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Members received PAF/22/16, a report providing an update on progress following the recommendations of the Task and Finish group in July 2015. The Chairman welcomed Councillor Ray Gooding, Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, and Clare Kershaw, Director for Commissioning; Education and Lifelong Learning - Intelligence, to the meeting.
In introducing the report, Councillor Gooding thanked the Task and Finish Group for their work on the initial recommendations and confirmed that these were now embedded within the service.
Clare Kershaw presented the report and in response to Member's questions confirmed the following information around the recommendations:
2.1 Recruitment and Retention
Recruitment and retention of teachers continues to be challenging due to a national shortage of teachers and the current financial restraints but resource has been allocated to a task group to continue to try and improve. A delegation had been sent to Australia to recruit teachers and an invitation extended to Irish teachers, to avoid the use of recruitment agencies, however due to the market domination of agencies, both of these initiatives were unsuccessful. Consideration was being given to selecting a preferred agency to work in partnership with. These countries remain the priority for overseas recruitment due to over supply of teachers and the sped in which they can be trained in the National Curriculum.
Work has been undertaken to provide a guide for retention to schools, through headteachers of schools with high retention rates sharing good practice. Members commented regarding trade union relationships and national issues of pay increase freezes, changes in workload and the high rate of newly qualified teachers (NQT) leaving the profession in the first five years. The Cabinet Member maintains good relationships with Trade unions and attends quarterly meetings. The service recognised the national issues but felt that recognition of the profession was more important than pay rates and confirmed there was a national plan to address retention of NQTs linked to the training process. There had been a huge impact as a result of changes to the Primary curriculum and it was important that headteachers led by example and ensured teachers' workloads were balanced.
A housing for teachers strategy has been expanded by the Investment Board to include all key workers. Councillor Honeywood commented that the Cabinet Member for Housing at Tendring District Council was keen to work with Essex County Council in this area and suggested that housing could be linked to particular schools where recruitment was an issue. Councillor Barker suggested that delay to key worker housing due to build times and waiting lists could be addressed by HMOs and Rent a Room schemes. Consideration would need to be given to location of properties in relation to schools.
2.2 Early Years
The service has invested in outcomes for children in Early Years focussing on what makes a difference, transitions and school readiness resulting in an increase in Good Level of Development (GLD) outcomes for children across Essex. Particular projects have been piloted in Basildon and Braintree which have shown real impact and these models will be expanded across the county. Strategic work was underway to align early years settings and schools through forming clusters.
Members raised concerns regarding the impact of Children's Centres closures on reaching parents and as a demonstration of what good early years settings should look like.. The Cabinet Member advised that the changes would have little impact on the existing challenges engaging hard to reach parents as generally alternative methods were used.
2.3 Support for Governors
A number of strategies have been brought in to increase support to School Governors.
- An E-Governors scheme has been piloted and 5 Governors, with business and finance skills, have been appointed as full members of governing bodies within Essex. The E-Governors contribute to meetings via conference call and can be used where specialist skills are required e.g. HR. the scheme is being evaluated with particular reference to impact of the lack of community link. The E-Governors are volunteers.
- Training in skills auditing to allow governing bodies to recognise skills gaps and recruit to fill.
- Collaboration as part of the cluster strategy bringing local governors together and allow peer review. Framework was being developed and would be piloted in 2017.
- Continue to encourage knowledge sharing particularly in specialist areas through the Governors Association.
Members welcomed the E-Governor scheme and also commented on the benefit of an ECC scheme making it easier to approach businesses which are traditionally hard to recruit.
2.4 Data and Standards
The full annual report on attainment and progress would be completed in March 2017 once data has been validated and completed, however initial data shows that GLD is now in the top 25% nationally and outcomes for children in Essex are the highest they have ever been. It should be noted that there as been a new assessment framework for Key Stage 2 and work is on-going for key stage 4.
Focus is now on improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. This is where poverty is considered the main barrier to achievement rather than those with special educational needs.
Collaboration with The National Education Trust has resulted in a toolkit being launched in May 2016 which will be embedded over the 2016-17 academic year. a copy of this will be provided to Members of the Committee.
2.5 School Organisation and Planning
In response to Member's questions the following key points were discussed:
- The impact of in-year migrant children, which can be from other counties in the UK as well as from abroad, on class sizes is being analysed and data from the March 2017 report will provide a better picture. This is one of a number of factors affecting school places in Essex as predictions for required school places have been based on Reception and Year 7 admissions. Other year groups will now also be monitored. The Cabinet Member invited Members to feedback to him on the local picture in their wards to ensure an accurate reflection across the county.
- There has been changes in contractor to the school building program, however there is now a significant building program underway and contingency plans put in place to reduce the impact of any potential delays.
- Councillor Barker commented on the value of the 'Commissioning School Places 2015-2020' report in providing information regarding planning.
- Consideration has been given, in the recruitment strategy, to the need for more teachers for increased school places through increases in training schools and the number of teaching assistants becoming teachers.
- All new schools must be registered and comply with DFE and OFSTED regulations. In regards to specific query raised, Councillor Gooding confirmed he would be visiting the school built on the old Castleview School site in the near future.
The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member and officers for the report and, supported by the Cabinet Member, thanked Councillor McEwen and her colleagues for the outstanding work of the task and finish group.
Actions
- To request contact be made with Councillor Paul Honeywood with regard to discussion around key worker housing in Tendring. Clare Kershaw
- To consider Homes of Multiple Occupation and rent-a-room in the strategies for key worker homes to improve teacher recruitment and retention. Clare Kershaw
- To provide Members with the best practice toolkit for disadvantaged children produced by the National Education Trust. Clare Kershaw
- To consider future work with regard to school organisation and planning around meeting growth and demand. Councillor Ian Grundy/Robert Fox