Agenda and minutes

Contact: Email: pakeezah.rahman@barnet.gov.uk  A live audio stream will be available from this page on the day of the meeting

Note: Virtual Meeting - A live audio stream will be available from this page on the day of the meeting 

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcome

Minutes:

The Chairman, Chris Munday, welcomed everyone to the meeting.

 

2.

Absence of Members

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Graig Bradley.

 

3.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 117 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 06 August 2020 were agreed as an accurate record.

 

4.

Education Strategy pdf icon PDF 187 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Ian Harrison highlighted key areas of the report. The number of young people who were not in employment, education or training (NEET) was increasing as a result of economic problems. It was confirmed that the council was involved in the Kickstart scheme, which should help some young people who might otherwise be NEET. 

 

Additional aims focused on topics such as curriculum intent, minimising the impact of Covid-19 on attendance and ensuring safety in schools.

Schools were concerned about the need to use Covid catch-up funding to balance budgets due to a drop in student numbers.

A recent survey completed by Headteachers showed that concerns had been addressed in the Education Strategy.

 

Having reviewed the report, the Board agreed that the strategy be submitted to the Children, Education & Safeguarding Committee for approval.

 

5.

Draft SEND and Inclusion Strategy pdf icon PDF 187 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Helen Phelan presented the report that was linked to the other education strategies.  Following visits from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) this year, positive feedback was received about services that worked well together to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It was noted that a communication strategy was needed in order to engage some families.

 

One of the priorities was to minimise the long-term impact of Covid-19 on attainment of children and the psychological wellbeing of those with SEND. Findings from recent visits showed that children with SEND and their families had been disadvantaged quite considerably by the pandemic. Therefore, such issues needed to be addressed across the partnership.

 

SEND sufficiency looked at the amount of specialist provision in mainstream schools and consistency in approach was needed. Various pathways around Autism and Mental Health were to be extended to include the mental health transformation plan.

Training needs of schools would be addressed to ensure that staff had the right skills and knowledge to meet the needs of Children with SEND in order to maintain academic progress and improve attainment.

The final priority was about developing resilience in young people by promoting independence which fitted in with the adulthood protocol.

 

In relation to the drop in numbers in Early Years settings, the pre-school teacher team, Barnet Early Autism Model (BEAM) as well as SENDCOs, continued to support families for early identification and emerging needs.

 

It was agreed that the partnership plan go for consultation. Any further changes were to be added to the draft plan following feedback from the parent carers forum.

Ishaan Shah who founded an anti-slavery organisation called Stolen Dreams http://stolendreams.co.uk talked about how the organisation had raised awareness on modern slavery and human trafficking. By working with local government, the organisation adopted strategies and tackled issues using a localised approach. As learning was moving online, traffickers were looking to exploit children through the digital world. Therefore, explicit education was needed in schools on how young people could stay safe online. It was important for educational staff to have the knowledge on how to deal with mental health issues. The government’s implementation of LGBTQ+ in education meant that Barnet had the opportunity to lead the way by providing a robust and effective strategy around LGBTQ+ education as people within that community were disproportionately affected by modern slavery and human trafficking.

 

‘Keeping Safe Online’ was to be added as part of the safeguarding priority in the Education and School Improvement strategies.

 

The Board agreed that the draft SEND and Inclusion Strategy go out to consultation in December.

 

6.

School and Settings Improvement Strategy pdf icon PDF 188 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Neil Marlow highlighted significant changes in the report which included settings.

It was noted that strong relationships and positive partnerships with schools allowed for vigorous monitoring and challenge to improve schools.

Maintaining a core Learning Network Inspector service was highly regarded by schools as shown in the responses from schools to a satisfaction survey.

Areas of development based on performance data in 2019 remained the priorities for 2020/2021. Curriculum intent and implementation for example, was developed to address issues on equality, inclusion and diversity. Elective home education was being monitored to ensure suitability of home education and to show parents the benefits of their children returning to school.

TaniIlemobola spoke about the lack of topics such as finance in curriculum where students could learn about business or other alternatives leading to options like apprenticeships. An important element such as Black History should be implemented by consulting students so that their input could form part of that curriculum development.

In relation to supplementary schools, it was noted that other London Boroughs had additional support for resources to link schools with supplementary education and it could be beneficial for Barnet to explore that area.

The Board agreed that the strategy be submitted to the Children, Education & Safeguarding Committee for approval.

 

7.

School Places Strategy pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Minutes:

Alison Dawes provided an update on the existing strategy.  Place planning work was largely informed by the Greater London Authority (GLA), which considered housing development, pupil roll data and demographic data. School place planning was said to be heavily Influenced by several variable factors. i.e. Covid-19 and Brexit.

Although a decline in reception places by 8.4% was seen from 2016, this last year showed an increase in reception places. The number of places available of a non-denominational nature meant that, as a diverse borough, Barnet was best placed to cater to those students who were expected to enrol.

There were 503 childcare providers including childminders who reported concerns of sustainability issues. Pressures on the Colindale area as a result of regeneration was being monitored closely by the Early Years team. Capital Grant funding was made available to provide additional places for 2-year olds. The number of pupils with SEND was on the rise but additional places have been created and the Windmill special school would provide another 90 places, subject to the site being secured by the ESFA and planning issues being addressed.

Additional places for post-16 pupils were also provided in 4 secondary schools since 2017. Woodhouse College was due to collaborate with Imperial College London to open a new post-16 free school specialising in Maths.

The report would be shared with planning policy colleagues who were main contributors to the GLA’s pupils forecasting.

The Board reviewed the strategy and agreed that it be submitted to the Children, Education & Safeguarding Committee for approval.

 

8.

Any Other Business

Minutes:

Lee Robinson encouraged members to review and promote the Life Chances Strategy Consultation document.

The Forward Work Programme was to be reflective of all members of the Board. Members were also encouraged to join the Christmas Campaign held by the Young Barnet Foundation which involved handing out presents to young people who were LAC and other disadvantaged children.  

The Growth team had been working on fibre optic services in Barnet and was looking at new ways to support families in relation to excluded pupils through affordable packages.