Issue - meetings

  Report by Corporate Director, Carolyn Godfrey

  Cllr Richard Gamble, Portolio Holder for schools, skills and youth presented a report to enable the Council to make a decision as to what arrangements should be put in place once the Department for Education Trial on permanent exclusion and alternative provision comes to an end in June 2014.

The background to the trial was outlined.  It was noted that the responsibility under S.19 of the Education Act to provide suitable education for permanently excluded pupils would revert to the Council. The issue for the Council was how best to fulfil this responsibility. A number of options were put forward for Cabinet’s consideration, namely :

·           The Council should end the devolution of funds to schools and return

to fulfilling the responsibility itself directly;

·           The Council could commission a third party – an existing alternative

provider or an academy trust to make the provision on its behalf or

·           The council could continue to devolve funding to schools and replace

the Power To Innovate with a service level agreement through which

secondary schools agree to provide suitable education for those pupils

permanently excluded or at risk of permanent exclusion in line with

section 19 of the Education Act for a specified period.

The implications of each of these options were outlined to Cabinet.

Resolved:

To continue the present devolution of funding to secondary schools replacing the Power To Innovate Order with a service level agreement under which secondary schools undertake  to provide suitable education in accordance with section 19 of the Education Act for those pupils permanently excluded or at risk of permanent exclusion for the period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2017.

Reasons for decision:

There is evidence that the current system of devolved funding is working effectively.  All the secondary schools currently involved in the Trial wish to continue with this arrangement and the one school that did not take part would like now to do so.  Any change would cause a considerable degree of turbulence to a very vulnerable group of young people.  All other possible alternatives appear to be more expensive and less effective.