Agenda and minutes

The Sub-Committee received the report of the Executive Director (People First) which outlined the Early Years and Childcare Strategy for 2004-06. Members were informed that all local authorities were required to have such a strategy, designed to build on the 2001-04 Early Years and Childcare Strategy. Members were asked to note that the strategy was now based over a two-year period, in contrast to the previous strategy, which had a four-year duration.The Early Years and Childcare Services Manager set out the targets which had been achieved within the strategy to date and listed targets for 2004-06. Members were directed to the draft strategy itself and asked for feedback and comments on any aspect of the report.

The Vice Chair drew Members attention to a statement contained within the report which advised that the participation rate as a percentage of the three year-old population would be 75% in 2005-06, and queried what would happen in terms of funding if this estimation was not realised. Responding, the Education Financial Services Manager advised that funding currently received from central government was not dependant on the Council meeting this target of 75%, hence there would be no retraction of funds.

The funding from government was currently based on the provision of funds for 85% of the three-year old population, which is the government’s estimate of universal provision. Members were informed that it was likely that the government would replace this funding for universal provision with the actual percentage of the three-year old population in receipt of a place in due course. This may lead to reduced funding in future years if the Council does not meet the government’s target of 85%.

The Chair directed Members to the report of the Early Years Development and Childcare Plan Working Party, received at the meeting of the Sub-Committee on 21 January 2003, which examined the Early Years Development and Childcare Plan 2001-04 in detail. The report set out the Working Group’s findings and recommendations, which were subsequently endorsed by the Sub-Committee and forwarded to Cabinet in Municipal Year 2002-03. With reference to Recommendation (ii) of this report, the Chair enquired about the publicity campaign that the Sub-Committee had requested to advertise nursery places.

The Early Years and Childcare Services Manager advised that Harrow People, the local press and the web site had been used to publicise the availability of places for three-year olds. Members were informed that children from ethnic minorities were specifically targeted via work with the Ethnic Minority Achievement Service and focus groups (recently held at Stag Lane and Stanmore First and Middle Schools), which emphasised the benefits of early years care and education. The Sub-Committee was also informed that the Early Years and Childcare Service had been working with ethnic minority group leaders and had visited Mosques and met refugee leaders to inform of the childcare provision options available.

A Co-opted Member questioned why some ethnic groups were underrepresented in nurseries. In response, the Early Years and Childcare Services Manager advised that this was due to the perception of early years and childcare within some ethnic minority cultures. Members were informed that some cultures may hold the view that a three-year old should be cared for and educated within the home, as they view it to be more beneficial for the child.

A Member felt that this view should be respected and that it was important for parents not to feel pressurised into sending their child into an early years and childcare establishment before they are ready to. The Early Years and Childcare Services Manager agreed that it was important for parents to exercise their choice in how best to care for their child but that the role of the Early Years and Childcare Service was to ensure that parents were made aware of the value in pre-school settings and various options in relation to childcare provision, e.g. taking up childcare places two or three times a week instead of five.

The Sub-Committee was informed that childcare provision has been advertised in all Harrow libraries and on the Council’s web site, and that the Marketing and Information Manager sought to ensure that all information on the web site is up to date and revised at regular intervals. A Member of the Sub-Committee advised that any articles on childcare provision would be welcome in Harrow People.

The Early Years and Childcare Services Manager gave Members details of the Parents as First Teachers Programme, which is being held at the Hillview Centre and is currently over-subscribed. Members were informed that officers were currently seeking to expand this programme in light of the demand from parents.

A Member queried how special educational needs (SEN) provision tied in with early years and childcare provision. The Early Years and Childcare Services Manager advised that the Council would soon be publishing a booklet aimed at accessing these services for children with such needs. Members were informed that Area SENCOS had been appointed and this has led to excellent outcomes for children with special educational needs and that the transition into statutory schooling has become much smoother for many pupils, largely due to the pre-schooling facilities now in place.

In relation to a query from a Member with regard to the Parent Partnership Unit, the Early Years and Childcare Services Manager advised that the Area SENCOS would normally meet with families and facilitate communication between the parents and the early years and childcare provider, and that the Parent Partnership Unit would normally support those families going through the statementing process.

A Member congratulated the Early Years and Childcare Service’s partnership with the Job Centre and hoped that the relationship would develop and flourish. The Member also queried whether the service was fully staffed. The Early Years and Childcare Services Manager advised that there was only one vacancy at present, for a Senior Childcare Development Officer, and that there should be no problems in filling this vacancy based on the response rate for previous vacancies.

In response to a question from a Member, the Early Years and Childcare Services Manager advised that transport issues for children with special educational needs were dealt with by the Manager (Assessment and Provision) and the Children Services Manager. Members were informed that the Early Years and Childcare Services aimed to place children as close to their local childcare provider as possible.

The Chair queried whether the backlog of childminder applications had been cleared, as identified in the Recommendation (i) of the Working Group’s report (January 2003). Responding, the Early Years and Childcare Services Manager confirmed that there are no longer any delays and that an application currently takes six weeks from start to finish, which is on target, and that since last year OFSTED have visited the Council and held Criminal Record Checks Surgeries, which has sped up the process.

The Sub-Committee agreed that the report be noted and comments referred to Council for consideration.

Resolved to RECOMMEND:

That Council be requested to note the Sub-Committee’s comments on the Early Years Development and Childcare Strategy 2004-06.

Reason for Recommendation: To meet the timescale for consultation for Council to agree an Early Years and Childcare Strategy for 2004-06.

[Note: See also Minute 119].

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

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

To receive declarations of interest (if any) from Members of the Sub-Committee arising from business to be transacted at this meeting.

During the discussion of Item 11 ‘Progress Report on the Implementation of the Cultural Strategy’, Councillor Marie-Louise Nolan declared a personal interest in the item by virtue of being a Governor of Whitefriars First and Middle School. In addition, Councillor Jean Lammiman declared personal interests by virtue of being a Hatch End Ward Councillor and a member on the Board of Harrow Arts College.

RESOLVED: To note the declarations of interest made by Councillors Marie-Louise Nolan and Jean Lammiman in respect of Item 11, and that the Members participated in the discussion and decision on that item.

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 the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

RESOLVED:  That (1) in accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the following items be admitted late to the agenda by virtue of the special circumstances and grounds for urgency listed below: -

(2) Item 11 be taken in advance of Item 9;

(3) all items be considered with the press and public present.

That (1) the minutes of the Special meeting held on 11 December 2003, having been circulated, be taken as read; and

(2) authority be given to the Chair to sign the minutes following the meeting.

RESOLVED:  That (1) the minutes of the Special meeting held on 11 December 2003, having been circulated, be taken as read; and

(2) authority be given to the Chair to sign the minutes as a correct record following the meeting.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents/organisations under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8.

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were received at the meeting.

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9.

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received at the meeting.

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received at the meeting.

Report of the Executive Director (People First).

Further to Recommendation 1, the Sub-Committee also discussed the following issues.

The Vice Chair commented that, in future, it would be helpful to have a one-page synopsis of the report in future, highlighting the key issues and developments, as it would make the document more user-friendly.

A Member of the Sub-Committee requested details on the number of ethnic minority children in nursery places. It was agreed that the Early Years and Childcare Services Manager would send Members a breakdown of ethnicity figures for children in nursery places.

The Chair commended the Early Years and Childcare Services Manager on a very detailed and comprehensive report and requested that a further update report be received at the respective meeting of the Sub-Committee next year.

RESOLVED: That (1) the Early Years and Childcare Services Manager send Members a breakdown of ethnicity figures for children in nursery places;

(2) a further update report be received at the respective meeting of the Sub-Committee next year;

(3) the report of the Executive Director (People First) be noted.

Report of the Executive Director (People First) and Executive Director (Business Connections).

The Sub-Committee received the report of the Executive Director (People First) and the Executive Director (Business Connections), which outlined the Education Service components of the People First Directorate Budget for 2004-05, currently out for consultation. The Chair introduced and welcomed the Portfolio Holder for Education and Lifelong Learning and the recently appointed Director of Learning and Community Development to the meeting. Both the Portfolio Holder and the Director had been invited to the meeting to discuss and receive questions in relation to the Education Budget 2004-05.

The Education Financial Services Manager reported that the Schools’ Budget, which the Sub-Committee had previously commented on, was included within the report in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the budget. In addition, Members were given details of the proposed changes to the 2003-4 Education Budget. The Sub-Committee was informed that corporate efficiency savings could be withdrawn from the proposed budget but that figures for these savings were unknown at present.

In response to a question from a Member in relation to the teachers’ pay award and London weighting, the Portfolio Holder for Education and Lifelong Learning advised that London weighting would be abolished from 1 April 2004 and replaced with an Outer London scale. When asked by a Member whether this new scale was competitive, the Portfolio Holder commented that it was not competitive compared with other similar Boroughs, such as Ealing, and that it remained a major issue, as it would produce a negative impact on the recruitment and retention rate of teachers in the Borough. It was agreed that the Sub-Committee would receive information on any changes to these arrangements.

The Chair drew the Portfolio Holder’s attention to the final review report on the Distribution of SEN Statements in Mainstream Schools, specifically the recommendations contained therein, which were endorsed by the Sub-Committee at its meeting on 8 April 2003 and forwarded to the Portfolio Holder for decision. The Chair asked firstly why Recommendation 1 (iii), which requested that officers look into the possibility of increasing the number of Parent-Partnership Coordinators; with a view to increasing by at least 20 hours per week (to be considered in the budget for the next financial year), did not appear in the proposed Education Budget for 2004-05 and secondly why the reason for this exclusion had not been forwarded to the Sub-Committee.

The Portfolio Holder apologised for not reporting back to the Sub-Committee on this matter. He informed Members that, following a subsequent examination into the issue by officers, it was felt that the Parent Partnership Unit was relatively well staffed compared to similar units in neighbouring Boroughs. The Portfolio Holder advised that the Unit had already moved to the Family Centre and was part of the LIFT Project, which provides a greater range of services for parents and will complement and support the Unit’s work. In addition, there was financial backing from the Children’s Fund for parental support groups and a growth item within the People First Directorate in relation to advocacy, which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 120.

Verbal update from the Chair and Vice Chair.

The Sub-Committee received a verbal update on this matter from the Vice Chair, who advised Members that she had spoken with the Headteacher of Shaftesbury High School and it was clear that he was perfectly satisfied with the current SEN transport arrangements and that there was no longer a need for Members to visit the school to discuss the issue.

RESOLVED: That the Sub-Committee note the verbal update from the Vice Chair and regard this matter as closed.

Report of the Executive Director (People First).

At the meeting of the Sub-Committee on 10 February 2003, it was agreed that Members would be provided with an annual update on the Cultural Strategy Action Plan 2003-08. The Interim Cultural Strategy Manager highlighted the key areas of progress in relation to the Action Plan, which were: -

(i)                   The setting-up of the Cultural Strategy Forum.

(ii)                 The organisation of culturally diverse events, including Harrow Arts Festival, Black History Month and the Borough’s 50^th Anniversary Celebrations.

(iii)                The submission of the “Building Schools for the Future” bid and the partnership application to the Football Foundation.

Potential areas for further development were also noted: -

(i)                   The feasibility study of theatre / performance space in the Harrow Town Centre Development and Art in Public Places Policy.

(ii)                 The development of the Harrow Arts and Sports Academies.

(iii)                Plans for the diverse heritage of Harrow.

(iv)                The signing of the Leisure Management Contract.

The Interim Cultural Strategy Manager advised that the repositioning of the Council’s Arts and Leisure Services into the new People First Directorate had impacted on the progress of the Cultural Strategy Action Plan; however, he felt that staff within these services had coped well with these organisational changes and had progressed many issues within the Action Plan. The Sub-Committee was informed of the excellent multi-agency and cross-directorate communication that had taken place to move the strategy forward.

A Member referred the Sub-Committee to Paragraph 1 of Appendix 1 to the report, which gave details of the following action: “Completion of NOF development of school sites for sport and PE for school and community use”. The Member expressed concern that this action was not being completed as stated and gave the example of Whitefriars First and Middle School, which had submitted a bid two years ago for the building of tennis courts and the refurbishment of changing room facilities at the school site.

The Sub-Committee was informed that the process thus far has taken two years and had been overseen by consultants, yet the results were not pleasing; the tennis courts will be built to expectation but the proposed refurbishment of the changing room facilities was below the quality of the original plan, which would have undoubtedly have a negative impact on the promotion of the facilities to the community.

The Member felt the need to alert the Sub-Committee to this situation in case it was reflected in other schools within the Borough. It was agreed that the Interim Cultural Strategy Manager would provide Members with a written update on this situation.

Another Member also felt the need to highlight a similar issue in relation to the refurbishment of Hatch End Swimming Pool and raise awareness of wider issues relating to the Leisure Management Contract. The Member commented that Hatch End Swimming Pool served many different sections of the community; for example, swimming clubs, disabled swimmers, ethnic minority groups; and that the refurbishment of the pool and changing areas was unsatisfactory. The Sub-Committee requested that the Interim Cultural  ...  view the full minutes text for item 122.

To receive and discuss the draft report on this review.

The Sub-Committee received the draft report of the Review Group which outlined key findings and recommendations in relation to the Review of the Recruitment and Retention of School Governors. The Principal Adviser reported that the report did not include all the issues raised at the open meeting and that the collection of data on governor ethnicity and the results of the governor survey were still being compiled. The Principal Adviser also highlighted issues such as resources for governor training, which still needed to be addressed.

The Chair questioned whether officers could provide a copy of the Council’s policy in relation to time off for employees to carry out their duties as governors. The Principal Adviser reported that the Council’s policy on this matter was to allow employees time off to carry out their public duties and that no specific limit on this time was stated, as it was at the discretion of management. The Chair requested that this policy be circulated to Members.

A Member felt that management should encourage employees to take time off to carry out public duties effectively and that this should be supported by officers at the highest level and incorporated into the Council’s employment policies. Members agreed that this point should be reflected in the report and requested that it be added as a recommendation.

The Sub-Committee discussed the reported statement of the representative from Harrow’s Council for Racial Equality (HCRE) relating to the involvement of ethnic minority groups in voluntary work. It was felt that the statement may have been misinterpreted and that the HCRE Representative’s statement was intended to highlight the need to encourage ethnic minority groups to carry out voluntary work in the wider community, as well as work within their own communities. It was agreed that the report should be appropriately amended.

The Chair informed Members that the Review Group’s recommendations mirrored those of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), which had conducted a similar review. The Principal Adviser advised that he had been working closely with the consultant who had been carrying out the review for the DfES, and had fed some of the Review Group’s findings into this national study. The Chair requested that the report by the DfES be circulated to Members of the Sub-Committee.

Members discussed a possible Mayor’s Reception for School Governors. It was agreed that a letter from the Director of Learning and Community Development be added to the welcome pack for new governors and that governors be invited to a reception on a rotation basis, in order to ensure that each governor was invited to the event during their term of office.

The Chair and Vice Chair, on behalf of the Sub-Committee, thanked all those who had taken an active part in the review and requested that letters be sent to those individuals who had directly contributed.

The Sub-Committee agreed the recommendations, as amended, and requested clarification as to where they should now be referred. The report, as drafted, proposed the recommendations be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 123.

(ii)            Review of Statutory Assessments and Statements of Special Educational Needs

Review of Statutory Assessments and Statements of Special Educational Need (SEN)

The Chair informed the Sub-Committee that in relation to the Review of the Statutory Assessments and Statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN), the Review Group had undertaken a desktop research session of information available on SEN and had held two meetings to discuss issues so far. The Chair commented that the meeting with SENCOS had been poorly attended and would be re-scheduled but that the meeting with parents of children with special educational needs had been very positive.

RESOLVED: That the verbal update from the Chair be noted.

In accordance with Paragraph 22.2 of the Executive Procedure Rules in the Council’s Constitution, it was

RESOLVED: (1) At 10.00 pm to continue until 10.15 pm;

(2) at 10:15 pm to continue to 10:20 pm.