Archived decisions
COUNCIL MEETING, 19 NOVEMBER 2009
REPORT OF THE
EXECUTIVE LEAD MEMBER FOR CHILDREN'S SERVICES
HAMPSHIRE CHILDREN'S TRUST - DEVELOPING LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS
1. The Hampshire Children's Trust Board on 1 July 2009 considered options for the development of Local Partnerships to ensure an opportunity for each school and college to undertake their duty to cooperate in improving outcomes for children and young people. Whilst such partnerships have already achieved considerable success in ensuring a focus on the Children and Young People Plan at local level, the intention is to seek to integrate their work by introducing revised arrangements to ensure engagement by all schools. This is likely to lead to in the order of 25 - 30 partnerships and will require measures to ensure coherence with District Council boundaries and to preserve links with Local Strategic Partnerships.
2. The Executive Lead Member for Children's Services has considered the key issues and drivers for change, together with the main functions of local partnerships and what the core membership of each Local Children Trust Partnership is likely to include. The Executive Lead Member has approved, as a key decision, the general structure, purpose and functions of Local Partnerships and is to receive progress reports at future decision meetings. Arrangements are currently being made to brief and consult with all partners, including Headteachers and College Principals in order that the shape and scale of local partnerships can be determined towards the end of this year so revised arrangements can begin to emerge early in 2010.
3. By April 2010, it is planned that each partnership will have an initial local action plan to address priorities within the Children and Young Peoples Plan. The proposed arrangements will ensure that Hampshire is compliant with the new duty for all schools and colleges to cooperate in improving outcomes for all children and young people. Also, they will assist the Children's Trust in developing more integrated service delivery arrangements and in managing and monitoring local performance. It is anticipated that the revised arrangements will in due course be subject to Ofsted inspection and a quality assurance framework is being developed, which will include a self-assessment audit by partnerships against agreed standards.
4. The report arises from consideration of the report by the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services on 15 October 2009 which is on Hantsweb at /decisions/decisions-docs/091015-excsed-R1008105614.
REVIEW OF SCHOOL PLACES AND ORGANISATION AT BARNCROFT INFANT AND JUNIOR SCHOOLS, HAVANT
1. The Executive Lead Member for Children's Services has agreed that public notices be published, setting out the County Council's intention to establish a 420 place community primary school on the Barncroft Schools' site, Havant. It also plans to continue and expand the early years provision, establish a Reading Recovery training room to serve teachers from across the county and to provide an e-learning centre facility to serve the wider local community.
2. The proposal to amalgamate the Barncroft infant and junior schools was initiated by the governing bodies. They recognised that the low school rolls were impacting on staffing levels, presenting challenges in maintaining high quality curriculum delivery. The proposed primary school under single leadership will seek to generate greater opportunities to align the curriculum, develop tracking processes, teaching methods and continuity of experience across the early years foundation stage and Key Stages 1 and 2. This is expected to lead to an acceleration of pupil progress throughout each Key Stage, resulting in higher pupil attainment at the end of Year 6.
3. The combined forecast number on roll of 336 at the Barncroft Schools is significantly below the current 450 place capacity. The existing numbers are predicted to continue and indicate that one in five children living within the school's catchment areas are attending an alternative school. It is anticipated that the proposed establishment of a 420 place, all-through primary school, along with the significant planned capital investment to provide improved buildings and facilities, and an expanded early years provision on the site, will attract a greater number of children from within the schools' catchment area.
4. In order to implement the amalgamation, it is necessary to publish statutory proposals to discontinue the existing Barncroft infant and junior schools and establish a new primary school on the existing site. Section 10(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 allows local authorities to seek approval from the Secretary of State to publish proposals for a new community school outside the competition procedure. The Secretary of State's approval to waive the competition procedure was given on 10 September 2009. As a local authority proposal for a new school, after the end of the period for objections or other representations, the final decision will be made by the Schools Adjudicator.
5. This report arises from the consideration of the report by the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services on 15 October 2009, which is on Hantsweb at: /decisions/decisions-docs/091015-excsed-R1008110430. .
DAVID KIRK
Executive Lead Member for Children's Services
8FR911009