POLICY COMMISSION MEETING

 

Meeting

Children and School Results Commission

Ref

CPC 5/10/05

Date

Wednesday, 5 October 2005  6.00pm – 7.45pm

Place

Committee Room 1, County Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight

Purpose of meeting

Formal public meeting

Attendance

Commission members –  Cllrs Melanie Swan (Commissioner), Wendy Arnold, Gill Kennett, Lady Pigot

Apologies – Cllrs George Cameron, Deborah Gardiner

Cabinet member – Cllr Patrick Joyce

 

Officers – Dr Marguerite Howick, Mrs Helen Lewis, Mr Lee Matthews, Mrs Fran Shelley, Mr Keith Simmonds, Mr Paul Thistlewood, Miss April West

 

Other members present – Cllr Roger Mazillius

Agenda Items

 

1.      Notes

The notes of evidence of the meeting held on 7 September 2005 were agreed.

2.      School Improvement Programme C1/05 – Extended Schools and the Healthy Schools Programme

Papers considered :- Report of Mr K Simmonds, Principal Inspector and Head of Learning Effectiveness.

 

Dr Marguerite Howick, Extended Schools Co-ordinator; Mrs Helen Lewis, Healthy Schools Lead Officer; Mrs Fran Shelley, Downside School Project Manager; Mr Phil Dickenson of ContinYou; Mrs Judi Griffin, SEEDA Dairy Sector Champion and Mrs Nuala Grandcourt, a parent representative on healthy eating were present for the following two items.

 

Evidence :-

 

a)              Downside Middle School had been a full service extended school since 2003-04.

b)              14 Island Schools would have extended status in operation from September 2005.

c)              All the remainder of Local Authority Maintained Schools would have some form of extended school status by 2008.

d)              These would not offer the full range of activities but have community provision in one of the five areas supporting the Every Child Matters theme of the Children’s Act –

 

                                 i.            Being healthy

                               ii.            Staying safe

                              iii.            Enjoy and achieve

                             iv.            Making a positive contribution

                               v.            Economic well-being.

 

e)              Each project would involve delivering a service for a 5 year period after which it had to be self sustainable.

f)                The LEA would be responsible for monitoring delivery of services.

g)              Schools would have to prepare a business plan for the delivery of a service to the community. This would lead to a contract being entered into with the LEA in order for funding to be released.

h)              Schools, particularly if serving the same community, would develop a range of services so these were not duplicated.

i)                 A School’s budget could be used to support an Extended School activity but money for Extended Schools could not be used for school purposes.

j)                 The Council had been nationally recognised as a model of good practice for its Extended School work.

k)               The Global Rock Challenge had involved a number of Island schools with these taking 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th places in the national final. This competition had encouraged parental involvement and improved pupil/teacher and staff relationships. Pupils self esteem and self confidence had also improved.

l)                 The Council’s consultation process for extended schools initiatives had been recognised as exemplary and was a case study on TeacherNet.

m)            Extended schools created strong links with a wide range of agencies.

n)              Completed building works at Kitbridge Middle School would enable the premises to be utilised for Health Promotion work with the PCT, Connexions and the Youth Service.

o)              Extended school status should not be seen as a bolt on activity but part of a school’s core business.

p)              Extension of the Council’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) into schools being investigated.

q)              Schools should not be competing against each other but working in partnership.

r)                78% of Island schools had been validated as Healthy Schools and were delivering at least in one of the areas of physical, healthy or emotional activities.

s)              The Council encourage the principles of healthy eating at leisure centres and the College.

t)                Important part played by good nutrition in the level of concentration in pupils.

u)              Need for the Council to ensure that all schools are involved in the UK Welfare milk scheme for under 5’s.

v)               Childminders find difficulty in claim process and therefore do not participate.

w)             Although approximately £100,000 is available for EU scheme for subsidised milk on the Island the actual subsidy claimed by the Council is only £7,000 due to poor take up rate.

x)               Nurseries could not separately obtain extended status.

y)               Schools should provide what the community would like rather than want the school thinks that the community would like.

z)              An extended school delivers an activity, or offers a service, to the wider community and not just those pupils attending that school.

aa)          Pupils accessing an activity at an extended school can continue to attend this even after transition to the next phase.

bb)          Since Downside became an extended school pupil attainment in literacy, maths and science had improved significantly.

cc)          Holiday clubs operated in an extended school can be accessed by any pupil in that area irrespective of whether they attend that school.

dd)          School buildings to be used 52 weeks a year and throughout the day.

ee)          There should be a clear link between Extended School status and Parish Plans.

ff)              Issue of retention of school playing fields raised.

 

 

Outcomes :-

 

     i.            The Authority’s current strategic approach to implementing the extended schools initiative should be endorsed.

    ii.            The opportunities being created for a more coherent delivery of services at a community level should be supported and services, such as the Youth Service, should be required to fully collaborate with designated Extended Schools where appropriate to meet identified community needs.

 

Action required :-

 

The above outcomes be commended to the Cabinet Member for Children.

3.      School Improvement Programme C1/05 –  Sport and Physical Education and Pupil Attainment

Papers considered :- Report of Mr Lee Matthews, Community Development and Leisure Manager

 

Evidence :-

 

a)              Council is supporting the National PE, School Sport and Club Links Strategy and by 2010 aims to offer children at least 4 hours sport every week made up of 2 hours delivered at school with an opportunity of further hours beyond the school day.

b)              Can only be achieved through partnership working.

c)              Links with clubs and specialist sports colleges vital in gaining access to funding.

d)              The support of parents was vital to activities, particularly those outside the normal school day.

e)              Use of volunteers a requirement to reach targets.

f)                The Sports Colleges at Sandown High School and Carisbrooke High School were to provide the hubs for sport development.

g)              Island schools share best practice and schemes are not duplicated.

h)              Strategic Forum established with Hampshire.

i)                 Audit of training needs carried out and training needs of teachers co-ordinated.

j)                 Many activities formally and informally open to the wider community.

k)               Importance of older pupils becoming role models.

l)                 Database of case studies maintained where participation in sporting activities is making a difference in pupil attainment.