COUNCIL MEETING, 21 FEBRUARY 2008

REPORT OF THE

EXECUTIVE LEAD MEMBER FOR CHILDREN'S SERVICES (EDUCATION)

AND EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

PROPOSED STRATEGY FOR THE PROVISION OF KEY STAGE 2 SWIMMING IN HAMPSHIRE SCHOOLS

1 The Executive Lead Member for Children's Services (Education) has previously supported the principle of adopting a more strategic approach to Key Stage 2 swimming facilities in Hampshire Schools. In order to develop this strategy a consultation process with schools has been undertaken. The principle of the strategy is that a capital investment programme is developed for a core number of pools on school sites. These pools will be developed to a modern standard to deliver a proportion of the Key Stage 2 national curriculum swimming requirement. Also, they will be available, alongside the existing community leisure pools that are currently used to deliver the majority of Key Stage 2 swimming.

2 The consultation process has shown that the vast majority of Key Stage 2 schools select community leisure pools. A small number of schools choose other Hampshire Schools' pools to meet their curriculum requirement. With low Key Stage 2 curriculum utilisation coupled with large liabilities for repairs, maintenance and refurbishment, many of the pools in Hampshire schools do not appear to represent best value in investment opportunities. The proposed strategy therefore is intended to focus capital resources and provide Key Stage 2 swimming in a combination of community leisure pools and a small number of improved pools in Hampshire Schools.

3 A schedule has been produced which proposes 14 Hampshire County Council pools being supported under the strategy. These pools have been chosen by reference to preferences expressed by each school for alternative venues, should their own pool become unavailable. Preference being given to indoor pools; the extent of Key Stage 2 utilisation; geographical location of each school in relation to any alternative venue and condition of the pool fabric and plant. Of the 41 pools which it is proposed will not be included in the investment strategy, 38 (93%) have no Key Stage 2 guest schools using the pool and 3 (7%) have only one Key Stage 2 guest school using the pool.

4 The investment proposed will provide a significant improvement in the 14 pools that are proposed to be supported under the strategy. Further detailed feasibility work is required to determine the final programme of works and this will be used to develop pools to a modern standard that is fit for purpose of providing Key Stage 2 and general school swimming. The works will range from repairs and refurbishment to the provision of new pools in some instances. The existing swimming pool repair and maintenance budget will not enable necessary works to be undertaken to upgrade the supported schools to a modern day standard in terms of health, safety and facilities. It is therefore proposed that an investment programme in pools is undertaken, which is jointly funded by Children's Services and Policy and Resources. This investment would be used to improve, modernise and refurbish core pools to provide a modern response to the provision of Key Stage 2 national curriculum swimming.

5 The Executive Lead Member for Children's Services (Education) has adopted the proposed new strategy for the provision of Key Stage 2 swimming and has agreed that a capital investment strategy is developed for the improvement and repair of those pools which have been identified. They are to receive financial support over a planned period of five years, with investment to be split equally between Children's Services and Policy and Resources. Further work is now to be undertaken to develop the strategy and to communicate in more detail with schools affected significantly by the proposals. The Executive Member for Policy and Resources has endorsed the property and capital funding aspects of the strategy at his decision day meeting on 28 January 2008, following a recommendation from the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel.

6 This decision promotes the provision of swimming facilities of a high standard and involves investing in the improvement of such facilities in schools. This supports the Council's Corporate Priorities.

ACADEMIES

1 The Education and Inspections Act 2006 requires the County Council to promote choice and diversity in the context of school organisation. However, the Council requires a policy to guide its work in determining whether or not Academy status should be supported as it also has a responsibility to promote high standards of education and the well-being of all children and young people.

2 Academies are independent schools, directly funded in terms of revenue by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). They are governed by a company (known as the Academy Trust) which delegates functions to its directors, who have a similar role to the governors of a maintained school. The directors may be appointed or nominated by the sponsors, the Local Authority (LA), DCSF and parents. The governing body is directly accountable to the Secretary of State and not to the LA in all matters.

3 The Government target is for there to be 400 academies throughout the country (there are 46 at present), with the following reasoning:

4 As with other school organisation changes, there are a number of key questions to be considered before the LA can give its support to an academy proposal.

5 In meeting the County Council's requirement to promote choice and diversity within the context of school organisation, the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services (Education) has agreed that he will be inclined to support the case for an academy where the questions set out in the previous paragraph of this report can be answered positively. A copy of the Director of Children's Services report on Academies is available in the Members' Rooms.

6 The decision will seek to ensure that Hampshire secondary schools capitalise on all opportunities to develop learners' understanding and appreciation of their role in society and their capacity to contribute. This supports the Council's Corporate Priorities.

SCHOOL MEALS PRICES FROM APRIL 2008

1 This is the third year of implementation of the School Meals Strategy 2005-2008. It has been developed in response to the introduction by the Government of the Targeted School Meals Group. The Strategy sets out how this grant will be used to support the introduction of higher nutritional standards in school meals, additional staff training and some limited capital expenditure on school kitchens. The food and nutritional content of school meals will continue to improve during this and next year to meet national standards.

2 From April 2008, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) have introduced the Schools Lunch Grant (SLG). Under this grant, the County Council has been allocated £1,771,767 for the next three years. The DCSF have stressed that the SLG will have new conditions and is not a continuation of the present Targeted School Meals Grant. The grant is being provided to support school catering services and to moderate price increases until school meal take up is increased. The Government have recognised that changing the eating habits of children is a long process.

3 The School Meals Strategy 2005-2008 proposed a school meal price in April 2008 of £1.90, an increase of 5.5% on the current price of £1.80. This was on the basis of the increase in the food content that had already been included within the school meal to meet the new nutritional standards. Neighbouring local authorities have a range of prices for school meals. Wiltshire are expecting to charge £1.95 from April 2008 and Surrey £1.85 from September 2008. Dorset will probably be charging £2.00 and West Sussex parents already pay £2.00 for a school meal. The Executive Lead Member has considered a report on this item and approved the proposed Hampshire school meal price of £1.90 from April 2008.

4 The decision will result in a further improvement in the nutritional content of school meals. This supports the Council's Corporate Priorities.

PUPIL ATTITUDE SURVEY 2007

1 The Executive Lead Member has considered a report by the Director of Children's Services on the results of the pupil attitude survey carried out with 36,580 pupils in Hampshire primary and secondary schools. The response to the pupil attitude survey has been compared with those obtained in the survey of pupil attitudes carried out in the previous seven years. There is a marked level of consistency between the results of the past years' surveys and this year's. This provides a positive basis on which to plan improvements. For the second time the survey was offered to, and adapted for, pupils in special schools as a pilot. Whilst most pupils in Years 2, 6 and 7 are positive about their education, the feelings are mixed in Year 9, although still positive. The challenge of work in Years 6, 7 and 9 appears to have increased and the gap between boys' and girls' perceptions has narrowed. Again this year, the survey asked about pupils' experiences of bullying and racial abuse in and out of school. The results suggest that they have not improved from 2006 and continue to suggest many more pupils perceive this happening to them than most schools suppose. The Executive Lead Member supports the continuation and adaptation of the pupil attitude survey in future years as recommended by the Director of Children's Services. Copies of the report and results of the survey are available in the Members' Rooms.

2 The above decision aims to contribute to developments in schools working. This supports the Council's Corporate Priorities.

THE PERFORMANCE OF HAMPSHIRE SCHOOLS 2006-2007

1 The Executive Lead Member for Children's Services (Education) has received a summary of the achievements of Hampshire schools during the academic year 2006-2007. Also, the Executive Lead Member has endorsed actions being taken by the Children's Services Department, working with schools, to continue to improve the performance of children and young people in Hampshire.

2 At GCSE, there was a continued slight improvement in Hampshire where provisional figures show 62.1% of Year 11 pupils achieved 5 or more A* - C grades. 91.9% of pupils achieved 5 or more A* - G grades (to include English and mathematics). An increasingly important national performance indicator is the percentage of pupils who achieved more A* - C grades including English and mathematics. In Hampshire, this figure rose to 51% and is higher than the average of similar local authorities.

3 At Key Stage 1 in 2007, there has been an overall improvement in performance in reading, writing and mathematics. 87% of pupils achieved level 2 or more in reading, again above the national average. Those reaching level 3 rose to 32%. 85% of pupils achieved level 2 or more in writing, another improvement on last year. 93% of pupils reached the national expectation in mathematics, equalling the highest County result ever.

4 At Key Stage 2, performance by Hampshire pupils achieving level 4 or more in English rose to 82%. Those reaching level 5 also improved. In mathematics, 79% of pupils achieved level 4 or more and 35% of pupils reached level 5. 91% of pupils achieved level 4 or more in science. 73% of pupils achieved a level 4 or more in both English and mathematics.

5 At Key Stage 3, results by pupils in English, mathematics and science at level 5 or more remain above national averages. Those achieving level 6 or more fell slightly in all subjects compared with 2006. The general trend in this Key Stage is upward which matches the national pattern.

6 Whilst results have generally improved in Hampshire primary schools, the picture is more mixed in secondary schools. Work continues to improve performance in those schools who are below base targets, and in those secondary schools attaining around the local authority average to seek to add more value to the outcomes for young people. Copies of the report on this item are available in the Members' Rooms.

7 This decision will help schools to continue to improve the outcomes for children and young people in Hampshire. This supports the Council's Corporate Priorities.

OVERNIGHT SHORT BREAK SERVICES TO SUPPORT DISABLED CHILDREN AND THEIR CARERS

1 The County Council provides and purchases directly overnight short break services to support disabled children and their carers. It is in partnership with the Hampshire Primary Care Trust (HPCT) for the purchase of some of these services and existing contracts in Western and South Hampshire are coming to an end. As a result, it will be necessary to re-tender for these services due to their scale and cost during 2008/09 and for new contract arrangements to be in place by April 2009. Additionally, the County Council has a partnership with the HPCT for sharing the cost of services provided by the County Council in Western and North Hampshire and these arrangements are also due for review.

2 The Government report "Aiming High for Disabled Children" published in May 2007, sets out a programme for developing service apparatus to improve outcomes for children and an announcement is expected early in 2008 as to how an additional £340m nationally will be focused and distributed. It is anticipated that the main areas of additional funding will begin to be available from 2009/10 and the expectation is that the Government will require a better choice of services to be developed. As a consequence of this, consumers will be able to exercise more choice over the mix of services that would best meet their needs and this in turn will have implications for the use of existing services, such as overnight short break services that support disabled children and their carers.

3 The County Council is therefore proposing to consider with its partners how overnight short break services may be developed over the next 3-5 years. An audit has provided useful information on current available places and has identified a range of service providers in Western, North and East and South Hampshire. An improvement programme is also being proposed to strengthen accountability to consumers and to provide a broader range of service opportunities including individual budgets and extension of the direct payments scheme. The anticipated developments include features to identify a "core officer" to facilitate better information; improved participation and a common assessment arrangement; support to families to influence the design and delivery of services and to improve needs analysis, performance management and service planning. It is further recognised that more flexible contract arrangements may be needed for some services to ensure a balance between services consumers may call upon and budgets being available to support direct payment options. By seeking to identify at this time, priorities for service development in 2009/10, it will be possible for the County Council to make an early start on what is required, once an announcement is made by the Government as to how its additional funds are to be distributed.

4 The Executive Member for Children and Families has given approval to the proposed consultation with the County Council's partners and consumers to assess the future need for overnight short-break services to support disabled children and their carers. The Executive Member is to receive a further report in May 2008 on the results of the consultation, prior to determining the necessary way forward.

5 This decision seeks to enable disabled children to have a greater inclusion and involvement within their local community and aims to ensure that every disabled child can have the best possible start in life. This supports the Council's Corporate Priorities.

WESSEX YOUTH OFFENDING TEAM INSPECTION

1 Youth Offending Teams (YOT) were established by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. In some areas, such as Wessex, authorities have joined together to provide services. The YOT is a statutory partnership involving Police, Health, the Probation Service, Social Services and Education (now merged as Children's Services). Wessex YOT, like all Youth Offending Teams, is subject to inspection. The results of its March 2007 inspection was very positive about direction of travel and many aspects of the YOT work. Inspectors were particularly pleased with the YOT's involvement in preventing young people from committing offences and on its work with parents. Similarly, the management and governance of the YOT was also highlighted as a strength.

2 The YOT is required to draw up an Improvement Plan which addresses the Inspection's key recommendations. For Wessex, there are 11 recommendations made in the Inspection Report. Most of these relate to the way in which certain aspects of the YOT is carried out. The Improvement Plan details how each of the recommendations will be addressed. The top three recommendations/priorities are as follows:

3 The Wessex YOT Management Board had recognised the need to review the level of funding provided to the Wessex YOT, and had previously asked the YOT Manager to review the current levels of funding and compare them with `most similar' YOT's for each area. The data from this exercise resulted in clarity about the funding requirements for each partner agency. Additional funding is being sought from all local authority partners in line with the funding review.

4 The Executive Member for Children and Families has congratulated the Wessex YOT on their valuable work and has approved its Improvement Plan. Also, the Executive Member is recommending an increase in Hampshire's YOT funding by £100,000 as part of the 2008/09 forward budget priorities and by a further £25,000 from 2009/10. The Improvement Plan has now been sent to the Inspectorates and its implementation will be closely monitored by the Wessex YOT Management Board. Copies of the report and Improvement Plan in relation to this item are available in the Members' Rooms.

5 The decision aims to address offending behaviour by way of working with young offenders and is seeking to make Hampshire a safer place. This supports the Council's Corporate Priorities.

A CORPORATE PLEDGE FOR CHILDREN IN CARE

1 The County Council has long acknowledged the importance of facilitating successful outcomes for the children in its care. The White Paper : Time for Change identifies a number of key components that should be incorporated within a Pledge for children in care. Also, it reinforces the message that such children deserve excellent parenting and education, the opportunity to access a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and skills, emotional well-being and stability. There is no definitive `role profile' of a Corporate Parent as the role is carried out at various levels throughout the local authority and partner organisations. However, there is an expectation that certain key factors will be included as standard to ensure the role is carried out effectively.

2 The White Paper : Time for Change attempts to show how Government will tackle areas of concern for children in care, with the promotion of good corporate parenting being one such measure. To address these concerns it is proposed that each Local Authority develops and implements a `Pledge' detailing what services they will provide to their children's care. The recent Joint Area Review (JAR) of services for children and young people in Hampshire found that Hampshire's contribution to improve outcomes for their children in care is good, with much excellent practice to be noted. Progress with Corporate Parenting was also considered good, with strong Member leadership and communication between Members, senior officers and children in care being given particular credit. However, a key weakness identified in the JAR was the insufficient co-ordination of the complaints process - something which will be key in delivering effective corporate parenting.

3 There have been two key developments to respond to the above White Paper as follows:

4 The proposed Hampshire Pledge has been prepared after consultation with the Care Council, the Corporate Parenting Group, the Children's Services Departmental Management Team and feedback from Members' Workshops. It not only addresses those key requirements of the White Paper but offers a more comprehensive set of commitments. Prior to its consideration by the Executive Member for Children and Families, the Pledge was presented to the Children and Young People Select Committee. In supporting the Pledge the Committee made several recommendations proposing amendments to two of the Pledges and clarification on some other points. The Executive Member, in approving the Hampshire Pledge, has adopted one of the Select Committee's amendments and has asked that the guidance notes, which accompany it, clarify those points raised by the Committee. The Pledge will form a key part of the Children and Young People's Plan and be delivered as part of the wider work associated with the implementation of the Children and Young People's Bill. The monitoring of its implementation will be through the Children and Young People Select Committee. Copies of the Executive Member report and the Corporate Pledge for Children in Care are available in the Members' Rooms.

5 This decision will remove barriers for children to achieve good life outcomes and aims to improve the quality of life of the children in care by the range of services being delivered. This supports the Council's Corporate Priorities.

DAVID KIRK PATRICIA BANKS

Executive Lead Member for Executive Member for

Children's Services (Education) Children and Families

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