Issue - meetings

Report of the Corporate Director, Children and Education is circulated.

Cllr Lionel Grundy OBE, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services presented a  report on the outcome of OFSTED’s assessment of the performance of children’s services within Wiltshire.  The rating letter from Ofsted was also presented.  The Wiltshire rating was assessed as ‘Performs Well’ and Carolyn Godfrey, Director of Children and Education and her team were congratulated for their continued hard work and efforts in securing improved outcomes for children in Wiltshire.

Whilst this was an improved rating, Cllr Grundy acknowledged that the letter had identified key areas for further development and explained that work was ongoing to:

• improve the overall quality of childminding
• improve primary schools so that more are good or better and
• close the gap in attainment between the majority of 11 year olds and those from low income families as well as those with special educational needs.

Cllr Grundy explained that notwithstanding the above, he was delighted with such a positive rating and emphasised that services for children in Wiltshire were continuously improving

Other Councillors accepted that improvements had been made but warned of complacency and highlighted areas where further improvements were still needed. The Director for Children and Education explained that the rating was the result of an unannounced inspection and that issues highlighted were relatively minor and were being addressed through an action plan which could be made available for the purposes of scrutiny.

The Leader explained that additional resources were being proposed in the budget for children and education services for which she hoped there would be support.

It was noted that the Council’s role as a Local Education Authority was a changing one especially with the advent of the academies structure.

Resolved:

That Cabinet note the contents of the report and the rating letter from OFSTED dated 9 December 2010.

Reason for Decision

To inform Cabinet of the outcome of the OFSTED assessment of Children’s Services in Wiltshire.