To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Pryer.

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest received.

To consider the Part I minutes of the meeting held on July 23^rd 2018.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the minutes of the meeting held on July 23^rd 2018 be approved as a true and correct record.

Arising from the minutes regarding the Girls’ Policy Forum, the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services informed the Panel that one of the Forum’s members was attending the meeting.

To note the contents of the report and make recommendations to Cabinet.

The Head of Commissioning - Adults and Children reminded Members that in 2017 Cabinet approved a new performance framework to monitor 25 key indicators biannually, with each Overview and Scrutiny Panel reviewing the progress of its relevant performance areas on a quarterly basis. In 2017/18 Children’s Services had 13 indicators; of these, five had met or exceeded their target, six were just short and two were below. Five of the performance indicators had been removed from the 2018/19 performance framework. Of the eight indicators being reviewed by the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Panel, five were on or above target, two were below target but within tolerance, and one – regarding the percentage of two to two-and-a-half year-olds to receive a review from a health visitor – was off target. Indicators on or above target included the percentage of schools in the Royal Borough that were rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, and the decrease in the number of children on protection plans.

Regarding the reviews of children, the Head of Commissioning - Adults and Children informed the Panel that the percentage of children being reviewed was 56 per cent, up from 40.5 per cent in 2017/18. However it remained an area of focus for the Council to increase this figure still further.

The Chairman noted that one of the indicators to miss its target in 2017/18 related to the ranking for Free School Meal Attainment cohort, and asked how the Council was looking to improve the ranking. The Director of Children’s Services stated that it would be a few months before the latest indicative data would be available, although the provisional data indicated that there had been a reduction in the cohort of children who were eligible for free school meals. Because of previous improvements, it was now harder for the attainment gap to be closed even further. The Director of Children’s Services informed Members that the Free School Meal Attainment cohort remained a key focus for the Council. The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services said this issue had been discussed in detail at the School Improvement Forum.

Regarding the percentage of two to two-and-a-half year-olds being reviewed, the Director of Children’s Services informed Members that this was from a health visiting service that the Council was now providing; previously it had been provided by the Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust. Members were told that the families of all eligible children had been given the opportunity of a face-to-face assessment with a health visitor but a significant proportion of parents had declined the offer. The most vulnerable families tended to accept the offer but those in more affluent wards did not. The ward with the lowest takeup was Bray. Families had indicated that they would receive feedback from elsewhere, for example nurseries, on how their children were progressing and if there was any cause for concern. Trials of running the assessments early in the morning and post rush-hour had been run without a great deal of takeup. The Director  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To note the contents of the report.

The Director of Children’s Services reminded Members that this report related to the long-term strategy for school places needed over the next 20 years as part of the Borough Local Plan. It had previously been anticipated that up to 20 additional classes per year group would be needed. Members were informed that forecasts based on birth rates from 2014-17 and the investment made in school expansion during that time projected that the current position was that no further school expansion would be needed for up until 2021. However this would be reviewed each year and if building projects were delivered in the interim period, this position was subject to change.

The Director of Children’s Services drew Members’ attention to paragraph 2.9 of the main report, which stated that there was a surplus of spaces in the Windsor First School system. A meeting of headteachers was planned for the following week, where the sustainability of, in particular, Windsor First Schools would be discussed. Temporary reductions in class sizes and the sharing of resources across more than one school – for example a SENCO officer – were suggestions that had been made to try to ensure no schools had a budgeting shortfall while pupil numbers were down.

The Director of Children’s Services stated that no commitment was being made to any particular scheme at the moment and that all options were being explored. The Council was continuing to spend from the £1.3million budget set aside for this work and no additional funding was required.

Members’ attention was drawn to paragraph 2.22 of the main report, which stated that provision for a new special needs school in the Borough was likely. The Director of Children’s Services stated that funding bids from the government were now being accepted and that the Council was in the process of compiling a bid. This had come ahead of the Council’s long-term plans and the Director of Children’s Services stated that further funding opportunities were likely to arise if this bid was not successful.

The Chairman asked if the figures relating to Windsor First Schools included children from outside the Royal Borough. The Director of Children’s Services said the projected figures included a historical statistical analysis of children from outside the Borough. He reminded Members however that the Royal Borough was also an exporter of children to other boroughs. Members were informed that in contrast to the Royal Borough, Slough had seen a surge in population growth and the Council there were investing in a school expansion programme.

Cllr Luxton stated her belief that the handbook for parents applying for school places was not clear in certain aspects and said that it should be updated. The Director of Children’s Services stated that the handbook was reviewed every year, but the Council was not necessarily obliged to update it. However he stated he was happy to receive feedback, as previous feedback relating to school appeals had been useful in shaping the contents of the handbook. The Chairman stated that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To review the ongoing Work Programme.

It was noted that the updates on fostering and the Girl’s Policy Forum mentioned in the minutes of the previous meeting had not been added to the Work Programme. It was agreed that the update on the Girl’s Policy Forum would be moved to the January meeting. It was also agreed that the metrics framework regarding inclusion, as discussed earlier in the meeting, would be included in the Work Programme for January’s meeting.