Agenda item

(To receive a report which provides an update on the content and progress of the original and supplementary action plan, and a progress report on the introduction to schools and implementation of recommendations from the Inclusion review in December 2013)

Consideration was given to a report which provided an update on the content and progress of the original and supplementary action plan, and a progress report on the introduction to schools and implementation of recommendations from the inclusion review in December 2013.

Members of the Committee were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         In relation to recommendation 5, it was confirmed that when there was a proposal to expand the capacity at a school, then the school would be visited.  A school would also be visited if a planning application for a new housing development was received;

·         There was a need to define what was meant by 'consider a planning application';

·         The intervention before exclusion strategy was working;

·         Members were informed that a response had not yet been received from the Secretary of State;

·         The number of children who moved schools mid-term and the reasons for doing so were monitored.  It was noted that this information was recorded but not published;

·         Not all children wished to carry on at school after 14 years of age as they did not feel that the standard curriculum model was suitable for them.  There was a need for other alternative curriculum models, such as that at Hill Holt Wood, where students could do a variety of activities;

·         It was important to ensure that, regardless of the curriculum model, children still had access to numeracy and literacy learning;

(At this point in the meeting Councillor Mrs L A Rollings declared an interest as she was a teacher at an academy in Gainsborough)

·         It was important to put some support in place before the child got to the point of exclusion;

·         Some children demonstrated extremely disruptive behaviour from primary school age;

·         Some schools attracted pupils with a background of being excluded, instead of them being evenly spread across all schools;

·         There was a desire to have more outreach work, where people would work with the child in the school.  An option being considered was whether a child could be taken away from the school for a set amount of time, or even one day per week to enable staff to work intensely with that child on their behaviour;

·         It was thought that more localised work on this, where children were worked with in smaller groups, would be beneficial;

·         Concerns were raised regarding the cost of transport being a barrier to this type of work.  Officers were working on ways to overcome this;

·         Parents did not need to involve the local authority in relation to mid-year moves, however, 85% of parents did;

·         It was thought that the impact of the implemented actions would be evident within two years, as it would take some time to gather demonstrable evidence of change.

RESOLVED

1.    That comments on the content and progress of both actions plans and the content of the Inclusion Review update report be noted;

2.    That the actions arising from the recommendations of the Inclusion Review continue to be monitored;

3.    That a report be received in September 2015 detailing the impact of the Inclusion Review action plan  on pupil exclusions;

4.    That the trend in exclusions continue to be monitored as a measure of impact of any immediate and long-term proposals that might be agreed;