Agenda item

6.1

The Committee received a presentation, a copy of which had been circulated, from Antony Hughes, Children’s Commissioner and Director of Inclusion and Learning, which provided the Committee with further detail on attainment and performance outcomes from Foundation Stage to A-Level in Sheffield’s schools and academies.  This followed on from information provided at the previous Committee meeting.  The presentation included comparisons to national performance and to other local authorities. 

6.2

Also in attendance for this item were Stephen Betts, Interim Chief Executive, Learn Sheffield, Pam Smith, Head of Primary and Targeted Intervention and Kate Wilkinson, Service Manager, Performance and Analysis Service.

6.3

The following responses were provided to Members’ questions:-

·                Parkwood was the only secondary school in the City which was below floor targets.

·                Government investment in the form of the London Challenge had helped the London Boroughs in improving their performance and enquiry visits were being planned to other authorities, including some of these London Boroughs, to see if anything could be learned from this.

6.4

Stephen Betts then addressed the Committee on actions taken by Learn Sheffield to raise standards in 2016.  He also circulated a briefing note which contained information on Partnership Working, School Outcomes, Pupil Outcomes and Vulnerable Groups, and also provided details of further proposals and next steps in relation to Partnership Working.

6.5

Stephen Betts went on to inform the Committee that London, the North West and the North East were parts of the country from which lessons could be learned and that enquiry visits were planned to each of these areas.  He also explained that the School Improvement Strategy (2016-18) would be circulated in draft form for consultation by the end of January 2016, and would hopefully be in place from Easter.  In conclusion, Stephen Betts explained that Learn Sheffield was building towards a system with collective aspiration, with a refusal to tolerate poor performance and to celebrate success.  He felt that Learn Sheffield could do this in the existing landscape and offered the ability to work together irrespective of the status of the school.

6.6

Members made various comments and asked a number of questions, to which responses were provided as follows:-

·                In relation to the Pupil Referral Unit, a major piece of work was being undertaken with secondary schools, with permanent exclusion being seen as a last resort.  It should also be noted that the inclusion programme involved different strategies in this regard.

·                In relation to inclusion, the focus was on working with Heads in the secondary sector, with the aim being to prevent exclusion in the first place and to get the pupil back in the mainstream as soon as possible.  There were safeguards on quality and level of attendance at the Sheffield Inclusion Centre and it was felt that the strategies were going in the right direction.  Learn Sheffield was also working closely with the Sheffield Inclusion Centre on attendance.

·                The presentation reported on the 158 schools which had received Ofsted outcomes.

·                Key Stage 5 data had only just been finalised and this showed that overall, Sheffield compared well to national performance coming in at 56^th out of all local authorities in relation to average score per entry and 40^th in relation to the percentage achieving grade A, B or better in facilitating subjects.  A-level performance was slightly above the national average.

6.7

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)       thanks those attending for their contribution to the meeting;

(b)       notes the contents of the presentation and the responses to questions; and

(c)        looks forward to continued improvements in attainment next year and beyond.