Agenda and minutes

To note the guidance on remote meetings.

RESOLVED

THAT the guidance be noted.

To Note: All

To elect the Schools Forum Vice Chair for 2021/2022

There were no nominations for this position, the item was therefore deferred to the next meeting.

To note the Schools Forum membership and any updates.

Consideration was given to the list and it was noted that Perina Holness had been renominated as the head teacher representative for nursery schools.  

Apologies for absence had been received from Jen Allan, Jane Hindle and John Hayes.

Apologies for lateness were received from Nick John and Daniel Silverstone.

Kathy Bannon was attending as a substitute.

No declarations were made.

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair to announce the following: “In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for six months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to being filmed and to the use of those images and sound recordings for webcasting and/or training purposes. If you are addressing the Committee your contribution will be recorded and broadcast.”

Any other announcements

The Chair announced the following:

 “In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for six months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to being filmed and to the use of those images and sound recordings for webcasting and/or training purposes. If you are addressing the Committee your contribution will be recorded and broadcast.”

To Note: All

To consider and approve the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 14^th September 2021.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the last meeting.

The Forum noted the apologies for the late distribution of agenda papers and that measures would be out in place to circulate the agenda for future meetings in good time.

Page 18, item 11 High Needs Block (HNB): Progress on High Needs Block Transformation (HNBT) and Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) developments.

An update report on the HNB Transformation was not listed on the agenda for this meeting because there had not been any significant changes since the last meeting of the Schools Forum three weeks ago. Information since the last meeting included:

·       The advertisement for Cluster Coordinators had been placed

·       The SEND Strategy Improvement Board was working alongside the HNB Review

·       Meetings with head teachers about their concerns would be taking place

There would be a progress report on the HNB review at the next meeting in December.     

RESOLVED

THAT the minutes of the last meeting on Tuesday 14^th September be agreed as a correct record.

To Note: All

There were no notifications.

To discuss and plan the agenda for future meetings of the Schools Forum. 

RESOLVED

THAT the agenda planning for the remaining meetings in 2020/21 be noted.   

To Note: All

In response to a question about the frequency of Forum meetings -  it was explained that there were formal consultations from the Education and Skills Funding Agency that required a response from the Schools Forum and that the meetings were scheduled to coincide with those consultations.   

  Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation

This report provides an overview of responses from primary and secondary schools in relation to proposals regarding the local funding formula for schools for2022/23. These proposals were reported to the forum at its September’s meeting. These proposals recommended no significant change to the formula and forum was favorable to the proposals presented. Forum agreed the proposal subject to any significant objections from schools during the consultation period and that the responses should be reported backat forum’s October meeting. There were no significant requests from schools to change this during the consultation period. There was no significant response to the general comments question. However, any future comments will be passed on to the appropriate service for consideration and response.

The forum is now asked to confirm its earlier approval of the September 2021 consultation document.

The Early Years team have requested that as per last year -that in order to continue to pay a sustainable rate to 2 year-old nursery providers, for the continuation of the forum’s earlier agreement to apply to the ESFA for a dis-application to the Early Years funding regulations for the calculation of the hourly rate for 3 and 4 year-old children (see  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.

  Consideration was given to a report of the Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation that provided an overview of responses from primary and secondary schools in relation to proposals regarding the local funding formula for schools for2022/23. These proposals had been reported to the Forum at the last meeting in September. There had been no significant requests from schools during the consultation period or significant responses to the general comments question. 

Members of the Forum commented that moving funding to 2-3 year olds, affected the funding for 3-4 year olds and was making nursery education increasingly unsustainable.   

RESOLVED

a)    THAT the formula proposals set out in the consultation report be agreed,

b)    THAT the additional comments from the Schools Forum be noted 

c)    AGREED that the Early Years Team apply to the Education and Skill Funding Agency for a dis-application of the Early Years funding regulations on the calculation of the hourly rate for 3 and 4 year-old children, in order to continue to pay providers a sustainable rate for 2 year-old children.

To Note: All

Action By: Head of Education Commissioning and School Organisation

Report of the Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families

We have included this report that has been considered by the Children Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee and the Cabinet. The report is for  information and consideration by the Schools Forum.

The Forum is asked to consider this document and ask officers questions about the papers. The Education Strategy will come back to Forum for formal consultation.

Consideration was given to a report of the Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families that had recently been considered by the Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee and the Cabinet.

The draft strategy’s name, Building Back Stronger, reflected the Council, local schools, and Camden Learning’s shared determination to deliver a radical and genuinely local response to the challenges of inequality and gaps in educational attainment. Built on common values it, affirmed the transformative power of education and its potential to combat inequalities and change lives. It also reflected the collective conviction that a truly local education system, with schools rooted in their local communities and collaborating for the benefit of all Camden pupils, offered the best chance to equip our young people to be happy, successful, engaged, and inquiring citizens of the future.

The report had been provided to keep the Forum informed of developments.

An Executive Summary of the Education Strategy would be available in due course and the Strategy would come back to Forum for formal consultation.

The following points were raised during consideration of the report:

·       That the objectives needed to be mindful of children and young people with complex needs to ensure that their needs were recognised in the education strategy. The proxy measures for all children being readers could not be applied to children with complex needs;  the report data mainly referred to mainstream schools and it should be noted that children with disabilities might not have special educational needs   

·       The concerning trend that, a third of Camden secondary school aged pupils attended private schools  

In response to the above points: 

·       The Forum was thanked for the comments and were assured that the needs of all children and young people in Camden would be addressed in the education strategy and get the support they needed to flourish

·       Families moving into the borough who could afford to buy/rent in Camden were more likely to select private education for their children. Discussions were taking place about how the Council could make an impact on the number of Camden children attending private schools. Work was continuing on promoting the education offer in Camden’s good and outstanding schools 

To Note: All

Report of Executive Director Supporting People

The Forum is asked to consider the report  and ask officers questions about the papers. The School Place Planning Report has been included for information and is not a decision making report.

The report  has been considered by the Children Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee.

Consideration was given to a report that had recently been considered by the Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee. The School Place Planning Report had been included on the Schools Forum agenda for information with the opportunity to ask officers questions.   

The report highlighted that forecasts for this year have been drawn up at a time of unprecedented change and challenge for families in Camden. Specifically, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic had fundamentally altered people’s lives, the impacts of which were significantly reducing the level of demand for places anticipated within the current forecasts. These factors had created a significant degree of uncertainty, and a less stable environment in which to plan ahead. The GLA modelling had aimed to account for these but relied on assumptions of future trends that could only be accurately assessed over time.

The report had concluded that it was too early to be definitive about the medium-term impact on school rolls given the hugely disruptive impact of Covid.

There needed to be careful consideration of the current admission numbers and next year’s school roll projections before reaching any firm conclusions beyond the difficult action the Council had already taken in removing available school places.

 The following was discussed in response to the report:

·       There was a balance to be struck in any decisions about reducing the forms of entry for a school, with a range of factors to consider including the proximity of the school intake and the challenges for teaching and learning in mixed year groups   

·       Falling rolls puts the quality of teaching at risk. The draft education strategy would look at addressing falling rolls and funding difficulties, with an emphasis on collaboration. There was a difference between schools working together voluntarily and the local authority’s role in looking at the viability of individual schools 

·       The GLA were trying to analyse changes during unprecedented times. Recent school admissions in Camden had bucked the trends by a not insignificant number but there were still empty places in schools. Refugees from Afghanistan had resulted in an additional need for school places in the borough and there had been a great response from Camden schools but there would not be a reliance on their placements to address the issue of falling rolls.  

To Note: All

The Schools Forum is asked to note that the next meeting will take place on Tuesday 7 December 2021.

The remaining meeting dates for 2021/2022 are: 

Tuesday 8 February 2022

Tuesday 7 June 2022

It was noted that the next meeting would take place on Tuesday 7 December 2021 at 6pm.

The remaining meeting dates for 2021/2022 were also noted: 

Tuesday 8 February 2022

Tuesday 7 June 2022

To Note: All

There was no urgent business.