Agenda and minutes

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no Reserve Members in attendance at this meeting.

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary or non pecuniary interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Panel;

(b)               all other Members present.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interests were declared:

Agenda Item 8 – Admission to County Schools

Councillor Camilla Bath declared a non-pecuniary interest in that she was a governor of Whitchurch First and Nursery School, St George’s RC Primary School and Harrow High Academy.  She would remain in the room for the consideration of any cases relating to these schools.

Councillor Raj Ray declared a non-pecuniary interest in that he was a governor of Kingsley Primary School and Shaftesbury High School.  He would remain in the room for the consideration of any cases relating to these schools.

Ms G Caroli, Headteacher of Grimsdyke School, declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in relation to cases P24, P26, P55, P60 and P77.  She would leave the room during the consideration of these cases, as they referred to Grimsdyke School.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 3 July 2013 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 3 July 2013, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Executive Procedure Rule 50 (Part 4D of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put, or petitions or deputations received at this meeting.

To review the dates of meetings from September 2013.

The Panel gave consideration to the frequency of meetings for the 2013 – 2014 academic year.  It was agreed that meetings be rescheduled to meet every three weeks with effect from 25 September 2013.

The Panel was informed that for the 2013-2014 academic year, Mrs A Winstrom would be the Primary Headteacher Representative with Ms G Caroli attending her last meeting on 14 August 2013.  Ms L Rowlands would become the Secondary Headteacher Representative and Mr E Lumley the Reserve.

To resolve that the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business, on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence, or of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972:

RESOLVED:  That, in accordance with Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item for the reason set out below:

Report of the Corporate Director Children and Families.

In accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, cases P2 to P77 were admitted late to the agenda to allow the Panel to allocate an appropriate place to the applicants.  Also admitted were letters from the Headteachers of:

St Anselm’s Catholic Primary School

Whitchurch First School and Nursery

Newton Farm Nursery, Infant and Junior School

St Georges Catholic Primary School

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

Pinner Park Infant and Nursery School

Roxbourne Primary School

Aylward Primary School

Belmont School

Stanburn Junior School

Whitefriars School and Children’s Centre

Whitchurch Junior School

Vaughan Primary School

Priestmead Primary School and Nursery

Also admitted was a grid giving pupil names, the schools applied for and their home to school distances:

On 17 July 2013, there were 77 children for whom admissions staff could make no reasonable offer of a school place.  The School Placement Panel was requested to recommend to the Corporate Director of Children and Families to authorise the admission of these pupils to a school where no places existed in the relevant year group.

Resolved to RECOMMEND: (to the Corporate Director of Children and Families)

That offers of admission to schools be made as follows: