Issue - meetings

(Report of the Director of Children’s Services. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children). The report sets out proposals for the development of the Council’s future relationship with schools.

Cabinet considered a report, presented by the Cabinet Member for Children, which set out the current statutory responsibilities of the Local Authority for school improvement and proposals for the development of the Local Authority’s future relationship with schools.

It was noted that the increasing autonomy of schools and separation from Local Authorities meant that the relationship needed to be reviewed. Local Authorities retained specific responsibilities for strategic planning, vulnerable children and identifying schools that were underperforming.

Cabinet was advised that the Education Commission had been issued with the draft report and it had welcomed the approach and proposals outlined. In response to a question the Director of Children’s Services advised that she was confident that the new relationship being developed in partnership with schools would enable the Admissions Service to continue to be run effectively. 

RESOLVED:

1. That consultation on Haringey’s ‘Vision for Education’ be noted and that the Cabinet Member for Children should approve the final version submitted to the Education Commission ‘Outstanding for All’.

2. That the development of the Haringey School Support System be noted.

3. That officers be authorised to explore all options for the delivery of high quality school intervention and improvement services, including commissioning external providers where this would produce the highest quality and best value.

4. That it be agreed that the Local Authority would only directly provide school intervention and improvement services that were of a high quality and good value and that where these services could not be provided directly by the Local Authority alternative providers would be commissioned by the Local Authority through a quality assured framework.

5. That officers be authorised to develop a detailed proposal for a Haringey Schools Trust approach that would include preferred sponsor arrangements for schools converting to sponsored academy status.

6. That a financial analysis of the arrangements underpinning the provision of support and challenge to schools would be brought back to Cabinet for decision in February 2013.

Other Options Considered

There are a variety of options for service delivery that have been observed across the sector, including retaining a single post for school improvement and commissioning all support from alternative providers, arms length companies set up by schools or simply through school to school support systems. These are not recommended at the current time as we wish to build capacity in the local system, retain a local approach and ensure that we build on the strengths that exist so that all schools are able to access support that meets their identified needs.

Reasons for Decision

To progress a model that embeds the Local Authority’s role as a champion of children and families and a strategic planner with a number of regulatory functions within the context of increasingly self-supporting autonomous schools.