Contact: Karen Widdowson, Democratic Services tel: (01962) 847334

e-mail: [email protected]

1. Options:

1. To debate with no change to the Executive Member's decision; or

2. To request a review of the Executive Member's decision.

2. Background:

2.1 The Council's rules of procedure in Part 3D of the Constitution (paragraph 1.16(d)) require that, when the views of a Policy Review Committee(PRC), following call-in, differ from an Executive decision, the facts shall be reported to the next Council meeting and may be debated without changing a previous decision, although the Council may request the Cabinet or relevant Executive Member(s) to review the decision in question.

2.2 On 15 February 2007 the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services made the following decisions in respect of the review of Education Provision for Deaf and Hearing Impaired Children in Hampshire:

1. That the following statutory consultations are undertaken within the preferred strategy of consolidating resourced provision for Deaf and Hearing Impaired children into three pyramids of schools that will offer both auditory/oral and signed modes of communication, sustainable peer groups, security of staffing and outreach support to children in other schools and settings, and which are accessible to children throughout the County (the adoption of this strategy to be subject to the outcome of the following consultations);


2. That statutory consultations take place with the governing bodies, staff, parents and other interested parties on detailed proposals for the closure of resourced provision for Deaf and Hearing Impaired children at Park View Infant, Park View Junior and Woodcot Primary schools and at Aldworth Science College and The Westgate School, with effect from August 2008;


3. That headteachers and governing bodies of primary schools linked to Henry Beaufort School be invited to consider developing resourced provision, to open in September 2008 (or as soon after as possible), and statutory consultations take place, as appropriate, with the governing body, staff, parents and other interested parties on detailed proposals for the establishment of resourced provision for Deaf and Hearing Impaired children;


4. That statutory consultations take place with the governing body, staff, parents and other interested parties on the proposal to close the resourced provision for Deaf and Hearing Impaired children at Medstead Primary School with effect from August 2008, but including a proposal that appropriate support will be offered up to, and after that date, as part of the transition process for the implementation of the changes proposed in recommendation 3 to ensure that appropriate support from skilled staff is provided both to children at the school and to the development of other resourced provisions;


5. That a report of the outcome of these consultations be made to the Executive Member for Children's Services, and this report to include an outline of the proposed transitional support arrangements.

2.3 The decisions were subsequently called-in by the Children and Young People PRC and at a meeting on 6 March 2007 the PRC concluded that it did not agree with the decisions made by the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services and, with a view to supporting the decision making process, resolved to look into areas which it considered required further clarification. It set up a scrutiny group and topics put forward for possible scrutiny are as follows:

· How will the model of resourced provision and outreach work in practice, taking into account fluctuations in pupil location and numbers. Have models of service delivery based on these variables been compared?

· To establish whether there is any importance in providing linked nursery and primary education for children with deafness or hearing impairment.

· Transportation issues arising from current proposals in the north of the County.

· An examination of how the quality of teaching for children with deafness or hearing impairment might be affected by current proposals.

2.4 The PRC decision was communicated to the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services and the Cabinet as required in the Constitution. The findings of the scrutiny group will be communicated to the Executive Lead Member prior to her decision day on 13 July 2007.

2.5 The current situation is that the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services is to be asked, at her decision day on 17 May 2007, to review her decision taken on 15 February 2007 and agree that, in decisions 2 and 4, "August 2009" be substituted for "August 2008" and, in decision 3, "September 2009" be substituted for "September 2008". In this respect the Executive Member is being asked to take into account that the County Council has a Compact with the voluntary and community sector which includes principles governing consultations. These include the principle that reasonable timescales should be allowed for responses. Consultations should, ideally, be planned for the recommended minimum of 12 weeks for written consultations. It is not now possible effectively to complete the statutory consultation within the timescales set out in the Compact, (i.e. 12 weeks) and to report back on the outcome of these consultations in July 2007.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1 Published works.

2 Documents which disclosure exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.