Agenda and minutes

As both the Chair and Vice-Chair of this Committee had submitted their apologies, the Overview and Scrutiny Officer requested nominations for the Chair for this meeting.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Hands be appointed as Chair for this meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Hubbard, Jones and Mainey.

Members and Officers are requested to give notice of any personal or prejudicial interest and the nature of that interest, relating to any item on the agenda in accordance with the relevant Code of Conduct.

The following declarations of interest were received:-

Minutes of the meeting held on 21 June 2011 and the Special meeting held on 19July 2011.

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 21 June 2011 and the Special meeting held on 19July 2011 be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Strategic Director - People

The Committee considered the report of the Strategic Director – People seeking authorisation for officers to sign the documentation required by the Government’s academy conversion process.

The report indicated that the conversion of schools to academies was a statutory process under the Academies Act 2010; and that the Secretary of State for Education had made Academy Orders in respect of seven schools in Sefton, namely:-

Birkdale High School (conversion date August 2011);

Chesterfield High School (conversion date October 2011);

Deyes High School (conversion date September 2011);

Formby High School (conversion date September 2011);

Greenbank High School (conversion date November 2011);

Maghull High School (conversion date October 2011); and

Range High School (conversion date October 2011).

The Orders provided that on the conversion date, the schools in question would become academies and cease to be maintained by the Local Authority. The principal issues relating to the conversion were the transfer of staff, the transfer of land and the transfer of assets and contracts. It was proposed that these issues be dealt with in two documents, a Commercial Transfer Agreement and a Lease Agreement, and the report detailed the advantages to the Council of entering into such agreements.

The proposal was a Key Decision but, unfortunately, had not been included in the Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions. Consequently, the Chair of this Committee had been consulted under Rule 15 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution, to the decision being made by the Cabinet (Urgent Business Committee) as a matter or urgency, on the basis that it was impracticable to defer the decision until the commencement of the next Forward Plan because of the timescales determined by the academy process.

The Chair of this Committee had also given his consent under Rule 17 of the Scrutiny Procedure Rules for this decision to be treated as urgent and not subject to “call-in” on the basis that it could not be reasonably deferred because the timescales dictated by the academy conversion process for Birkdale High School, which were beyond the control of the Council, required the resolution to be acted upon immediately following the meeting of the Cabinet (Urgent Business Committee); that the Council, in order to minimise the risk to it upon the proposed conversion of Birkdale High on 17^th August 2011, was required to establish commercial transfer and lease agreements with the school; and that the report would be considered by the Cabinet (Urgent Business) Committee on 10^th August 2011, having been ‘pre scrutinised’ by this Committee.

RESOLVED:

That the report be received and the Cabinet (Urgent Business) Committee be advised that this Committee has now ‘pre scrutinised’ the matter.

Report of the Strategic Director - People

Further to minute No. 6 of 21^st June 2011, the Committee considered the report of the Strategic Director – People providing Members with the Action Plan to address recommendations from the recent Ofsted Inspection of Sefton Safeguarding and Looked After Children Services. A copy of the Action Plan was attached to the report.

Members raised a number of queries, including the provision of apprenticeships by large employers and the provision of foundation learning by schools.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the Action Plan be received; and

(2)       regular updates on progress towards achieving the outcomes set out in the Action Plan be received by this Committee.

Report of the Cabinet Member - Children, Schools and Families

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Corporate Commissioning submitting the most recent report by the Cabinet Member – Children, Schools and Families for the period May to June 2011.

The Chair referred to the on-going work currently progressing on Children’s Centres and the Youth Service.

Members also referred to the various recent changes impacting on schools.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the Cabinet Member report be received;

(2)       an interim report on progress and any changes likely to occur within the areas of Children’s Centres and the Youth Service be requested for the next meeting; and

(3)       a report/presentation be submitted be submitted to a future meeting on the recent changes impacting on schools, including any changes impacting on provision by the Archdiocese, if possible.

Report of the Director of Corporate Commissioning.

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Corporate Commissioning in relation to the Committee’s programme of work. There was just one item within the current Key Decision Forward Plan which fell under the remit of the Committee on this occasion, namely the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service Working Group Final Report which had been considered by this Committee on 19^th April 2011. The Cabinet was to consider the Final Report at its meeting on 18^th August 2011.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the contents of the Key Decision Forward Plan for the period 1st August to 30th November 2011 be accepted; and

(2)       consideration of topics for review during 2011/12 be deferred to the next meeting of this Committee.