Agenda item

Report by the Director of Children’s Services

6.1       The Department for Education (DfE) published its white pater ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’ in March 2016.  At that time, the most high profile aspect of the white paper was the proposal to force all schools to become an academy.    Since that time, the government has set aside this proposal.   However, in his introduction to the report, Stuart Gallimore, Director of Children’s Services, stated that it is clear the Government remain committed to converting all schools to academies.   In support of this, the Government indicated it is their intention to bring forward legislation to trigger the conversion of all schools within a local authority area in the following two specific circumstances:  

·                     where it is clear the local authority can no longer viably support its remaining schools because a critical mass of schools in that area have converted;

·                    where a local authority consistently fails to meet a minimum performance threshold across its schools, demonstrating an inability to bring about meaningful school improvement.

6.2            The Director highlighted the fact that the white paper contains a range of other proposals which will also potentially have a very significant impact on the local authority and schools in East Sussex if they were implemented.  These include a proposal to introduce a national fair funding formula, a shift in responsibility for school improvement from  Local Authorities to a school-led system and the introduction of a National Teaching Service.

6.3       The white paper proposes to leave local authorities with responsibility for school place management, Home to School Transport (in terms of provision) and emergency planning.   It also appears to leave local authorities with responsibility for children with special educational needs (SEN), Looked After Children (LAC), school attendance, persistent absence, the management of safeguarding and protecting children from extremism.   It is also envisaged that the local authority would act as a champion for parents and families to help them, for example, navigate the school admissions process and local SEN arrangements.  The white paper seeks to promote the role of the local authority as a facilitator, working with other key groups such as the Regional Schools Commissioner and the local dioceses to help schools convert.   The Director informed the Committee that he sees the local authority has helping to ensure, through the Education Improvement Partnerships framework, strong partnerships between schools that will help them deliver excellent school to school support. 

6.4   The Committee then discussed the report and made a number of comments, which included:

·                  Clarification was sought as to the future of the Schools Forum (the forum is a consultative body made of elected members and officers which considers matters such as changes to the local funding formula and changes to or new contracts affecting schools  - such as school meals).   In response, the Director explained his understanding that as things stand the Schools Forum would continue at least for the next two years and that the white paper does not provide any further advice on this.

·                  Clarification was also sought as to whether Members would have the opportunity to comment on the  proposals or whether  this would be something that only the relevant Lead Member and officers would be involved with.   In response the Director indicated that he assumed there would be further opportunity to comment, but could not guarantee this as this had not been made clear by the government.

·                  The Committee asked for more detail about Education Improvement Partnerships (EIP) in East Sussex.  The Department therefore agreed to provide the Committee with the details of the schools within each EIP.

6.5            RESOLVED:  It was resolved to note that the proposals have significance for the future delivery of services to schools and to note that a further report will be provided once further detail around the proposals and timelines are available.