Agenda item

7.1

The Committee received a report of the Executive Director, Children, Young People and Families, which identified the implications of the Government White Paper ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’ which had been published in March 2016.  The report specifically focused on the continuing role and responsibilities of the Local Authority in terms of education, the future role of governors, including in the context of academies, and the future role of Learn Sheffield.

7.2

In attendance for this item were Antony Hughes (Director, Inclusion and Learning Services and Children’s Commissioner), Pam Smith (Head of Primary and Targeted Intervention) and Stephen Betts (Interim Chief Executive, Learn Sheffield).

7.3

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

·                The Committee could be kept informed of developments by means of written briefings and officer attendance at meetings, as required.

·                Academy status brings changes in terms of a school’s governing body. Local authority schools have governors who sit on a governing board. Academies generally have two layers of governance, the members of the overarching academy trust (which usually will run more than one school), and the governing body of the individual school itself.

·                At a national level, there have been some concerns about a consistent high quality of governance, and there have also been some suggestions around mandatory training requirements.

·                In Sheffield, there was now a new and improved training offer for governors, which was available through Learn Sheffield.

·                Any move towards grammar schools would require primary legislation and officers were adopting a wait and see approach in this regard.

·                The White Paper gave trusts flexibility regarding governance so, depending on the needs of the individual school, there could be either a trustees board or local governing body.  Any concerns could be raised with the Regional Schools Commissioner. Academy schools were no longer required to have parent governors or local authority governors, but may wish to put in place alternative methods of ensuring parent engagement with the school leadership.

·                It was early days to predict whether the change of Government Minister would have any effect on the White Paper’s timetable, but officers would look at this and could circulate a note to Committee Members in the future, if required.

·                Sheffield City Council commissioned governor training was open to all governing bodies, including academies, and now covered a broader range of topics in more depth than that provided before.

·                Learn Sheffield was working with the City Council in relation to governor support.

·                Learn Sheffield did not differentiate between school type, with sign up and engagement being similar for all.  At present, 75% of schools in the City had signed up and, when those with an intention to sign up were taken into account, this rose to 90%.  There were no indications of any school intending not to join.

·                It was too early to say how local authorities would work alongside Elected Mayors, but work was being done to look at school standards across the region.  However, the position was not clear at the moment and the Sheffield educational sector needed to influence this discussion.

·                The White Paper placed a strong expectation on governors to undertake training.  At present, governor induction consisted of four separate sessions, but it was up to the individual governor as to whether these were taken up or not.  However, work was being undertaken with the Governor Service as to the tracking of governor engagement in this process.

·                Learn Sheffield was a schools company, with a primary focus on supporting school improvement.  It was currently staffed by five people and drew on the experience of associated partners in the various education sectors.  In relation to the delivery of statutory functions, a strategy had been developed, which identified priorities in Sheffield, including the challenges to school improvement such as culture, inclusion, readiness and enrichment.  Emphasis was placed on looking at what made a great school, with aspects such as the readiness of students to take up opportunities being considered, as opposed to simply considering achievement and attainment in its narrowest sense.

·                A high quality education for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disability was a key priority and officers were working with schools, and the NHS to provide a choice of school for such pupils.  In addition, the Sheffield Support Group considered issues such as the inclusion of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disability.

7.4

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)       thanks Antony Hughes, Pam Smith and Stephen Betts for their contribution to the meeting; and

(b)       notes the contents of the report and the responses to the questions raised, which had provided an awareness of the implications of the ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’ Government White Paper for schools, the Local Authority, children and parents, and an understanding of how it aligned with the Education and Adoption Act 2016.