Issue - items at meetings - Schools, Learning and Skills

(Copy to be tabled).

1)              That the presentation and matters arising from the presentation on Schools, Skills and Learning be noted.

21.1         The Board considered a presentation on Schools, Learning and Skills that related to two specific areas of the Strategic Improvement Priorities; reducing child poverty and health inequality and the promotion of health and well being, inclusion and achievement. The presentation was supported by the Community Cohesion Analysis produced by Longhill High School that displayed the disadvantages and lower rates of achievement related to community poverty. The basis for the study was an analysis of behaviour, attendance, ability and achievement linked to postcode differences.

21.2         The Chairman thanked the presenters for their informative and enlightening presentations.

21.3         Councillor Hawkes thanked the presenters for their report and identified with the financial challenges now presented to all public bodies. She expressed her hope that the collaboration between schools would continue undeterred.

21.4         Mo Marsh congratulated the presenters for their detailed analysis. She recalled a presentation given by Inspector Smith to the Board in 1995 that also identified a ‘cycle of deprivation’. Whilst she understood that progress had been made since then, the presentation at this meeting had made clear such problems still existed and there was still a lot of work to do for the partner bodies to eradicate them.

21.5         Denise Stokoe asked the report authors why some of the performance indicators slightly declined at secondary school level.

21.6         The report authors responded that due to an increase in the pupil population, secondary schools were more complex organisations than primary schools. However, with the current level of co-operation between schools, they believed they were on the course to address these.

21.7         The Strategic Director, People established that it was up to all Board Members to assist with any partner issues. He believed in collective responsibility in addressing improvement for the lowest performing child or school. He maintained that at such a well-performing Trust as this, it was readily within their grasp to do so.

21.8         Simon Turpitt stressed the significance of involving the commercial sector in improving school and pupil performance.

21.9         The report authors agreed and clarified that work was already underway on this task.

21.10    RESOLVED- That the presentation and matters arising from the presentation on Schools, Skills and Learning be noted.