Agenda and minutes

CO-OPTED MEMBERS (VOTING)

Mr E A Britten – Church Representative (Catholic)

Mr A Graham – Church Representative (Church of England)

Ms J Ward – Parent Governor Representative (Secondary)

CO-OPTED MEMBERS (NON-VOTING)

Ms C Foote – Teacher Representative

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 25* of the Access to Information Procedure Rules (in the event of an Appeal the press and public will be excluded).

(* In accordance with Procedure Rule 25, notice of an appeal must be received in writing by the Head of Governance Services at least 24 hours before the meeting).

There were no appeals against refusal of inspection of document.

1.  To highlight reports or appendices which officers have identified as containing exempt information, and where officers consider that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons outlined in the report.

2.  To consider whether or not to accept the officers recommendation in respect of the above information.

3.  If so, to formally pass the following resolution:-

RESOLVED – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following parts of the agenda designated as containing exempt information on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information, as follows:

No exempt items have been identified.

There were no exempt items.

To identify items which have been admitted to the agenda by the Chair for consideration.

(The special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes.)

There were no late items of business.

To disclose or draw attention to any disclosable pecuniary interests for the purposes of Section 31 of the Localism Act 2011 and paragraphs 13-16 of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

Apologies for absence were submitted by Councillors K Bruce, C Gruen and R Stephenson. Apologies were also received for Co-opted Members A Kearsley, C Hopkins and J Hazelgrave.

Notification had been received that Councillor P Carlill was substituting for Councillor C Gruen, Councillor D Jenkins for Councillor K Bruce and Councillor N Harrington for Councillor R Stephenson.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Scrutiny Board (Children and Families) meeting held on 26^th April 2018.

In consideration of the draft minutes, the Board took the opportunity to formally acknowledge and thank the former Scrutiny Board Chair, Councillor Sue Bentley, for her contribution to the work of the Scrutiny Board.  The Chair also agreed to write to her on behalf of the Board.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Scrutiny Board (Children & Families) meeting held on 26 April 2018 be approved as a correct record.

To receive a report from the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support on the appointment of co-opted members to the Scrutiny Board (Children and Families).

The Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support submitted a report which sought the Board’s formal consideration for the appointment of co-opted Members.

The Board noted that the following nominations for statutory voting co-opted members had been received:

·  One Church of England diocese representative – Mr A Graham

·  One Roman Catholic diocese representative – Mr E A Britten

Parent governor representatives were as follows:

·  Parent Governor (Primary) representative – Vacancy

·  Parent Governor (Secondary) representative – Ms J Ward (23/04/15 – 22/04/2019)

·  Parent Governor (Special Educational Needs) representative – Ms J Hazelgrave (12/09/14 – 11/09/18).

In addition to the statutory voting co-opted members, the Board also acknowledged the nominations for non-voting co-opted members.

In doing so, the Chair highlighted that Mary Owen (a teacher representative last year) and Sandra Hutchinson (a longstanding Early Years representative) would not be continuing as co-opted members of the Board.  The Board formally thanked them for their contributions and paid particular tribute to Sandra Hutchinson’s commitment to Scrutiny for more than 15 years.  As such, it was agreed that the Chair would write to Sandra on behalf of the Board.

Members also discussed the potential for other interest groups to be represented on the Board.  However, it was agreed that the appointment of any additional co-opted members would be considered on an ad-hoc basis based on the subject matter of a particular piece of Scrutiny work.

RESOLVED – That in addition to the above statutory voting co-opted members, the following be appointed as non-voting co-opted members to the Scrutiny Board for 2018/19:

·  Teacher Representative – Awaiting Nomination

·  Teacher Representative – Ms C Foote

·  Looked After Children and Care Leavers – Awaiting Nomination

·  Young Lives Leeds – Ms C Hopkins

·  Early Years Representative – Mrs A Kearsley

To receive a report from the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support presenting the Scrutiny Board’s terms of reference.

The Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support submitted a report which presented the Board’s terms of reference for information.

RESOLVED – That the Board’s terms of reference be noted.

To receive a report from the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support on potential sources of work for the Scrutiny Board.

The Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support submitted a report on potential sources of work and areas of priority within the Board’s terms of reference.

The following information was appended to the report:

-  Vision for Scrutiny at Leeds

-  Best Council Plan 2018-21

-  Leeds Children and Young People’s Plan Refresh 2018-23

-  Leeds City Council 2018/19 Budget Report (Children & Families)

The following were in attendance:

-   Councillor Fiona Venner, Deputy Executive Member for Children and Families

-   Sue Rumbold, Chief Officer for Partnerships and Health

-   Tim Pouncey, Chief Officer for Resources and Strategy

-   Chris Hudson, Policy, Planning and Procedures Leader

The Chair informed the Board of the intended thematic approach for the year, based on the question ‘is Leeds a child friendly city?’ seven years on from the introduction of Child Friendly Leeds. The theme of the meetings are to reflect the five outcomes set out within the Leeds Children and Young People’s Plan, which states that all children and young people:

Ø  are safe from harm

Ø  do well at all levels of learning and have skills for life

Ø  enjoy healthy lifestyles

Ø  have fun growing up

Ø  are active citizens who feel they have a voice and influence

Linked to this, consideration is to be given to how much the Council and partners have progressed towards delivering each outcome in relation to the following cohorts:

Ø  All Children

Ø  Vulnerable Children

Ø  Looked After Children

In adopting this approach, the Chair invited Board Members to highlight any particular issues they would like the Board to reflect on when considering the five outcome areas.  In summary, the following issues were raised:

·  Play provision, specifically the variation between the inner and outer areas of the city;

·  The attainment gap between vulnerable learners and their peers;

·  The support available for mainstream schools in helping children with SEND to achieve;

·  Cluster sustainability and early help facilities;

·  Support for children with Dyslexia and Dyspraxia;

·  The wellbeing of children and young people in schools, to include support for LGBT children and combating loneliness;

·  Addressing rising trends in exclusions and particularly children with autism;

·  Measuring achievement against the original Children and Young People’s ‘12 Wishes’ for a child friendly city;

·  Maximising the use of available mapping data.

RESOLVED –

a)  That the information and guidance provided within the report be noted.

b)  That the Board adopts a thematic approach this year, based on the question ‘is Leeds a child friendly city?’ and is reflective of the five outcomes set out within the Leeds Children and Young People’s Plan.

c)  That the issues raised by the Board are taken into consideration linked to the Board’s agreed thematic approach.

To receive a report from the Director of Children and Families which provides a summary of performance information relating to outcomes for Leeds children and young people.

The Director of Children and Families submitted a report which provided a summary of performance information relating to outcomes for Leeds children and young people.

The following were in attendance:

-   Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Executive Member for Learning, Skills and Employment

-   Councillor Fiona Venner, Deputy Executive Member for Children and Families

-   Steve Walker, Director of Children and Families

-   Sue Rumbold, Chief Officer for Partnerships and Health

-   Tim Pouncey, Chief Officer for Resources and Strategy

-   Chris Hudson, Policy, Planning and Procedures Leader

-   Peter Storrie, Head of Service, Intelligence and Policy Service

The key areas of discussion were:

·  Supporting vulnerable learners –the Board was informed of recent changes made within the Directorate to enable a more integrated approach amongst specialist staff working with children with SEND. Reference was also made to learning from other authorities, such as Newcastle, and the development of a new officer led group to monitor progress against the 3 A’s (as set out in the Children & Young Peoples Plan).

·  Attainment figures – it was noted that the most recent Annual Standards Report was being scheduled for the Board’s July meeting and will give Members the opportunity to discuss attainment levels in more detail.

·  Supporting children and young people from deprived backgrounds to learn – Members requested further information relating to the new Child Poverty Impact Group as part of the planned recommendation tracking of the Child Poverty Scrutiny Inquiry report.

·  Latest data figures - Members were concerned to note references to 2016 figures as being the most recent data, but were informed by Officers that timescales shown in the report are the latest verified national figures, many of which are provided by external organisations such as the NHS.

·  Number of school places created in good or outstanding schools - whilst concerns were raised around the decrease in Ofsted rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ new school places in the city, Members suggested that this local indicator needed to be reviewed to ensure it accurately reflects the current context of school places. 

·  Reporting of hate incidents – Reference was made to the Hate Incident Reporting in Schools (HIRS) scheme in Leeds which was developed and implemented in September 2014. The scheme requires that schools complete a Hate Incident Reporting in Schools form for each individual incident of ‘Hate’ and/or ‘Bullying’ Behaviour.  It was requested that further details of this Scheme be circulated to Members.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the report and appendices be noted.

(b)  That the above requests for additional information be provided to the Board.

To consider the Scrutiny Board’s work schedule for the 2018/19 municipal year.

The report of the Head of Governance and Scrutiny Support presented the draft work schedule for the forthcoming municipal year. This included the traditional items of Scrutiny work which involves performance monitoring, recommendation tracking and Budget and Policy Framework Plans.

Reflecting on the Board’s discussion during this meeting, it was suggested that the Principal Scrutiny Adviser work with the Chair to draw up a proposed work plan based around the Board’s agreed thematic approach this year.  This is to be brought back to the Board at its next meeting for formal consideration and approval.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the draft work schedule be noted.

(b)  That the Principal Scrutiny Adviser works with the Chair to draw up a proposed work plan based around the Board’s agreed thematic approach this year and brings this back to the Board’s next meeting for formal consideration and approval.

Wednesday, 18 July 2018 at 10.00 am (pre-meeting for all Board Members at 9.45 am)

Wednesday, 18 July 2018 at 10.00 am (pre-meeting for all Board Members at 9.45 am)

(The meeting concluded at 12.00pm)