NOTES OF A MEETING HELD ON 6 JULY 2006 29 JANUARY 2007 OF
THE SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP BOARD
Present Anthony Hadley, Carey Bennet, Ruth Brock, Cliff Brunt, Tracey Chapman, Monica Dimmock, John Durrant, Jerry Glazier, Jeremy Gush, Tony Hedley, Deborah Hollister, John Hunter, Clair Pyper, Liz Railton, Angela Saville, Richard Thomas, Carey Dave Wood (Chair), Joyce WoodhamBennet, Cliff Brunt, Tracey Chapman (Chair), Carole Clift, John Durrant, Clair Pyper, Cliff Brunt, David Franklin, Jeremy Gush, Graham Handscomb (part), Anthony Hedley, Deborah Hollister, John HunterGraham Handscomb, Clair Pyper and Jeremy Gush, John Durrant, John Hunter, Joyce Woodham, Tracey Chapman (Chair)
Welcome and introductions
Dave Wood took the Chair. Following the recent death of Kate Spiller the Board paid tribute to Kate for her dedication and influence.
1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Apologies
Stephen Castle, Dawn Dack, Monica Dimmock, Jerry Glazier, Angela Saville, Richard Thomas, Stephen Castle, Monica Dimmock, Gary Pocock. The Board welcomed Tony Hedley as deputy to Stephen Castle.Christine Webster and, Dave Wood, Dawn Dack, Jerry Glazier, Monica Dimmock, Richard Thomasa and Stephen Castle.
3. Election of Chairman
The Board agreed this matter would be deferred until the next meeting.
4. Matters arising from the notes of the previous meetingAppointment of Vice Chairman
The Board welcomed the application by Dave Wood’s agreement to let his name go forward; and agreed to defer this matter would also be deferred until the next meeting .
The notes of the previous meeting, item 6, title, was amended to read: ‘BSF’.
a) The Children’s Trust Approach in Essex: it was Carey Bennet confirmed that Peter Hartley was the representative from the Schools Forum.
b) Children and Young People’s Plan: John Durrant sought the views of the Board on whether a broadsheet should be prepared which would incorporate the main contribution of schools for delivering the outcomes. The Board agreed that an ‘at a glance’ poster would be a good idea. The Board suggested that the broadsheet should be available online and circulated to governors.
5. Change for Children WorkstreamsImplementation of the structure of the Schools, Children and Families Directorate
Carey Bennet provided an introduction to the current developments of restructuring children’s services within the Council. The Schools Service and Children and Young People’s Service were being integrated into the Schools, Children and Families Directorate; had amalgamated. Carey had been appointed its new Director of Schools, Children and Families and Clair Pyper Deputy Director for Vulnerable Children and Young People. The positions within the next two tiers of management would be confirmed by end of February. Board members would be informed of updates on appointments to the new structure.
The opportunity was being taken to group services supporting similar groups of children and young people e.g. joining special educational needs and children with disabilities, and linking policy and strategy. Efficiencies were being made in the new Directorate with these mainly occurring in the current Children and Young People’s Service.
Appointments to senior posts in Teams Around Schools, Children and Communities (TASCCs (Teams around Schools, Children and Families) would be made in the Spring with the Teams being will be operational by September 2007. There would be a review after implementing Phase I of the TASCCs to inform the implementation of Phase 2 of the TASCCs during 2008. The impact on performance from the Annual Performance Assessment of the Council and the Joint Area Review would also help to inform the development of the TASCCs.
BPR (Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) iwas being undertaken to evaluatinge the processes to be used within TASCCs and other parts of the new Directorate to reassess current processes within Children’s Services to improve efficiency and effectiveness. A key feature of the revised processes would be the implementation of the Common Assessment Framework.
There will be a review after Phase I of implementing the TASCCs which will inform the implementation of Phase II. The Annual Performance Assessment and Joint Area Reviews will also help to inform TASCC impact on performance.
Board members will be informed of updates concerning the restructure.
consultantsAing, subject to further discussion with mMembers,TAas far as possible spractice in ’s and would provide consistent services across Essex with a view to improving the outcomes for children and young peoplehave
withHere had to , but locally delivered services Locality managersFurther tit had not been possible to engage all of resources and decision making
Liz Railton introduced the Change for Children (C4C) workstreams and current development work. The Board was invited to comment on changes and developments:
a) Ruth Brock advised that Christine Webster from EPHA was on secondment to the Council to improve partnership working. It was agreed that Christine should be involved with C4C developments.
b) The Board emphasised that communications relating to change should be targeted:
(i) to headteachers and governors focusing on school improvement
(ii) to staff focusing on allaying their concerns.
c) The Board noted that changes in Essex were part of a national agenda focusing on early intervention and that the Council was fulfilling its responsibilities to lead these changes.
d) The Board agreed that the C4C agenda needed to be located within a rigorous performance framework.
e) The Board discussed the lack of understanding in schools on the roles of CYPSPs and LDGs and the need to engage schools in the priorities of the Children and Young People’s Plan.
6. CNew leadership and Governance ommissioning Framework
7. John Durrant provided an introduction to the commissioning framework and developments. In particular it was noted that service agreements were being concluded with local CYPSPs and Heads of Service to deliver the priorities of the Children and Young People’s Plan. The Board suggested that it be given further opportunity to address the framework in more detail.
Graham Handscomb provided an update on progress following the seminar in November 2006 on New Leadership and Governance. Graham informed the Board that a Task Group had been set up with membership compriosing members of the Board supplemented by other a range of officers. Graham circulated the minutes (Annex 1) from the first meeting of the Task Group and notes from a presentation (Annex 2).
In this context tThe Board discussed the challenge of recruitment to leadership and senior management positions in schools. It was noted that there were discussions nationally about fast tracking teaching staff to headships. In view of the changing role of headship it was recognised that greater emphasis was being placed on strategic leadership.
Devolving funding to CYPSPs, LDGs, TASCCs rather than to individual schools.
Possibility of fast tracking headship positions.
The Board agreed it would be useful for TASCCs to have guidance on how to tackle recruitment issues focussing on improving outcomes for localities rather than individual schools.
The Board highlighted the needadvantages of for governing bodies within local delivery groups to meeting to discuss common issues with other governing bodies and for training to be undertaken within localities. This should lead to governors having a which will enable greater understanding of locality needs and developing coordinated approaches to locality issues.
The Board agreed it would be useful for TASCCs to have guidance on how to manage recruitment issues focussing on improving outcomes for localities rather than individual schools.
It was agreed that this discussion would be usefully continued in the executives of the respective headteacher and governor associations. Graham Handscomb agreed to report back to the Board on the development and outcomes from the Task Group meetings.
RChildren and Young People’s Plan
John Durrant provided an introduction to the review of the Children and Young People’s Plan and explained that it would inform the Council’s Annual Performance Assessment in 2007. John explained that the Council is awaiting guidance from Ofsted and the DfES on the format and structure that the review should take.
The Board discussed the list of stakeholders to be consulted and identified that it couldan be difficult to engage with children and young people. The Board agreed that schools should be able to encourage assist in engaging with children and young people to participate, but noted that the content of the consultation would need to be translated into an easy to understandable and interestingcomment format.
The Board suggested thate the questionnaires should provide questions give examples of possible answers to questions to help guide stakeholders.
John Durrant also provided an introduction to the Essex Survey of Children and Young People 2007 and explained that the results from the survey, ( involving some 10,000 pupils), would provide new quantitative and qualitative data for Essex which is currently not available. The results from the survey willwould help inform the review of the Children and Young People’s Plan.
8. Role of the Schools Partnership Board
Carey Bennet provided a summary of the outcomes of the Board during 2005/2006.
The Board was reminded that one of its main functions was the co-development of policy. It was helpful for senior officers to provide the views of schools to Members in discussions on policy development.
The Board agreed that members should identify substitute representatives to attend on their behalf to ensure representation is complete at all meetings.
The Board agreed that better communications could help disseminate the information about the Board’s activities to colleagues and that an annual report highlighting how discussions have influenced policy and practice should be circulated to all schools. The Board also suggested that news items should be available online to direct users to the Board’s web page on the Essex Schools Infolink. The Board agreed that members should identify substitute representatives to attend on their behalf to ensure attendance was representative at all meetings.
The Board agreed that it should consider inviting children and young people to a meeting which should be scheduled toat a suitable time with the subject matter and presented in such a way that it would be interesting to formatted to be suitable for engaging children and young people.
9. Commissioning framework for the Essex Children’s Trust Approachhildren and Young People’s Plan
John Durrant provided an introduction to the commissioning framework and distributed copies of the working document (Annex 2). The Board agreed to review and provide comments by the beginning of MMarch 2007.
10. Items for forthcoming meetings
Schools Causing Concern Strategy
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – Tier 2
New Leadership and Governance
Connexions
Commissioning
Children and young people’s mental health and emotional well being
11. Dates and times of meetings for 2006/2007
The following dates and times were agreed:
14.00 on 27 March
14.00 on 10 May (please note that this new date was agreed at the meeting)
9.00 on 9 July
12. elationships between schools and children’s social care
The Board was invited to offer comments and suggestions for improving relationships between schools and Children’s Social Care in cases of child protection. Clair Pyper confirmed that a laminated poster is being produced which will provide basic and practical steps to be taken for schools.
a) Ruth Brock suggested that the child protection incident in West Essex could have been managed more effectively.
b) The Board noted that it could be difficult to locate advice on child protection resulting in variations in approaches taken by headteachers. The Board agreed that the distribution of a guidance poster would be very useful.
c) Dave Wood suggested that a representative from Children’s Social Care should be involved in the BESD (Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulty) Review. There has not been a representative for some time.
d) The Board indicated that the online training development had been very useful; faults in the system were being rectified.
13. Update on Trusts
Carey Bennet provided an update on Children’s Trusts within Essex and advised that a number of headteachers had shown interest in applying for pathfinder trust status. Approximately six schools within Essex are at various stages of application. The guidance indicated that submissions should be prepared by schools with local authorities in the background.
a) Jerry Glazier stressed that unions need to know where applications have been made and what consideration has been given to the impact of a Trust on local communities, in particular on the employment of staff.
b) Although the Board had concerns about the detail of the Trust arrangements, it agreed that it should be open to new developmentsvery hild atters.
14. Feedback on Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB) representation
Liz Railton gave an overview of the ESCB which was overseeing the inter-agency child protection role. The ESCB had been extremely well attended and that Deborah Hollister and Jonathan Evans had been key representatives. There was however a gap in representation from ASESME and this would be followed up urgently by Dave Wood.
15. Any other urgent business
a) The Board discussed the rationale for the Schools Partnership Board and the possibility of reviewing its impact during Autumn 2006. Carey Bennet emphasised the importance of the Board and the quality of communication and information brought by its members.
b) The Board members expressed thanks to Ruth Brook for her consistently high level of input at meetings.
9. Reflections on the agenda and items for forthcoming meetings
Items were as follows:
a) Review of the organisation of the Council’s services to children and young people
b) The role of Christine Webster (EPHA) and developments within her work
c) Further detail and discussion on commissioning
d) Schools Causing Concern strategy
e) Integrated leadership and governance. The Board agreed that a workshop approach would be beneficial.
10. Dates and times of meetings for 2006/20076
It was agreed that the date and time of the first meeting in Autumn would be circulated as soon as possible. This has now been confirmed as 14.00 on 14 September 2006 in Committee Room 6, County Hall and the meeting will concentrate on the review of the Council’s services to schools, and children, young people and their families.
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