POLICY COMMISSION MEETING

	Meeting	Children and School Results Commission
	Ref	CPC 07/12/05
	Date	Wednesday, 7 December 2005 6.00pm – 7.50pm
	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, George Cameron, Deborah Gardiner, Gill Kennett, Lady Pigot Cabinet member – Cllr Patrick Joyce Cabinet Secretaries – Cllrs David Pugh, Alan Wells Officers –Mr Rob Faulkner, Mr Paul Thistlewood, Miss April West Other members present – Cllrs Mike Cunningham, Roger Mazillius, Susan Scoccia
1.	Agenda Items	The notes of evidence of the meeting held on 5 October 2005 were agreed.
2.	3. Notes of previous meeting	Cllr Kennett declared a personal interest in the item relating to the Isle of Wight Child Protection Annual report due to the nature of her employment.
	4. Declarations of interest	Papers considered :- Isle of Wight Healthcare and Primary Care Trust Child Protection Annual report for 2004/05, Paper entitled ‘ A “Cry for Help” or a “Cry of Pain” – Isle of Wight Adolescent Self Poisoning, Self Mutilation 2004/05, Action Plan for Trust Board re Child Protection Annual Report, Isle of Wight Healthcare Child Protection Standards (Health) Training Awareness and Communication and Pre-Birth Window of Opportunity. Presented by Jane Dowdell, Associate Director for Child and Family Care Group and Designated Nurse for Child Protection. Stakeholders present :- Mr Simon Cooper, Chairman of the Island Teaching Council; Ms Vicky Elliott, Vice Chairman of the Island Teaching Council; Mr Steve Bartlett, Head Teacher of Love Lane County Primary School; Mrs Ursula Hutchinson, Head Teacher of Bishop Lovett C of E Middle School and Mr Richard Williams, Head Teacher of Medina High School. Evidence :- i. Dr P Bingham will be producing statistical epidemiological analysis of IW children’s admissions within a regional and national picture by April 2006. ii. To assist with inter agency work relevant information would be shared with GP’s to assist with preventative measures. iii. Training arranged for health staff could also be accessed by other agencies. iv. Statistics on self harm injuries now being collated to overcome views being based on perception rather than evidence. v. The Health Services maintained a close working relationship with social services but withdraw of social worker based at the hospital was of concern. vi. Cases where drugs or alcohol involved were notified to the Police to ascertain if further action was required in connection with supply. vii. Readmissions were seen as a high priority. viii. Head injuries were only recorded as they could result in significant damage to a young person. ix. Specific skills required within schools to identify victims and perpetrators. x. Bullying not always carried out on school premises. xi. Some schools keep records on reported incidents of bullying thereby assisting in the identification of trends. xii. Ryde schools using cluster funding on behaviour but this was at risk when the LEA ceased this. xiii. Social services did not have the resources to deal with the routine cases as it was not at a level requiring the involvement of the Child Protection Team. xiv. Schools could have an anti-bullying Council involving pupils. xv. Culture of community intolerance to bullying has to be created. xvi. School Councils were useful in highlighting issues on this matter. xvii. Agencies would be complacent if they believed that there was no possibility of a serious incident occurring. xviii. Local Safeguarding Children Boards, to be established from April 2006, would have the ability to request action by relevant agencies. xix. The lack of Police, GP’s and Social Worker involvement with schools was of concern. xx. There was a joint initiative between Safer Communities and the Youth and Community Service to highlight the problems of alcohol and drug misuse through a Christmas card to pupils. xxi. Schools were only legally responsible for children whilst they were on school premises. xxii. The involvement of the elected member with responsibility for Children in any governance arrangements involving other agencies would have to be considered under the Children’s Trust.
5.	6. Isle of Wight Child Protection Annual Report – School Improvement Programme C1/05 – Effect of Bullying on School Attainment	Paper considered :- Anti-Bullying Initiatives including Anti-Bullying Helpline and Strategy – Report of Mr R Faulkner, Head of Pupil Services Stakeholders as for 3 above. Evidence :- i. Despite local research amongst young people indicating high level of concern regarding bullying Island figures were consistent with the national average. ii. The fear of bullying was greater than the reality. iii. Along with the normally recognised forms of bullying electronic communications via text and e-mails were emerging as a significant issue. iv. Bullying involved repeated acts rather than one single act. v. An inter agency working group had established a special anti-bullying helpline through the Local Authority. 25 texts had been received in the course of the first two months. vi. As part of the National Anti-bullying week the Council launched a poetry event for pupils to write about their own experiences and views. This had attracted approximately 2000 entries. vii. The exclusion rate specifically for bullying was low in 2004-05 academic year with 10 cases. viii. 169 pupils had been the subject of a short term exclusion for physical assault. ix. Although there was a perception that the children responsible for bullying were from difficult homes this was not the case as such behaviour could be exhibited by children with good social skills and sound family backgrounds. x. Instances where pupils were off school because of the threat of or actual bullying should be identified by Education Welfare Officers. xi. Necessary to label the behaviour not the person. xii. Children educated otherwise than at school can be for reasons of bullying although parents are not obliged to state this. xiii. Due to subtle nature of some bullying teachers are often not aware. xiv. One area where bullying often occurs is when using buses to and from school. xv. Some bullying has a long family or community history. xvi. Actions are often in retaliation. xvii. One school operated a policy of requesting parents to escort their child to and from school if they were persistent instigators of poor behaviour. xviii. Difficulties in tracing those responsible for cyber bullying using mobile phones. Police can take action if of a serious and persistent nature but special orders have to be obtained to track messages. xix. Pupils within some schools are told to switch off mobile phones when in class. xx. Latest problem being experienced is with MSM Messenger and use of proxy platforms. If a school system is used this can be tracked and of two such cases on the Island one had been referred to the Police. xxi. Specific data from Ofsted on individual school inspections gives a positive picture about actions being undertaken on bullying.
7.	8. Anti-Bullying Initiatives	The Commissioner indicated that due to the sudden death the previous day of the wife of the Director of Children’s Services members felt it was not appropriate to take this item. The teaching representatives were advised that they could submit written evidence to the Commission.
9.	10. School Improvement Programme – School Attainment