Agenda item

Considered –

A presentation by Andrew Dixon, (Strategic Planning Manager, CYPS).

The key points from the report are as summarised below:

·         There are 8 primary academies and 4 secondary academies within the Skipton and Ripon constituency area

·         The percentage of good or outstanding schools is higher in the constituency area than North Yorkshire as a whole

·         The academy conversation rate is low in the committee area, when compared to the rest of the county

·         There has been an increase in the number of children being taken out of mainstream school and educated at home which appears to be related to parental concerns about Covid-19 transmission in schools

·         Secondary school funding is comparatively low in the constituency area and the county as a whole as the funding formula tends to benefit urban areas.

There followed a discussion, with the key points as summarised below:

·         There have been 7 primary school closures in the area in recent years.  This has largely been due to the financial problems that small, rural schools encounter when the numbers on the school roll start to fall

·         The increase in elective home schooling is of concern as it is not clear to what extent the Council is empowered to check the quality of the education provided in the home setting and what work is being done to help ensure the development of social skills

·         The number of people requesting as assessment under the Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) process has increased significantly since 2015, when the national guidelines were revised.  Over the period 2015 to 2021 the number of EHCPs doubled and there remains an upward trend.  This increase in assessed need has not been matched by additional funding.

County Councillor David Ireton asked what more could be done to lobby the Government to make them aware of the increased costs associated with running rural schools and so adjust the funding formula accordingly.

Howard Emmett said that the Council was frequently in discussion with the Government on this matter and that the Department for Education is considering how to take into account the impact of sparsity in a consistent and fair way in the funding formula.

County Councillor Philip Barrett said that the number of fixed term and permanent exclusions seemed particularly high in the constituency area and asked why this was the case.

Cerys Townend said that there appeared to be a particular issue in Ripon and that the Council’s Inclusion Team was looking into this and offering the schools support.

County Councillor Mike Chambers MBE asked how much stock do can we put in OFSTED inspections, bearing in mind that the inspection regime has changed over time and some schools have not been re-inspected in over 10 years.

Rebekah Taylor said that the current OFSTED focus is more upon quality and less upon outcomes.  Some schools in the county have not been inspected in a long while but all schools will be re-inspected within the next 3 years.  In the interim, the County Council continues to work closely with all LA maintained schools to provide support and help ensure that school performance remains good.

County Councillor Mike Chambers MBE summed up the discussions and thanked officers for attending the meeting and answering questions from the committee members.

Resolved –

a.    To receive the next annual report at the meeting of the committee on 15 December 2022

b.    To have a follow up briefing on Elective Home Education at a future meeting of the committee.