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 Mrs 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.

Mrs A Winstrom declared a pecuniary interest in that she was Headteacher at Whitchurch First School and Nursery.  She would leave the room during the consideration of any cases relating to the school.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 September 2013, and 6 November 2013 (to follow) be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meetings held on 25 September 2013 and 6 November 2013, be taken as read and signed as correct records.

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 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.

(1)               In accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, cases P636-P681 were admitted late to the agenda to allow the Panel to allocate an appropriate place to the applicants.  It was noted that case numbers P635, P636, P637, P638, P640, P641, P643, P645, P660, P661, P662, P663, P671, P672, P677 and P678 had been withdrawn as these pupils had been offered school places prior to the hearing.

A grid which set out the home to school distance for each pupil was circulated at the meeting.  In addition, a number of letters from the headteachers of various schools which set out information about pupil numbers at their schools were circulated to the Panel for consideration.

On 20 November 2013,there were 31 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:

(2)               At the conclusion of the item, the Headteacher representatives expressed their concern at regularly having to place pupils in classes that were already exceeding the maximum class size of 30.  They expressed a view that a new system was required as it was not fair on students who were already allocated a place at the respective schools.  Concern was also expressed about the infrastructure to support those children moving into the borough who required a school place.

Officers responded that this was an issue facing many other London Councils.  Pressure on school places was continuous and some Headteachers had investigated introducing satellite classes to alleviate the issues.  Schools would be asked to take a bulge class in January 2014 to accommodate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 393.