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 apologies for absence (if any).

RESOLVED:  To note that apologies for absence had been received from Janice Howkins, Ramji Chauhan and Reverend Paul Reece.

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members in relation to the business transacted at this meeting.

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED:  That all items be considered with the press and public present.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2008 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2008 be taken as read and signed as a correct record, subject to the following amendments:

Minute 79 - School’s Amalgamation Policy

Paragraph two be amended so that it reads:  “A member expressed concern that the report came across as biased towards amalgamation and that the Forum had not been consulted on the policy before the Cabinet 2007 decision.  The member asked for the reasons against amalgamation.”

To consider any matters arising from the last meeting.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no matters arising that did not appear on the agenda.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 16 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 16 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received at this meeting under the provisions of the Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received at this meeting under the provisions of Advisory Panel and Consultative Forum Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4E of the Constitution).

Report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development.

The Forum received the report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development, which set out a draft vision for Education in Harrow which was being developed to support the Council’s submission for the Primary Capital Strategy and Building Schools for the Future (BSF).  The Director of Schools and Children’s Development added that the draft vision had been constructed to set the tone and path for Education in Harrow during the next 10 years.  Consultation was due to take place with headteachers, officers and the governors’ forum.  The Forum was asked to note that although consultation was taking place in some schools, it was merely a ‘soft consultation’ which tested the water in some of the more needy communities.  Schools have been asked to discuss the vision within their own school communities.  This was not a formal consultation process and all views were welcomed.  The Director of Schools and Children’s Development further added that the vision was in response to the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) desire for Harrow to be forward thinking and innovative.  The Forum was reminded that the Council was setting the framework for the future but was not the driving force behind the proposals.  The schools themselves were the driving force.  The Forum was asked to deliver the draft vision to their constituency groups and discuss whether the vision was right, was there anything else that could be included, and what the potential political barriers might be.

A Member commented that the draft vision was in need of more clarity as the educational vernacular was not understandable to the lay person.  The Member added that the vision may then be subject to misinterpretation by the press or public.

A member commented that the report was concerned with cohesiveness yet the content read in favour of diversity.  The member further stated that more clarification was needed about statements within the report referring to ‘choice’.  The Director of Schools and Children’s Development replied that schools within Harrow were individual and distinctive, offering in addition to Community Schools, a choice of different religious and voluntary aided schools and nurseries.  The Director added that she would be happy to consider the member’s suggestions for better wording within the report.

A member queried whether the rating of ‘good’ used in the report was derived from Ofsted’s view of Harrow’s schools.  They added that if this was true, then shouldn’t Harrow schools be aspiring for ‘outstanding’.  The Director of Schools and Children’s Development replied that the nature of the language used by Ofsted left this open to interpretation and that Ofsted see Harrow’ Schools as, “good in their judgement”.  A member added that many schools remain in their ‘comfort zones’ when Ofsted were ‘satisfied’ with them.  The member suggested that attainment should be raised from ‘satisfied’ to ‘good’.  Another member agreed and added that schools needed realistic and achievable targets.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development.

The Forum received an information report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Development, which showed Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3 and GCSE results for Harrow compared to statistical neighbours over a 3?year period.  In addition to this the report provided an analysis of pre and post amalgamation results in Primary Schools over a 5?year period.

A member commented that they were pleased with the results, but queried why some of the values were declining.  The Director of Schools and Children’s Development replied that the values could change due to fluctuations in the affluence of the cohorts.  The Director of Schools and Children’s Development further explained that although Harrow’s statistical neighbours remained the same, Harrow was not necessarily a statistical neighbour in return and it was important to remember that the list was drawn from a high range profile. Indicators were not just performance-based, but could also be socio?demographic.  The Forum was reminded that remaining a high-performing authority would become increasingly challenging as Harrow’s population continued to evolve.

A member commented that by observing the report as a whole the Forum should be pleased, but with the proviso that this should not lead to complacency.  The member requested on behalf of the Forum that gratitude and congratulations should be expressed to staff in all Harrow schools, support staff in the Local Education Authority (LEA), Harrow Governors, the Forum, the parents, parental support and also to the pupils themselves.  The Chairman agreed and added that the most important part of education was not passing exams but that students were formed into well?rounded citizens.  A member added that unfortunately statistics did not reflect this importance.

The Director of Schools and Children’s Development concluded that there was not enough data of post amalgamation yet to generate a trend.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

To note that the next meeting of the Forum is due to be held on 30 June 2008.

RESOLVED:  That the date of the next meeting, 30 June 2008, be noted.