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 the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Member:-

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 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 Mrinal Choudhury declared a non-pecuniary interest in that he served on the Planning Committee, which had considered planning applications in relation various school expansions.  He would remain in the room for the consideration of any cases relating to the 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 4 December 2013 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 December 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 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 P727-P769 were admitted late to the agenda to allow the Panel to allocate an appropriate place to the applicants.

On 18 December 2013,there were 32 children for whom admissions staff could make no reasonable offer of a school place.  For completeness, the outcomes for all cases presented are set out below, including where cases were withdrawn due to places having been allocated prior to 18 December 2013.  Additionally, schools other than those listed on the agenda papers for each child were considered and allocated, as appropriate, by the Panel.  The Panel was also informed of the preferences identified for each child by their parent(s).

The Panel was informed that, in relation to case P767, a Special Educational Needs Statement (SEN) was outstanding but it was in the interest of the child that an interim decision to allocate a school place was made at this meeting.

Accordingly, 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: