Agenda item

To consider a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which details the evidence to be considered as part of the first formal session of the Scrutiny Board’s inquiry into the implications of Trust Schools for the Local Authority

Further to Minute No. 93, 11^th January 2007, a report was submitted by the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which detailed the information to be considered as part of the first formal session of the Board’s inquiry into the implications of Trust Schools for the Local Authority.

The Chair opened the debate by stating that this inquiry demonstrated the potential of Overview and Scrutiny to assist the Council and Executive with policy development, and to afford non executive Members the opportunity to shape the delivery of services.

Appended to the report for Members’ information were the agreed terms of reference for the inquiry in addition to a report from Education Leeds which provided the Board with information about the legislative changes which had occurred and what the introduction of Trust Schools would mean in practice. 

Chris Edwards, Chief Executive, Dirk Gilleard, Deputy Chief Executive and Pat Toner, Strategic Manager – Human Resources, all of Education Leeds, in addition to Patrick Murphy of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Jack Jackson of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) were all in attendance to answer Members’ questions and to submit evidence to the Board.

Having received a brief overview of the information detailed within the report from Education Leeds, the Chair invited the trade union representatives present to submit their views regarding the implications of the introduction of Trust Schools in Leeds. In summary, the following issues were raised:-

·  The admissions arrangements which could be adopted by Trust Schools and how such policies could impact upon other schools in the area;

·  The governance arrangements for Trust Schools and how the levels of community involvement in such arrangements would be affected;

·  The impact upon the terms and conditions of service for employees working within Trust schools;

·  The effect that the introduction of Trust Schools would have upon the standard of education delivered throughout Leeds.

A question and answer session then ensued which related to the possible impact that the introduction of Trust Schools may have upon the Local Authority. The main areas of debate were as follows:-

·  The implications arising from the potential increase in the diversity of education provision in Leeds following the introduction of Trust Schools and the extent to which Trust Schools would have the ability to maintain an individual ethos;

·  The ways in which Trust Schools and their partners would respond directly to the specific needs within their local community;

·  How Garforth Community College in partnership with Trinity and All Saints Higher Education College had been identified as one of the pathfinder projects established to develop ideas about how the Trust arrangements could work;

·  The impact of the proposed mixed economy of education provision in Leeds and the wide ranging implications that such a model could have;

·  The potential for Trust Schools to operate over a number of Local Authorities and how such an arrangement would work in practice;

·  The changing role of the Local Authority from the provider to the commissioner of education services and the implications of the shift in role;

·  The form of governance arrangements which would be adopted by Trust Schools, whether this could lead to a decrease in community involvement in such schools and the extent to which governors’ links to local schools would be maintained;

·  The ways in which Trust Schools would operate their admissions policies, how such policies would function in relation to the Schools Admissions Code and the ways in which the admissions appeals process for Trust Schools would be administered in Leeds.

RESOLVED –

(a). That the report and information appended to the report be noted;

(b). That the issues raised during the first formal session of the Board’s inquiry into the implications of Trust Schools for the Local Authority be incorporated into the draft version of the Board’s final report.

(Councillor Renshaw left the meeting at 10.55 a.m. during the consideration of this item and Mrs S Knights left the meeting at 11.30 a.m. at the conclusion of this item)