Agenda item

To consider the latest trends, priorities and pressures in terms of departmental performance as reported in the QSR for the third quarter of 2015/16 (October to December 2015) relating to Children, Young People and Learning, giving particular attention to outcomes of Ofsted school inspections, safeguarding, Looked After Children, staffing, permanency and signs of safety.

Panel members are asked to give advance notice to the Overview and Scrutiny Team of any questions relating to the QSR where possible.

The Panel considered the latest trends, priorities and pressures in terms of departmental performance as reported in the Quarterly Service Report for the third quarter of 2015/16 (October to December 2015) relating to Children, Young People and Learning. 

From the comprehensive Quarterly Service Report, the Panel noted the following headlines:

• A Safeguarding Practice Diagnostic carried out in January 2016 had indicated good progress since the last event and overall positive results.  The Local Government Association team had issued a letter and action plan indicating ways to further stretch performance, which had been circulated to Panel Members for information.
• A Youth Offending Service Inspection was due to be held from 18 – 22 April 2016 which would focus on casework quality and performance.
• The White Paper ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’ had been issued in March 2016, which dealt with further proposed reforms including the Government’s aspiration for all schools to be academies by 2022.
• The Education and Adoption Act 2016 was to be enacted in mid April, extending the intervention rights of the Secretary of State and giving powers to force schools to become academies.
• The recommended provider for Binfield Learning Village and Amen Corner North had been selected and submitted to the Regional Schools Commissioner for approval.

The Panel posed a number of questions about details in the Department indicator performance and requested that numerical totals for:

• L140 – 62% of children looked after in family placement or adoption;
• NI103.2 – 37.5% of SEN statements issued within 26 weeks;

be circulated to Members following the meeting.

The Panel received a presentation on the activity within the Children’s Social Care section, noting the high level of contacts, with the largest proportion of referrals being from the police arising from domestic abuse.  The newly formed Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) would begin operating from Easthampstead House on 16 May 2016.  Data was presented on children in need, the numbers subject to child protection plans, the duration of child protection plans and the numbers of looked after children.  Reference was also made to the work to develop a Permanency Strategy and the progress towards implementing the Signs of Safety model (an integrated framework approach to child intervention).  A staffing update was circulated detailing the success of the staff development, recruitment and retention measures driven by the investment undertaken last summer.

The Panel also received a paper outlining the Inspection outcomes for schools, including published reports to April 2016.  The Panel was pleased to note the predominance of ‘Good’ outcomes in the current academic year.  Arising from questions about Jennett’s Park Primary School, which had been rated ‘Requires Improvement’ in 2014/15, it was explained that as a newly opened facility it had drawn pupils from a number of other schools which had not helped it establish itself and achieve good results from the outset.  However, following assistance from the school improvement team, there were promising indications through HM Inspector of Schools of good progress being made.  There were lessons to be learnt for other new schools that would open in the future.  The importance of School Governors and staff giving a positive and robust account of school performance to Ofsted Inspectors was stressed.

A question was also raised about the February 2016 Ofsted Inspection of the Bracknell Forest Community Learning Service, also rated as ‘Requires Improvement’.  The Panel recognised the challenges posed by students at the Open Learning Centre and noted that a report was being made to the Executive, including details of the Action Plan being put in place.