County Consultative Committee

Summary Report

Meeting: County Consultative Committee comprising of Councillors and East Sussex Governors’ Forum (ESGF).

Date: 30^th November 2022

Present: Cllrs - Bob Standley (Chair), Colin Belsey, Roy Galley, Alan Shuttleworth

ESCC Officers – Jessica Stubbings (JS), Clare Cornford (CC) , Rosie O’Brien (RO)

Members of the ESGF – Karen Marr (KM), Monica Whitehead (MW), Monica Pell (MP)

Apologies: Stuart Ford

Item	Decisions and Outcomes	Action
1	Minutes of Previous County Consultative Committee – 19^th May 2022 The minutes were noted as a true record with no further comments.
2	Apologies for Absence Stuart Ford
3	Disclosure of Interests No interests were declared
4	Urgent Items None
5	Academies Update (standing item). JS gave the Committee an update on the following schools since the last meeting in May 2022: · Uplands Community College  joined Mark Education Trust effective from 1^st September 2022 (now Uplands Academy) · Chyngton Primary School joined Seaford Head Academy Trust effective from 1^st October 2022. · The Haven VA CE Methodist Primary School is in the process of converting to DCAT KM informed the Committee that some schools are taking on a ‘try before you buy’ approach with academies before committing. JS responded informing the committee that the DfE are rolling back from this approach in the White Paper, however some East Sussex schools have already done this and received improvement support. MP stated that Ticehurst and Flimwell CEP School are in the ‘try before you buy’ process and informed the committee that this process is not free, the school must fund it. Cllr Standley asked if deadlines for academy conversion are clear within this process. MP replied that there is no deadline, but it is a continued cost to the school.
6	Local Authority Governor Appointments and Governor Services Update The County Consultative Committee noted the report sent out prior to the meeting from CC on behalf of the Governor and Clerking Service (GCS). CC informed the committee that since the last meeting on 19^th May 2022, 15 Local Authority Governors have been appointed. CC also told the committee about how GCS has secured a new system for holding governor details and managing training, the new system is Governorhub & The Key for School Governors and there has been positive feedback from Governors and Clerks. CC finished by stating that at the next County Consultative Committee meeting vacancy data should be available. KM stated that she uses Governorhub as her school signed up to it approximately 1 year ago.	CC
7	ESCC Send Strategy Update JS began by sharing a presentation with the committee. JS went through the slides and updated the committee on the SEND strategy. It was launched in November and covers the period 2022-2025 and includes partners in the NHS and a range of other partners and stakeholders. The strategy sets out ambitions and vision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). JS went on to say that a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment was done in the Summer 2021 which looked at data in relation to support and provision for children with SEND, including the voice of parents and stakeholders. JS informed the committee that there is a national recognition that there are significant pressures in the area of SEND resources are stretched and the system is not working as well as it should be, therefore the strategy sets out what is aiming to be done locally to meet these challenges. JS set out the 5 priorities for SEND development in East Sussex: · Participation · Physical & Mental Health · Safety & Security · Inclusion & Belonging · Progress & Achievement JS added that a consultation took place in October on the strategy that gained 63 responses. The feedback reflected what was found in Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. JS then added details about the implementation of the strategy and included details of the SEND Strategy Governance Board, which has been established to oversee the implementation of the strategy. Cllr Standley sits on this board. JS added that a multi-agency implementation plan is being developed and a data dashboard to help measure progress. Cllr Shuttleworth added that after talking to local schools, he concluded that there are concerns about budget pressures impacting on areas mentioned in the strategy. He also stated that he would like feedback from governors on this and asked if it would be picked up in the documents on the SEND Strategy. JS assured the committee that the budget pressures have been recognised and that budgets are being managed carefully and there has been no overspending on the High Needs Block in East Sussex. JS added that they are working on inclusion in mainstream schools. Cllr Standley confirmed that the strategy was within the budget. Cllr Galley asked how the objectives will be monitored over the next 2 years. Cllr Standley informed the committee that the SEND Strategy Governance Board will look at the list of objectives at each meeting and measure the level of success.
8	ESGF Verbal Update for Councillors To include School Budgets, The White Paper and Academies KM provided an update and started by making sure it is known that budgets are tight everywhere and that many schools are looking at deficits in the next 1-3 years. Support staff put a huge stretch on schools financially and small schools are suffering. KM went on to say that to support schools and further connections it is important to work closer together as schools to share best practice and value for money. KM asked how we can do more to support schools and relieve pressures. Cllr Standley responded to say that energy costs are a huge drain in budgets and that for further support the council is waiting to find out how much money they will receive. JS provided an update on the White Paper and academisation. JS confirmed that events have been held about the White Paper and academies and the process. JS confirmed that additional sessions are being considered for Governors and Headteacher’s of schools to look at options such as schools creating their own MAT’s or joining existing MAT’s. KM added that for some schools there is a concern on the capacity that schools have for their leaders and governors to be distracted by academisation. Cllr Standley agreed that the process needs to be streamline. JS recognised that this is a challenge, and that time must be taken to think about options and pace. MP added that she joined a Governing Board in October and took part in a catch up, asked questions and made sure the Governors understand what a MAT is. MP also added that the Governing Board looked at the school’s capacity for growth and recognised it was a time-consuming process. Cllr Standley agreed that Governor awareness is important and that some MAT’s could be too large. JS added that the White Paper suggested an optimum number is 10 schools per MAT or 7,500 pupils.
9	Governor Local Area Forums, Feedback, Attendance & Future Forums CC informed the committee that the attending numbers for the forums have been included in the agenda. CC provided an update on the Local Area Forums, stating that they were split into 4 this time. The forums were on understanding performance data in schools and took place virtually over Microsoft Teams. CC also stated that participation numbers were lower than previous sessions but there were high levels of participation from the attendees. Cllr Standley asked if there was a list available of those that do not attend. CC informed the committee that this would be available when Governorhub is fully embedded. KM added that forums show interesting shared practice from different schools and that the performance data sessions had good engagement, were well received and timely for governors. MW agreed with this.
10	Any other items previously notified No items.