Agenda item

To receive a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which  highlights performance issues across the council arising from quarter 3 information, in line with the new performance monitoring arrangements

The Board received a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which highlighted the issues from across the council arising from the quarter 3 performance information which had been supplied in line with the new monitoring arrangements. Also appended to the report for Members’ consideration was the quarter 3 data relevant to the Scrutiny Board (Children’s Services) portfolio.

Chris Edwards, Chief Executive of Education Leeds, Dirk Gilleard, Deputy Chief Executive of Education Leeds and John Maynard, Performance Manager, Children’s Services Unit, were in attendance to answer Members’ questions.

Having received a brief overview of the background to the statistics detailed within the report from the Chief Executive of Education Leeds, a question and answer session ensued. The main areas of debate were as follows:-

·  Following Members’ enquiries into how the targets detailed within the report had been set, the actions which were being taken to meet them and how such targets compared to those established for other Local Authorities, the Board noted that the targets were agreed with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and that performance in Leeds was comparable to similar cities and statistical neighbours. A discussion relating to the nature of the targets set then followed;

·  Members raised concerns over the link which had been made between the number of permanent and fixed term exclusions and the level of behaviour in schools. Having provided details of a specific individual who had been reported on numerous occasions for incidents relating to behaviour, the Board also raised concerns about the support given to staff when reporting such incidents. In response, Members were advised of the actions being taken to improve the relevant reporting mechanisms and in relation to the specific example given, the Chief Executive of Education Leeds undertook to pursue that particular case outside of the meeting. Board Members then identified behaviour issues as a potential area for further scrutiny;

·  Clarification was sought on several issues arising from the report including those relating to fixed term exclusions, the methods used to improve attendance levels in Leeds, the procedures in place to compare attainment levels between authorities and the strategies which had been established to ensure that attainment targets were met in the future;

·  Members requested a list of Leeds’ statistical neighbours;

·  Members made enquiries into the existence of targets for those young people on vocational pathways. In response, the Chief Executive of Education Leeds assured the Board that Members’ comments on the issue would be taken into consideration;

·  The Board enquired about the role of Area Management Boards (AMBs) in terms of provision for those young people who had been excluded from school and asked that information relating to the role of AMBs in Leeds was provided to Members for consideration;

·  Members emphasised the fact that target based information, as detailed within the report, could not solely illustrate educational attainment and discussed how the statistics within the report could be revised in order to gauge performance in a more holistic way;

·  In conclusion, the Chair suggested that the Scrutiny Board’s first meeting of the new municipal year could be used to reflect on some fundamental issues within the Board’s remit.

RESOLVED –

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

(b). That the issues identified by the Board as potential areas for further scrutiny be noted.