To hear from Paul Smith, Regional Officer London, National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) on pupil places in Southwark.
Minutes:
The commission heard from Paul Smith, Regional Officer London, National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) on falling school rolls around the following points.
· Role of NAHT in representing and supporting Headteachers, 35000 members Nationally
· Challenges in financial resourcing for schools, reduction in capacity of schools, Increase in children’s varying needs- Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
· Reducing Pupil Admission Numbers (PAN) two form to one form resulting in a downward spiral
· Issues with the consultation process wherein consultation with trade unions and staff occurs only after the decision is made for the future changes and/or closure of a school
· Southwark at risk of losing educational expertise in the form of Headteachers and Staff.
· Implementation of the Mitigating Falling School Rolls- Keeping Education Strong Strategy (Southwark Council) would be key in ensuring that effective solutions are found whilst retaining the pool of expertise and staff
· Importance of managing declining budgets effectively whilst producing the same high quality education and fulfilling SEND needs.
The commission then asked questions on the following themes.
· Percentage of Headteachers in NAHT in Schools in Southwark; Views on the Keeping Education Strong strategy; Advantages and Disadvantages of reducing PAN numbers; Budgetary pressures prior to discussions on closure of schools; Council’s role in early intervention and pro-activeness
· Impact of economic demographic of Southwark on falling school numbers; repurposing certain areas of schools like sports and leisure facilities for renting income
· Transforming mainstream schools at risk of closure to a SEND school
· Council support to Headteachers who are at risk of losing their jobs due to closure of their schools; unintended consequences such as losing talented middle leaders in teaching staff who aspire to become Headteachers
· Polarisation of white middle class parents towards affluent schools; Impact of the rising cost of living in suburbs on schools in terms of falling rolls and the effect on schools especially in poorer areas where English is a second language hence needing more English language support
Paul explained to the commission that there are 170 members in Southwark Schools in NAHT and are very well represented in primary schools when compared to secondary schools. Paul also informed the commission that some schools have bulged classes together to deal with falling numbers. On Keeping Education Strong strategy, Southwark is one of the boroughs that has a strategy document compared to many other boroughs who don’t have a strategy and vision, however implementation is key with regards to the different varying needs of local communities and local solutions are needed. NAHT members are keen to be part of the solution by being involved in the discussions early in the process, they have ambitious visions for their schools, students and communities and are also aware of local issues within their communities.
On reducing PAN numbers and merging schools, Paul explained to the commission that some schools might not be fit for purpose such as Old Victorian built schools and larger newer schools might be able to compete better for pupil numbers. However, when a school is closed and merged with another, the identity of the school site that is closed disappears and cannot be brought back at a later date. School children have varying levels of success in different sized schools, larger schools as a result of mergers might be beneficial to some children but not others.
Paul agreed with the commission that the economic development and the resulting demographic has had an impact on falling rolls and perhaps such factors should be considered when planning and development decisions are made in the borough.
Paul informed the commission that Headteachers are continually looking at generating income from leisure facilities, there is an example where council run speech and language therapy unit was based in the school, which was later closed, thus losing the provision of the unit and the income generated from facility. There also might be a case for looking into capital funding for schools who are not able to rent out sports fields due to inadequate facilities such as lack of proper fences etc.
Paul explained to the commission that SEND schools have a high demand for staff due to varying needs such as additional medical staff. Some children thrive better in mainstreams schools if they have the right provisions and support in the form of EHCPs and CAHMS referrals. SEND provisions and schools are in high demand and it’s an area where huge financial investment is required.
The commission learnt from Paul that teaching staff needing HR support during the closure of school always comes in the later stages of stakeholder school closure consultation causing a lot of anxiety and frustration. There is a real need to supporting teachers during this with early intervention by the council. National surveys has revealed a rise in teachers leaving the profession due to various challenges, this includes Asst. Headteachers, deputies and middle leaders. The current pay dispute strike is one of the examples of the issues the education sector faces.
Paul explained to the commission that the decisions made by parents in choosing or changing schools often relies on Ofsted results, local perceptions and reputations. The main factor governing over or under subscription in schools is funding which relies on pupil numbers; some other funding exists for English as a second language, pupil premiums and SEND. Schools with a high a number bilingual children are celebrated as a positive trend amongst educators.