation at the higher grades.

6.18  Are children with no recourse to public funds eligible for free school meals?  No child is turned away from free school healthy meals in primary school. In secondary schools there has to an entitlement to a benefit.

6.19  Concern was raised about provision for the bottom 30 percent that there is currently a poor curriculum offer in schools and colleges for less academically inclined children & young people.  Officers agreed and said that there needs to improvement at schools and better performance by the local Further Education College. A good offer at schools is dependant on the right teaching and facilities – for example catering equipment and expertise.

6.20  Who pays for re-sits? Schools.

6.21  Are qualification currently ‘norm referenced or ‘criteria’ referenced? Currently these are criteria reference, rather than ‘norm’ referenced, but this will change.

6.22  Modular exams are easier to study for than an exam which tests everything at the end of the course, why is there a move to one final exam? The rationale is that it will promote deeper learning.

6.23  Will there be changes to OFSTED ?  Yes these will be employed directly rather than contracted out.

6.24  Liz Britton, manager of priority learners requested the last page be taken off the website as it has information that could be personally identifying. 

6.25  There was a discussion about the Attainment Gap review questions and how to ensure that the head teachers captured improvement in progress for children’s & young people who might not be academically inclined and whether it was right to use the word disadvantaged, as children who had special needs, for example,  might not be socially disadvantaged.

RESOLVED

SYC to provide details of the schools they have difficulty accessing and scrutiny to work to resolve this.

Continue the dissuasion on the Attainment Gap outside of the committee meeting, and with the chair, once she is better.