Agenda
AGENDA FOR A MEETING OF THE EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND LOCALISM CABINET PANEL IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER ON TUESDAY, 5 JUNE 2018 AT 10:00AM ______
MEMBERS OF THE EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND LOCALISM CABINET PANEL (13) (Quorum 3)
J Billing, A P Brewster, C Clapper, T L F Douris (Chairman), M S Hearn, N A Hollinghurst, T R Hutchings (Vice Chairman), J R Jones, A K Khan, A Plancey, A F Rowlands, J F Wyllie, M A Watkin
Meetings of the Panel are open to the public (this includes the press) and attendance is welcomed. However, there may be occasions when the public are excluded from the meeting for particular items of business. Any such items are taken at the end of the public part of the meeting and are listed under “Part II (‘closed’) agenda”.
The Council Chamber is fitted with an audio system to assist those with hearing impairment. Anyone who wishes to use this should contact main (front) reception.
Members are reminded that all equalities implications and equalities impact assessments undertaken in relation to any matter on this agenda must be rigorously considered prior to any decision being reached on that matter.
Members are reminded that:
(1) if they consider that they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting they must declare that interest and must not participate in or vote on that matter unless a dispensation has been granted by the Standards Committee;
(2) if they consider that they have a Declarable Interest (as defined in paragraph 5.3 of the Code of Conduct for Members) in any matter to be considered at the meeting they must declare the existence and nature of that interest. If a member has a Declarable Interest they should consider whether they should participate in consideration and vote on the matter.
Agenda Pack 1 of 194 PART I (PUBLIC) AGENDA
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1. MEMBERSHIP AND REMIT OF THE PANEL
To note the membership of the Panel as stated above, and the remit which is as follows:
The responsibilities of the Executive Member for Education, Libraries & Localism - School improvement and standards, school place planning and admissions, relations with maintained schools and academies, Herts for Learning, further and higher education. Culture including libraries, museums and the arts. Localism, volunteering, relations with the voluntary sector, District Council local strategic partnerships, relations with Town & Parish Councils, Armed Forces Covenant Board lead.
2. MINUTES
To agree the minutes (Part I and Part II) of the last meeting of the Education, Libraries and Localism Cabinet Panel held on 17 April 2018.
3. PUBLIC PETITIONS
The opportunity for any member of the public, being resident in Hertfordshire, to present a petition relating to a matter with which the Council is concerned, which is relevant to the remit of this Cabinet Panel and which contains signatories who are either resident in or who work in Hertfordshire.
Members of the public who are considering raising an issue of concern via a petition are advised to contact their local member of the Council. The Council's criterion and arrangements for the receipt of petitions are set out in Annex 22 - Petitions Scheme of the Constitution.
If you have any queries about the petitions procedure for this meeting please contact Stephanie Tarrant, Democratic Services Officer, by telephone on (01992) 555481 or email [email protected].
Notification of intent to present a petition has been received for the following petitions:-
1. Armaiti Bedford, details provided under 2A below.
3A. TO RECEIVE A PETITION FOR COUNCIL - TO SAVE HERTFORDHIRE PUBLIC ART COLLECTION
Report of the Director of Resources
Notice has been received that Armaiti Bedford wishes to present a petition in the following terms:
“Hertfordshire County Council wants to ‘dispose’ of 91% of its public Art Collection. Out of a total of 1,826 artworks, only 167 are to be retained. The rest are to be sold or otherwise dispersed. If these plans go ahead, a significant body of art, mostAgenda of itPack bought 2 of with 194 public funds and including
2 many works by celebrated modern British artists, will disappear into private hands and be lost to the public forever.
What is the Collection?
The majority of it began in 1949 as the Hertfordshire Schools Art Loan Collection, giving all children in schools across the county the chance to see, use and be inspired by original works of art. Today this comprises 1,496 works by local and national artists, and includes paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, ceramics and textiles. It includes work by Barbara Hepworth, John Nash, George Chapman, Sylvia Gosse, Anne Redpath, Keith Vaughan, Edward Wadsworth, Carel Weight, Josef Herman, Joan Eardley, Malvina Cheek, John Tunnard, Alan Davie, Chris Orr, Peter Blake, and many other highly regarded artists. It is a significant part of Hertfordshire's heritage. As one of very few remaining local authority school art loan collections, it could also be of wider importance.
What’s going on?
This Collection was suspended in 2012. According to the Council's most recent Report, other options to use and fund the Collection, such as collaboration with the County’s museums and galleries, have not been explored. The Council estimates the sale of art will raise a maximum of £300,000 net. This one-off amount equates to just 0.03% of its £817 million annual budget. The Council recently consulted on the initial 428 artworks proposed for sale, but not on its overall plans for the Collection.
What can you do?
We need your help to show Hertfordshire County Council that the public Art Collection it holds is a valuable cultural resource - we want it to remain in public-ownership for the benefit of us all.
We want the Council to: Revoke the authority given to the Director of Resources to sell artworks Seek alternative funding and management options for the Collection Ensure the artworks are retained in Hertfordshire Place the Collection in Trust for the benefit of current and future generations”
A report on the subject of the petition is attached (3A).
4. PROPOSAL TO RECONFIGURE EXISTING SERVICES TO SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT THEM TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PRIMARY AGED CHILDREN WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES (SPLD) BY 31 AUGUST 2018
Report of the Director of Children’s Services
5. RELOCATION OF THEAgenda PRIMARY Pack SUPPORT 3 of 194 BASE AT SPRINGMEAD
3 PRIMARY SCHOOL, WELWYN GARDEN CITY
Report of the Director of Children’s Services
6. HERTFORDSHIRE’S STRATEGIC PLAN FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE 2018-21
Report of the Director of Children’s Services
7. ENLARGEMENT AND RELOCATION OF WESTFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL, HODDESDON, OUTCOME OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Report of the Director of Children’s Services
8. DEVELOPER CONTRIBUTIONS TO NEW SCHOOLS
Report of the Director of Children’s Services and the Director of Resources
9. ‘SHARED HERITAGE’ STRATEGY: INFORMATION UPDATE
Report of the Director Resources
10. OTHER PART I BUSINESS
Such other Part I Business which, if the Chairman agrees, is of sufficient urgency to warrant consideration.
PART II (‘CLOSED’) AGENDA
EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC
There are no items of Part II business on this agenda. If Part II business is notified the Chairman will move:-
“That under Section 100(A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item/s of business on the grounds that it/they involve/s the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph/s ... of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the said Act and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”
If you require further information about this agenda please contact Stephanie Tarrant, Democratic Services, on telephone no (01992) 555481 number or email [email protected].
Agenda documents are also available on the internet at https://cmis.hertfordshire.gov.uk/hertfordshire/Calendarofcouncilmeetings.aspx
KATHRYN PETTITT CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER Agenda Pack 4 of 194
4 Minutes
To: All Members of the Education, From: Legal, Democratic & Statutory Services Libraries and Localism Ask for: Stephanie Tarrant Cabinet Panel, Chief Ext: 25481 Executive, Chief Officers, All officers named for ‘actions’
EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND LOCALISM CABINET PANEL 17 APRIL 2018
ATTENDANCE
MEMBERS OF THE PANEL
J Billing, A P Brewster, C Clapper, T L F Douris (Chairman), B A Gibson, T R Hutchings (Vice Chairman), M S Hearn, A Plancey, M A Watkin, S K Jarvis, J F Wyllie
OTHER MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
D A Ashley, F Button
Upon consideration of the agenda for the Education, Libraries and Localism Cabinet Panel meeting 17 April 2018 as circulated, copy annexed, conclusions were reached and are recorded below.
Note: No declarations of interest were made at this meeting.
PART I (‘OPEN’) BUSINESS ACTION 1. MINUTES
1.1 The minutes (Part I and Part II) of the previous meeting held on 6 February 2018 were agreed.
2. PUBLIC PETITION
2.1 There were no public petitions.
3. ‘INSPIRING LIBRARIES’ – DELIVERING THE NEXT PHASE [Officer Contact: Andrew Bignell – Head of Libraries and Heritage Services Tel: 01707 281559]
3.1 The Cabinet Panel considered a report which detailed the work undertaken to explore the case for adopting an alternative delivery model for Hertfordshire Libraries. CHAIRMAN’S INITIALS Agenda Pack 5 of 194 ……………. 1
3.2 The Panel noted the work of the multi-disciplinary project group and the initial preferred option of a Public Service Mutual being the most appropriate alternative model for the delivery of library services, subject to a full business case. It was noted that the Public Service Mutual model provided the greatest scope to achieve future benefits within an affordable model. Members noted that if the Public Service Mutual qualified for charitable status then there would be immediate savings through NDR rate relief and the ability to apply for grants that the County Council was not entitled to.
3.3 Members noted that a Public Service Mutual would allow for better cross border working and would create an independent service that had a clear focus on libraries. It was acknowledged that the outline business case identified a number of risks that would be addressed within the Full Business Case. Whilst the County Council had not entered a Public Service Mutual before, there was a good track record of implementing alternative models e.g. Herts for Learning and Herts Catering, in addition there were examples of other Public Service Mutual models delivering library services in the country to learn from.
3.4 The Panel were notified that a petition had been received titled ‘Don't Privatise Berkhamsted Library’ which had sufficient signatures to present to Panel, however, the opportunity had not been taken at this time. It was noted that the petition focussed on the notion of selling off libraries to commercial operators for profit and it was acknowledged that this had never been the intention.
3.5 Members acknowledged paragraph 1.3 of the outline Business Case which stated that that under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, the County Council has a statutory duty ...”to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons desiring to make use thereof”. This reinforced that regardless of the model used the obligation to provide a library service would remain with the County Council.
3.6 In response to a Member question in relation to charitable status, Members heard that for the Public Service Mutual to be of financial benefit charitable status would need to be achieved. It was noted that charitable status could not be applied for/awarded until the Public Service Mutual was in place and that the Public Service Mutual would need to be set up ensuring that it met the criteria to apply for charitable status.
3.7 Members commented on the procurement process for library services once the Public Service Mutual was set up and it was advised that procurement rules would need to be followed with
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comprehensive legal advice taken and the review of the processes adopted by other authorities using a Public Service Mutual. In response to a Member question on whether the Public Service Mutual would still be the preferred option if services had to go through a competitive tender process, it was noted that the procurement route would be determined at a future stage of the process and that a Public Sector Mutual would continue to be the preferred option.
3.8 Members commented on the excellent work that the library service has achieved and queried why the library service could not provide innovative solutions moving forward, given that other authorities took the step to move to a Public Service Mutual model when services were on the downturn. Members heard that library staff had implemented as many changes as possible without affecting frontline services but were now in a position where further changes were needed and unless new opportunities were explored, frontline services would see an impact. It was noted that all Hertfordshire libraries have remained open and that the Public Service Mutual was a good option to consider in order to not having to reduce frontline services.
3.9 The Panel acknowledged concerns around the risks related to business rates, which were under review. It was noted that the risks were fully recognised and that the reward would outweigh the risk.
3.10 Members commented on the £500,000 savings required to be made from Libraries and noted that it was not a compulsory amount and could be challenged. In response it was noted that if the library service could not make the savings then the savings would need to come from another service and that the best option was to consider the full business case initially.
3.11 The Panel noted that the Post Office in Hoddesdon had moved into the library and that ongoing changes to the way in which services were provided were positive.
Conclusion
3.12 That the Panel recommended to Cabinet that Cabinet:
endorses the Outline Business Case (attached as Appendix A) which has identified that the County Council should adopt a Public Service Mutual (PSM) as the preferred model for the future delivery of library services, subject to the agreement of a detailed Business Case.
delegates the Director of Resources to proceed to developing
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the Full Business Case and detailed Business Plan to support the setting up of a Public Service Mutual for approval by Cabinet in the autumn of 2018.
It was noted that the Liberal Democrat Group Members voted against the recommendations and that Labour Group Member abstained from voting on the recommendations.
4. ADDITIONAL SCHOOL PLACES [Officer contact: Gary Gant, Planning Officer (Operations), Tel: 01992 556347 / Pauline Davis, Head of School Planning, Tel: 01992 555865]
4.1 The Cabinet Panel reviewed a report which detailed the outcome of the public consultation on proposals for the permanent expansion of the premises of Belswains Primary School in Hemel Hempstead and St Peter’s Primary School in St Albans.
4.2 Members acknowledged the responses to the consultations as detailed within the report and noted that both schemes had support from the local communities and noted the Governing Bodies responses.
4.3 Members referred to the petition heard at the February 2018 Cabinet Panel in relation to a lack of school places in St Albans City Centre and welcomed the permanent expansion of St Peter’s Primary School in St Albans City centre.
Conclusions
4.4 Panel recommended to Cabinet that it:
(i) authorises the Director of Children’s Services to publish statutory notices to enlarge the premises at both St Peter’s Primary School, St Albans and Belswains Primary School, Hemel Hempstead, by the size and date below:
School Area Date of Expansion Increase name expansio by form of in n entry (FE) admission number
Hemel 01.09.20 1.0 f.e Belswains Hempstead 19 (to 2 f.e.) 30
01.09.20 1.0 f.e St Peter’s St. Albans 20 (to 2 f.e.) 30
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(ii) agrees to the capital costs of enlarging both Belswains Primary School, Hemel Hempstead and St. Peter’s Primary School, St Albans as detailed in paragraph 5.2 of the report;
(iii) approves the application of S106 funds, as identified in Appendix 4, subject to the completion of relevant school expansion and town planning processes where necessary;
5. FUTURE OF TOWER PRIMARY SCHOOL, WARE [Officer contact: Juliet Whitehead, Education Leadership Team, Tel: 01438 844880]
5.1 Members reviewed a report which considered the future arrangements and finances required for Tower Primary School, Ware.
5.2 Following an inadequate Ofsted rating in March 2017, Tower Primary School was required to either become a sponsored academy or be closed. The Ivy Learning Trust based in Enfield were approached by the Department for Education to sponsor Tower Primary School. Closure of the school was not deemed feasible for a number of reasons including the need to accommodate the current pupils at schools a significant distance away and future demand in the area.
5.3 The Ivy Learning Trust had been putting resources into Tower Primary School since December 2017 and a planned package was being put forward to support the sponsorship. It was noted that the Regional Schools Commissioner would need to accept the sponsorship arrangement. Members noted that the model being used was similar to those used in the past and that the proposals were being supported by the Local Member.
5.4 Members discussed the opportunity for the Ivy Learning Trust to rebrand the school and it was noted that it was common for sponsors to rebrand schools and was likely that if the package was accepted then the school would most probably be rebranded in some format from September 2018, with The Ivy Learning Trust looking to increase admission numbers over the coming years. Members noted that the nursery school on site was very successful.
5.5 Officers were commended for their work in obtaining the support of the Ivy Learning Trust and it was noted that this was the most sensible approach.
5.6 In response to a Member question on the next steps, Members were advised that if the package was agreed then there was a targeted conversion date of September 2018. Members were advised that the Regional Schools Commissioner Board met on a 5 CHAIRMAN’S INITIALS Agenda Pack 9 of 194
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monthly basis and it was hoped that agreement would be given during May 2018. It was noted that the Local MP had been very supportive.
5.7 Members were notified of a minor change to the wording at recommendation (v).
PART II (‘CLOSED’) AGENDA EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC
5.8 The Panel agreed to move into Part II (‘closed’ session’).
5.9 That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the said Act and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
5.10 Following discussion on the Part II Report and recommendation, the Panel moved back into Part I (open session) and agreed the Part I recommendations.
Conclusions
5.11 Panel recommended to Cabinet that it agrees:
(i) that the County Council conclude an agreement with the Ivy Learning Trust Board around the sponsorship of Tower Primary School, Ware as set out in the Part II report. (ii) to delegate to the Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Executive Member for Education, Libraries and Localism, to agree the required terms and conditions required for the agreement between the County Council and Ivy Learning Trust Board with regards the sponsorship of Tower Primary School, Ware. (iii) that the County Council provide Tower Primary School, Ware with £37,000 of additional capital funding to deal with outstanding building condition and ICT issues. (iv) that an application for an in-year variation to the school’s Published Admission Number to reduce it to 15 in September 2019 will be made to the Office of the School Adjudicator. (v) that the revenue funding required as set out in the part II report be agreed by the Director of Resources, in consultation with the Director of Children’s Services and the Executive Members for Resources, Property and the
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Economy and for Education, Libraries and Localism.
Panel noted that there was a target conversion date of September 2018.
6. OTHER URGENT PART I BUSINESS
6.1 There was no other urgent Part I Business.
PART II (‘CLOSED’) AGENDA
1. FUTURE OF TOWER PRIMARY SCHOOL, WARE [Officer contact: Juliet Whitehead, Education Leadership Team, Tel: 01438 844880]
1.1 The decision reached on this item of business is recorded at item 5.11 above and in the separate Part II minutes.
KATHRYN PETTITT CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER CHAIRMAN
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HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND LOCALISM CABINET PANEL 3A TUESDAY, 5 JUNE 2018 AT 10:00AM
TO RECEIVE A PETITION FOR COUNCIL - TO SAVE HERTFORDHIRE PUBLIC ART COLLECTION
Report of the Director of Resources
Report Author: Taryn Pearson-Rose, Assistant Director, Customer Engagement & Libraries, Tel: 01992 556651
Executive Member: Terry Douris, Executive Member for Education, Libraries & Localism
1. Purpose of report
1.1 To inform the Education, Libraries and Localism Cabinet Panel of a Petition organised by Armaiti Bedford. The petition is titled ‘Save Hertfordshire Public Art Collection’.
2. Procedure
2.1 The Council’s Petitions Scheme provides that:
“Officers will prepare a Report for members setting out the background and other relevant information of which they are aware relating to the subject matter of the petition but will not give a recommendation as to how the Petition should be dealt with”
2.2 The Petitions Scheme further states:
“Following consideration of a Petition for Debate… the Panel can make a recommendation as follows:
refer the matter to Cabinet make a recommendation to officers as to how to respond to the petition request officers undertake further work and either liaise with the Local Member and relevant Executive Member before responding to the petition or bring the matter back to Panel Acknowledge the petition but recommend that no further action is taken.”
Agenda Pack 12 of 194 3. The Issues raised in the petition
3.1 An e-petition was raised via change.org website and attracted over 1,500 signatures, however a proportion of these signatures did not meet the County Council’s guidelines that “signatories to the petition should either be a resident in or work in Hertfordshire”. The number of signatures that did meet these guidelines amounted to over 250 enabling its presentation to Cabinet Panel.
3.2 The petition states that:
We want the Council to: Make public the independent review of the Art Collection that it commissioned in 2016. Revoke the authority given to the Director of Resources to sell artworks. Seek alternative funding and management options for the Collection. Ensure the artworks are retained in Hertfordshire. Place the Collection in Trust for the benefit of current and future generations.
4. Background
4.1 In November 2017, a report was presented to Cabinet Panel on the current position of Hertfordshire County Council's Art Collection. The report went on to make recommendations for the collection’s future management. The recommendations were designed to effectively look after and make more accessible a smaller more relevant collection, by reducing it to works that are directly relevant to Hertfordshire.
4.2 Hertfordshire County Council (“the County Council”) has an Art Collection of 1,826 works, which is valued for insurance purposes at £26.2 million of which £21.85m is vested in just 4 items. There has been no resource to manage and provide access to most of the collection since 2012 and the works are at risk of deterioration.
4.3 The County Council has a responsibility to use these assets effectively but does not have a statutory duty to hold, display and conserve works of art. The current size of the collection and the lack of resource to properly manage it is a significant liability for the County Council, which could result in the works remaining in storage where conditions are not ideal and conservation needs are not addressed. Given the County Council is not best placed nor has the capacity to properly display and hold art, storing works of wider cultural value and out of necessity denying broader access to these works is not a sound position moving forward.
4.4 Cabinet agreed that the Director of Resources has the authority to dispose of items that are deemed to have little or no significance to Hertfordshire, after full consideration of the views expressed through the consultation process Agenda Pack 13 of 194 with the Executive Member for Education, Libraries and Localism Hertfordshire County Council Cabinet minutes November 2017.
4.5 The mechanism for disposal would be through sale or gifting. Any proceeds from the sale would in the first instance be invested in the remaining collection, the conservation and potential move of the nationally significant sculptures. These sculptures are a liability due to conservation and security requirements. The Public Monuments and Sculptures Association, the Hepworth Estate and the Henry Moore Foundation have expressed concerns about the condition and public visibility of these nationally significant works.
4.6 In the medium to long term the County Council has identified up to 1,659 works for disposal, retaining a collection of 167 works. From the 1,659 works, disposal plans will not be developed for 471 items until ongoing work on provenance has been finalised. Therefore, at this stage 1,185 works are currently identified for disposal.
4.7 The disposal of 1,185 works is split into two phases. Firstly, the higher and medium value items and secondly the low value items. The consultation that took place earlier this year was on the first phase i.e. higher and medium value items. The second phase of 700 lower value works are to be offered to local interest groups and the public in Hertfordshire, later in the year. In addition, 53 lower value works, that have a distinct connection to local towns/villages, are to be offered to relevant Hertfordshire museums and galleries, by sale or gifting.
5. Collections
5.1 The Schools Loan Collection has 1,496 works and is insured for £1.2million, with 1,113 of the works in storage. There are a few works still out in schools, however many of these have being collected in recent months at the schools’ request.
5.2 In the main the school’s loan collection has been a handling collection, providing the opportunity to have direct contact with items, and therefore understandably works have undergone some damage and are likely to further depreciate moving forward due to inadequate storage facilities.
5.3 The Schools Loan Collection was suspended in 2012 after its use had reduced significantly and less that 20% of the collection was on loan at any one time.
5.4 The Corporate Collection has 330 works in 69 locations and is insured for £25m. The art in County Hall has an explicit cultural association with the county and its history. Works in Shire Hall and some schools, libraries and three museums are of national as well as local importance.
Agenda Pack 14 of 194 6. Art Consultant’s Report
6.1 Matassa Toffolo Limited was commissioned to undertake a review of the art collections, in their role as a professional art and museum collections management company. Their brief was to provide information on the size, nature and condition of collection, to suggest recommendations and options for the future.
6.2 The consultants’ 2016 comprehensive report provided a professional view of the collections, a specialism not available within the County Council. The report identifies the location, potential value and condition of large parts of the collection, parts of this information is commercially sensitive and could present a security risk for works, a redacted version which takes into account these concerns is available Appendix A.
6.3 The consultants did not identify within their report that the Schools Loan Collection in and of itself is of intrinsic value. In the past many councils have held art loan collections and over a period a number have been withdrawn, with works rationalised and disposed. Our current understanding on talking to other authorities is: Derbyshire County Council’s School Loans Collection is expected to close on 31st July 2018 and all works will be de commissioned. Cambridgeshire County Council closed their Schools Loan Collection and sold works through auction in May 2017. Money invested in Cambridge Culture Fund. Essex County Council had a school loan collection that was closed over two years ago. Leicestershire County Council’s Creative Learning Services loans books and artefacts and provides consultation, advice and workshops. This is a tiered service charging from £1k to £12,500 per annum. The service has 18 staff.
6.4 In the county, North Hertfordshire District Council continues to deliver a school loan collection, accessible to schools in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire for a subscription. It has been suggested that Hertfordshire should retain its collection because, as can be seen above, this is likely to be one of the last collection of its type in local authority ownership.
6.5 The consultant’s report stated that: ‘The SLC [School Loan Collection] contains a number of culturally significant works of art but many of the items are of little (or sometimes no) cultural worth or financial value. In addition, many works are in poor condition. The Corporate Collection items in schools, Shire Hall and elsewhere comprise a number of works of art which are of national as well as local importance. Works of art in County Hall have a high importance for the history of
Agenda Pack 15 of 194 Hertfordshire. With a couple of major exceptions, those in libraries are generally only of local relevance.’ ‘In more recent decades, the decision was taken to widen the scope of the [Schools Loan] collection to include items of lesser quality (sometimes multiple works by the same artists, e.g. numerous ceramics of very similar appearance by Thomas Plowman), works by local artists, worldwide ethnographical items, basketry, ceramics, textiles, costumes and taxidermy, apparently to fit with changing schools’ curriculum needs. It is unusual for a collection [School Loan Collection] to be ‘traded down’ in this manner rather than ‘traded up’, and the end result – apparently contrary the professed educational purpose of the collection – was a marked reduction in its overall quality.’
6.6 The consultants outlined a range of options for the future of the collections through their report; these were made according to the Museums Association Code of Ethics and included: • reducing the number of items and retaining works of national, cultural and/or local importance; • establishing a complete list of what the County Council owns in schools and libraries; • establishing the legal ownership of certain items and groups of items; • transferring ownership to other bodies in the County; • establishing an independent trust for the management of the collections; • raising funds for the future management of the collection, not exclusively through sale but through a number of other options; • compiling a collections management policy for the collection, including cataloguing it properly and undertaking regular audits; • reducing current commercial insurance premiums for the collections by reviewing responsibility for many of the items listed in the Corporate Collection.
6.7 Many of these options were included within the recommendations to Panel and are being worked on currently, others are being further explored and are likely to be pursued further once the County Council has rationalised the collection.
7. Consultation
7.1 The County Council’s art collections are not a statutory service provided through a Museum or Art Service, which the public have access to. The Schools Loan Collection was available solely to schools and their use of the collection had significantly declined. As a result, the consultation’s purpose was not specifically to ascertain views on what level of collection the County Council should retain for the future.
7.2 The aim of the consultation that commenced in January 2018 for ten-weeks, was to provide the public and organisations the opportunity to comment Agenda Pack 16 of 194 initially on 428 works included in the first phase of disposal, that they (the public and organisations) were most likely previously to be unaware that the County Council held. The primary objective was to assist in ensuring that works with a Hertfordshire connection had been correctly identified. It was also to raise awareness of this element of the collection and establish the demand for acquiring pieces to support the rationalisation of the collection. There was also the ability to provide general comments.
7.3 The consultation questions were as follows: -
Final survey questions: Do you want to comment on a particular piece of art work? Yes/No Please state the artist and title of the piece: Your comments (Max 1,000 characters). Please restrict your comments to your understanding of why the piece is relevant to Hertfordshire; or to state your interest in acquiring the art work. Do you want to comment on another particular piece of art work? Yes/No Please state the artist and title of the piece: Your comments (Max 1,000 characters). Please restrict your comments to your understanding of why the piece is relevant to Hertfordshire; or to state your interest in acquiring the art work. (Questions 5-20 as questions 3 & 4 above, giving people opportunity to comment on 8 further works.) Are you a Hertfordshire resident? Yes/No Are you representing an organisation? Yes/No Which organisation are you from? Is there anything else you'd like to add about any of the works being connected to Hertfordshire; or about acquiring any of the works? (Max 1,000 characters) If we want to contact you, can we have your details? Yes/No Your contact details: Name: Phone: email:
7.4 The consultation was undertaken through an e-survey on Hertfordshire.gov.uk, with access to images of all 428 works on Flickr.
7.5 The consultation was promoted through Hertfordshire Association of Cultural Officers (HACO), Hertfordshire Association of Museums and was advertised on Creative Hertfordshire (a free online network for the arts and cultural sector in Hertfordshire).
7.6 There was significant press and multi media coverage promoting the consultation in its first few weeks; BBC 3 Counties, BBC Look East and local papers. This coverage continued predominately through local papers during the ten-week consultation period.
7.7 There was also direct contact with a range of partners prior or during the consultation period: HACO, Hertfordshire Association of Museums, Hertfordshire Lifestyle and Legacy Partnership, North Hertfordshire Museum, Arts Council England, Museums Association, Hertford Town Council, Hertfordshire Heritage Fund and Arts Fund. Agenda Pack 17 of 194 7.8 During the consultation period, the works were viewed 14,817 times and 318 responses/engagements in the consultation either through the e-survey or through email, telephone and letter.
8. Analysis of consultation
8.1 There were 295 completed e-surveys. Many of these responses were representing organisations, which included: Local Museums, Heritage and Arts groups, The University of Hertfordshire and North Hertfordshire College, Primary Schools, Town Councils, Public Galleries (non- Hertfordshire), Private art galleries/collectors; and Auction houses.
8.2 Interest in Acquiring Works from the collection Within the e-survey responses, 27% stated an interest in acquiring works from the collection. These responses were from individuals, partner organisations and private galleries and collectors. The local Museums, Heritage and Arts groups, University and Colleges, Primary Schools and Town Councils were interested in engaging with us further to see how they may be able to acquire works.
8.3 Agreement with rationalisation of the collection In addition to those who demonstrated an interest in acquiring works, 8% of responses stated agreement with the County Council’s plans to rationalise the collection with comments that included:
I do not see any strong connection between any of the works and Hertfordshire. If they are not available to be seen and appreciated by Hertfordshire residents or visitors, I do not feel they should be retained. I would prefer to see them sold or donated to other public bodies more associated with the subject or artist. I believe the sale of these works is a brave and prudent move by the Council. Not only will this raise funds for useful local projects, it will allow these beautiful works of art to see the light of day and gain the full appreciation they deserve. I do feel that if the holdings are greater than the ability to display, the majority should be disposed of, although I do feel those retained should have a clear association with the County or the countryside.
8.4 Opposed to the rationalisation of the collection A proportion of survey responses also indicated opposition to the plans to reduce the collection and dispose of works, 23% of responses provided comment to this effect including: I think it’s appalling to consider selling off assets for short term gain. What right have you got to part with ANY of a collection much of which was GIVEN for the people of Hertfordshire to enjoy. We do have art Agenda Pack 18 of 194 galleries and museums. Put it on display for Herts folk to enjoy. I look forward to the press coverage and BE WARNED. I think it is disgraceful that Hertfordshire CC wants to sell these pieces of art. They should rather make them available for all in museums and lift the profile of Hertfordshire nurturing and celebrating their past and cultural heritage. I object to your proposal to dispose of our Art works. Very few people know about your proposals and we are given very short notice for replies. Don't get rid of them! They should be available for us to see and enjoy. Some of them could be displayed at Hertford Theatre and then replaced with others, perhaps there could be a dedicated space/wall. We have been totally shocked to discover that the art works that belong to the people of Hertfordshire appear to being sold without any notification. We always read the local paper. Why has this not been done? Why has it not been mentioned in your Horizon magazine? This seems to be analogous to selling the family silver. Not only are you denying the people of Hertfordshire any cultural experience but future generations too. Are we to be known as philistines.
8.5 General comments Within the e-survey 29% of respondents provided a range of general comments, which included suggestions for the collection, mixed views on the plans to rationalise or asked for more information. These included: Yes please put them on sale in the new St Albans museum when it opens. Would like to see a public auction where these are being sold. Lots of information and a good time frame. Where will the money raised go? So many have no relevance to Hertfordshire. Keep the ones that do, dispose of the ones that don’t and invest the funds into more artwork that relates to Hertfordshire. Don’t just sell ‘the family silver’ and then lose the money by propping up departments that have overspent. I feel that rather than 'disposing' of the art works you should be commenting 'redistributing'. Why are the works not being offered to charities, community groups etc.? I want to know why you have all this art in the first place. Why are you spending tax payers money on art? If you don’t own them how can you sell them? I feel saddened that the collection is starting to be sold off, although pleased to see that the money is being used to restore and care for the works retained. Are schools and hospitals no longer able to have the advantage of hanging some of these works on their walls?
Finally, there were 13% of survey responses that included no comment at all.
8.6 Art works with a Hertfordshire Collection The consultation exercise highlighted 12 of the 428 works, where respondents provided information to suggest that the works had a Hertfordshire connection.
Agenda Pack 19 of 194 8.7 Consultation response themes Whilst there were varying views on the County Council’s plans to dispose of art works, there were some reoccurring themes: A range of local organisations interested in acquiring works, in addition to members of the public, private collectors and galleries. Respondents were not aware of collections. The view that art work should be kept within the county for the benefit of residents and concerns that the disposal of works would lead to their loss from the county. Support for keeping works with a Hertfordshire connection. Recognition that most of the collection being in storage and not accessible to the public was not a good use of the assets for the council or public. That a rationalised properly managed collection would be an improvement. A preference to see works ‘redistributed’ to other Hertfordshire organisations that could make them accessible to the public. Questions around why the council had such a large collection in the first place, why investment had gone to acquiring and managing an Art Collection.
9. Next steps
9.1 A range of local organisations including public museums and art galleries participated in the consultation. In the first instance these contacts will be followed up to understand their views in more detail, to establish whether they are looking to acquire works by sale or gift and their capacity to conserve and display these works moving forward.
9.2 As part of the County Council’s disposal plans, 53 art works had already been identified to be offered to relevant Hertfordshire museums and galleries, by sale or gifting, and a further 700 will be offered to local interest groups and the public in Hertfordshire. It’s likely that the number of works offered to Hertfordshire based organisations and groups could increase, as a result of further discussions with the local museums and art galleries that participated in the consultation, thereby retaining a larger proportion of the collections in Hertfordshire and more importantly making these works accessible.
9.3 Progress needs to be continued on options for the conservation and potential relocation of four sculptures within Hertfordshire, which are insured for a total of £21.85 million. These sculptures have particular conservation and security requirements and will need some significant investment, a proportion of this investment may be secured from external sources.
9.4 At the point where it is clear which of the 428 first phase of works for disposal will be acquired through sale or gift by Hertfordshire museums, galleries and local groups, the remainder will be auctioned and proceeds from the sale in the first instance invested in the retained collection.
Agenda Pack 20 of 194 9.5 The County Council’s retained collection will then be catalogued, where necessary conserved and plans developed to increase its accessibility. This should allow the collection to be best placed to benefit from external funding, to improve display and interpretation.
10. Financial Implications
10.1 There are no additional financial implications in relation to this report, beyond those already set out in the November 2017 Cabinet report.
11. Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA)
11.1 When considering proposals placed before Members it is important that they are fully aware of, and have themselves rigorously considered the equalities implications of the decision that they are taking.
11.2 Rigorous consideration will ensure that proper appreciation of any potential impact of that decision on the County Council’s statutory obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As a minimum this requires decision makers to read and carefully consider the content of any Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) produced by officers.
11.3 The Equality Act 2010 requires the Council when exercising its functions to have due regard to the need to (a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited under the Act; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. The protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.
11.4 An EqIA is being updated to include the findings from the consultation process. The EqIA and consultation findings will inform final decisions regarding the disposal of art work.
Background Papers Future Management of Hertfordshire County Council's Art Collection - Cabinet Panel Nov 2017 - https://cmis.hertfordshire.gov.uk/hertfordshire/Calendarofcouncilmeetings/tabid/70/ctl /ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/773/Committee/105/SelectedTab/Documents/ Default.aspx
Agenda Pack 21 of 194 APPENDIX A
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL ART COLLECTION: REPORT
Matassa Toffolo Ltd 21 Cumberland Mansions West End Lane London NW6 1LL www.matassa-toffolo.com
Agenda Pack 22 of 194 Disclaimer
1. Matassa Toffolo Limited was commissioned to undertake this report as a professional art and museum collections management company. The company does not offer a financial valuation service for artefacts. The information in this report is presented to Hertfordshire County Council for their decision. It should be regarded as an opinion and not be taken as legal advice or recommendation. 2. This report has been compiled with the assistance of numerous members of staff of Hertfordshire County Council. It is a reflection of formal meetings, informal discussions and general conversations while undertaking the work. While every care has been taken to reflect these discussions faithfully, the authors are not responsible for any misunderstandings or for any errors which may occur in the final report.
The Authors
Matassa Toffolo Limited is an art consultancy company founded in 2014 to provide museum-standard advice and hands-on help on all aspects of managing art collections. The directors, Freda Matassa and Julia Toffolo have extensive experience of managing art collections at the highest level, Freda as Registrar at the Royal Academy of Arts and Head of Collections Management at Tate Galleries and Julia as Registrar and Deputy Director of the UK Government Art Collection. Skills include cataloguing, research, policies, acquisitions and disposals and exhibition organisation. Clients include the British Council; the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London; the Royal Institute of British Architects, London; Sotheby’s Institute, London; the Parliamentary Art Collection; and the Society of Antiquaries of London
Confidentiality
All information relating to this project and any details of works of art, their locations and values and all conversations with the staff of Hertfordshire County Council will be kept confidentially by the authors.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Taryn Pearson, Deputy Director of Customer Services and Libraries, Manager, Business Improvement Team and in particular, , Art Project Manager, for her help throughout the project.
We would also like to thank the staff of the schools, libraries and public buildings of Hertfordshire that we visited and in particular, the staff at County Hall and the County Archive who generously contributed time and information during the course of the research.
Date 3 May 2016
CONTENTS
Executive Summary 4 Agenda Pack 23 of 194 Introduction and Terms of Reference 6 The Schools Loan Collection 8 The Corporate Collection: County Hall and Shire Hall 21 The Corporate Collection: Schools 33 The Corporate Collection: Libraries & Museums 44 The Corporate Collection: Large Sculptures not in the above categories 49 OptionsfortheFuture 52 Future Ongoing Management and Maintenance by HCC 55 SWOT Analysis of Collections and their Current State 57 List of Sources 58 List of Appendices 61
Agenda Pack 24 of 194 Executive Summary
Aim The purpose of this report is to deliver a survey of the Hertfordshire County Council Art Collection (Schools Loan Collection and Corporate Collection), to provide information on the size, nature and condition of collection, to suggest recommendations and options for the future and to present a five-year cultural strategy plan.
Description Hertfordshire County Council’s art comprise oil paintings, prints and drawings, sculpture, murals, ceramics, crafts and miscellaneous items. The earliest items listed in the collections are three sculptures (c.1291-2) from the Eleanor Cross erected at Waltham Abbey (and now on loan to the Victoria & Albert Museum, London) and six early 18th centuryroyalportraitsat ;collectingfortheSchools Loan Collection continued up to 2011.
The bulk of the Schools Loan Collection (SLC) (which totals over 1,500 items) is held in storage at . The majority of works in the Corporate Collection are on display in schools and libraries in the County.
Findings It quickly became apparent that there is no comprehensive inventory of the works but a series of separate and partial spreadsheet lists as well as some information on Hertfordshire Libraries’ ‘Spydus’ database system (for the SLC). There has never been any specialist management of the SLC and archival information for it goes back only to c.1969. The Corporate Collection seems to be the responsibility of the Head of Building Management at HCC.
The SLC contains a number of culturally significant works of art but many of the items are of little (or sometimes no) cultural worth or financial value. In addition, many works are in poor condition. The Corporate Collection items in schools, and elsewhere comprise a number of works of art which are of national as well as local importance. Works of art in have a high importance for the history of Hertfordshire. With a couple of major exceptions, those in libraries are generally only of local relevance.
Many works of art are poorly displayed and would benefit from interpretation and better lighting.
There is a lack of clarity over the ownership of many of the Corporate Collection items. Overall, the collections lack public visibility and appear to be little known and under-used. This gives it vast potential for the people of Hertfordshire. Recommendations Options for the future include:
reducing the number of items and retaining works of national, cultural and/or local importance;
Agenda Pack 25 of 194 establishing a complete list of what HCC actually owns in schools and libraries (the lists we were given are clearly incomplete); increasing public awareness of the collection; establishing the legal ownership of certain items and groups of items; increasing the use of the collection for the benefit of the citizens of Hertfordshire; determining the future of the SLC; transferring ownership to another body in the County; establishing an independent trust for the management of the collections; raising funds for the future management of the collection, not exclusively through sale but through a number of other options; compiling a collections management policy for the collection, including cataloguing it properly and undertaking regular audits; and reducing current commercial insurance premiums for the collections by reviewing responsibility for many of the items listed in the Corporate Collection.
Agenda Pack 26 of 194 Introduction and terms of reference
Introduction
This report was commissioned by Hertfordshire County Council. The tender was issued in 2015 on the In-Tend system as Bid Number HCC1507798 and applications closed on 8 July 2015. The procedure required applicants to provide information about their business, their experience, staff profiles, project approach, project delivery, insurance cover and price as well as providing examples of two similar projects (with referees).
The objectives were:
Survey and categorise the collection into works of art that might be disposed of for the benefit of the remainder; Make recommendations to effectively manage, maintain and preserve the remaining art collection for the people of Hertfordshire; and Draft a five-year cultural strategy plan
Recommendations were to be made according to the Museums Association Code of Ethics.
Terms of reference
The contract was awarded on 30 October 2015 with a project term based on three days per week for twelve weeks (36 days).
The project was to take place between November 2015 and February 2016. For reasons explained below, the work continued into March, until delivery of the final report at the beginning of May 2016.
Overall methodology was to research the history and purpose of the various collections, view and survey as many of the works of art as possible and to seek the views of relevant staff and stakeholders.
Timings and Scope
After initial research and planning, we began the survey on 13 November 2015 at the , and made our final visits to schools and libraries in the County on 16 March 2016. The original project brief listed seven libraries and seventeen schools with Corporate Collection items. However, after being awarded the project, on receipt of various lists and other pieces of documentation on the different collections, it became apparent that art was located in far more schools and libraries than it would be possible to visit in the time allotted for the project (JT email to , 11 November 2015). No complete and up- to-date inventory of the works of art was evident and lists were continually updated and added to during the duration of the project. In the end it was decided to survey all of the Schools Loan Collection (SLC) works held at the ;alloftheitemsin and ;andthento Agenda Pack 27 of 194 concentrate efforts on what looked like the most important Corporate and SLC items in schools and Corporate items in libraries; and where a number of objects could be viewed in the same location.
We estimate that approximately 77.5% of the SLC was inspected 99% of the Corporate Collection at (plus the sculptures at ) was inspected 66% of the Corporate Collection in Libraries and at was inspected 37% of the Corporate Collection listed as being in Schools and at was inspected (NB owing to the distance between schools we concentrated on what appeared to be the most significant items; several of the schools we contacted to view items were either unable to find them or had (in the case of murals) boarded them over); or (as in the case of ) insisted the items had been transferred to them)
Contents of this Report This is the first detailed survey of the art collections held by HCC ever undertaken. We have therefore included the results of our research into the history of the collections.
During our survey on the Schools Loan and Corporate Collections (in Schools, Libraries and elsewhere) we assigned a relative value to individual items that we inspected. We did not assign such a value to the Corporate Collection works of art at and as they have an explicit cultural association with the County and its history.
Agenda Pack 28 of 194 THE SCHOOLS LOAN COLLECTION (SLC)
This collection consists of by far the largest number of works of art held by Hertfordshire County Council.
Overview The SLC was begun as part of a post-War initiative on the part of John Newsom (Hertfordshire Chief Education Officer 1940-57) to improve the educational experience of schoolchildren in Hertfordshire schools by exposure to real, contemporary, works of art. It was one of several such schemes in the UK (others were run, for example by Leicestershire and Derbyshire educational authorities). Another element of this principled initiative was the purchase and commissioning of works of art by contemporary artists as permanent fixtures in the newly-designed schools that were being built in the County (see Corporate Collection: Schools).
In the first two decades or so of the scheme, hundreds of works of art were purchased by contemporary British artists, many of them of high, even museum quality. They were purchased from reputable dealers, artists and ‘Pictures for Schools’ exhibitions held from the 1940s to the 1960s. As a result, the collection includes some important works, and is particularly strong in
Unique works by mid-20th century British artists – e.g. Norman Adams, John Akers, Michael Ayrton, Nadia Benois, William Brooker, James Butler, Peter Collingwood, John Copnall, Gabriel Couderc, Robin Darwin, Anthony Devas, Frank Dobson, Ronald O. Dunlop, Enslin Herbert du Plessis, Joan Eardley, Richard Eurich, Sylvia Gosse, Anthony Green, Dennis Hawkins, Adrian Heath, Barbara Hepworth, Josef Herman, Mary Hoad, Frances Hodgkins, Robert Macbryde, Bateson Mason, John Mills John Minton, Michael Murfin, John Napper, John O’Connor, Thomas Rathmell, Anne Redpath, Mary Restiaux, Kenneth Rowntree, Jack Simcock, Humphrey Spender, Michael Stokoe, Rowland Suddaby, Philip Sutton, David Tindle, Julian Trevelyan, Ruskin Spear, Robert Tavener, John Tunnard, Fred Uhlman, Keith Vaughan, Edward Wadsworth, Carel Weight, Nan Youngman.
Prints by artists such as Ado, Trevor Allen, Stanley Anderson, Michael Ayrton, Charles Bartlett, Edward Bawden, Anthony Benjamin, Hilda Bernstein, June Berry, Peter Blake, John Brunsdon, George Chapman, Graham Clark, Henry Cliffe, Jack Coutu, Achilles Droungas, Elisabeth Frink, Carmen Gracia, Alistair Grant, Dennis Hawkins, Patrick Heron, Alyson Hunter, Olwen Jones, Ronald King, David Koster, Edwin La Dell, Alan Lumsden, Auguste Maillol, Tim Mara, Terence Millington, Henry Moore, Brendan Neiland, Barbara Newcomb, Chris Orr, Chris Plowman, Brian Rice, Michael Rothenstein, Peter Sedgeley, Michael Stokoe, John Sturgess, Robert Tavener, Valerie Thornton, Eduard Wiirault.
There are also some interesting mid-20th century works, redolent of their period, by lesser-known artists, e.g. K Arnup, Eric Atkinson, Keith Baynes, J D Bent, Maureen Black, Thomas Carr, Alan Clutton-Brock, J Cole, James
Agenda Pack 29 of 194 Cummings, P Day, Lili Duband, Nancy Ewart, Daphne Fedarb, Frank Freeman, Yvonne Fussell, Alfred Hackney, Pamela Izzard, Bertha James, L Jonleigh, Pierre Lavarenne, Pamela Lloyd, Robin Mackertich, Hugh Mackinnon, Jack Millar, D Mozley, K Neap, Joyce Pallôt, Margaret Brynhild Parker, Alan Smith, Elizabeth Spurr, Peter Unsworth, Gwen Webb, Derek Wilkinson.
There is also a mid-19th century three-dimensional butcher’s shop (an historic toy)
In more recent decades, the decision was taken to widen the scope of the collection to include items of lesser quality (sometimes multiple works by the same artists, e.g. numerous ceramics of very similar appearance by Thomas Plowman), works by local artists, worldwide ethnographical items, basketry, ceramics, textiles, costumes and taxidermy, apparently to fit with changing schools’ curriculum needs. The SLC was never particularly well-financed, and the funding for this initiative seems to have been raised from
(1) Obtaining sponsorship from local sources. According to documentation and labels on the backs of some of the works, in the early 1990s money was acquired for these purposes in from the Henry Moore Foundation (Much Hadham), the Eastern Arts Association, McNicholas Construction Ltd (Elstree), and BP Oil UK (Hemel Hempstead). For example, in 1992 McNicholas Construction contributed £100 to the purchase of Derbyshire No.9. a drawing by the local artist David Stowe. A letter to McNicholas (retained amongst the at the Central Stocks Unit) stated that ‘The picture shall, of course, display your company’s name and logo together with those of BP Oil and will show at an exhibition press evening at BP House, Hemel Hempstead, on 17 September. We shall be using the screens displaying your company’s logo, which you kindly sponsored, at the exhibition.’
(2) The sale of works of art (according to the surviving documentation, many of them were by important artists, for example Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Prunella Clough, Mary Fedden, Barbara Hepworth, Leon Underwood, William Ratcliffe). The reasons for this included apparent unsuitability, poor condition and a perception that the works of art in question were of too high a quality (and their insurance premiums too high) for display in schools. The most recent disposals seem to have been Lindsell Church, a large print by Edward Bawden (in 2005) and Henry Moore’s drawing of Coalminers. It is unclear whether there was an agreed policy in place for these disposals and who recorded and was accountable for these decisions.
It is unusual for a collection to be ‘traded down’ in this manner rather than ‘traded up’, and the end result – apparently contrary the professed educational purpose of the collection – was a marked reduction in its overall quality.
Agenda Pack 30 of 194 Inventory Numbering Unfortunately, the removal of works from the inventory through disposal and the acquisition of new ones evidently often involved the re-use (sometimes several times) of previous inventory numbers. From an accounting and museological point of view this decision makes financial accountability and researching the history of the collection extremely difficult.
Framing Many of the paintings have been reframed.
ArtUK In 2008 the Public Catalogue Foundation (BBC Your Paintings/ ArtUK) published its volume on oil paintings held by the County of Hertfordshire. Bizarrely, paintings in the SLC were not included. According to (the former County Arts Officer) this was because the PCF required a financial contribution from the County for this process to go ahead, which was refused. However such a policy did not prevent the paintings held, for example, at County Hall from being featured in the volume. This was a missed opportunity to have all the paintings professionally photographed in high resolution. The absence of the SLC from the Hertfordshire volume is much to be regretted, as the paintings in the collection are hardly known and so are not currently playing their full part in the cultural story of the County or the UK (and so contributing to research and scholarship). We recommend that in the future the paintings are placed on the ArtUK’s database (the successor body to the Public Catalogue Foundation/BBC Your Paintings), with a designated member of staff responsible as the contact point for this.
The operation of the collection was suspended in 2012, with some 350 works of art recorded as being out on loan at that point to fifty-four schools and to Hertford.
Condition Understandably, the collection was always treated essentially as a ‘handling’ one and no museum-standard practices in this area seem ever to have been adopted. The works were stored and transported around in simple wooden boxes (with a minimal amount of cushioning) and displayed in what were necessarily non-gallery conditions by non-specialist staff, for decades. We have seen evidence that loans were accompanied by a set of terms and conditions setting out instructions for their care, but it is unclear whether these were ever enforced: there seems to have been a fairly high rate of damage and loss during the collection’s operational history. There is evidence that some of the damaged items were disposed of and not repaired (see above).
Agenda Pack 31 of 194 Oil Paintings Given this background most of the oil paintings are in surprisingly good condition; a programme of conservation was apparently initiated in the last decade of the collection’s active use
as befits a publicly-funded collection.
Ceramics
Inventory number 900:
Covered Dish
Ceramic by Thomas Plowman
Textiles
Inventory number 830
Sfakia (Greek Rug)
Agenda Pack 32 of 194 There are four string hangings by Peter Collingwood (1922-2008) in the collection. These are of local and national cultural interest (the artist was one of the first fellows of Digswell Arts Trust and in the early 1970s was commissioned to make Sprang, a large three dimensional string hanging for the new Central Library at Welwyn Garden City). Due to their delicate nature these hangings must be carefully handled and packed.
Inventory number 485:Macrogauge No. 80 c. 1970 String hanging by Peter Collingwood Shows damage/tangling, especially at top and bottom
Prints, Drawings and Watercolours
Agenda Pack 33 of 194 )
at
.
Ethnography
Taxidermy This appears to be in fairly good condition
Sculpture
Methodology Works were inspected front and back (and underneath, if a sculpture) for information, signatures, dates and inscriptions.
Works were checked against a supplied bound list of all works (dating from 2011) and marked on an electronic spreadsheet dating from c.2002, on which works acquired since that date were manually added. In both lists, works at the were highlighted in red, those in in blue and those in schools in green (Appendix A).
Agenda Pack 34 of 194 The items listed as being out on loan in 2012 are provided in Appendix B, marked to show which ones were physically inspected and which not. .
All the works that we inspected were recorded on individual catalogue sheets according to their inventory numbers, which included details of the works titles and date; dimensions medium; current display or storage location; condition, and comments. We also included areas to denote the works’ relevance to Hertfordshire, cultural significance, display/use potential and value (see below).
We took photographs to record the items we inspected (including their frames, where relevant), plus a few photographs showing the works of art on display in some of the schools
The vast majority of works are currently held at , in their storage/transport boxes, and, over the course of thirteen separate sessions we checked all of these and tidied the storage boxes on the shelves. A few items are located in a , and (as listed in July 2012) in over fifty schools throughout the County. We visited seventeen of these:
The list of what we decided to inspect on site was based on the works listed in Townley’s insurance document, plus, judging from the information provided, others we considered worthy of inspection. For reasons of time we were unable to visit all of the schools on the list. A list of schools we did NOT visit is given at Appendix C.
The c.2002 spreadsheet that was supplied to us is difficult to interpret. For example, some items described as having and there are a number of remarks about condition which suggest that the items in question may eventually have been disposed of, but without any proof to that effect.
In total we inspected and reported on 1,188 individual works. The bound list from September 2011 lists 1,691 items. The list of works at Appendix C shows that:
Agenda Pack 35 of 194 12 unassigned numbers (numbers 644, 749 & 1628 to 1638) 129 items listed on the spreadsheet as sold 22 items listed on the spreadsheet as lost or destroyed Removing these 164 items from 1,691 gives a total of 1,527, which means that we inspected 77.5% of the nominally ‘active works’ listed as being in the collection.
It should be noted that
208 items on the spreadsheet/2011 list that we did not inspect are either not listed as being in a particular location or are described in ambiguous terms as damaged in some way (and consequently disposed of?). These items are therefore unaccounted for. Four items listed as being in schools and one listed as being at County Hall were not found during site visits. Some inventory numbers are made up of several items under the same inventory number.
One school that we attempted to visit ( ) informed us that they no longer had the six items on loan to them and that they had probably been destroyed, but (a) this school is listed twice in the list of items out on loan; and (b) the school is listed as having returned a , it is possible that the school has been wrongly listed as borrowing these items and that the ‘missing items’ are in fact in another location. This needs to be followed up, as the six works in question are worthy of inspection.
Documentation & Provenance There are numerous basic errors in both the 2011 bound list and the c.2002 spreadsheet in terms of artists, titles and medium. On the spreadsheet we have made corrections and amplifications where necessary (in red). Unfortunately these errors had already been transposed on to the ‘Spydus’ database, which, were the service to return to use, would need to be corrected.
In addition, we examined copies of invoices, purchase orders etc in the SLC filing cabinet at the Central Stocks Unit and have transferred the extrapolated information on to our catalogue sheets and the electronic spreadsheet, for future reference.
. However it would appear that a number of works were purchased from a series of Schools Exhibitions from 1947 to 1969 and this information has also been placed on to the catalogue sheets and the spreadsheet.
From the evidence that survives, almost all works of art were probably acquired directly from the artists for their galleries (the primary market) and so have clear
Agenda Pack 36 of 194 provenance.
Relative Value of each Work The original brief for this project gave special significance to works of art that have relevance to Hertfordshire. As our survey of the SLC progressed it became increasingly clear that so few of the items had any connection with Hertfordshire at all that this criterion hardly applies. Relevance to the County does not seem to have governed acquisition policy at all in the early decades of the SLC’s history; instead, what did govern it was quality. The idea of acquiring items with an association with the County only appears to have become more dominant in recent decades, precisely when culturally insignificant items were acquired, and to the detriment of more important ones. Placing too much emphasis on this factor would therefore distort the results of this survey and possibly encourage the jettisoning of quality works of art in favour of those of less cultural worth. We strongly recommend therefore that the most important criterion in assessing the SLC should be that of cultural significance.
In order to try to provide as objective a measure as possible for assessing each item in the collection, we ‘marked’ each item we inspected against the following criteria:
Importance/relevance to Hertfordshire 0 – 20 Cultural significance 0 – 40
Display/use potential 0 – 20 Condition assessment 0 – 10 Financial value 0 – 10 TOTAL Possible total: 100
Use Statistics previously compiled by (the SLC’s most recent administrator) reveal that approximately only 20% of the collection was out on loan at any one time in the final few years before the service was suspended in 2012, a statistic borne out by the number of works out on loan at that point (about 350, including works at County Hall) and confirmed by Michelle Murphy (Head Librarian) at our interview with her on 30 November 2015.
Agenda Pack 37 of 194 In a few schools we visited, staff were enthusiastic about the scheme, regretted its suspension and wished it to be revived, having found it beneficial for various educational purposes.
Those on display on the walls appeared in many cases to be almost ‘invisible’ (we took down one painting to examine it; when re-hanging it a member of staff assumed we were hanging something new: she had never noticed the painting before). In the vast majority of schools we visited however, the works were no longer being used and had placed in . Most schools wanted the art to be collected as soon as possible. A lack of communication with the collection’s administrators and high turnover of school staff makes the continuance of this state of affairs inadvisable for the future safety of the works. We therefore recommend that all works be returned to the as soon as possible (indeed some already have been).
All of the schools currently listed with SLC loans are infant and primary schools; it is not known whether this is statistically significant with regard to the use of the collection (i.e. was the collection not attractive to older children?)
Given all these facts, we would suggest that continuing the service in its present state is unfeasible. In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s pupils seldom had regular access to real works of art, and colour reproductions in books at the time were rare, so, as John Newsom had envisioned, contact with actual works of art was important. From the 1970s however, this changed, and now the availability of the internet, where a growing number of world museum and gallery collections are available (sometimes in 3D) and the increasing prevalence of school trips make this aspect less important than before.
If the scheme were to continue, a major programme of conservation and reframing would need to take place, together with corrected and improved documentation and interpretation. If it is decided to terminate the scheme, the chance could be taken to make it available to all the people of Hertfordshire, not just its schoolchildren.
Value There are a number of items in the SLC that have important cultural and financial value. Not all of these, by any means, were picked up for valuation by Townley, who apparently assigned figures to the most valuable items but presumably worked only from information supplied to them. It would also seem that they did not actually inspect all the works of art they have listed and may have based some valuations on an increase on the original price paid.
Agenda Pack 38 of 194 It should be recognised that the collection once had many items of important cultural and financial value in its holdings. Decisions taken to dispose of them – for whatever reason – over the years, to use the proceeds effectively to ‘trade down’ and purchase ethnographical items and works by minor or local artists, together with long-term neglect of condition has resulted in a considerable diminishing of the current financial and cultural value of the collection compared to what it might have been had more judicious decisions been taken as to disposal, acquisition and conservation over the years. The condition of an item has a significant influence on its financial value.
The SLC is not and never has been operated as a museum. However, the Council is rightly anxious to undertake any disposals from it according to the Museum Association’s Code of Ethics1 as the implications of selling items from a publicly- funded collection of artefacts, acquired for the use of schoolchildren, would risk reputational damage for the County as well as setting unwelcome precedents for other local authority collections. We have, as explained above, attempted to categorise the collection in terms of quality and cultural importance to allow the collection to be ‘rationalised’. The original brief of this survey was to identify individual items that could be sold to generate funds to care for the remainder. In this case the most ‘valuable’ items (say those with a score over 70) would fit this category. However, such a decision – to sell assets to protect liabilities – would seem bizarre in business terms. The quality and value of many of the remaining works of art (certainly those with a score of less than 30) is low or non-existent and, as has been discussed, it is to be doubted how much practical use could be made of them. Instead, monies raised from disposing of the less important works plus the taxidermy items would be better spent in caring for the remainder. It should also be remembered that selling through an auction house (assuming an auction house would be interested in doing so) is not a cheap option, involving paying commission (25% of the hammer price) to that auction house. It also cannot be guaranteed that items would fetch the hoped-for price (or even a set reserve).
It should be noted that Michelle Murphy informed us that a nominal amount of money is still assigned in the Libraries budget for the collection’s administration, the amount having not been spent since the service was suspended. Could this money be used for some of the collection’s future care?
Options for the future of the SLC (as well as for the Corporate Collection) are shown at the end of this report.
1 ‘Financially motivated disposal risks damaging public confidence in museums. Refuse to undertake disposal for financial reasons, except where it will significantly improve the long-term public benefit derived from the remaining collection’ (Museums Association Code of Ethics for Museums (2016), S2.9). Agenda Pack 39 of 194 Summary Recommendations for the SLC
Arrange for all works currently in schools to be collected and returned to the . They are otherwise in danger of loss, theft and damage. Records should be kept of those works returned. If the SLC service is no longer to continue, recall all works from all schools before they convert to Academy status within the next five years. Such a move to Academy status will also presumably affect HCC’s decision as to whether to continue the service at all. The paintings in the SLC should be added to the ArtUK/BBC Your paintings website. All works of art that the County decides to retain post-rationalisation should be catalogued to museum standard, conserved, mounted, reframed and placed on a specialist database by a specialist professional, as befits a taxpayer- funded collection. Redefine the most important works of art in the collection and their insurance valuations. As its local contribution to the Festival of Britain, in the summer of 1951 The Barclay School in Stevenage (see later section on Corporate Collection in Schools) held a temporary exhibition of works of art Hertfordshire had recently acquired for its new Schools Loan Collection. This exhibition could be repeated and commemorated as a way of raising financial support and local pride in the SLC and John Newsom’s pioneering initiatives. The remaining collection could be used for display in public buildings (libraries, museums etc) so that local people might see it. Works could be lent to public exhibitions.
Agenda Pack 40 of 194 Agenda Pack 41 of 194 THE CORPORATE COLLECTION
COUNTY HALL, HERTFORD
Overview The works belonging to the County’s collection at County Hall may be divided into three sections:
1. Works on display in the main areas of County Hall (almost all of these are portraits); 2. Works on display in the ; and 3. Site-specific commissions
Methodology
Works were examined and checked against a spreadsheet provided at the beginning of the project (Appendix D), and cross-referenced against the paintings featured in the 2008 Public Catalogue Foundation volume for Hertfordshire. In addition, Amanda Taylor provided us with a ring binder of colour images of works, together with brief details of their titles and artists. We also checked items against the valuation document provided by Townleys in 2012. Each item we inspected was given an individual catalogue sheet as in the case with the SLC.
1. Works on display in County Hall, Hertford These consist mainly of portraits of people associated with Hertfordshire and/or its County Council. There are also a number of copies by Edmund Dyer of historic original portraits of famous people with Hertfordshire connections.
With the exception of the drawing by the Duchess of Rutland (see below), all works are displayed in the ‘public’ areas of the building before the security locked doors, ie the
Provenance
A list of all works on the spreadsheet provided to us, plus extras we located or were unable to find is given at Appendix E, together with comments on provenance.
Most of the portraits appear either to have been given by individual donors (according to information on their frames) or (presumably) commissioned by the County Council for display at County Hall upon the sitters’ termination of office.
The copy portraits by Edmund Dyer appear to date from the early decades of the 20th century and were probably commissioned and/or donated for display specifically in the new County Hall (opened 1939). Agenda Pack 42 of 194 Exceptions:
Tapestry (late 17th century) ( [appears in Townley’s 2012 valuation but not listed on spreadsheet). The provenance of this work needs to be investigated. The Shepherd in a Storm oil on canvas by Richard Westall (in the ): this forms part of Hertford Town Council’s Collection (it was presented to the Borough by Town Mayor Sir Lionel Faudel Phillips in 1929/1930 and therefore appears to be a loan to ). Portrait drawing of a Man, possibly Harry Cust by Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland, i The provenance information for this attractive drawing needs to be researched: we have so far drawn a blank in trying to discover its history.
Condition
The oil paintings are mostly in good condition apart from needing some cleaning to remove dust , dirt and discoloured varnish to improve their overall appearance. Comments on individual works are found on their respective catalogue sheets.
Missing Works/Not Examined
114 | Richard Major Sir George Oil Was on long-term loan from sitter’s PCF 20 FOSTER Burns, Lord family; documentation supplied shows Lieutenant that it was returned to them in 2010 122 | Dixon Queen Elizabeth II Oil listed as being in Chairman’s Room PCF28 PAYNE 148 Ronald St. Mary’s Church, Watercolour Listed as being in ‘Bank Foyer’ MADDOX Hitchin
The following three items do not appear on the spreadsheet list but are illustrated in a loose-leaf binder supplied by Amanda Taylor. We did not see them at County Hall:
John NAPPER James, 4th Marquis of Oil Listed as being in ROB Salisbury – Magistrates’ Area Edmund DYER after William Cecil, Lord Oil Listed as being in ROB Unknown Artist Burghley – Magistrates’ Area Edmund DYER after Edward George Earle Oil Listed as being in ROB Henry William Lytton Bulwer-Lytton – Magistrates Area PICKERSGILL
Agenda Pack 43 of 194 Additional Items that we inspected that were not listed in spreadsheet:
? After (?) Sir Baron Somers of Oil Ballroom Given by Sir PCF40 Godfrey Evesham of Gallery Frederick Lewis KNELLER Brookmans Park, North Mymms - Horace Winston S. Oil on Office 0F 115 ‘in memory of MAXFIELD Churchill 1967 canvas Charles Henry after print of 1943 Tyler (7.4.32– 28.4.96) County Councillor Cheshunt West (May 1985–April 1986) - Paul HILES Council Offices, Oil on Council Commissioned by Hertford 2008 canvas Leader’s Office HCC? - Unknown Landscape (late Woollen Council (Flemish) 17C?) tapestry Chamber - Unknown [from Map of Coloured Chairman’s Presented to Walker’s Fox Hertfordshire engraving Office Hertfordshire Hunting Atlas County Council by John & on occasion of the Charles Local Authorities’ Walker, pub. Social Services 1882] Conference, September 1982 -- William An Archway in St. Watercolour Council CALLOW Albans Leader’s Office
Location and Current Display: Options for the Future
With the exception of the above three works, all of these works have a strong connection with Hertfordshire and are of great interest for the history of the County. Although some are by well-regarded artists (e.g. Oswald Birley), the portraits are of low financial value or interest for sales purposes. They do however have significant local cultural importance and we recommend that this aspect is emphasised in their future management in order to maximise the point of having them. Their current location in ‘public’ areas (ie areas which are reached by open access and not in the office areas available only via security passes) enables these areas to be opened up to the public much more than at present.
The collection at County Hall can be made much more interesting for staff and for the public by redisplaying most of the works in these rooms to maximise their impact. We recommend that the portraits currently hung in the ‘Ballroom’ Gallery (where they cannot be seen) are moved to the Committee Room Corridor (where there are several blank spaces). This could be done fairly economically, under our supervision, using a freelance art technician. With interpretation in the form of captions, all of the portraits could be ‘brought alive’ and made much more interesting for staff and visitors, giving a sense of pride in the County and famous personalities from its history. The current displays are unattractive and we suspect are almost Agenda Pack 44 of 194 invisible to staff and visitors. The interpretation could also be featured online and, in due course, some better specialist picture lighting installed.
The Committee Room Corridor at County Hall. This currently ‘dead’ area could be rehung with portraits (e.g. including those in the Ballroom Gallery) to make an interesting display for staff and visitors.
Here are some sample captions for just four of these portraits:
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper (c.1665–1723) Painting by Edward Dyer after the original of 1722 by Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723), in the National Portrait Gallery Given by Lady Desborough
The Cowpers were prominent Hertford politicians in the 17th and 18th centuries. Brought up in Hertford Castle, Cowper was educated at St Albans School and called to the Bar in 1688, following his father as MP for Hertford and becoming the County’s Lord Lieutenant 1710-12 and 1715-22. He gained national public office as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal (1705–07) and served as the first Lord Chancellor of England (1707–08 and 1714–18).
Cowper acquired land in nearby Hertingfordbury, where he died in October 1723; he and his wife are buried in St Mary’s Church in the village. The nearby Cowper family estate of Panshanger was developed several decades later (the house was demolished in the 1950s).
In 1712 Cowper took up the cause of Jane Wenham, convicted of witchcraft at Hertford Assizes, the last such case in the UK. After receiving a Royal Pardon Cowper granted Wenham a cottage on his Hertingfordbury estate, where she died, in in her 80s, in 1730; she too is buried in St. Mary’s Churchyard there.
Thomas Dimsdale (1712–1800) Painting by an unknown artist
Dimsdale came from a family of prominent Quaker Hertford doctors and politicians. He established himself as a surgeon in the town in 1734, where he pioneered the experimental practice of smallpox inoculation. In 1763 he erected a small isolation and vaccination house in Bengeo, known as ‘The Old Pest House’ (now a private residence) and in 1767 published the influential The Present Method of Inoculating for the Small-Pox.
Such was Dimsdale’s international reputation in this area of medicine that he was invited to inoculate the Empress Catherine the Great of Russia and other members of the Russian Imperial family, the successful outcome of which resulted in his being made a Baron of the Russian Empire.
Agenda Pack 45 of 194 Dimsdale went on to serve as the MP for Hertford from 1780 to 1789; he lived at Port Hill House in Bengeo.
William Lamb, Viscount Melbourne (1779–1848) Painting by Edmund Dyer after the original of 1844 by John Partridge (1789–1872) in the National Portrait Gallery
Lamb grew up and spent much of his life at his family home of Brocket Hall, near Hatfield (now a hotel). It was there that he courted Lady Caroline Ponsonby, whom he married in 1805, a union that became an embarrassing and public failure. Becoming an MP in 1806 and entering the House of Lords in 1829 Lord Melbourne’ s political career included the high offices of Chief Secretary for Ireland (1828–29) and Home Secretary (1830–34).
As Prime Minister (1834; 1835–41) he served as the young Queen Victoria’s guide and mentor before her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. In the summer of 1841 the Queen visited Melbourne at Brocket Hall, where he was to spend the last eighteen months of his life. In 1837 the new city of Melbourne in Australia, had been named in his honour.
Lamb’s sister Emily married the 5th Earl Cowper in 1805, whose family home was at Panshanger, near Hertford (now demolished). She later married Lord Palmerston, whose portrait appears elsewhere in this display.
Sir John Evans (1823–1908) Painting by John Collier (1850–1934), 1905
Evans worked at John Dickinson & Co., a paper factory at Nash Mills, Croxley, near Hemel Hempstead for six decades until his retirement to Berkhamsted in 1906. He served the Hertfordshire community in a number of official capacities, becoming the County’s High Sheriff in 1881 and, from 1888 to 1905, its Vice- Chairman and Chairman.
Meanwhile, and although he had no formal academic training, Evans’ wide scholarly interests and expertise extended into the realms of international numismatics and archaeology. Serving on the boards and becoming president of many learned societies, he published numerous scholarly works. A campaigner for the establishment of St Albans Museum, his own extensive collections were donated to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, the ‘Sir John Evans Bequest’ forming the nucleus of that museum’s prehistoric, Roman and post-Roman British antiquities.
County Hall (architects: James & Bywaters/Rowland Pierce, 1937–9) is a Grade II* listed building of considerable architectural interest. The suite of the Entrance Hall, Anteroom, Council Chamber, Members’ Room, Staircase, Ballroom and Committee Rooms are extremely well preserved, with many original fixtures such as fireplaces and uplighters. This is another source of pride for Hertfordshire and we recommend that the building takes place in the Heritage Open Days scheme every September (2016: http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk) (Hertford Castle, for example, opened to the public during the 2015 event).
Hertfordshire has an interesting cinema tradition (e.g. the film studios at Elstree/Borehamwood and Leavesden; filming locations such as the former International University at Bushey; the BFI National Film Archive at Berkhamsted). As part of this tradition, the excellent state of presentation of County Hall’s interior (and exterior) also makes it very attractive as a filming location to represent an Agenda Pack 46 of 194 official building dating from the 1920s–1940s, and we recommend – if this is not already the case – that the County officer responsible for this area makes a concerted ‘push’ to sell this venue for this purpose. Hiring out historic buildings for filming needs careful monitoring (we could provide a set of rules for this), but is extremely lucrative, bringing in tens of thousands of pounds per location shoot. Some of the money earned in this way could be put towards the conservation/redisplay/re-lighting of the works of art and paying for conservation and framing of SLC items.
2. Works at the There are three landscape paintings featuring Hertfordshire scenes by local artist Edward Archibald Brown and a painting set in the Ashridge Estate by a 19th century amateur artist. These are all on public display in the Archives Reading Room.
Additionally, there are the following items on display there:
- Thomas MEDLAND The Panshanger Oak 1814 Aquatint published 1831 - T CARTWRIGHT after G St Albans Abbey Coloured ARNAULD aquatint - D M PATTERSON Landscape Oil
A further painting by Edward Archibald Brown, Evening Effect: The Orchard by the River, Molewood, Hertfordshire is currently in storage . The County Archivist told us that this had been in their possession since 2011, when it was removed from Hertford Library. It requires conservation work.
This used to be displayed outside the building but was placed here following conservation work.
The provenance of these items is unclear and requires further research.
Item on spreadsheet but not seen
135 John Seth Ward, Oil Was on long-term loan to County Archives from GREENHILL Bishop of Trustees of Bishop Seth Ward Almshouses, Salisbury Buntingford; now on loan to Royal Society, London. Is the HCC still insuring this?
Agenda Pack 47 of 194 3. Site-Specific Commissioned Items There are three tile murals by local artist Frank Fidler (1910-95, lived in Hoddesdon), which were most likely commissioned by Hertfordshire County Council in the early- mid 1970s when an extension to County Hall was opened. One mural (depicting a scene of flora and fauna, dated 1975) is located in the Dining Room of the new extension (‘The County Suite’) and another one (a curved abstract work dated 1976) is located in the former ‘Bank Foyer’. A third mural (a red and blue abstract dated 1973 that incorporates resin as well as tiles) is located on the ground floor near to the Environmental Department; this last mural is not listed in the spreadsheet. Fidler also made a mosaic fountain base (no longer in operation) [His work is also represented in , to which he donated his large acrylic painting Germination in 1988].
Red and blue abstract mural (1973) by Frank Fidler on the ground floor of the early 1970s extension to County Hall, not featured in the spreadsheet list of works of art in the building. Chairs and equipment can be seen stacked against it.
These interesting works of art seem under-appreciated. The red and blue mural has several damages (we saw chairs and equipment stacked against it) and the fountain is also in need of some conservation work. Like the portraits in the 1939 building, we would suggest that interpretive captions are mounted next to each of these works and improved lighting installed, to increase enjoyment and understanding on the part of County Hall staff and visitors.
are sited two unique bronze or copper sculptures representing A Pair of Harts (the County’s symbol) by Simon Elson, commissioned in 1989 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of County Hall. There is also a metal (cast-iron) urn by James Woodford sited depicting Diana the Huntress (again, a local theme). Following conservation work this was moved to its current site also in 1989.
These last two works form part of Historic England’s Grade II listing of County Hall and so cannot be removed without formal permission. They clearly have local significance and again would benefit from improved lighting and interpretation.
We were unable to inspect an external wooden sculpture by Jenny Ulrich, Green Man Sleeping (1993) which features in the Enjoy! Public Art in Hertfordshire leaflet.
Agenda Pack 48 of 194 Overall Recommendations
Virtually all the works of art in and outside the building have local significance and would enhance staff and public pride, enjoyment and appreciation of County Hall by improved lighting, re-display, conservation and interpretation. Their value is cultural rather than financial. The building could be opened to the public for the annual Heritage Open Weekend. Hiring out the building for filming has the potential for generating significant income for the County, which could be used for the above as well as for funding the conservation and re-presentation of what is decided to keep from the SLC. Attempts should be made to research the provenance and identity of the Violet Manners drawing hanging on the , which is currently at significant risk of loss or damage, the tapestry in the and the sculpture and paintings in the .
4.
Methodology The works were checked against Townley’s valuation document and the 2008 PCF volume for Hertfordshire. NB these works do not appear in the spreadsheet lists of Corporate Collection items provided to us (Appendix E) so we manually added them to this. We also recorded information on each work of art on individual catalogue sheets.
The Building the
The works of art
PCF Ref. SHP.9 Alfred S Philip Longmore, Town Clerk of Presented in c.1879 to the Bishop Hertford 1829–66 1872 Corporation of Hertford by the executors of the estate of Philip Longmore SHP.10 After Sir Charles James Fox (1749–1806) Presented in 1906 to the Corporation Agenda Pack 49 of 194 Joshua of Hertford the the Rt Hon Charles Reynolds Robert Southwell, 7th Baron Dimsdale 138 | John Collier The Rt. Hon. F.T. Halsey, MP for Presented to the sitter by his friends PCF43 Hertfordshire 1874–85 and the and supporters Watford Division of the County 1885–1906 SHP.8 Unknown Matthew Skinner Longmore, Town Presented to the Corporation by the Clerk of Hertford 1867–78 working men of the town, 1879 Unknown Royal Coat of Arms (18th century) Presumably commissioned for the building, possibly at its opening
The portrait of F.T. Halsey is part of the County Hall portrait collection, while the painting A Shepherd in a Storm on display in ) is part of the collection.
For some reason the Royal Coat of Arms does not feature in the PCF volume.
PCF Ref. SHP.4 Philippe Mercier Princess Amelia (Sophia 1711–86), daughter of King George II and Queen Caroline 1728 SHP.5 Philippe Mercier Princess Anne (1709–59) daughter of King George II and Queen Caroline 1728 SHP.2 Philippe Mercier Princess Caroline Elizabeth (1713–57) daughter of King George II and Queen Caroline 1728 SHP.3 Philippe Mercier Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales (1707–51) son of King George II and Queen Caroline 1728 SHP.6 Unknown, possibly Queen Caroline (1683–1737) Consort of King George II Philippe Mercier SHP.1 Studio of Charles Jervas King George II (1683–1760) Reigned 1727–60
The four portraits by Mercier, all with matching frames and captions, were originally commissioned by Queen Caroline, and with the portraits of King George II and Queen Caroline were later given to the Cowpers, a prominent family of local politicians; the 3rd EarlCowperdonatedthemfordisplayinthenew in 1768. This unbroken provenance and long connection to this building is of exceptional historical interest. These paintings all appear on Townley’s 2012 valuation document with a total valuation of )
Agenda Pack 50 of 194 This room also contains an interesting painted symbol of Hertford, hung above the doorway (for some reason this does not feature in the PCF volume).
Three of the historical portraits on display in the . All of the portraits in the building are fitted with ineffective picture lights.
Ownership Ownership and responsibility for the works of art in need clarification. Despite the building’s name – – rather than the Countyasawhole( ).
Indeed the paintings are described in the PCF volume as having been inherited from Hertford Borough Corporation after the local government reorganisation of 1974, the collection being formed from donations to the Corporation over the years.
An example of one of the captions on the portraits by Philippe Mercier showing that the portraits were donated to the Corporation of Hertford
About two-thirds of the paintings listed in the PCF (along with the ones at areondisplayin ,wheretheofficesof are located.
We therefore recommend that research is undertaken to ascertain the ownership of these works and therefore responsibility for their care and future insurance provision.
It is presumably not the responsibility of Hertfordshire County Council to care for , but as a matter of principle we would recommend opening it up more to the public than at present. The ,andfeaturesastheroominthefictitioustown wherethe Agenda Pack 51 of 194 local ball was held when If marketed properly this fact alone would surely draw in substantial crowds of tourists from all over the world.
Agenda Pack 52 of 194 Agenda Pack 53 of 194 SCHOOLS
History & Contents John Newsom, Hertfordshire Education Officer 1940-57, wanted to improve the educational experience of children through Commissioning new state schools that were built with a pioneering revolutionary, modernist, child-centred approach; this programme went hand- in-hand with the development of several New Towns in Hertfordshire during the same period. This was achieved by working closely with C.H. Aslin (County Architect 1945–59). Acquiring and commissioning works of art by contemporary artists as permanent fixtures in a number of those schools, funded from 0.33% per school budget. As a result the Corporate Collection now includes some highly significant sculpture and murals by 1940s/1950s British artists including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Kenneth Rowntree. Building up a collection – the SLC – of works by contemporary artists for short-term loan to Hertfordshire schools (see earlier section).
Methodology and statistics We visited fourteen schools listed as having Corporate Collection items on their premises:
We also attempted to visit the following:
They informed us that the mural by Ceri Richards we wished to see had been boarded over for several years, so there was no point in our visiting. They informed us that so far as they were concerned, the items were now their property, having converted to Academy status
All works were examined and checked against and marked on the spreadsheet lists (Appendix F) and Townley’s 2012 valuation document. We also made an individual catalogue sheet for each work we inspected.
Agenda Pack 54 of 194 Comments on individual works and schools surveyed
Sculpture
Henry Moore – Family Group 1948–49, displayed in the . This sculpture was acquired by Yorke, Rosenberg and Mardall, the architects of the revolutionary-designed school. Originally sited just in front of the , the sculpture was within the last few years moved inside and placed in the main reception area to prevent further weathering and protect it from metal thieves. The sculpture is situated in a high-traffic area and appears to be in generally good condition but has several abraded areas and some lifting to the rear of the base: it would benefit from some conservation attention.
Current location of Family Group by Henry Moore at
This photograph shows an area of lifting to the rear of the sculpture’s base
This sculpture is a major work of British art of national importance by a Hertfordshire artist and is one of four casts made by Moore of this design (the others were acquired by the Tate Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Nelson Rockefeller). As such, and after seventy years on the same site it deserves to have awideraudiencethantheschoolchildrenandstaffof duringterm- time.The alongwiththissculpture(andthe mural by Kenneth Rowntree; see below), ‘an original fixture ’. However, attention could be given to obtaining permission to find a new, secure home for it with access to the general public, as well as, at least in the meantime, including it in a circuit of public sculptures in Hertfordshire (see below).
Barbara Hepworth – Turning Forms, 1951, painted concrete, displayed in the front grounds of . This important piece, originally on a rotating base (hence its title) was commissioned by the architect Jane Drew for display at the 1951 Festival of Britain in London, and purchased for display in this location in 1952. When a letter from HCC’s Head of Building Management (dated 13 March 2012) was sent to
Agenda Pack 55 of 194 the school confirming ownership by Hertfordshire County Council. Conversations with school staff members have established that the school is not particularly attached to retaining the piece.
Barbara Hepworth’s Turning Forms on display outside the Detail of sculpture showing dirt and flaking paint
This key sculpture is Grade II listed but after sixty-five years would probably benefit from removal to a more public location and better display for the people of Hertfordshire. The sculpture is generally dirty, with its paint surface flaking in many areas. There has recently been an approach from the Barbara Hepworth Foundation which is concerned about the sculpture and have obtained a conservation survey, and this connection should be pursued.
Barbara Hepworth – Eocene, 1949, Portland stone (on a black marble plinth) located in the reception area of . The sculpture was exhibited at the Lefevre Gallery in London in 1950 (no.8), from which it was quite possibly purchased.
Barbara Hepworth’s Eocene on display at The sculpture is on open display in a ‘high’ traffic area and has been damaged in a couple of areas
Given this high-traffic site, the sculpture is in relatively good condition (apart from two areas), although it is ‘lost’ in this location and easily overlooked. This is a key piece and would better serve the people of Hertfordshire to be on permanent accessible display in the County.
Franta Belsky – The Owl and the Pussycat, 1952, terracotta (in several elements) mounted on to the wall by the entrance to This charming work was commissioned for this school from the artist who was also responsible for the famous Joy Ride sculpture in the Central Square at Stevenage as part of Hertfordshire New Towns artistic commissions (and now Grade II Listed). It would be inappropriate to move it elsewhere. The piece is in fair condition, although Agenda Pack 56 of 194 is extensively marked with ingrained dirt and bird droppings and is chipped at the bottom.
Franta Belsky’s sculpture The As can be seen, the sculpture Owl and the Pussycat sited on will always be at risk of the pre-cast concrete panels of accidental damage.
Georg Ehrlich – Two Nude Figures [actually titled Two Sisters] 1945-6, bronze sculpture on polished stone, currently stored at . This is an interesting work by an Austrian-born sculptor who fled to the UK after the Anschluss in 1938 and specialised in sculptures depicting children; the sculpture bears an inscription to his wife Bettina on the base. It was the first sculpture purchased in the scheme to acquire works of art for schools1. For many years displayed in the School’s front hall, We would recommend that the sculpture is moved as soon as possible (to the . It was taken off display apparently because the subject-matter is nowadays considered embarrassing (an interesting comment on changing public mores over the decades since the late 1940s). NB the sculpture is rather heavy, so a professional removal company would be best to use for this task. It could perhaps be accessioned into the SLC.
The current unsatisfactory location in storage at of Georg Ehrlich’s Two Sisters
Mark Harvey – St Christopher and the Christ Child 1951 wooden sculpture located in the entrance porch of This work by the popular Hertfordshire sculptor Staff at the school professed to know nothing about the sculpture, even assuming that one of their former colleagues
1 Elain Harwood, Space, Hope and Brutalism: English Architecture 1945–1975 (2015), p.173 Agenda Pack 57 of 194 or a parent was the artist, a good example of how works of art lose their meaning and identity if they are displayed without interpretation and information about them is lost. Consideration should be given to moving this sculpture to a safer location.
St. Christopher and the Christ Child by Mark Harvey displayed in its current vulnerable position at
The Enjoy! Public Art in Hertfordshire leaflet, which features the artist’s much-loved Polar Bear stone sculpture in Stevenage, states that ‘Mark Harvey’s other sculptures made of wood … do not appear to have survived’, so it is important to give proper care to this example.
Daphne Henrion – Tobias and the Angel 1950, bronze on stone base located in the . The school (1948–50) is a as a good and little altered survival of the post-War Hertfordshire building programme, and the sculpture will therefore be regarded as a fixture which would need permission to move, if this is ever thought necessary. The sculptor is of some historic interest (she was a close associate of Arthur Koestler) and the composition is charming. There is some corrosion visible and the white paint used on the stone plinth is flaking.
Tobias and the Angel by Daphne Henrion in the internal courtyard of the
Bernard Meadows – Cockerel 1952 bronze sculpture, located in the . This work is sited on looked after by the children. The artist is represented in the Tate and is well known. The sculpture is however potentially vulnerable to metalthievesasitcanbeseen(andreached)from .
Agenda Pack 58 of 194 (left) Cockerel by Bernard Meadows located
A smaller limited edition sculpture of a Cockerel by the same artist, in the Head Teacher’s office (right)
A second, smaller, moveable, bronze sculpture by the same artist is currently located in the Head Teacher’s office at this school. This work has been wrongly listed as a ‘maquette’ (a model for a finished sculpture) but in fact is a separate, limited edition sculpture in its own right (numbered 2 out of 6 casts).
Mary Spencer Watson – Adventure 1950, red sandstone sculpture located in the The artist is well-known for her association with architects working on post-War reconstruction projects, and this sculpture for one of Hertfordshire’s new schools is a good example. It is rather weathered from its sixty-five years of display outside and attention from children.
The weathered sculpture Adventure by Mary Spencer Watson ,
All these sculptures would benefit from interpretation in the form of information labels with them.
Murals The commissioning of murals for Hertfordshire’s schools went hand-in-hand with the programme of commissioning and purchasing sculptural works from contemporary artists. We inspected the following examples:
Agenda Pack 59 of 194 Penguin Christmas by Clifford Ellis, Playground by Malcolm Hughes at Untitled [Pythagoras’ Theorem] by at Kenneth Rowntree at
Russian Fairy Tales 1 by Pat Tew Russian Fairy Tales 2 by Pat Tew Russian Fairy Tales 3 by Pat Tew at at at T
Condition In view of their age and location in busy infant and primary schools, the murals are mostly in acceptable condition, but most of them are showing signs of damage. The three murals at l have recently been conserved and have had protective (and slightly visually disturbing) barriers placed in front. The are also interested in conserving their mural, an important fixture of the .
These murals represent an extremely interesting body of work by recognised artists, mostly dating from the late 1940s and early 1950s when the schools were built, and are important for the history of the County. They have recently been the subject of a study . In this connection it is worrying that two murals commissioned from Pat Tew in the same period (Ullyses and Jackolegs), which we attempted to visit at have been boarded up, and the (relatively new) Head Teacher knew nothing about them. Wooden frames have apparently been nailed around and over them in order to provide a support for false walls in the corridor and an area now being used for computer terminals, so the murals have already been damaged.
Agenda Pack 60 of 194 The covered over mural Jackolegs in a corridor at The mural visible behind
We were told that the important mural by Ceri Richards (Matisse 1951) in the dining room of which we attempted to inspect, had been boarded over several years ago. This appears to be a major example of work by this well-respected British artist, and features on the Townley 2012 valuation document with a valuation of £60,000. It is therefore important that the condition of this valuable cultural asset (of national significance) is checked and if, possible, uncovered.
We did not have time to see Dinosaurs in Flight, a mural by Cliff Roe and Partners at
Research on murals in Hertfordshire also revealed that at least two other murals were commissioned for the new schools at about this time. However, they do not appear on the spreadsheet list: : mural by John Greene; : mural painted by students and teachers of the Bath Academy of Art – attempts should be made to check if these are still in existence Harbour Scene mural by Julian Trevelyan and Mary Fedden. This large mural is by two important Royal Academicians and (http://www. org.uk/541/) is still in existence and is very valuable: why is it not counted by HCC as amongst its holdings?
John Newsom/Yorke Rosenberg Mardall apparently also commissioned some titles byPeggyAngusfor . Again, these are not listed on the spreadsheet provided.
GROUPS OF WORKS OF ART IN OTHER SCHOOLS
Thirty watercolours by the Hitchin-based artist Samuel Lucas (the son of another local artist, Samuel Lucas Senior (1805-70)) are in the possession of this school, which lent them to in about 1980 (they are all kept in solander storage boxes there). We were however able to find onlynineteenoftheseinthemuseum.T isunableto account for the remaining eleven, of which there is some record of having been transferredtothe .Thatis,however,apparently not the case, and so these items are currently missing and need to be searched for.
Agenda Pack 61 of 194 These works have strong connections with Hertfordshire and so should remain in the County. With future cost savings in mind, we would recommend that the watercolours are permanently transferred to (where they have beenonloanforthreeandahalfdecades);objectsinthe arecurrently being transferred to the new .
Twenty-five artefacts are listed on the spreadsheet of Corporate Collection items in schools. Formerly , this school converted to Academy status in . We were unable to find all of the items on the spreadsheet, but found another two items in addition to the original list. the school’s business manager, is insistent that the items are now the property of the school and not the County Council, and indeed all of the items have an historical connection with the school, its teachers and pupils. We therefore recommend that research is undertaken as to whether any correspondence exists in between the school and the County Council concerning the future ownership of these artefacts (the school’s staff were unable to produce any). It should be noted that these items appear on Townley’s 2012 valuation list, so are presumably being commercially insured by the County Council.
We attempted to inspect the eight items listed as being, here, which include several works by the sculptor John Mills and a print by Barbara Hepworth (which is on the Townley valuation list and so presumably being commercially insured by the County Council). We were however told that since the schoolhad converted to Academystatus ) and that therefore the itemsnow belonged to the school, there would be no point. Again, the documentary evidence for this needs to be located.
Recommendations
As a matter of priority, it is important to (1) Undertake a full audit of everything that is located in schools in Hertfordshire in order to produce a full and accurate inventory. Due to time constraints we were able only to visit comparatively few schools holding Corporate Collection items, but it quickly became evident in trying set up visits that the lists of artefacts are incomplete and inaccurate and that there is considerable confusion over ownership and responsibility. As many of these items are by important artists and therefore valuable assets for the County this is an especially pressing matter.
(2) Research and establish the true ownership of all such items. If any are found to belong to the schools, put this in writing and on a legal footing – with documentation regarding transfer of title – so there will be no doubt in future and so that responsibility for commercial insurance liabilities are clarified (with cost savings to the County, as necessary). Equally, establish what the County wishes to retain. This is especially important in view of HMG’s plans to turn all schools into Academies, so that valuable HCC assets do not inadvertently become the property of individual schools.
Agenda Pack 62 of 194 (3) Items found to be the property of the County should be numbered and placed on a specialist artefact database. Regular audits of all the works should take place. One person (a member of HCC staff or a consultant) should become the contact point for all schools holding this material, from whom permission should be sought before undertaking any work or process affecting these works of art.
(4) Consider better placement of some of these items, with improved public access. The works of art acquired for the schools in the late 1940s and early 1950s are culturally important on a national scale and should be regarded as a source of pride for the County, representing a pioneering educational initiative at that time. However, by definition, located as they are in schools, the works are seen only by schoolchildren, staff and parents (and only for portions of each year). We recommend that much more is made of the presence of these important artefacts in the schools. For example, there could be a ‘trail’ for the public to visit the murals and sculptures across Hertfordshire for a limited period – say, two weekends – every summer, outside term-time. This information could appear on a website as well as in leaflet form. Sponsorship could be sought from local companies and the public in the form of an ‘adopt an object’ scheme. This money (as well as funds raised from e.g. hiring out County Hall – see above – could also pay for murals to be conserved.
(5) The sculptures by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth could be placed on public display in other areas of Hertfordshire.
Agenda Pack 63 of 194 LIBRARIES
Overview Seventeen libraries are listed on the spreadsheet (Appendix G, marked to show the items we inspected) as holding works of art. We visited the following:
Carved and Painted Wooden Bench by Nicola Henshaw (slightly worn) Papageno Figure 1997 ceramic and wire sculpture by Jane Muir Untitled Wall Piece ceramic sculpture by Jane Muir These works are all located in the and were commissioned for the new Library. The two sculptures feature in the
We did not inspect the other (minor) items listed as being in this Library.
There are two site-specific commissioned sculptures: The Tree of Knowledge (1991) stone, by Mark Folds sited and which is featured in the . The sandstone is badly weathered and there is much ingrained dirt and damage due to water ingress. Wind Spirit painted metal, by Susannah Oliver (a local artist), commissioned with sponsorship from the NatWest Art at Work Award and located on the building’s facade. There are patches of rusting, with overgrown plants nearby.
Bright Day, Southwold oil on board by B M Johnson, currently in storage. Provenance unknown and of minimal cultural and financial value.
Germination (c.1988) acrylic on canvas by Frank Fidler ( ), a large abstract painting currently located on the landing of the rear staircase and rather vulnerable to damage. This artist was commissioned to produce four works for the extension to Hertford County Hall in the early 1970s (see section above). Lowe Wood Museum (1977) watercolour/gouache by J C Haslam, hung in the . This was the former location of
Mid-Hertfordshire Landscape oil on board by Hertfordshire artist John Akers There are also two historical prints (1832) of Grand Steeple Chase
Several items of local interest and of minimal financial value.
Agenda Pack 64 of 194 There are a number of pictures here of local interest, none of which were on display, including a number of drawings by local artist Peter Wagon (wrongly described as ‘Waton’ on the list). There is also an interesting 16th century engraved map of Hertfordshire by Christopher Saxton. All of these works require conservation/better framing and display, as they are all of local interest. Wymondham 24/75 screenprint by John Piper (described as ‘Unknown Church’ in the spreadsheet and on the Townley’s valuation document). This is hung on the staircase and is not in good condition – it requires conservation work.
Sprang (1974) three-dimensional wool and metal sculpture by Peter Collingwood (a Digswell Trust artist – see Schools Loan Collection), commissioned for the and conserved in 2013. This is a major piece and sited in the seen by all visitors. It is however in danger of fading from light from the lightwell above. An explanatory caption nearby does not state the title of the work. Ginger Cat with Head of Apollo oil on paper by Leo McDowell (Hertfordshire artist), apparently sponsored by T C Farries & Co to commemorate the official opening of the Central Resources Library in 1993, and moved to the current location when the Library was refurbished in The artist is also represented in the SLC. Sir Frederic J Osborn (1885-1978) (unknown artist) and Sir Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928) (Ruth Young) –
Boundaries I and Boundaries II by Marilyn Middlemiss, c.1993 (Hertfordshire artist); two unframed abstract works located in the . Apparently they were previously located at New Barnfield when the was located there. One is hung over a radiator and has visible cracking. Both require interpretive captions.
A number of items are located here that are on loan from These are mostly works by local ( ) artists. The spreadsheet lists provided to us are inaccurate (four items are not listed and there are several mistakes as regards artists and titles). The items have almostallbeenonloanto since1987;hereisthefulllist: : No number Silver Rose Bowl Presented in memory of Helen M Nimmo 1987.5 The Black Cottages by Ada E Pedley 1987.5.1 Dumbarton Rock (From the Tail of the Framed in same way as 1987.5.2 to 6, Bank) etching by W L Wylie presumably all acquired by the Library as a set, c.1914 1987.5.2 The Clyde at Govan etching by W L Ditto Wylie 1987.5.3 The Coming of Autumn (published Ditto 1913) etching & aquatint by Fred Slocombe
Agenda Pack 65 of 194 1987.5.4 Eashing Bridge etching by Wilfrid Ball Ditto 1987.5.5 Portail de la Calende, Rouen Ditto (published 1912) etching & aquating by J Alphege Brewer 1987.5.6 The Mangia Tower [Siena] print by Ditto Arthur Turrell 1987.5.7 Print by Hubert von Herkomer Unable to locate 1987.5.8 The Horse Fair print Unable to locate 1987.5.9 – 5 An Idyl (1889) set of prints by Herbert Unable to locate print 4 in the set von Herkomer 1987.5.10 Merry Hill photograph of a print 1987.5.11 Old Man by Hubert von Herkomer Unable to locate 1987.5.12 The Hills painting attributed to D R Horsfield 1987.5.13 Untitled Landscape painting (c.1938) In memory of Lilly Rose (died June by M Lewis 1966) 1987.5.14 The Bride and the Canary painting by Presented by Mr & Mrs Peter Copley Ethel Gabain 1987.5.15 The Rough Meadow [‘View from Top of Giant Tree Hill’ (Bushey)] (1952) watercolour by H C White 1987.5.16 Pot Plants on a Windowsill painting by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.17 The Coronation Arch from Falconer Road, Bushey painting by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.18 A Cheeky Little Youngster watercolour by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.19 Prince Adolphus, later HRH The Duke After the original 1782 portrait in the of Cambridge (1774-1850) coloured Royal Collection mezzotint after Thomas Gainsborough by E E Milner (1920) 1987.5.20 Bushey Church (1815) engraving by Presented 1947 by the Book Circle, W B Cooke Thomas Hearne Bushey Community Association 1987.5.21 Azelea painting by unknown artist Unable to locate 1987.5.22 Autumn View of St James’s Church, Bushey painting by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.23 Kingsley, High Street, Bushey painting by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.24 Kingsley, Bushey watercolour by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.25 Coronation Arch, Bushey painting by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.26 The Pond and High Street, Bushey painting by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.27 Prospect Cottages, High Street, Bushey watercolour by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.28 Prospect Cottages, High Street, Bushey watercolour by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.29 The Odeon, Watford watercolour by Lucy Marguerite Frobisher 1987.5.30 Bushey High Street watercolour by Presented by Miss C C Cooper, a unknown C19 artist Herkomer student 1987.5.31 South View of Bushey Grange lithograph by unknown artist - Model of HMS ‘Woodpecker’ made by Presented 1943 by the ship’s officers ship’s bosun to commemorate their adoption by Bushey
NB 1987.5.13 by ‘M Lewis’ has been recorded as being by the early 20th century artist Morland Lewis (1903–43); this assertion needs further research.
This collection mostly represents an important and distinct body of work either associated with artists who worked in (Hubert von Herkomer, Lucy Marguerite Frobisher) or local topography. We recommend that this collection is
Agenda Pack 66 of 194 transferred to on a permanent basis. The exceptions are several historical prints (1987.5.1-6, 1987.5.19) which were presumably acquired by in the early decades of the 20th century for display there. These latteritemscouldberegardedasoutside collectingpolicyand therefore as candidates for possible disposal (although they, of course, do have a local association in that they hung in the local Library for a number of years).
Overview of Findings
Condition – generally fair. Most of the works had clearly not been inspected or given any attention for a very long time. Of the forty-eight works we viewed in ten venues, sixteen were on public display (33%).
Provenance and documentation – this seems distinctly patchy for many items and needs further research.
Use/display/continuation of service – About one third of the works in libraries were on display in public areas but were clearly neglected, e.g., displayed high up and lacking signs or labels explaining what they were. The mural Germination by Frank Fidler at was in good condition but poorly displayed on a staircase with inadequate lighting. At .
Recommendations
(1) Most items have a distinct local connection with the towns/villages and libraries (or museum) in which they are held. It might be decided that any Corporate Collection works with an association to a particular library could have ownership transferred to that library. This would have to be done in writing with a transfer of title.
(2) Alternatively, HCC could retain ownership of the item and place it on a long- term loan basis but this would have to be managed with regular inspections. Responsibility for care, cleaning, repair, security would be agreed between the parties in writing.
(3) As recommended for the Corporate Collection located in across the County, a full and accurate inventory of all items should be made and placed on a database and regular audits made.
(4) See recommendation above for
Agenda Pack 67 of 194 Agenda Pack 68 of 194 LARGE SCULPTURES NOT FALLING INTO THE ABOVE CATEGORIES
Untitled (Water Feature with Reclining Nude) 1970 Portland stone and Derbyshire limestone sculpture with associated elements by James Butler RA This sculpture was commissioned by Maxwell Fry, the architect of the White Lion Square development for Hatfield New Town and was originally located in the middle of a pool, water jets directed over the shell from stone elements behind it. Both the shell and the stone elements were fitted with pipework and plumbing. The artist had been a resident at Digswell Arts Trust. The work was removed and taken to New Barnfield (then Hatfield School) in 1986 and then afterwards placed into storage at
The sculpture’s condition is fair but clearly needs conservation: it is dirty, badly weathered, and there is a crudely repaired loss and cracking on the figure’s torso (the sculpture has reportedly undergone conservation work, but there is little evidence for this). While we were undertaking this project HCC received a request from the Mayor of Hatfield to re-site the sculpture near . As the sculpture was commissioned for Hatfield New Town, some research needs to be undertaken as regards its legal ownership (Hatfield Town Council or HCC, on whose books it appears?) to in order to decide on future financial responsibility and liability. If the re-siting goes ahead, it is proposed that this time the sculpture will operate without its associated water jets, and we strongly recommend that the artist is contacted to ensure he is happy with this idea.
The crude repair and cracking on the figure’s torso The sculpture has extensive ingrained dirt. are visible in this photograph
Inside Out 2001 concrete and mosaic sculpture by Michael Condron as a collaborative project with young people We were informed about the existence of this sculpture some way into the project and were asked to include it in this report; it does not appear on the spreadsheet lists of Corporate items.
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Agenda Pack 69 of 194 The sculpture was commissioned by HCC as part of the ‘Herts Art Attack’ project and consists of seven separate elements, originally sited outside Burydale House, Stevenage (HCC Children’s Centre). It was moved to
There is some slight cracking, dirt, moss, lichen and damp patches on the various elements, and several mosaic tesserae are missing. Photographs on the artist’s website show an originally more attractive arrangement of the elements that comprise the sculpture.
The sculpture’s configuration on the artist’s website The current configuration outside
It is unknown why this decision was taken or whether it was with the artist’s consent. When we inspected it on 23 February 2016, the sculpture was rather crudely roped off (to prevent damage from reversing cars?), resulting in a visually distracting result. Located behind the barrier into the car park, the work is not on proper public display; a sad outcome for a publicly-financed collaborative project.
Three sculptures of Queen Eleanor from the Eleanor Cross at Waltham Abbey Caen stone by Alexander of Abingdon, c.1291-3. The better-weathered sculpture from this trio of survivals from the Cross is on open display in the Medieval Galleries of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London; the remaining two (in less good condition) are held at the V&A’s external storage facility. The loan of these items to the V&A dates from 1985 and was renewed in September 2015 for a further period of three years.
These sculptures are rare survivals from the celebrated series of commemorative crosses erected by King Edward I in memory of his late wife Queen Eleanor of Castile and are of national importance. The cross at Waltham Abbey was the tenth of the twelve stopping places on the Queen’s funeral procession from Lincolnshire to Westminster Abbey, and by the 18th century was the best preserved of the three surviving examples. The statues of the Queen on Waltham Cross were many years ago removed to preserve them from further weathering and replaced by replicas.
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Agenda Pack 70 of 194 The Eleanor Cross at Waltham Abbey in the early The best preserved statue of Queen Eleanor on 19th century display at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London
The best-preserved sculpture of the trio was lent to the major 1987-88 exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art in London, The Age of Chivalry: Art in Plantagenet England 1200-1400.
As there is currently no suitable location to display them within Hertfordshire, it is fitting that these sculptures should be on loan to the V&A, the national sculpture collection. In 2012 Townley valued the three sculptures at a total of they are presumably being commercially insured for this amount by the County. However, the V&A is insuring them under the terms of the Government Indemnity Scheme. We therefore recommend that HCC investigates whether it is unnecessarily paying for insurance.
We recommend that HCC consider the option of transferring title to these sculptures to the V&A from which, in the longer term, they may be lent back to Hertfordshire (for display, for example, in the new St Albans Museum, and with no need for insurance, as this would be covered by Government Indemnity).
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Agenda Pack 71 of 194 HERTFORDSHIRE ART COLLECTIONS: OPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
NB None of these options is mutually exclusive and may be combined.
Option Pros Cons ReinstatetheSLCservice Noreputationaldamageand Would require ongoing specialist would continue the principled management and financial initiative begun by John Newsom investment in conservation, in late 1940s, a source of local documentation and re- pride. presentation of the collection and its full participation in the arts scene, e.g. loans to public exhibitions, County buildings; production of publications, etc.
Is such a service really required in the early 21st century? NB some money appears to be retained in the Libraries budget for the service. Set up charitable trust to manage Would remove the administration As above, would require specialist the SLC which could possibly be burden from HCC while retaining management and financial pre-funded by a local business the items in public ownership for support, at least on an initial company or association, the trust the benefit of the people of Herts. basis. set up by a local solicitor and In order to develop the collection accounts managed by a local firm, and maintain interest, all pro bono. sponsorship funding could be sought to acquire a work per year relevant to Hertfordshire. Donate all works to another Would free up administrative and Recipients may wish for a museum or museum service in the financial responsibility for the financial ‘endowment’ to County, e.g. the new St Albans collection and conform to accompany the donation to pay Museum (HLF-funded) for display Museums Association’s Code of for remedial conservation work, and care for the people of Ethics for Disposal. etc. Hertfordshire (they have plans to hold an exhibition on the SLC) Works of art would remain in and/or to the new Museum of Hertfordshire for the benefit of its North Hertfordshire. citizens.
North Hertfordshire Museum has a store and discussions could be made at an early stage to allow for additional items to be housed there. This would guarantee that the collection would be professionally cared for and would be available for the public.
Donate all SLC works and Would free up administrative and University may wish for a financial Corporate Collection works in financial responsibility for the ‘endowment’ to accompany the Schools to the University of collection and conform to donation to pay for remedial Hertfordshire (Hatfield) to Museum Association’s Code of conservation work, etc. administer. The collection was Ethics for Disposal. It would established in 1952 as part of ensure professional knowledge HCC’s aim to place modern art in and care, would keep the art in the places where people lived and public domain within the County worked and now comprises over and guarantee its use as an 450 items. The HCC collection educational resource. would be a good fit with University Collection being 20th Century British art, many with a local
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Agenda Pack 72 of 194 connection. A sculpture trail across the campus is now in progress. Sculpture from the HCC Corporate Collection would again be a good match for this project.
Donate the most important works Would free up administrative and County would be left with less- to the University of Hertfordshire financial responsibility for the important works on its books. (Hatfield) to integrate with their collection which would then be existing collections in this area or professionally managed, and to a local museum. partly conform to Museums Association’s Code of Ethics for Disposal SellallitemsintheSLC WouldraisemoneyforCounty Risk of reputational damage to and free up resources at the HCC. CSU. Severely risks public confidence in publicly-owned collections and museums; money raised may not be the total hoped for as so many items are in poor condition.
HCC would have to ensure that donors (of works of art as well as money) were happy with this situation or would like to have the objects/money refunded to them. Dispose of/sell the most important Would raise some money to care Selling off items of high cultural works in the SLC e.g. all works for remainder of the collection value in order to care for those of with a score of more than 70, and less such value would be difficult use proceeds to look after to justify in business terms and remainder would bring possible reputational damage. Many of the remaining works of art are in poor condition. Dispose of/sell the least important Would raise some money to care Still risks reputational damage works in the SLC, e.g. all works for the remainder of the collection unless carefully managed with a score of less than 30, and and free the administration from according to the Museums use proceeds to look after the burden of caring for less Association’s Code of Ethics and remainder important items rationale explained. Commission a local artist to work Would raise profile of the SLC Needs careful media handling to with the least important SLC and interest in its future explain rationale. works to create a new public project Use items from a rationalised SLC Less reputational damage and Would require specialist for display in County buildings makes good use of the collection management, financial support as for more of the people of above. Hertfordshire than just schoolchildren Find other ways to make money Would raise funds without having Needs administrative support and from the collection, e.g.: to sell the collection; monies specialist advice. Rent out the most could be used for conservation important works to local and re-presentation of the companies remaining collection. Obtain sponsorship for individual works from local companies and the public (e.g. ‘Adopt an Object’ scheme) Explore options for enabling specialist companies (e.g. Bridgeman Art Library) to 5
Agenda Pack 73 of 194 manage reproduction and copyright of images for greetings card market, etc. See section dealing with Corporate Collection at County Hall for additional funding ideas.
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Agenda Pack 74 of 194 Future Ongoing Management & Maintenance by HCC
As discussed above, a central point of contact should be appointed who could deal with future enquiries about the collections (such as those via ArtUK, loans out, research questions, FoI questions. This person (a member of HCC staff or a consultant) would also undertake regular audits of the collections and ensure that permission would need to be given before any works of art were changed, moved or altered in any way A full research project needs to be put in hand (could be done using a consultant) to find out exactly what HCC owns in each school (particularly before the advent of universal Academies) and record them fully and professionally. A collections management policy should be instituted to care for the collections in the future.
Insurance Costs We have highlighted where savings could be made in terms of insurance premiums (currently £29,925 per annum): items which may have transferred to schools when they became Academies; items which could be transferred to relevant organisations such as the Bushey Museum; items in ; and items which are already being insured under the terms of the Government Indemnity Scheme.
Advantages of Caring for the Collection properly
increased awareness of and pride in the history of the County increased enjoyment of culture and participation in the arts, educational and social programmes, inspiring a greater awareness of place, localism and benefit to local communities, a demand from local people to see and participate in ‘their collection’ increased publicity for the county, educational and social programmes, inspiring a sense of place, localism, benefits to local communities, demand to see “their collection”. potential income generation, including sponsorship, new gifts/money, money from hire of County Hall, etc; encouragement of Hertfordshire as an attractive place to live and/or run a business, more visitor attractions (e.g. sculpture and mural trails), loans to exhibitions, marketing opportunities (publications, etc.)
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Agenda Pack 75 of 194 Consequences of disposal
negative national and local publicity and reputational damage major loss cultural loss for the County and loss of its local history creation of unwelcome precedent for other local authority collections failure to fulfil terms of care and preservation discouragement to possible donors loss of marketing potential reduction in County pride/sense of belonging/localism loss of a resource for stakeholders/researchers/visitors/educators unseen costs of disposal (e.g. seller’s premiums, etc.)
NB Disposals should be in accordance with the Museums Association’s Code of Ethics and Arts Council England’s guidelines. Procedures should be transparent and according to written criteria.
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Agenda Pack 76 of 194 SWOT ANALYSIS OF COLLECTIONS IN THEIR CURRENT STATE
Strengths
Unique history of the County and the collection Noble purpose in establishing an art collection The collections include many good works of art and some significant artists Historic items relevant to the county Relatively wealthy County Good collection of mid-20th century prints by well-known artists. Most paintings are in relatively good condition Some original frames Most of the works were purchased, rather than donated, so will be relatively easy to dispose of if required The majority of items have now been surveyed and photographed
Weaknesses
o No funding available currently o No staff resources currently allocated o No professional staff with required expertise o Many key works were sold in the past o No fit-for-purpose storage o o Reframing required for many works o Majority of works of little or no value o Low visibility of the collection; even works on display appear ‘invisible’ o Little or no knowledge of the collection o Little or no information/documentation on the items o No comprehensive inventory o Many items appear to be missing o Current tendency of collections to be seen as a burden rather than an asset
Opportunities
Several large companies in County – possible support/sponsorship Several country hotels in area – financial sponsorship or art placement Two new museums currently being built – North Hertfordshire and St Albans – take advantage while under construction to engage them and perhaps transfer ownership of the collection, seek storage in the new museums and/or secure professional advice University of Hertfordshire could offer a home, professional management, public display, etc. Great potential to use collections as a way of encouraging local pride and interest Use this report to celebrate the collections, gain publicity and announce future plans. Use this report as a fundraising opportunity.
Threats
Continuous budget cuts from Council Potential pressure to sell items Lack of interest from HCC/ public/ stakeholders Many stakeholders have a negative opinion of the art
Negative publicity from media – local + national
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Agenda Pack 77 of 194 LIST OF SOURCES
The Architecture of Yorke Rosenberg Mardall 1944-1972 (1972)
Bacon, Caroline & McGregor, James, Edward Bawden (Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford 2008)
Black, Jonathan, Edward Wadsworth: Form, Feeling and Calculation: The Complete Paintings and Drawings (2005)
Bowness, Alan, Henry Moore: Sculpture and Drawings, Volume II: 1949-1954 (1965)
Burke, Catherine & Howard, Jeremy & Cunningham, Peter, The Decorated School: Essays on the Visual Culture of Schooling (2013)
Cannon-Brookes, Peter, Michael Ayrton (1978)
Elwall, Robert, Building a Better Tomorrow (2000)
Festival of Britain 1951, Catalogue of Exhibits (1951)
Harper, Charles, The Cambridge, Ely and King’s Lynn Road: The Great Fenland Highway (1902)
Harwood, Elaine, Space, Hope and Brutalism: English Architecture 1945-1975 (2015)
Hertfordshire Festival of Education of the Arts at Barclay School, Stevenage, 26-30 June 1951 [leaflet]
Historic England, Out There: Our Post-War Public Art [booklet for exhibition at Somerset House, London, February – April 2016]
Hopkins, Harry, The New Look: A Social History of the Forties and Fifties in Britain (1963)
Levinson, Orde, The Prints of John Piper: Quality and Experiment: A Catalogue Raisonné 1923-1991 (2010)
Milner, John, Kenneth Rowntree (2002)
Parker, David, John Newsom: A Hertfordshire Educationalist (2005)
Pevsner, Nicklaus, The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire (1953, revised 1977)
Powers, Alan, ‘Architects and Artists in English Modernism’, AA Files No. 25, Summer 1993
Public Catalogue Foundation, Oil Paintings in Public Ownership in Hertfordshire (2008)
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Agenda Pack 78 of 194 Read, Herbert, Barbara Hepworth: Carvings and Drawings (1952)
Royal Academy of Arts, Age of Chivalry: Art in Plantagenet England 1200-1400 (catalogue for exhibition at the RA, 1987-1988)
Saint, Andrew, Towards a Social Architecture: The Role of School-Building in Post-War
Shone, Richard, Rodrigo Moynihan: Paintings and Works on Paper (1988)
Tait, Simon & Russell Taylor, John, Philip Sutton: Life and Work (2008)
Tietze-Conrat, Erica, Georg Ehrlich (1956)
Wilkinson, Alan, The Drawings of Barbara Hepworth (2015)
Wiseman, Caroline, Elisabeth Frink: Original Prints: Catalogue Raisonné (1998)
Interviews with
Michelle Murphy, Principal Librarian 30 November 2015 Robert Gordon, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council 16 December 2015 Facilities Manager, Marlborough Science Academy, St. Albans 15 January 2016 Facilities Manager, The Barclay School, Stevenage 25 January 2016 Head Teacher, Sheredes School, Hoddesdon 10 February 2016 Librarian, Sele School, Hertford 8 March 2016 Annabel Lucas, Curator, University of Hertfordshire 3 March 2016 Business Manager, Richard Hale School, Hertford 8 March 2016 , former County Arts Officer 8 March 2016 Nickos Gogolos, Chief Registrar, V&A 22 April 2016
Websites on Schools Loan Collection:
2009: http://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/page_id__234.aspx?path=0p4p38p160p http://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/page_id__48.aspx
2014: http://www.thegrid.org.uk/learning/elearning/content/countyart/
Websites on Sculpture and Murals in Hertfordshire Schools:
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Agenda Pack 79 of 194 12
Agenda Pack 80 of 194 LIST OF APPENDICES
Schools A Spreadsheet of all items, annotated to show which were Loan Collection checked in the various locations, with marks for cultural value, etc. B Items listed as being out on loan when the service was suspended in 2012, annotated to show which ones were physically inspected. C Schools listed as having works of art on loan and which we did not visit | List of items in schools we did not inspect, unassigned numbers, items reportedly sold or lost/destroyed and items not falling into any of these categories, the whereabouts of which are unknown Corporate D Spreadsheet of all items, annotated to show which were Collection: checked. County Hall & Shire Hall E Table of items at County Hall Corporate F Spreadsheet of all items, annotated to show which were Collection: checked. Schools Corporate G Spreadsheet of all items, annotated to show which were Collection: checked. Libraries
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Agenda Pack 81 of 194 Agenda Item No.
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL 4
EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND LOCALISM CABINET PANEL TUESDAY, 5 JUNE 2018 at 10:00AM
OUTCOME OF THE PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS ON THE PROPOSAL TO RECONFIGURE EXISTING SERVICES TO SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT THEM TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PRIMARY-AGED CHILDREN WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES (SpLD) BY 31 MARCH 2019
Report of the Director of Children’s Services
Report Authors: David Canning; County Lead SEND Specialist Advice and Support Tel – 01992 588556 Phil Brunt, Planning Officer, School Planning Team; Tel – 01992 555811
Executive Members: Terry Douris, Education, Libraries & Localism Teresa Heritage, Children, Young People and Families
1. Purpose of report
1.1 To inform the Panel of the outcome of the public consultation on the proposal to reconfigure existing outreach services to schools to support them to meet the needs of primary aged pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD).
1.2 In light of the responses received to the public consultation, to enable the Panel to make any comments or recommendations to Cabinet, so that Cabinet can decide on 18 June 2018 whether to publish statutory notices.
2. Summary
2.1 Hertfordshire’s Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy 2015-18 has established a number of reviews to ensure services and provision are fit for purpose and can meet current and future needs. The work of the SEND Executive along with School Forum is focused on the effective and equitable use of Hertfordshire’s high needs funding. The work is not about making savings to SEND services but about reshaping out- dated provision and redirecting resources to new areas of need so as to improve our overall provision.
2.2 The SEND Executive (a collective stakeholder Board) steers this work and prioritised SpLD services for review. Following this review the SEND Executive has recommended that specialist SpLD provision should be maintained but should be reconfigured and focused on children with high level needs correspondingAgenda to PackTier 282 and of 194Tier 3 work (See 5.7 below). Tier 1
1 work is considered to be universal provision and is covered within the quality first teaching offer within all schools. This would bring the SpLD service into line with the other SEND support services that are funded from the High Needs Block. In the round, the proposals are intended to improve the overall offer of services to children across all 3 tiers.
2.3 Currently services for SpLD in the primary sector are delivered from 10 primary schools across the county. Each has additional funding for a resource base for SpLD. The specification for these bases originally included placements for a small number of pupils with SpLD but no pupils have been placed at the bases for many years. Pupils with SpLD remain educated in their local school and where it is necessary for Specialist Advice and Support, this is provided from specialist SpLD staff employed at the 10 primary schools with the resource bases. The resource bases are used to hold a wide range of books and resources that can be viewed and loaned to schools. The base staff also deliver a broad range of free or low cost training. As all pupils, their families and staff at all schools across the county could be affected by the proposal, they have all been consultees.
2.4 In order to achieve the outcome wanted by the SEND Executive and supported by Officers, a public consultation for the reconfiguring of the service started on 2 October 2017 and timetabled to end on 20 December 2017. The majority of respondents disagreed with the proposals and all concerns are explained in section 7. Of the 398 schools receiving services only 11 head teachers and 23 SENCos responded. In total respondents identified themselves with 83 of the 398 potential schools, although there was ambiguity in the question so this might be an underestimate. 54% of those were associated with just 4 schools.
2.5 Based on the outcome of the consultation a revised set of proposals has been developed which is set out below. This is intended to address concerns raised, whilst also meeting the objectives of the original proposal.
2.6 The Executive Member for Children, Young People and Families has requested that this report be considered at the Education, Libraries and Localism Cabinet Panel on 5 June 2018. Members of the Children, Young People and Families Cabinet Panel are invited to attend this meeting on 5 June 2018 to express their views on this item if they wish.
3. Recommendation
3.1 That the Education, Libraries and Localism Cabinet Panel recommends to Cabinet that it accepts the amended proposals as detailed within this report and agrees to publish a statutory notice to close the 10 primary SpLD bases.
4. Background and context
4.1 In December 2016 the DfE asked all local authorities to prioritise a strategic review of their SEND high needs services to ensure the needs of children and young people are met and that best use is made of high needs funding. Officers had already commenced a programme of reviews Agenda Pack 83 of 194 2
through the Council’s SEND Strategy 2015-18, attached here1 and had established a collective stakeholder Board (The SEND Executive) to manage and monitor this work.
4.2 The SEND Executive members are made up of representatives from mainstream and special Headteacher forums, health, early years, colleges, County Council senior officers, Herts for Learning (HfL) and parents. Established in 2015, the members of the SEND Executive collectively steer the Council’s strategy about the development and delivery of SEND services and provision. The work of the SEND Executive feeds into the School Forum and informs the effective and equitable use of Hertfordshire’s high needs funding.
4.3 Hertfordshire’s High Needs Block of the Delegated Schools’ Grant (DSG) provides the funding for all high needs services and provision and it is these services that the work of the SEND Executive is largely concerned with. Local authorities are experiencing increasing pressures on high needs funding with many of them overspending. Hertfordshire is not currently in this position due to the effective and planned approach it has taken to managing the high needs budget to date. However Hertfordshire is now experiencing similar upward pressures particularly on high cost specialist placements. Hertfordshire’s changing demography and patterns of needs mean that the County Council must continually review its priorities so that officers can make sure funding is allocated on the most efficient and equitable basis taking account of current and future pressures.
4.4 The SEND Executive is steering a range of the County Council’s high needs reviews and workstreams in order to ensure appropriate services and provision are available in Hertfordshire to address the changing pattern of needs and support children and young people with increasingly complex SEND. As indicated above the work of the SEND Executive along with the School Forum is not about reducing funding for SEND services but reshaping some out-dated provision and redirecting funding to new areas of need. Increasing and changing pressures and demands require us to increase a number of areas including special school provision, services for behaviour and social, emotional and mental health, provision for children and young people with severe and profound learning difficulties, services for children with autism and complex communication difficulties and provision for early years with high level SEND.
5. SpLD review
5.1. The SpLD bases were established in Hertfordshire over 20 years ago and since they were established there have been very significant changes in SEND legislation and statutory guidance and in the responsibilities of schools for meeting the needs of pupils with SEND. With far greater delegation of the available funding, schools are now required to support the majority of pupils with all categories of special educational needs and/or disabilities from their own resources.
1 https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/microsites/local-offer/media-library/documents/policies-and- procedures/hertfordshires-send-strategy.pdfAgenda Pack 84 of 194 3
5.2 There is now far greater knowledge and understanding about SpLD and over time schools have increased their capacity to identify and meet the needs of these pupils. This has gone hand in hand with recognition that SpLD is a high incidence SEND affecting, by some estimates, 4 children in every class. All schools will have pupils with SpLD on their roll that they need to cater for as part of their ordinarily available provision.
5.3 At the time of the SpLD Workstream review, part of the SEND Strategy 2015-2018, there were 2 secondary schools with SpLD bases. These had been established to provide placements for pupils with SpLD but the review found that pupils with SpLD were now successfully catered for in local mainstream secondary schools and, following formal consultation, the secondary SpLD bases have been de-commissioned.
5.4 The review identified that the 10 primary SpLD bases tended to respond to a broad range of local needs. When the bases were originally established their intended purpose included provision of places for primary pupils with SpLD. However the bases have not had children placed there for many years and currently they provide outreach services to children in their local schools. The review also found that services were delivered differently across the County and were not consistent or equitable.
5.4 The review considered that the level and model of SpLD provision in Hertfordshire is now not commonly found in the majority of local authorities. Information recently obtained from examination of documents online, including the Local Offers, for ten statistical neighbours of Hertfordshire indicate a diverse range of services across local authorities. Only one service (Bracknell Forest) has a separate service for SpLD although two others (Buckinghamshire and West Berkshire) have a specialist service encompassing specific and general learning difficulties. There was reference to a traded service in four local authorities (Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire and West Berkshire). Only two of the ten authorities (Hampshire and West Berkshire) have specialist additionally resourced mainstream provision for SpLD and, in both these authorities the provision is for secondary aged students only.
5.5 Hertfordshire’s primary SpLD services are currently funded from the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). The budget for the 10 Bases in 2017-18 was £1,617,663 and an additional £58,000 funds accredited SpLD training for school staff. Although entirely funded from the High Needs Block the review found that much of the work of the bases is not focused on pupils with high level needs. The bases have developed a broad training role to support mainstream schools and they provide universal early intervention support as well as specialist and targeted support for individual pupils.
5.6 The review recognised that, despite schools’ increasing abilities to meet SpLD, there will continue to be some pupils with more complex needs where a school might not have the necessary level of expertise and where additional support and advice would be needed. The SEND Executive considered that a targeted and specialist SpLD service should be maintained. However,Agenda it was consideredPack 85 of 194that there needed to be a better 4
balance between what schools ordinarily provide for pupils with SpLD and the use of High Needs funding to provide additional services, as for other types of SEND. The review concluded that support could be enhanced by reconfiguring the way the service was organised, and focused.
5.7 In common with other areas of SEND a ‘tiered’ approach has been developed to describe how the needs of pupils with SpLD will be met with support at Tier 2 and Tier 3, building on the universal support that all schools provide:
Tier 1 : Universal Support and Quality First Teaching Tier 2 : Targeted Advice and Support Tier 3 : Specialist Support
5.8 Following the review, the SpLD working group developed options for the future of the service. At its meeting on 16 November 2016 the SEND Executive considered two options put forward from the working group. Both options proposed reductions in the funding of the service (one to 65% of the current funding and the other to 50% of the current funding). The SEND Executive considered that a greater reduction was more appropriate on the basis of the findings of the review and proposed a further preferred option of a funding envelope of less than 50% of the current funding.
5.9 Options were presented to Schools Forum on 7 December 2016. The Forum endorsed a reduction in the budget for the service to £728k and a model that provided for 10.7 specialist SpLD teachers, a professional SpLD lead, administrative support and accredited training. The service would focus on pupils with more challenging needs in line with the core purpose of high needs funding. Tier 1 universal services and training would not be funded centrally from high needs but a traded offer could be developed. This is the proposal which formed the basis of the public consultation.
6. The public consultation
6.1 A public consultation was authorised by the Director of Children’s Services. The proposal began on 2 October 2017 and ended on 20 December 2017.
6.2 The public consultation set out the proposal to reconfigure the SpLD service to focus provision on targeted (Tier 2) and specialist (Tier 3) support for pupils with complex SpLD needs and to manage the reconfigured service as part of Integrated Services for Learning (ISL). This will enhance the current offer by aligning and integrating the SpLD service with the expertise and knowledge of the other specialist SEND support services also delivering to local schools. Reconfiguring the service in this way will require the closure of the SpLD outreach bases in 10 primary schools and to provide the service as part of ISL.
6.3 Consultation letters were distributed by all local authority maintained primary schools across the county to: parents/carers, school governors and staff at the schools. They were also sent to: Local Pre-Schools, Nursery and Primary schools; the local MP, County Councillors, District Councillors, Parish andAgenda Town Pack Councils 86 of and 194 Local Authority Chief 5
Executives; Trade Union representatives; Church Diocese representatives; NHS representatives; Parent Governor representatives on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Hertfordshire County Council; playgroups, Children’s Centres, toddler groups and day nurseries; Libraries and Citizen’s Advice Bureaux; relevant senior officers in Hertfordshire County Council. The consultation was also publicised on the Hertfordshire County Council website, www.hertfordshire.gov.uk.
7. Results of the public consultation
7.1 1067 consultation letters were circulated excluding letters shared with governors, staff and families of the school.
7.2 By 21 December 2017 a total of 700 responses were received as summarised in the table below. In order to make the table readable the categories of respondent has been collapsed to broad reflect groups.
Capacity of Respondent Agree Disagree Don't know Total Responses Member of Parliament 1 1 Charity 4 4 Ex-pupil 1 1 Headteacher 1 10 11 Interested Professional 2 2 2 6 Local member of public 1 3 4 Member of staff 16 352 7 375 Parent/Carer 5 235 8 248 School governor 17 17 Senco or Inclusion leader 23 23 Unspecified 9 1 10 Grand Total 25 657 18 700 Percentage Response 3.6 93.9 2.6
7.2.1 The 10 SpLD bases received significantly different levels of response. These are reported below. The remaining 20% identified their own school. In total there were 83 different schools named in the survey.
SPLD Base Number of respondents Percentage of all responses (700 total responses) The Thomas Coram Junior School 145 21% Windermere Primary School 101 14% Laurence Haines Primary School 88 13% Thorley Hill Primary School 44 6% Maple Grove Primary School 40 6% Parkside Primary School 37 5% Bonneygrove Primary School 33 5% The Leys Primary School 30 4% Grange Junior School 17 2% Applecroft Primary School 15 2% Agenda Pack 87 of 194 6
7.3 Copies of all the responses received will be available for inspection in the Members’ Room at County Hall and will be available at the meeting
8. Key Issues and responses
8.1 There was a small number of responses from schools that stated they agreed with the proposal. These generally supported the strategic SEND direction and the need to reform services and funding, recognising that schools had improved their practice and ability to meet needs themselves. They also supported the equitable distribution of resources across areas. There was also a very small number of parents in agreement with the proposal.
8.2 The majority of responses disagreed with the proposals. It should be noted that 4 of the schools with SpLD bases were identified in more than 50% of the responses. The remainder of the SPLD bases received significantly fewer responses. The responses mostly included a detailed narrative of the value of the current range of services available and details of the aspects that are highly valued.
8.3 In response to the feedback obtained through the consultation officers have considered that an overwhelming majority of issues can be addressed broadly within the proposed model but with certain modifications to the recommendations.
8.4 The themes and responses to the issues are summarised below:
8.4.1 Theme 1 : Support for schools
Over 100 comments received referred to the value that the SpLD staff adds to mainstream staff in schools. Most frequently this relates to the expertise and knowledge which the SpLD staff brings.
There were also concerns about the reduction in the level of resource for the service and the impact on pupils with SpLD if services were to focus on those with complex needs. There was also concern about whether there would be an impact on the County Council being able to meet its statutory duties for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
A number of head teachers referred to the financial constraints that they face and the implications of the loss of a free or affordable service.
Response
The proposed reconfiguration of the service within ISL will retain the specialist SpLD expertise and knowledge required to provide an effective and efficient targeted and specialist service. SpLD specialist teachers will join the SEND Specialist Advice and Support (SAS) Service which is highly discipline specific. Staff within SAS have a range of specialisms and already provide advice and support for pupils with high level needs based on their presenting needs. This ensures that services are delivered in a manner which has impact and makes a difference to outcomes. This would be the case for pupils with SpLD. The effectiveness of services and overall expertise availableAgenda locally Pack to 88 schools of 194 will be enhanced by the 7
greater opportunities brought about by aligning and integrating SpLD specialists with other specialist SEND staff.
The targeted and specialist aspects of the SpLD offer that are valued very highly and considered to be effective are consistent with the range services that are offered by the current ISL SAS and will continue to be offered by the SpLD staff if integrated into ISL. Where there are new services and approaches that are effective in improving outcomes, then there are internal mechanisms for learning and incorporating new practice within the SAS.
The changes proposed in the consultation will ensure that there is more appropriate targeting and use of High Needs funding to focus on pupils with higher levels of need. It is recognised that many of those who responded to the consultation have concerns about the impact of this. However there is evidence that the residual work of the SpLD staff, if Tier 1 training and support was to be removed, would be manageable within the proposed staffing level.
Support for pupils with SpLD, including those with EHCPs, will be kept under regular review to ensure that all the statutory obligations are met.
Currently the SpLD service supports 120 pupils directly with 2 or 3 visits a term and 800 pupils through unnamed consultations. However, as to be absolutely confident that this work can continue to be accommodated officers are now proposing a slightly increased level of staffing beyond the originally proposed level in the consultation (12.7 full-time equivalent F.T.E. teachers, a professional lead and administrative support) The efficiencies to be gained through multidisciplinary working and reconfigured management arrangements remain as originally proposed
This is an increase in the level of staffing proposed in the consultation by 2 WTE and would in effect mean that teaching redundancies will not be expected.
8.4.2 Theme 2 : Localism
A large number of comments (approx. 400) referred to the benefits of the existing service being local. This related to the close relationship that is developed between staff and the proximity of the physical SpLD resource bases to schools in a locality.
Over time SpLD base staff have developed close relationships with schools, with staff at each base typically working with around 50 schools. The close relationship and local knowledge that is developed is considered highly valuable. Families too, report that the knowledge that there is a local support base is valuable.
Proximity to local schools is seen as an important factor in a number of responses. Responses indicated that proximity allows staff, teachers and support staff, to visit local bases and look at or borrow resources, or to Agenda Pack 89 of 194 8
attend courses and drop in advice sessions without having to take a lot of time out of the day:
Response
The importance of strong local relationships between services, schools, families and other stakeholders is recognised and in the proposed reconfigured model the SpLD service will continue to be delivered locally as part of ISL. ISL services are already delivered locally and SpLD staff will be one element of the high level needs specialist support provided for pupils and schools in a local area.
Integrating SpLD staff into a larger team of specialists working together and in partnership with the same local schools and pupils will enhance the shared knowledge of needs and breadth of specialist expertise. Schools will be better supported at both a child and systems level. It will also enable better information sharing, more effective and efficient targeting of services to need to avoid duplication and achieve better value for money.
Many respondents indicated that they do not want to lose the access they have had to a wide range of SpLD resources that are available in bases, currently as part of a Tier 1 universal offer, both for training and for loan.
In response to this concern officers therefore propose to commission between 4 and 6 bases as resource centres. These will be in schools where there is no pressure on the space for teaching purposes. As part of this proposal the County Council will expect schools to maintain an open session each week for visitors to the resource libraries and the bases will have admin support for this day. Other costs associated with retaining a resources base will be maintained and reviewed annually. This provision will be commissioned for a three year period with break clauses included in the commissioning arrangements.
We will additionally expect that ISL Specialist Advisory Teachers including the SPLD staff who will transfer to the ISL service continue to have access to the bases throughout the week. This will contribute to promoting local provision and reduce overhead staffing costs in line with Smart Working practices.
8.4.3 Theme 3 : Affordable training
This is referred to in more than 100 of the responses. It is mentioned in relation to the current offer which is seen as delivering an excellent range of training, often bespoke, for the specific needs of schools and children. Training is a key feature of the current county SpLD offer, with some centres providing a wide range of courses on various topics for local schools.
Response
It is evident that the bases have developed a broad training offer and many respondents said theyAgenda do not Pack want 90to loseof 194 the ability to have free or 9
affordable training easily available to them. Several respondents quoted the affordability of the training compared to other providers.
Following the responses received on this issue during the consultation officers now propose to introduce affordable training across the county in partnership with Dyslexia Matters, who have been our training partners for several years. Officers anticipate underwriting the cost of a range of pilot courses targeted at schools and settings which will allow classroom staff to develop practical and focussed skills in SPLD. If successfully received, this will then become a budget offer along with the Level 5 and Level 7 training across the county. This has the intention of increasing capacity within our local schools and settings.
Currently the SpLD service has an income of £60K annually for the courses offered. These are not at full cost. This indicates that there is a potential to support some training at Tier 1 through a traded vehicle.
The proposal does not exclude the possibility of trading a range of Tier 1 SpLD services. These could be commissioned through our training partner HfL, the Developing Special Provision Locally partnerships and other groups.
8.4.4 Theme 4: Service Quality
Many of the responses refer to the quality of the service offered by the current bases. This includes the quality of the training courses, individual guidance and consultation about unnamed pupils and support with named pupils over an extended period of time.
SpLD outreach staff offer an annual conversation with each school in their area to identify children who might need additional support and school training needs. This is also seen by schools and the SpLD staff as very valuable.
Response
The quality controls currently in place in the SpLD bases are consistent with the systems in ISL SAS. The concern that specialist SpLD skills will need to be maintained and developed would be addressed as part of the SAS internal Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme. The appointment of a Lead Practitioner (SPLD) with a County wide role will promote consistency and equality across the county. There will also be benefits to pupils and schools through the integration of the SPLD Specialist Teachers with ISL Advisory services as a result of sharing expertise, resources and professional challenge.
A new Workstream in the SEND Strategy with a focus on Targeted Support Services has been established to ensure co-ordination and effective delivery of quality SEND services at local level and SpLD services are part of this work.
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9. Conclusion
9.1 Like all local authorities it is appropriate and necessary to undertake reviews of our SEND provision and best use of available High Needs Funding. The County Council needs to ensure that it can safeguard its ability to meet future needs and pressures, and provide the best possible provision to local children.
9.2 There has been good reason for reviewing the SpLD provision which was established over 20 years ago. The level and model of provision in Hertfordshire is not commonly found in other authorities and the SEND Executive and School Forum made a rational case for reconfiguring the service to focus on high level SpLD to bring the service into line with other SEND support and outreach services funded from the High Needs Block.
9.3 The County Council are committed to maintaining targeted and specialist support for children and young people with SpLD. However High Needs Funding is not intended to provide Tier 1 Universal provision and Hertfordshire’s position is unusual when compared to other authorities.
9.4 The proposed model of SpLD in this report include the following key components:
A reshaped more targeted SpLD service focusing on Tier 2 and 3 support in line with other SEND services funded from the high needs block
Retention of a level of service (12.7 fte specialist SpLD teachers, a Professional SpLD Lead, administrative support and a programme of accredited training) that will accommodate the current level of direct support and consultation for pupils with SPLD. This is an increase of 2 fte specialist teachers from that in the original proposal and will mean that it will not be necessary to make any permanent teaching staff redundant
The alignment and integration of SpLD services and staff within the current ISL Specialist Advice and Support Services facilitating the enhancement of local expertise. SpLD often occurs within a complex of other SEN and the broader range of professional skills within ISL will ensure that the most appropriate support is available
Commissioning local resource centres in 4-6 schools so that mainstream staff can continue to access resources. This was not in the original proposal but is a response to the views expressed during the consultation
The offer of affordable accredited training developed in partnership with a Dyslexia Matters and to have a broader reach across the sector. This was not in the original proposal but is a response to the views expressed during the consultation
Retention of funding within the overall High Needs Block but released and redirected to areas of increasing pressure and new needs Agenda Pack 92 of 194 11
10. Financial implications
Capital
10.1 There are no capital implications.
Revenue
10.2 The SpLD service is funded from the High Needs Block. The proposal to reconfigure SPLD is not about saving money on SEND high needs services and there would be no reduction in the High Needs Block as a result of this proposal. The funding required for the proposed model is £900,000. This would maintain a high needs SpLD service of 12.7 fte specialist teachers, a Professional Lead, administrative support and accredited training open to all staff across the County.
10.3 In a full year this would release £775,663. This funding will be re-directed to meet high level and complex needs in a more equitable way. An area of increasing demand in special school places and in 2019-20 it is estimated that a further increase of 50-60 special school places which will require approximately £1m. Funding released from SpLD will be used towards this pressure. Other pressures are provision for social, emotional and mental health needs, autism and complex communication difficulties, provision for children and young people with severe and profound needs and provision for early years children with high level needs.
11. Equalities Implications
11.1 When considering proposals placed before Members it is important that they are fully aware of, and have themselves rigorously considered the Equality implications of the decision that they are making.
11.2 Rigorous consideration will ensure that there is a proper appreciation of any potential impact of that decision on the county council’s statutory obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As a minimum this requires decision makers to read and carefully consider the content of any Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) produced by officers.
11.3 The Equality Act 2010 requires the county council when exercising its functions to have due regard to the need to: (a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited under the Act; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. The protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.
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11.4 EqIAs have been carried out on the proposal to increase the number of places to the Schools which are the subject of this report. Copies of the EqIAs accompany this report at Appendix A.
Background Information None
Agenda Pack 94 of 194 13
APPENDIX A
PROPOSAL TO RECONFIGURE EXISTING SERVICES TO SCHOOLS TO SUPPORT THEM TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PRIMARY-AGED CHILDREN WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES (SpLD) BY 31 MARCH 2019
EQUALITIES IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EQIA)
SPLD BASE CLOSURES
STEP 1: Responsibility and involvement
Proposal to re- Title of proposal/ configure existing Head of Service or Jennie Newman project/strategy/ services to Business Manager procurement/policy schools to support them to meet the needs of primary aged children with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) by 31 March 2019. This includes the closure of 10 SpLD Outreach Primary Bases in the following schools:
Applecroft Primary, 14 Applecroft Rd, Welwyn Garden City AL8 6LA Bonneygrove Primary, Dark Ln, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross EN7 5ED Grange Junior Sparhawke, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 4PY Laurance Haines Primary, Vicarage Rd, Hertfordshire, Watford WD18 0DD Maple Grove Primary, St Agnells Ln, Hemel Hempstead HP2 7BG Parkside Primary, Aycliffe Rd, Borehamwood WD6 4EP The Leys Primary, 207 Ripon Rd, Stevenage SG1 4LR The Thomas Coram Jr. Swing Gate Ln, Berkhamsted HP4 2RP Thorley Hill Primary, Park La, Bishop's Stortford CM23 3NH Windermere Primary, Windermere Ave, St Albans AL1 5QP Names of those Phil Brunt & Tom Lead officer David Canning involved in Stacey contact details: 01442 454160 completing the EqIA:
Agenda Pack 95 of 194 1 Date completed: 30 November Review date: 15 March 2018 Reviewed: 2017 Reviewed: 30 April 2018 10 January 2018
STEP 2: Objectives of proposal and scope of assessment – what do you want to achieve?
Proposal objectives: Following a review of existing SpLD provision at primary what you want to and secondary bases considered at County SEND achieve Executive, it is proposed to close the SpLD primary bases intended outcomes at the Schools listed above, with the needs of the majority purpose and need of students experiencing SpLD being met through the support arrangements and delegated resources available in all schools by class teachers. Where needed, additional advice and support would come from the schools’ SENCO. Individually allocated pupil led funding will be available for the very small number of students with higher level (exceptional) needs requiring support over and above the schools’ ordinarily available provision.
Class teachers, teaching assistants and SENCos will continue to be supported by the SpLD Outreach service , based at three HCC buildings (Apsley, Farnham House and County Hall) with a central team leader to ensure a consistent approach across the county.
Individually allocated pupil led funding will be available for the very small number of students with higher level (exceptional) needs requiring support over and above the schools ordinarily available provision.
Consequently, a consultation ended 20 December 2017 on the proposals to reconfigure existing services to schools to support them in meeting the needs of primary aged children with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) by 31 March 2019.
The vast majority of students identified with SpLD in Hertfordshire currently have their needs met in their local mainstream schools with outreach support from a number of bases across the county. A review has identified that an enhanced service can be provided in a different way. If this were to go ahead it will require the closure of the bases (listed above).
Specifically the proposals are to reconfigure staffing into four teams as part of the Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) Special Advice and Support Service under the overall line management of the County Lead for
Agenda Pack 96 of 194 2 Specialist Advice and Support. This will enhance the current offer with additional expertise from within the central service which includes staff with higher levels of SpLD training and expertise.
To do this it will be necessary to close the SpLD Outreach Bases located in the schools listed above on 31 March 2019 and to provide support for students from staff working out of the 4 Integrated Services for Learning (ISL) areas based in the 3 County Locations; Farnham House, County hall and Apsley.
Stakeholders: Parents/carers/pupils, staff and governors at all schools Who will be affected: in Hertfordshire , including those with the SpLD bases the public, partners, located within; staff, service users, Local Pre-Schools, Nursery, Primary, Secondary and local Member etc. Special schools; MPs, County Councillors, District Councillors, Parish and Town Councils and Local Authority Chief Executives; Trade Union representatives; Church Diocese representatives; NHS representatives; Parent Governor representatives on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Hertfordshire County Council; Pre-schools, playgroups, Children’s Centres, toddler groups and day nurseries; Libraries and Citizen’s Advice Bureaux; Senior officers in Hertfordshire County Council’s Children’s Services department and in Herts Property Services
STEP 3: Available data and monitoring information
Relevant equality What the data tells us about equalities information For example: A public consultation was undertaken from 2 October 2017 Community profiles / ended on 20 December 2017. service user demographics, data Consultation letters were provided to staff, parents, pupils and and monitoring information (local and governing bodies of all Hertfordshire schools and other key national), similar or stakeholders, including local members, parish councils, local previous EqIAs, schools and nurseries, the Roman Catholic and Church of complaints, audits or England Dioceses, community groups and relevant staff at inspections, local Hertfordshire County Council. knowledge and consultations. The consultation was also on the Hertfordshire County
Agenda Pack 97 of 194 3 Council website, Hertfordshire.gov.uk, and the consultation documents were made available in other formats on request, including large print, braille and other languages. At the conclusion of the consultation all responses will be carefully considered and where issues are raised regarding Disability they will be considered as part of upcoming EqIA’s.
January 2017 school January 2017 school census data census data on gender split, English See appendix 1 attached. as an additional language (EAL), ethnicity, free school meal (FSM) eligibility, number of children with SEN statements, SEN Provision or who have Education Health Care Plans.
STEP 4: Impact Assessment – Service Users, communities and partners (where relevant)
Guidance on groups of service users to consider within each protected group can be found here
Potential for differential What reasonable Protected impact (positive or mitigations can you characteristic negative) propose? Age The proposals would only It is proposed that the level of affect children of primary support at tiers 2 and 3 which school age, as the proposal the SpLD Outreach service only concerns the SpLD will deliver to staff and service at primary level. students at all Hertfordshire schools will be unchanged.
Disability The proposals would only It is proposed that the level of Including affect primary school pupils direct support at tiers 2 and 3, Learning who either require direct which the SpLD Outreach Disability support from the SpLD service will deliver to staff and outreach service or whose students at all Hertfordshire teacher/TA is supported by schools will be unchanged. the SpLD Outreach service. Some of these children may have disabilities or learning disabilities.
Agenda Pack 98 of 194 4 Potential for differential What reasonable Protected impact (positive or mitigations can you characteristic negative) propose? Race It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because continue to be monitored and of their race. if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly.
Gender It is not currently anticipated No mitigation is currently reassignment that the proposals will affect required but the position will people with this continue to be monitored and characteristic if any issues in respect of the disproportionately. protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly.
Pregnancy and It is not currently anticipated No mitigation is currently maternity that the proposals will affect required but the position will people with this continue to be monitored and characteristic if any issues in respect of the disproportionately. protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Religion or belief It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because continue to be monitored and of their religion or belief. if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Sex It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because continue to be monitored and of issues around sex. if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Sexual orientation It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because continue to be monitored and of issues around sexual if any issues in respect of the orientation. protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Marriage & civil It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently partnership proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because continue to be monitored and Agenda Pack 99 of 194 5 Potential for differential What reasonable Protected impact (positive or mitigations can you characteristic negative) propose? of issues around marriage if any issues in respect of the and civil partnership. protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Carers (by It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently association with proposals will affect people required but the position will any of the above) disproportionately because continue to be monitored and of issues around caring if any issues in respect of the responsibilities. protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly.
Opportunity to advance equality of opportunity and/or foster good relations (Please refer to the guidance for more information on the public sector duties)
The proposed changes will further embed the expectation that local settings can and do cater for all but the most exceptional needs of young people. A programme of advisory teacher support, together with a funded accredited training scheme has been available over time to promote embedding of local knowledge, skills and experience to ensure young people are enabled and empowered to learn within their local school / community.
Wherever possible the needs of a young person should be addressed within their local community at their local mainstream setting. Children experiencing additional (special educational) needs benefit from opportunities to be educated alongside their peers, fostering peer acceptance and positive self-image and enabling them to develop local friendships.
Impact Assessment – Staff (where relevant)
Protected Potential for differential impact What reasonable mitigation characteristic (positive or negative) can you propose? Age It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because of continue to be monitored and their age. if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Disability It is not anticipated at this stage No mitigation is currently Including that the proposals will affect required but the position will Learning people disproportionately continue to be monitored and Disability because of the issues of if any issues in respect of the disability. protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Agenda Pack 100 of 194 6 Protected Potential for differential impact What reasonable mitigation characteristic (positive or negative) can you propose?
Any issues identified or known as well as the duties found within Part 6, Section 149 and Schedules 10 and 13 of the Equality Act 2010 will be taken into account. Race It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because of continue to be monitored and their race. if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Gender It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently reassignment proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because of continue to be monitored and their gender reassignment. if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Pregnancy It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently and maternity proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because of continue to be monitored and their pregnancy and maternity. if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Religion or It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently belief proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because of continue to be monitored and their religion/belief. if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Sex It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because of continue to be monitored and issues around sex. if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Sexual It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently orientation proposals will affect people required but the position will disproportionately because of continue to be monitored and issues around sexual orientation if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan Agenda Pack 101 of 194 7 Protected Potential for differential impact What reasonable mitigation characteristic (positive or negative) can you propose? will be amended accordingly. Marriage & It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently civil proposals will affect people required but the position will partnership disproportionately because of continue to be monitored and issues around marriage and civil if any issues in respect of the partnership protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Carers (by It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently association proposals will affect people required but the position will with any of disproportionately because of continue to be monitored and the above) issues around caring if any issues in respect of the responsibilities. protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Opportunity to advance equality of opportunity and/or foster good relations (Please refer to the guidance for more information on the public sector duties) The SpLD advisory teachers would become part of the Specialist Advice and Support Service. They would spend the majority of their time visiting and providing services to schools and targeted and specialist work with children. They would have the benefit of being part of the four local ISL teams. Initially SpLD teachers will be allocated across the county using model indicator data to ensure fair and equitable distribution of resources.
The service will further develop the principles of outreach in line with the Specialist Advisory Teacher model delivered by Integrated Services for Learning (ISL).
Reasonable steps will be taken to avoid compulsory redundancies should this be necessary. Where compulsory redundancy cannot be avoided individuals would be identified from a relevant pool of staff following the application of selection criteria confirmed during consultation with employee representatives (trade unions/professional associations).
Existing libraries of resources are proposed to be available on short term loans to local settings, as are other special needs resources in localities.
STEP 5: Gaps identified
Gaps identified When the consultation has been completed the responses Do you need to will be considered and should the issues raised require collect more further data, the EqIA will be updated before moving data/information or forward to the statutory phase. carry out consultation? (A ‘How to engage’ consultation guide is on Compass). How
Agenda Pack 102 of 194 8 will you make sure your consultation is accessible to those affected?
STEP 6: Other impacts
Consider if your proposal has the potential (positive and negative) to impact on areas such as health and wellbeing, crime and disorder and community relations. There is more information in the guidance.
It is not considered that the proposal will have any other impact.
STEP 7: Conclusion of your analysis
Select one conclusion of your analysis Give details No equality impacts identified The proposal could impact any No change required to proposal. primary-aged pupil who currently or in the future access the SPLD Outreach service. As the proposed reconfiguration intends to maintain the same level of service to all staff and pupils, there will be no impact on either. Minimal equality impacts identified Adverse impacts have been identified, but have been objectively justified (provided you do not unlawfully discriminate). Ensure decision makers consider the cumulative effect of how a number of decisions impact on equality. Potential equality impacts identified Take ‘mitigating action’ to remove barriers or better advance equality. Complete the action plan in the next section.
Agenda Pack 103 of 194 9 Select one conclusion of your analysis Give details Major equality impacts identified Stop and remove the policy. The adverse effects are not justified, cannot be mitigated or show unlawful discrimination. Ensure decision makers understand the equality impact.
STEP 8: Action Plan
Issue or opportunity identified relating to: Officer Mitigation measures Responsible Action proposed Further research and target Consultation proposal date Monitor and review Future provision for students It is proposed that class teachers, David with SpLD teaching assistants and SENCos Canning, 1 will continue to be supported by the September SpLD Outreach service. The SpLD 2018 outreach teams will be based at onwards three HCC buildings (Apsley, Farnham House and County Hall) with a County Wide team leader to ensure a consistent approach across the county.
Individually allocated pupil led funding will be available for the very small number of students with higher level (exceptional) needs requiring support over and above the schools ordinarily available provision.
This EqIA has been reviewed and signed off by:
Head of Service or Business Manager: Jennie Newman Date: 22 May 2018
Equality Action Group Chair: Date:
HCC’s Diversity Board requires the Equality team to compile a central list of EqIAs so a random sample can be quality assured. Each Equality Action Group is encouraged to keep a forward plan of key service decisions that may require an EqIA, but please can you ensure the Equality team is made aware of any EqIAs completed so we can add them to our list. (Email: [email protected]).
Agenda Pack 104 of 194 10 Appendix 1 to EQiA Applecroft Bonneygorve Grange Jnr Laurance Haines Maple Grove Parkside The Leys Thom Coram Thorley Hill Windermere County Totals Students (Years R 423 392 224 475 199 345 472 300 211 201 100130 to 6) Number Minority Ethnic Students (not White British 72 122 37 404 76 163 129 22 42 100 30506 and excluding Refused and Not Obtained)
% Minority Ethnic Students (not White British and 17.02% 31.12% 16.52% 85.05% 38.19% 47.25% 27.33% 7.33% 19.91% 49.75% 30.47% excluding Refused and Not Obtained)
Number EAL (English as an alternative Language) (First language Not 36 50 9 311 43 107 83 7 14 61 16719 English or believed not to be English excluding Refused and Not Obtained) % EAL (English as an alternative Language) (First language Not 8.51% 12.76% 4.02% 65.47% 21.61% 31.01% 17.58% 2.33% 6.64% 30.35% 16.70% English or believed not to be English) Number with Statement (or 3 5 0 4 1 3 7 0 1 1 1866 EHCP (S or E)) Agenda Pack 105 of 194 % with Statement (or EHCP (S or 0.71% 1.28% 0.00% 0.84% 0.50% 0.87% 1.48% 0.00% 0.47% 0.50% 1.86% E)) Number SEN 37 18 38 50 56 44 73 30 26 21 11879 Provision (K) % SEN Provision 8.75% 4.59% 16.96% 10.53% 28.14% 12.75% 15.47% 10.00% 12.32% 10.45% 11.86% (K) Number Eligible for FSM (at date 20 29 23 59 64 86 80 17 9 38 8733 of Census) % FSM (Free School Meals) (at 4.73% 7.40% 10.27% 12.42% 32.16% 24.93% 16.95% 5.67% 4.27% 18.91% 8.72% date of Census) Number of Male 189 204 129 233 91 189 272 150 107 105 51271 Students % of Male 44.68% 52.04% 57.59% 49.05% 45.73% 54.78% 57.63% 50.00% 50.71% 52.24% 51.20% Students Number of 234 188 95 242 108 156 200 150 104 96 48859 Female Students % of Female 55.32% 47.96% 42.41% 50.95% 54.27% 45.22% 42.37% 50.00% 49.29% 47.76% 48.80% Students
Agenda Pack 106 of 194 Agenda Item No.
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND LOCALISM CABINET PANEL 5 TUESDAY, 5 JUNE 2018 AT 10.00AM
RELOCATION OF THE PRIMARY SUPPORT BASE AT SPRINGMEAD PRIMARY SCHOOL, WELWYN GARDEN CITY
Report of the Director of Children’s Services
Report Author: Richard Woodard, Area Manager – Professional Lead for Access and Inclusion, Integrated Services for Learning (Tel: 01442 453224) Samantha Young, Senior Planning Officer, School Planning (Tel: 01992 555754)
Executive Member: Terry Douris (Education, Libraries & Localism) Teresa Heritage (Children, Young People and Families)
Local Members: Dr Barbara Gibson (Haldens); Lynn Chesterman (Welwyn Garden City South); Stephen Boulton (Hatfield Rural); Margaret Eames-Petersen (Hatfield North); Susie Gordon (Hatfield East); Nigel Quinton (Handside and Peartree); Richard Smith (Welwyn); Paul Zukowskyj (Hatfield South).
1. Purpose of the Report
1.1 To inform the Panel of the outcome of public consultation on the proposal to relocate the Primary Support Base (PSB) at Springmead Primary School in Welwyn Garden City to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School in Welwyn Garden City from 1 September 2018.
2. Summary
2.1 Springmead Primary School, Welwyn Garden City, when in the process of converting to an Academy, indicated that it would no longer be able to support the PSB, which serves the Welwyn and Hatfield area. It was therefore necessary to relocate it. The Head and Governing Body of Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School, Welwyn Garden City, supported in principle the relocation of the PSB to their school and the Director of Children’s Services therefore initiated consultation on the proposal.
2.2 The public consultation for the relocation of the PSB was held over an eight week period, to take in to account the Easter holidays. The consultation began on 16 March 2018 and ended on 10 May 2018.
Agenda Pack 107 of 194 1
2.3 There have been 46 responses to the consultation, of which 82.6% of respondents have been in favour of the proposal and 13.0% have disagreed. The Governing Body at Springmead Primary School has responded and agrees with the proposal. The Governing Body at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School also responded to the consultation and gave its approval in principle. Subsequently it has given its full support at its full governing body meeting on 21 May 2018.
2.4 A breakdown of the consultation responses is provided in section 5.
2.5 Springmead Primary School became Springmead Primary Academy on 1 April 2018.
2.6 The Executive Member for Children, Young People and Families has requested that this report be considered at the Education, Libraries and Localism Cabinet Panel on 5 June 2018. Members of the Children, Young People and Families Cabinet Panel are invited to attend this meeting on 5 June 2018 to express their views on this item if they wish.
3. Recommendations
3.1 Panel is asked to recommend to Cabinet that it approves the relocation of the PSB from Springmead Primary School, Welwyn Garden City to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School, Welwyn Garden City with effect from 1 September 2018.
4. Background
4.1 Springmead Primary School, when in the process of converting to an Academy, indicated that it would no longer be able to support the PSB, which serves the Welwyn and Hatfield area. The Head and Governing Body of Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School supported in principle the relocation of the PSB to their school and the Director of Children’s Services therefore initiated consultation on the proposal.
4.2 The public consultation for the relocation of the PSB was held over an eight week period, to take in to account the Easter holidays. The consultation began on 16 March 2018 and ended on 10 May 2018.
4.3 Consultation letters, attached at Appendix 1, were sent to all parents, governors and staff at both schools, as well as all schools in the area, and to all other statutory consultees. Copies of the consultation letter were sent or emailed to:
(i) MPs, County Councillors, District Councillors, Parish and Town Councils and Local Authority Chief Executives; (ii) Trade Union representatives; (iii) Church Diocese representatives; (iv) NHS representatives; (v) Parent Governor representatives on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee;
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(vi) Libraries and Citizen’s Advice Bureaux.
The consultation letter and response form were also available on the County Council’s website. An estimated total of 1167 letters and emails were sent out for the consultation.
5. Response to the consultation
5.1 Copies of the responses received are available to Members in the Members’ Lounge and will also be available to the Panel and Cabinet at the meetings on 5 June 2018 and 18 June 2018 respectively.
5.2 A detailed analysis of the responses follows which includes:
(i) a breakdown of the number of responses received, and who they are from; (ii) an analysis of the key issues raised and the response to them; (iii) a copy of the governing body responses.
5.3 A final summary of the responses is:
Capacity of Total Don't respondent responses Agree%Disagree% Know % Parent/carer 2114 66.7%523.8%29.5% Governor33100.0%00.0%00.0% Member of staff 1514 93.3%16.7%00.0% Resident33100.0%00.0%00.0% Grandparent0000 Other44100.0%00.0%00.0% Total responses 4638 82.6%613.0%24.3%
6. Key Issues and responses
6.1 The majority of respondents supported the proposal (38) of which 27 specifically noted the benefit of the work of primary support bases and the need for continuation of provision for the area.
6.2 The following key themes were raised and a response to them provided below:
Concern that there will be an impact on the quality of education for current pupils at Swallow Dell Primary & Nursery School (8).
6.21. The PSB will be provided with additional accommodation on an area of the school site that is not currently in use by Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School pupils. The combination of a designated outdoor space and a purpose built provision, with separation from the main school, will enable the PSB to develop the type of provision and support given to schools in the area, helping to support mainstream schools in meeting the very complex needs of some of the most vulnerable children. Agenda Pack 109 of 194 3
6.2.2 Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School (“the School”) is rated GOOD by Ofsted. Governors support the proposal and have confirmed that the Headteacher has the capacity to oversee the base.
6.2.3 The current PSB is also rated GOOD by Ofsted. It is proposed that the current PSB staff will transfer with the base so that the service can continue unaffected.
Concern that there will be a negative impact on the physical environment of the school (4)
6.2.4 The School is on a large site and it is proposed that additional accommodation will be provided on an area of the school site not currently used by existing pupils. The additional accommodation will include an outdoor play area, teaching spaces, an office, toilets and storage.
6.2.5 Additional parking spaces will be created and the operational times of the base will be staggered so as not to coincide with the school’s opening and closing times.
6.2.6 The proposed additional accommodation and associated works required will be subject to a separate town planning process which will include a formal consultation with the local community and the highways authority.
Existing parents of Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School need more information about this proposal (4)
6.2.7 The School will positively engage with parents and other stakeholders, through its newsletter and a Frequently Asked Questions information sheet. The School will respond directly to any specific enquiries from parents.
6.2.8 The other issues raised, by one or two people each, were that the PSB should be relocated to an alternative location rather than Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School and that the PSB should remain at Springmead Primary School as it is a valuable service for parents (which that institution does not support).
6.3 Governing Body responses
Response from the Governing Body of Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School:
6.3.1 “On behalf of the Board of Governors, we give approval-in-principle for this proposal. We remain hopeful that on-going discussions with the County Council to address a few issues regarding legal liabilities and some operational matters will allow the Board to give full support by ratifying the decision at our Full Governing Body meeting on 21 May
Agenda Pack 110 of 194 4
2018.”
6.3.2 Subsequently, at the Full Governing Body meeting held on 21 May 2018, the proposal was fully ratified by governors.
Response from the Governing Body of Springmead Primary School:
6.3.3 “As the school is now part of the Spiral Academy Trust, governors have discussed the base provision with the Trust leaders. This type of specialist provision cannot be provided through the Trust. One member of staff is leaving the base this summer and four of the base pupils are in year 6 and would be leaving anyway, therefore to relocate the base at this time will have the least possible impact on staff and pupils. The school would benefit from the additional space provided when the base classroom becomes empty. The relocation of the base to another school in WGC is positive as the town is central within the county and the DSPLs it serves.”
7. Next Steps
7.1 As the new location at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School is within two miles of the existing provision at Springmead Primary School, the County Council is not required to publish a statutory notice under The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013 and related Statutory Guidance.
7.2 Panel is therefore asked to consider whether to recommend to Cabinet on 18 June 2018 to:
(i) approve the relocation of the PSB (ii) take no further action; (iii) initiate fresh consultation on any alternative suggestion(s); or (iv) take alternative action.
8. Financial Implications
8.1 Revenue funding PSB’s are funded from the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) which will be transferred to the Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School with effect from 1 September 2018.
8.2 Capital funding The cost of the accommodation is estimated at £350,000. It is anticipated that funding for this provision will be met from Capital Grant provided by DfE from its Special Provision Capital Fund.
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9. Equalities implications
9.1 When considering proposals placed before Members it is important that they are fully aware of, and have themselves rigorously considered the Equality implications of the decision that they are making
9.2 Rigorous consideration will ensure that proper appreciation of any potential impact of that decision on the County Council’s statutory obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As a minimum this requires decision makers to read and carefully consider the content of any Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) produced by officers.
9.3 The Equality Act 2010 requires the County Council when exercising its functions to have due regard to the need to (a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited under the Act; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. The protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.
9.4 An Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) has been carried out in relation to this proposal, attached at Appendix 2. Consideration has been given to the likely impact of the proposal, and the current assessment concludes that it is not anticipated that people with protected characteristics will be affected disproportionately. The EIA will be continued to be reviewed and updated as necessary.
9.5 The relocation of the Primary Support Base to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School maintains provision within the local area to the benefit of pupils.
Background Information None
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APPENDIX 1
Hertfordshire County Council County Hall Hertford SG13 8DF
Tel: 0300 123 4043
My ref: School Planning
Date: 16 March 2018
Dear Consultee
Consultation on the proposal to relocate the Primary Support Base at Springmead Primary School to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School
We are consulting you on the following proposal:
The relocation of the Primary Support Base (PSB) currently at:
Springmead Primary School, Hilly Fields, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 2HB to:
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School, Blackthorn Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 3JP.
When would this happen?
It is proposed that the PSB would relocate at the beginning of the autumn term in September 2018.
What is a Primary Support Base?
There are six PSBs located across Hertfordshire as part of the Council’s strategy to improve the behaviour and achievement of primary pupils with emotional and behavioural needs in mainstream schools. PSBs are commissioned to provide a range of services including advice and outreach to support children in mainstream schools, a small number of short term ‘respite’ places and, where necessary, longer term places on the roll of the PSB for pupils with particularly significant and complex emotional and behavioural needs.
Agenda Pack 113 of 194 1
APPENDIX 1
Would the provision change?
The provision would remain as at present with the same range of advice and support, outreach services and a small number of pupil places in the PSB.
What would happen to staff?
Should the proposal go ahead, the PSB staff would be able to transfer over from the existing PSB at Springmead to the relocated PSB at Swallow Dell.
Why is this being proposed?
Springmead Primary School is currently in the process of converting to an Academy and it will no longer be possible for the PSB to remain at this school. Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School is a nearby school which has a suitable and large enough site to accommodate the PSB if relocated. The Head and Governing Body of Swallow Dell Primary support in principle the proposal to relocate the PSB to the school. The distance between the two schools is approximately 0.9 miles1 so it is unlikely that any existing PSB users or staff will be significantly disadvantaged by the proposed relocation.
The services currently provided by the existing PSB are still required in order to meet the needs and improve the outcomes for local pupils with significant emotional and behavioural needs. The Council is of the view that the relocation of the PSB would have a positive impact for the pupils it serves and for staff, by enabling the re- provision of the services and by providing enhanced education opportunities and improved facilities in the proposed new PSB.
Have your say
You have until 10 May 2018 to let us know your views. The easiest way you can do this is by completing the online response form on our website at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/consultations. You can tell us if you agree or disagree with the proposal and leave your comments.
If you do not have access to the internet you can visit your local library where free access is available to all Hertfordshire residents. Should you wish to request a hard copy of the response form or need help understanding this information you can email [email protected] or alternatively please call us on 0300 123 4043. An interpreting service is available for those who need it.
1 Distance measured in a straight line between the main entrances of the two schools. Agenda Pack 114 of 194 2
APPENDIX 1
Your comments must be received by 10 May 2018. We will not be able to acknowledge or respond individually to your comments but they will be taken into account, as explained below.
How the decision will be taken
This is a consultation and no decision has been made yet. All comments received will be made available to elected members who make the final decision. All responses may be made available in public reports, although personal details will be removed to respect individual privacy.
The following timetable outlines the decision-making process. Please note that meetings marked with * will be open to the public. Although it will not be possible to inform everyone individually of the decisions made, you will be able to access this information throughout the process at: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/committees.
Process Date
Public consultation (8 weeks) 16 March – 10 May 2018 Education, Libraries & Localism 5 June 2018 Cabinet Panel* Cabinet* (for final approval) 18 June 2018
Implementation September 2018
Yours faithfully
Jenny Coles Director of Children’s Services
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APPENDIX 2
Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
Proposal to relocate the Primary Support Base (PSB) currently based at Springmead Primary School to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School.
1. Who is completing the EqIA and why is it being done?
Proposal to relocate the Primary Support Base (PSB) currently based at Title of service / proposal / project / strategy / Springmead Primary School to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School, procurement you are assessing both in Welwyn Garden City. Names of those involved in completing the EqIA Adrian Bentley, Tom Stacey, Samantha Young Head of Service or Business Manager Pauline Davis Team/Department School Planning Team Richard Woodard, ISL Area Manager - Professional Lead for Access and Lead officer contact details Inclusion, Integrated Services for Learning Tel: 01442 453224 (Comnet/Internal 83224)
Primary Support Base’s form part of the County Council’s strategy to improve the behaviour and achievement of primary pupils with emotional and behavioural needs in mainstream schools. They provide advice and outreach to support children in mainstream schools; a small number of short term places and 6th day provision for permanently excluded children; and where necessary, longer term places for pupils with particularly significant and complex emotional and behavioural needs. Focus of EqIA what are you assessing? –
Although at an alternative location the provision would remain as at present with the same range of advice and support, outreach services and a small number of pupil places in the PSB.
The reason for this proposal is that Springmead Primary School, which has recentlyAgenda convertedPack 116 ofto 194an Academy, can no longer host the PSB. Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School is a nearby school which has a suitable and large enough site to accommodate the PSB if relocated. The Governing Body of APPENDIX 2
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School support in principle the proposal to relocate the PSB to the school. The distance between the two schools is approximately 0.9 miles* so it is unlikely that any existing PSB users or staff will be significantly disadvantaged by the proposed relocation. PSB staff would be able to transfer over from the existing PSB at Springmead to the relocated PSB at Swallow Dell.
The County Council believes that the relocation of the PSB would have a positive impact for the pupils it serves and for staff, by providing for enhanced education opportunities and improved facilities in new buildings.
The local authority (“we”) are carrying out a non-statutory consultation on the proposed relocation of the PSB which concludes on 10 May 2018. The final decision would be made by Cabinet on 18 June 2018.
*Distance measured in a straight line between the main entrances of the two schools. A statutory process is only required when the proposed new site is more than 2 miles from the current site, according to Department for Education (DfE) guidance.
Officers recently conducted an 8-week public consultation on this proposal that concluded on the 10 May 2018. The following groups are all considered to be Stakeholders and were consulted:
Parents/carers/pupils, staff and governors at the schools concerned; Local Pre-Schools, Nursery, Primary, Secondary and Special schools; MPs, County Councillors, District Councillors, Parish and Town Stakeholders Councils and Local Authority Chief Executives;
Trade Union representatives; Church Diocese representatives; NHS representatives; Parent Governor representatives on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Hertfordshire County Council; LibrariAgendaes Pack and Citizen’s117 of 194 Advice Bureaux; Senior officers in Hertfordshire County Council’s Children’s Services department and in Herts Property Services APPENDIX 2
The consultation materials were also available on the Hertfordshire County Council website, www.hertfordshire.gov.uk
2. List of data sources used for this EqIA (include relevant national/local data, research, monitoring information, service user feedback, complaints, audits, consultations, EqIAs from other projects or other local authorities, etc.)
A range of useful local data on our communities can be found on Herts Insight and on the Equalities Hub
Title and brief description Gaps in data Date
We carried out an 8-week public 16 March No gaps have been identified at this stage. consultation that started on 16 March 2018 2018 to 10 and ended on 10 May 2018 on the proposal May 2018 to relocate the Primary Support Base (PSB) currently based at Springmead Primary School to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School (both schools are located in Welwyn Garden City).
At the conclusion of the consultation all responses received were carefully considered and no issues were found to have been raised that further impact any of the protected characteristics considered as part of this EqIA.
Agenda Pack 118 of 194 APPENDIX 2
January 2018 school census data on gender split, English as an additional Springmead Swallow Primary language (EAL), ethnicity, free school meal Spring 2018 School Census data Primary Dell Primary Countywide (FSM) eligibility, number of children with Academy School SEN Statements (S), Education and Health Care Plans (E) or SEN Support (K). Students (Years R to 6) 353 414 101019 Countywide data includes pupils at special Number Minority Ethnic Students (not schools. White British and excluding Refused and 107 111 31683 Not Obtained) % Minority Ethnic Students (not White British and excluding Refused and Not 30.31% 26.81% 31.36% Obtained) Number EAL (English as an alternative Language) (First language Not English or 56 30 17053 believed not to be English excluding Refused and Not Obtained) % EAL (English as an alternative Language) (First language Not English or 15.86% 7.25% 16.88% believed not to be English) Number with Statement (or EHCP (S or E)) 8 5 2050 % with Statement (or EHCP (S or E)) 2.27% 1.21% 2.03% Number SEN Provision (K) 42 88 12147 % SEN Provision (K) 11.90% 21.26% 12.02% Number Eligible for FSM (at date of 32 93 8761 Census) % FSM (Free School Meals) (at date of 9.07% 22.46% 8.67% Census) Number of Male Students 196 206 51668 % of Male Students 55.52% 49.76% 51.15% Number of Female Students 157 208 49351 % of Female Students 44.48% 50.24% 48.85% Agenda Pack 119 of 194
APPENDIX 2
Summary of data in the table above:
Springmead Primary School : The percentage of Minority Ethnic Students and students with EAL is slightly less than the countywide average for primary schools. The percentage of students with a Statement or EHCP (S or E) is slightly more than the countywide average. The percentage of students with SEN Provision (K) is slightly less than the countywide average. The percentage of students eligible for FSM is slightly more than the countywide average. The percentage of male students is significantly greater than the countywide average and the percentage of female students is correspondingly less than the countywide average.
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School: The percentage of Minority Ethnic Students is less than the countywide average for primary schools. The percentage of students with EAL is significantly less than the countywide average. The percentage of students with a Statement or EHCP (S or E) is less than the countywide average whereas the percentage of students with SEN Provision (K) is significantly more than the county wide average. The percentage of students eligible for FSM is significantly more than the countywide average. The percentage of male students is slightly less than the countywide average and the percentage of female students is correspondingly more than the countywide average.
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3. Analysis and assessment: review of information, impact analysis and mitigating actions
Protected What do you know? What does this mean – what are the What can you do? characteristic What do people tell you? potential impacts of the group proposal(s)?
No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if the proposals will affect people Age any issues in respect of the protected disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action age. Plan below will be amended accordingly. Any issues identified or known, as well as the It is not anticipated at this stage that duties found within Part 6, Section 149 and the proposals will affect people Schedules 10 and 13 of the Equality Act 2010 disproportionately because of their concerning disability will be factored into the Disability disability. However, the responsible individual scheme design. Any building Officer will continue to monitor closely scheme will also meet the requirements to this aspect. avoid Disability Discrimination under Section 15 of the Equality Act 2010. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Gender the proposals will affect people any issues in respect of the protected reassignment disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action gender reassignment. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Pregnancy and the proposals will affect people any issues in respect of the protected maternity disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action pregnancy or maternity. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if the proposals will affect people Race Agenda Pack 121 of 194 any issues in respect of the protected disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action race. Plan below will be amended accordingly. APPENDIX 2
Protected What do you know? What does this mean – what are the What can you do? characteristic What do people tell you? potential impacts of the group proposal(s)?
No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Religion or the proposals will affect people any issues in respect of the protected belief disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action religion or belief. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if the proposals will affect people Sex/Gender any issues in respect of the protected disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action sex/gender. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Sexual the proposals will affect people any issues in respect of the protected orientation disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action sexual orientation. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Marriage and the proposals will affect people any issues in respect of the protected civil partnership disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action marriage or civil partnership. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if the proposals will affect people Carers any issues in respect of the protected disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action caring responsibility. Plan below will be amended accordingly. Other relevant No mitigation is currently required but the groups It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Consider if there is the proposalsAgenda will Pack affect 122 people of 194 in other any issues in respect of people in other a potential impact relevant groups disproportionately. relevant groups are identified then the Action (positive or Plan below will be amended accordingly. APPENDIX 2
Protected What do you know? What does this mean – what are the What can you do? characteristic What do people tell you? potential impacts of the group proposal(s)?
negative) on areas such as health and wellbeing, crime and disorder, Armed Forces community.
Opportunity to advance equality of opportunity and/or foster good relations The services currently provided by the existing PSB are still required in order to meet the needs and improve the outcomes for local pupils with significant emotional and behavioural needs. The County Council is of the view that the relocation of the PSB would have a positive impact for the pupils it serves and for staff, by enabling the re-provision of the services and by providing enhanced education opportunities and improved facilities in the proposed new PSB.
Conclusion of your analysis and assessment -
OUTCOME AND NEXT STEPS SUMMARY
i. No equality impacts identified - No major change required to proposal
ii. Minimal equality impacts identified - Adverse impacts have been identified, but have been objectively justified (provided you do not unlawfully discriminate)
- Ensure decision makers consider the cumulative effect of how a number of decisions impact on equality - No major change required to proposal Agenda Pack 123 of 194 APPENDIX 2
iii. Potential equality impacts identified - T change the original policy/proposal, ake ‘mitigating action’ to YES remove barriers or better advance equality - Set out clear actions in the action plan in section 4. iv. Major equality impacts identified - The adverse effects are not justified, cannot be mitigated or show unlawful discrimination
- You must stop and remove the policy [you should consult with Legal Services] - Ensure decision makers understand the equality impact
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4. Prioritised Action Plan Impact identified and group(s) affected Action planned Expected Measure Lead outcome of officer success and timeframe
Richard Explore ways of supporting parents, carers, governors and Woodard Stakeholders staff through the change process June 2018 Ensure that any known issues around disability are factored into the individual scheme design and that the building Richard scheme is compliant with the Equalities Act. Woodard Disabled Pupils June Obtain information around individual needs of children with 2018 disabilities.
This EqIA has been signed off by:
Lead Equality Impact Assessment officer: Richard Woodard Date: 22 May 2018 Head of Service or Business Manager: Jennie Newman Date: 22 May 2018 Review date: 22 June 2018
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10 Agenda Item No.
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND LOCALISM CABINET PANEL 6 TUESDAY, 5 JUNE 2018 AT 10:00AM
HERTFORDSHIRE’S STRATEGIC PLAN FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE 2018-21
Report of the Director of Children’s Services
Author: Karen Noble, Performance Improvement Manager; Tel: (01992) 588394
Executive Member: Terry Douris (Education, Libraries and Localism) Teresa Heritage (Children, Young People and Families)
1. Purpose of report
1.1 To present Hertfordshire’s Strategic Plan for Children and Young People 2018-21, as attached at Appendix A.
2. Summary
2.1 Hertfordshire’s Strategic Plan for Children and Young People 2018-21 (“the Plan”) outlines our vision of giving every child, young person and their family the opportunity to live happy and fulfilling lives. It has been developed through discussions with staff, young people and partners and highlights the Council’s ambition for children and young people in relation to Children’s Services’ Outcome Bees‘.
2.2 If adopted by Cabinet, a web based version of the Plan will be created which will include video clips of young people and staff talking about support provided and the difference it’s made. The aim is that the on-line pages will be ‘live’ during the life of the plan to enable a refresh of video clips and links to relevant strategies and performance information.
3. Recommendation
3.1 The Education, Libraries and Localism Cabinet Panel is asked to note and comment upon the plan and recommend to Cabinet that it recommends to Council that the Hertfordshire’s Strategic Plan for Children and Young People 2018-21, as appended to the report, be adopted.
4. Background and Context
4.1 This Plan articulates more specifically the County Council’s priorities for Hertfordshire’s children and young people captured within the Corporate Plan.
4.2 This three year plan will build on what the County Council is already doing well to target our resources on those children, young people and families that Agenda Pack1 126 of 194
really need our help and guidance. The County Council is committed to meeting its statutory duties to protect children and young people effectively and ensuring that no child, family or community is left behind.
4.3 This Plan is also being considered by the Children, Young People and Families Cabinet Panel on 20 June 2018. As the Plan comprises one of the Council;s policy framework documents it needs to be approced by Full Council. A report on the Plan will be taken to Full Council on 17 July 2018.
5. Financial Implications
5.1 There are no anticipated financial implications with regard to the publication of the Plan. The strategies referred to in the plan underpin the savings targets identified for Children’s Services in the Integrated Plan.
6. Equality Implications
6.1 When considering proposals placed before Members it is important that they are fully aware of, and have themselves rigorously considered the equalities implications of the decision that they are taking.
6.2 Rigorous consideration will ensure that proper appreciation of any potential impact of that decision on the County Council’s statutory obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As a minimum this requires decision makers to read and carefully consider the content of any Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) produced by officers.
6.3 The Equality Act 2010 requires the Council when exercising its functions to have due regard to the need to (a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited under the Act; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. The protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.
6.4 Issues of equality and diversity are considered throughout the strategic focus, priorities and performance indicators in the Plan. This is illustrated, for example, in the focus on enhancing access to employment for young people with addional needs, or with low functional skills
6.5 Individual Equality Impact Assessments have been and will be completed for activity to deliver the priorities in the Plan.
Background Information
‘Outcome Bees’ - https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/childrens-social- care/child-protection/hertfordshire-safeguarding-children-board/professionals-and- volunteers/hertfordshires-6-outcome-bees.aspx
Agenda Pack2 127 of 194
Coporate Plan - https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/about-the-council/freedom-of- information-and-council-data/open-data-statistics-about-hertfordshire/what-our- priorities-are-and-how-were-doing/corporate-plan-2017-21.aspx
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Appendix A Foreword Hertfordshire
Key County of Opportunity Hertfordshire
Facts Hertfordshire County Council’s Vision Plan for Children & Young People 2018 - 21
Agenda Pack 129 of 194 A county that works for children, young people and families We are supported by other departments within the County Council and partners such Foreword as the local district and borough councils, the health service, schools, police and the voluntary and community sector. Partnership working is essential in delivering effective services to all communities across Hertfordshire. Key To achieve the Hertfordshire vision and ambitions for children, young people and Hertfordshire their families, the County Council will work in a way that: Facts • Is open, honest and ethical; • Identifies and addresses issues early; Vision • Values diversity, addresses inequality and supports the most vulnerable; • Encourages commercial thinking and embraces digital opportunities to deliver Foreword services even more innovatively. Hertfordshire’s Plan for Children and Young People presents High quality schools and settings in Hertfordshire provide a high level of teaching more detail about the priorities for children, young people from an early age which equip our children and young people for the future and their families outlined in Hertfordshire County Council’s whatever their aspirations. However, whilst Hertfordshire is indeed a ‘county of Corporate Plan. opportunity’ for many, for some families and communities faced with generational issues and special educational needs and disabilities, accessing those opportunities is Part of the vision for Hertfordshire is to give every child, often hard to achieve. young person and their family the opportunity to live happy and fulfilling lives. This is underpinned by four ambitions This three year plan will build on what we are already doing well, it will evolve and which shape the work of the whole County Council, the: develop our policies, procedures and the way that we work, but will target our Opportunity to Thrive; Opportunity to Prosper; Opportunity resources on those children, young people and families that really need our help and to be Healthy and Safe; and Opportunity to Take Part. More guidance. The County Council is committed to ensuring that no child, family or specifically, the County Council in its role as a Corporate community is left behind. In particular it is committed to meeting its statutory duties Parent for those children and young people who are in care to protect children and young people effectively. or recently left care is committed to ensuring they feel safe, Financial pressures across the public sector; an increase in demography; the well cared for and supported to achieve their full potential. improvement of health care leading to the survival rate of children with complex These ambitions define the work of Children’s Services. The medical conditions; an increase in the number of children with recognized complex Service is part of the Hertfordshire system working for the behavioural difficulties; and an increase in the number of children and young people benefit of children, young people, their families and affected by intergenerational and societal pressures are placing extraordinary communities. Agenda Packdemands 130 of on 194 Children’s Services. As a result, we are continually searching for new and innovative ways to deliver services to our communities to ensure we deliver the best services we can with the funding we have available. For example, Children’s Services has developed a new Outcomes Framework, Foreword known as the ‘Six Outcome Bees’ http://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/outcomebees to enable us to assess and evidence our impact. This framework has been developed with the involvement of young people and partner organisations to Key ensure those things which are most important things to young people are identified Hertfordshire and our performance against these are measured. The outcomes are inter-linked Facts with all the ‘bees’ being important for the child or young person. Each outcome area means many different things depending on the individual or family we are working with. This framework enables us to set clear and measurable targets Vision across the six domains that are agreed with service users, their families and our partners. Prevention is at the heart of all that we do. It is the basis Hertfordshire is developing services in co-production with young people, families, of the Families First approach which focuses on providing carers and partner organisations to provide services which meet the needs of our support as problems emerge so families become more communities and provide value for money in a time of scarce resources. The voice resilient and the challenges they face do not escalate. By of children, young people and families spans our work as feedback is gathered helping families to sustain improvements, demand for about the services they receive and trained young commissioners are involved in more costly support is reduced. Success is dependent on the specification of services being commissioned. partners and communities working effectively together to deliver early help to families, minimising the impact on the Young people involved in ‘Take Over Day’ in November 2017 were asked what they lives of children, the family and the communities around consider are the two most important things to help them to live a happy and them. Our Family Safeguarding programme has changed fulfilling life. Whilst these differ according to each young person, friends, family and the way child protection services are delivered leading to being supported were commonly recurring themes. Hertfordshire relies on a skilled positive changes for families in terms of reducing crime, and dedicated workforce within the County Council, partner organisations and on substance misuse, neglect, and health improvements and staff and volunteers within the Voluntary and Community Sector. Together we will increasing attendance at school which in turn will be continue to work to improve all the outcomes for children, young people and reflected in reduced demand on public services and a families within Hertfordshire. better prepared and skilled workforce across Hertfordshire.
To keep us focused on supporting families in a way that makes a positive difference to their lives, we are continuing to develop mechanisms to ensure we can evidence what works, share the learning across the services andAgenda develop Pack 131Teresa of 194 Heritage Terry Douris Jenny Coles Executive Member for Executive Member for Director of and support our workforce to provide effective support to Children’s Services Education, Libraries Children’s Services families. and Localism Foreword Hertfordshire A Place in Which to Grow
Key Hertfordshire Facts
VisionKey Hertfordshire facts
Agenda Pack 132 of 194 Foreword Strategic Focus
Key Hertfordshire is striving for continuous The Health & Wellbeing Strategy aims to tackle health inequalities to to make life Hertfordshire improvement to provide the right support better for everyone living in Hertfordshire with priorities based on the four life stages Facts in the right place at the right time. of Starting Well, Developing Well, Living and Working Well and Ageing Well. The Hertfordshire’s Plan for Children and strategy will shape the commissioning of services across the health and care system to Young People over the next three years is develop more detailed action plans to improve the health and wellbeing of people who Vision driven by a number of key strategies and live and work in Hertfordshire. The importance of Mental Health and Emotional approaches which are dependent on Wellbeing for children and young people, their parents and carers is reflected in the integrated multi-agency work with development and implementation of the Mental Health and Wellbeing partners taking a holistic approach to meet Transformation Plan for children and young people in Hertfordshire. the needs of families and improve The focus of the Families First Strategy is early help and prevention. The needs of outcomes for children and young people, vulnerable children, young people and their families are identified at the earliest these include: opportunity, are well assessed and met by families and agencies working effectively A co-produced Education, Skills & Training together. Improved and sustainable outcomes are achieved through building a family’s Strategy will encompass school resilience to, and increasing their capacity to manage, challenging circumstances. improvement and SEND priorities within schools and further education settings. The aim of partners in the education sector is to raise aspirations for all children and young people, enhance opportunities into higher education, training and employment by closing the gap in attainment and inspire young people to develop the skills to flourish in the workplace in their future lives. The Skills Strategy aims to increase and develop Hertfordshire’s workforce to ensure we can support a strong economy within which businesses can thrive, whilst enabling all residents of Hertfordshire to maximise their own individual potential and share in Hertfordshire’s prosperity. Agenda Pack 133 of 194 Foreword Keeping young people safe in their community, or contextual safeguarding, is an increasing Family Safeguarding is a whole- priority in Hertfordshire. This means protecting children and young people who are at risk system approach within because of factors outside of their family, such as child sexual exploitation, increasing levels of Children’s Services to improve violence or gangs and the threats posed by radicalisation. A key focus for partners working the quality of work undertaken Key together is to develop resilient communities where children and young people feel safe and part with families, and thereby Hertfordshire of a supportive community. outcomes for children and Facts The 0-25 Integrated SEND Commissioning Strategy brings together SEND commissioning activity parents. It brings together a across the health and social care partnership to develop a more integrated approach with other partnership including the police, services including Integrated Services for Learning, Early Help Services, Early Years Services, health (including mental health), Vision Learning and Housing support and Adult Care Services. The strategy reflects Hertfordshire’s probation and substance misuse commitment to transform our support for children and young people with SEND to improve services to tackle issues of their journey from childhood into adulthood by increasing inclusivity and equity and reducing domestic abuse, substance marginalisation thereby enabling young adults to have more fulfilled lives through better misuse and mental health within planning and preparation. The focus is to give families access to a wider range of support, self- families. directed wherever possible and deliver a more joined up response so that families receive a When children and young single, personalised, coherent offer of support. people come into care our CLA Strategy outlines our commitment to creating opportunities for our looked after children, young people and care leavers to reach their potential and have created a shared vision to promote positive outcomes. As Corporate Parents we want our looked after children to be given the same positive child hood experiences and opportunities that any parent would wish for their own child. These key areas of focus are reflected in Hertfordshire’s Outcome Bees framework.
Agenda Pack 134 of 194 Foreword The Vision
Key Hertfordshire Facts
Key Vision Hertfordshire facts
Agenda Pack 135 of 194 Foreword Hertfordshire’s Ambition
Key
Hertfordshire for Be Safe Facts
Our ambition to keep Hertfordshire’s children, young people Vision and families safe is everybody’s business, not just the responsibility of statutory authorities.
Hertfordshire’s focus is on early intervention and prevention to reduce the need for protection. To achieve this we are working with communities enabling them to take responsibility for their own safety and the safety of those around them.
Our aim is to work in partnership with other organisations to deliver the right services at the right time to prevent problems escalating. Partner agencies throughout Hertfordshire are enabling self-help by sign-posting to information enabling families to access the right support as their needs arise. For more details you can visit:
Our Top Priorities Families First Portal
1. Develop safe communities by focusing on prevention. Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board 2. Intervene early to address problems and build resilience. Domestic Abuse Strategy 3. Tackle domestic abuse and violence toAgenda protect Pack and 136 of 194 empower children, young people and families. Preventing Child Sexual Exploitation
Foreword Hertfordshire’s Priorities for the Future Protecting children from abuse and neglect and supporting their recovery from any resulting trauma. Key Keeping children safe through our multi-disciplinary Hertfordshire Family Safeguarding approach working in a holistic and Facts integrated way to meet the needs of families. Helping young people and families experiencing mental Vision health, substance misuse issues or domestic abuse to improve their ability to protect themselves and their children. Providing young people and families with early help to prevent problems from escalating, such as school attendance. Working in partnership to raise awareness of the risks of How will we monitor our performance? going missing and child sexual exploitation and help Number of referrals to Children’s Services prevent it happening to young people in Hertfordshire Number of Families First Assessments closed due to Working with partners to disrupt and tackle young people needs met involved in violent activity which is closely related to the supply of drugs in Hertfordshire and child criminal or Number of children subject to a child protection sexual exploitation and support victims. plan Working together with partner agencies and schools to Number of Children Looked After by the Local reduce the threat from extremism. Authority Using the wider resources of the Council, such as Number of Children and Young People at risk of CSE firefighters, to develop and promote community based being supported prevention programmes. Number of children killed or seriously injured in Targeting Road Safety campaigns to young people and road traffic accidents Agenda Pack 137 of 194 newly qualified drivers between 17 and 25 years of age working towards the aim of zero road deaths in Hertfordshire.
Foreword Hertfordshire’s Ambition
Key
Hertfordshire for Be Healthy Facts
We are committed to improving the health and Vision wellbeing of Hertfordshire’s population and reduce the impacts of poor physical and mental health on children and families which can negatively affect educational achievement, income levels and quality of life. Hertfordshire’s focus on early intervention means working with partner organisations and schools to improve public health, key in preventing ill-health and disability saving the cost of future NHS treatment and social care. Our aim is to ensure all children have a healthy start in life and are equipped with the knowledge and skills at an early age to make healthy and positive choices as they move into adulthood and throughout their lives. For more details you can visit: Our Top Priorities Hertfordshire Health & Wellbeing Board 1. Ensure children have a healthy start and can make Health in Herts healthy choices. 2. Promote healthy lifestyles and healthy relationships Transformation Plan for Mental Health and Wellbeing so that people are able to participate to, and Hertfordshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan contribute to their community. Agenda Pack 138 of 194 3. Provide information and a range of support for mental health and emotional wellbeing. Foreword Hertfordshire’s Priorities For The Future Delivering the Healthy Child Programme for 0-19 year olds through Family Centres and nurseries to Key promote, demonstrate and educate parents and Hertfordshire carers about healthy eating so that children are a Facts healthy weight from the earliest years. Delivering the National Child Measurement Vision Programme to inform parents and carers about their child’s weight and direct them to advice and support to help their children to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Schools are encouraging physical activity as part of the normal daily routine to keep children fit, help their mental wellbeing and resilience and help them do better at school. How will we monitor our performance? Improving early access to a continuum of mental Percentage of children in reception and year 6 who are health support and emotional wellbeing services overweight or obese delivered through a range of settings including schools. Percentage of immunisations up-to-date for Children Looked After Supporting parents, carers, schools and services working with children and young people to provide Proportion of people with a learning disability receiving an annual health check good quality education about sex, healthy relationships and good sexual health. Number of young people accessing sexual health information Commissioning services that provide personalised support and flexible responses that best meet the Number of children and young people accessing targeted support through CAMHS needs of individuals and families. Agenda Pack 139 of 194
Foreword Hertfordshire’s Ambition
Key
Hertfordshire Facts for Be Ambitious
Our aim is to provide every child with a good start in life by supporting Vision parents and early years settings to develop the skills and learning to ensure children across Hertfordshire begin school ready to thrive.
Hertfordshire’s focus to provide ‘A good school for every child in every district’ has positively impacted outcomes at the end of Key Stages 1, 2, 4 and 5 and we wish to see these improve further.
Our aim is to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children who are not doing as well as their peers. Vulnerable children and those with challenging behaviour, those who are excluded from school or otherwise miss elements of formal education need, and will receive, greater support. We wish to see disadvantaged children achieving well in line with their peers, locally and nationally, and aspiring to good For more details you can visit: All Age Autism Strategy future careers, higher and further education. Herts for Learning Our Top Priorities Integrated Services for Learning 1. Narrow the gap between our most vulnerable children and general SEND Strategy society by supporting them to overcome adverse childhood SEND Local Offer experiences and recent trauma. 2. Raise standards, attainment and aspirations for all children. YC Hertfordshire Agenda Pack 140 of 194 3. Transform SEND provision by providing more local integrated DfE Unlocking Talent Report support.
Hertfordshire’s Priorities For The Future Foreword Bringing services together in Family Centres to provide local support to families.
Working with our schools as key partners to produce and Key implement the school improvement strategy to improve Hertfordshire the proportion of schools and settings which are Good and Facts Outstanding and raise attainment across the county. Providing sufficient school places to meet needs and Vision working with planners and developers to ensure new developments include community resources such as schools and green spaces. Inspiring and supporting young people to achieve their potential including progressing to apprenticeships or higher education and helping people with autism in education, transition to adulthood, training and work; developing skills and independence. How will we monitor our performance? Strengthening relationships with Multi-Academy Trusts, Percentage of eligible 2 year olds accessing free other school partnerships and Further Education colleges early education with a focus on disadvantage. Proportion of schools and settings judge as Good or Developing our Special Education Needs and Disability Outstanding by Ofsted (SEND) services to equip families and those that work with The attainment of disadvantage children and young them to understand and address the underlying needs that people at the Early Years Foundation Stage and each result in behaviour difficulties. subsequent Key Stage Supporting vulnerable young people, including young offenders and those who have disengaged, to stay in Percentage of 16-17 year olds in learning learning. The number of home educated children Supporting families, enabling each child and young person to fulfil their potential both in childhood and as they move Agenda Pack 141 of 194 into adulthood.
Foreword Hertfordshire’s Ambition
Key
Hertfordshire for Be Independent Facts Our aim is for all vulnerable young people to move successfully through training into sustainable employment and independent Vision living within our communities.
Hertfordshire’s focus is on increasing opportunities, particularly for those who have been in care or are disadvantaged, to access further or higher education, apprenticeships and to develop the skills needed for employment and a life of independence in their own homes.
Our aims are to work with partners to increase the number of young people in education, employment and training. Through partnership working with employers, housing providers and local authorities, to provide people with access to a range of suitable jobs and accommodation options and reduce their risk of For more details you can visit: homelessness. Corporate Parenting Strategy Our Top Priorities 1. Develop the skills of young people to flourish in the Hertfordshire Skills Strategy workplace. 2. Improve access to a wider choice of accommodation options SEND Local Offer and reduce homelessness. 3. Work with local economic partners to develop a broader offer of work experience and employment opportunitiesAgenda Pack 142for ourof 194 more vulnerable young people, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Foreword Hertfordshire’s Priorities For The Future Working with partners to deliver the Skills Strategy to support, schools, colleges and other services to provide impartial
careers guidance. Key
Hertfordshire Working with Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Facts education providers and employers to ensure all young people have the skills and experience to flourish in the workplace and contribute to the local economy. Vision Identifying young people at higher risk of not being in education, employment or training and providing opportunities for additional support through volunteer mentors, work experience or employer mentoring to inspire them to achieve. Working with local employers to provide a wide range of How will we monitor our performance? opportunities for work experience, apprenticeships and workplace training including for young people with additional Numbers of children receiving 30 Hours Free needs. Childcare Improving access to a range of accommodation choices for The proportion of young people aged 18-25 with care leavers and young people with additional needs and a learning disability who are in employment developing their independent living skills to make the best use Number of 18-25 living in an independent setting of them. Percentage of care leavers in suitable Helping vulnerable young adults, carers and those with accommodation disabilities to develop the confidence and skills to enable them to find work and build careers and be independent. Percentage of young people, including care Providing low cost courses to improve functional skills such as leavers in education, employment & training speaking & listening, reading, writing to courses which can help with gaining employment such as maths, computing and ICT skills or with finance, employment and skills mentoring. Following member feedback, bullet Providing 30 hours free childcare to supportAgenda a Pack move 143 into of 194 point on independent travel to be employment for families where adults are not working. included. Foreword
Hertfordshire’s Ambition Key
Hertfordshire Facts for Be Resilient Hertfordshire aims to increase self-reliance and peer support for Vision children, young people and their families so they can access the information and support they need as soon as problems arise.
Our focus is on the development of self-help tools and information portals via the internet as an accessible and cost- effective way for us to provide advice and information to as much of Hertfordshire’s population as possible. We support children in care and care leavers to establish their own support networks to help them transition to adulthood.
Our aim is to build community resilience enabling our children, young people and families to flourish and cope with the pressures faced in today’s world. For more details you can visit: Our Top Priorities 1. Ensure children have the best start in life and are equipped Community First Strategy with the skills to make positive life choices. Families First Portal 2. Provide children and young people with the skills and SEND Local Offer information they need take responsibility for their own decisions. YC Hertfordshire
3. Increase the resilience of families by providingAgenda Pack them 144 with of 194the information, tools and services they need to help themselves. Foreword Hertfordshire’s Priorities For The Future
Continually developing the Families First Portal to provide information for families about organisations, Key services and groups in Hertfordshire where they can Hertfordshire find support for themselves to help with problems they Facts face. Provide support and solutions through local multi- agency co-ordinated working that involve a range of Vision partner agencies offering different services to meet the needs of each family in a more personalised way. Supporting the Community First Approach with the aim of preventing, reducing and/or delaying statutory intervention through community involvement which includes families, friends and community support How will we monitor our performance? groups to aid the most vulnerable in our society. The number of children aged 3/4 benefitting from Providing information to young people through YC the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) in addition to Hertfordshire about local services and signposting to their free early education useful websites including job vacancies, advice drop in Numbers of children for whom Life Long Link centres, travel services, youth projects, events and networks have been created opportunities, music, media, games, performing arts and much more. Sufficient local placements to increase choice for Working with partners in the community, to ensure CLA youth work projects and programmes provide Percentage of CLA in foster care who turn 18 in the information, guidance, work related learning and other year and stay put in their placement post 18 positive experiences for young people which increase confidence, promote positive peer networks and build Percentage of couples showing improved parental resilience. relationship following mediation or counselling Working with children in care and care leavers to build relationships with family members andAgenda establish Pack their145 of 194 own ongoing support networks.
Foreword
Key Hertfordshire Facts
Vision
Agenda Pack 146 of 194 Agenda Item No.
EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND LOCALISM CABINET PANEL TUESDAY, 5 JUNE 2018 AT 10:00AM 7
ENLARGEMENT AND RELOCATION OF WESTFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL, HODDESDON, OUTCOME OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Report of the Director of Children’s Services
Report Author: Brenda Dennett, School Planning Officer (Tel: 01992 555813)
Executive Member: Terry Douris, Education, Libraries & Localism
Local Members: Paul Mason (Hoddesdon South),Tim Hutchings (Hoddesdon North)
1. Purpose of report
1.1 To inform Panel of the outcome of the public consultation on the proposal to relocate and enlarge the 1 form of entry (f.e.), Westfield Community Primary School (“the School”) which currently has 210 places to a new 2 f.e., 420 place School located within a new housing development at High Leigh, Hoddesdon. This would provide an additional 1 f.e. to meet demand from the new housing.
1.2 To update Panel on progress with background work regarding the financial viability of the proposal.
2. Summary
2.1 On 18 December 2017, Cabinet gave approval to pursue the proposal to relocate and enlarge Westfield Community Primary School and agreed that the Director of Children’s Services was authorised to proceed with a statutory consultation, commencing in January 2018. The Consultation ended on 27 February 2018 and there has been a relatively low online response with only 26 responses received. A consultation event held at the School was well attended and a further 23 written responses were collected on the day. Almost half, 24 (49%) of the combined responses were in favour of the proposals, including the Governing Body’s response. The remaining responses were split, 15 (30.6%) disagree and 10 (20.4%) undecided.
2.2 Consideration of the issues and concerns raised are contained in Appendix 1.
2.3 The developer has recently provided projected delivery and housing occupation timescales that are significantly later than previously anticipated. This delay impacts upon various trigger points within the s.106 agreement, including transfer of the school site to the County Council. In light of this, the revised programme for delivery of the new school is now September 2022, two years later than the indicative date of 2020 stated in the consultation.
Agenda Pack 147 of 194 1 2.4 A delay in the granting of rights for the County Council to access the school site to undertake survey work means it has not been possible to progress further feasibility work at this stage. An update is now expected in July/August 2018. This means that the financial implications remain as previously reported to Cabinet in December 2017.
3. Recommendation
3.1 Panel is asked to recommend to Cabinet that it authorises the Director of Children’s Services to publish a statutory notice to enlarge Westfield Community Primary School, Hoddesdon by relocating it to a school building located within the housing development at High Leigh, Hoddesdon from 01 September 2022.
4. Background
4.1 On 18 December 2017, Cabinet approved (with final terms to be agreed by the Director of Resources in consultation with Executive Members) use of Basic Need grant and Repairs and Maintenance funding to enable site acquisition and bridge any funding gap. It also indicated that Cabinet would receive a financial update as part of the subsequent report on the outcome of the public consultation.
4.2 The public consultation was held over a seven week period to take into account the February half-term holidays. The consultation began on 10 January 2018 and ended on 27 February 2018.
4.3 The consultation letter attached at Appendix 2 was sent to all parents, governors and staff at the School, as well as all schools in the area, and to all other statutory consultees. Copies of the consultation letter were sent or emailed to:
(i) Residents local to the school; (ii) MPs, County Councillors, District Councillors, Parish and Town Councils and Local Authority Chief Executives; (iii) Trade Union representatives; (iv) Church Diocese representatives; (v) NHS representatives; (vi) Parent Governor representatives; (vii) Pre-schools, playgroups, children’s centres, toddler groups and day nurseries; (viii) Libraries and Citizen’s Advice Bureaux.
4.4 The letter and response form were also available on the County Council’s Hertfordshire.gov.uk website. A total of 2313 letters/emails were sent out for the consultation.
4.5 The consultation proposed that the expansion would take place on 1 September 2020 (and the earliest) and that the School would be located within the housing development at High Leigh, Hoddesdon and would offer additional places in all year groups, growing gradually from 1 fe (30 places) to 2fe (60 places) as necessary, to meet demand for places generated by the new housing.
Agenda Pack 148 of 194 2 Response to the consultation
4.6 A total of 26 online responses have been received. A further 23 handwritten responses were collected at a consultation event held at the School on Tuesday 23 January 2018 at which 81 people recorded their attendance (some people chose not to sign in). Copies of all responses received are available to Members in the Members’ Lounge and will also be available to the Panel and Cabinet at the meetings on 5 June 2018 and 18 June 2018 respectively.
4.7 A detailed analysis of the responses is attached in Appendix 1 which includes:
(i) a breakdown of the number of responses received, and who they are from; (ii) an analysis of the key issues raised and the response to them; (iii) a copy of the governing body’s response;
A summary of the responses received is shown below.
Governing Westfield Community Total Don't Agree % Disagree % % Body Primary School Responses Know Response Online responses 26 12 46.2% 8 30.8% 6 23.1% Agree Event responses 23 12 52.2% 7 30.4% 4 17.4%
Total responses 49 24 49% 15 30.6% 10 20.4%
4.8 Almost half (49%) of the respondents agreed with the proposal. Of the 30% who disagreed, the most common concern was about the possible change to the small school ethos at Westfield, a response to this has been provided in Appendix 1. Of the 20% who were undecided, much of the concern was about the proposal to dispose of the vacated site for housing development rather than specifically about the relocation of the school.
4.9 The concern raised about the future use of the vacated current school site will be the subject of a future town planning application which will involve formal consultation with local residents through the Borough of Broxbourne’s town planning process.
4.10 The enlargement and relocation will be conditional upon the granting of town planning permission for the new school building and the housing scheme for the subsequently vacated school site.
4.11 Having analysed all of the responses, it is the Officer’s view that in light of:
the full agreement of the Governing Body to the enlargement and relocation; and the advantages relocation to new enlarged premises will offer to the children;
the enlargement of Westfield Community Primary School is the right solution to provide the additional 1 f.e. of school places needed to serve the new housing at
Agenda Pack 149 of 194 3 High Leigh, subject to the outcome of further financial viability updates expected in July/August 2018.
Developer Programme
4.12 The developer has provided an updated anticipated timeframe for the delivery and occupation of the housing at this site. The timeframe is slower than previously anticipated and impacts on the timing of the transfer of the school site to the County Council. In view of this, the revised programme for delivery of the new school is now September 2022, two years later than the indicative date of 2020 stated in the consultation.
4.13 In addition, a delay in granting rights for the County Council to access the proposed school site to undertake survey work means it has not been possible to progress further feasibility work at this stage. An update is now expected in July/August 2018. The financial implications therefore remain as previously reported in the report approved by Cabinet in December 2017, https://cmis.hertfordshire.gov.uk/hertfordshire/Calendarofcouncilmeetings/tabid/70/ctl /ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/656/Committee/8/SelectedTab/Documents/Def ault.aspx .
4.14 Whilst this reported change to the programme would mean the delayed delivery date of the school, it is recommended that Cabinet endorses the publication of a statutory notice at this stage for the following reasons:
it follows the process set out in in the public consultation and reduces uncertainty for the school. This would be beneficial for the school when discussing proposals with prospective parents and aid in its future financial and capacity planning; it will ensure the County Council is able to meet all necessary obligations within the s106. It is important to note that should the programme change again (brought forward or further delayed), it would be necessary to seek a post determination modification to the implementation date stated in the Statutory Notice; a financial update will be available prior to the final decision being made.
4.15 Cabinet can choose whether to:
(i) authorise the Director of Childrens Services to publish a statutory notice to enlarge Westfield Community Primary School by relocating it to a school building located within the housing development at High Leigh, Hoddesdon from September 2022; (ii) take no further action; (iii) initiate fresh consultation on any alternative suggestion(s); or (iv) take alternative action.
4.16 Cabinet will be asked to consider this and the recommendations of the Panel at its meeting on 18 June 2018 and will be requested to decide how it wishes to proceed.
Agenda Pack 150 of 194 4 4.17 Subject to Panel endorsing the officer recommendation (set out in section 3 of the report) and to Cabinet’s subsequent agreement to publish a notice, the final decision will be referred back to Cabinet along with a financial update within two months of end of the statutory notice period.
4.18 The proposed timetable for the remainder of the statutory process is:
rd th Statutory notice period 3 – 30 September 2018 th Decision by Cabinet 26 November 2018
5. Financial Implications
5.1 On 18 December 2017 Cabinet, link provided in paragraph 4.13 above, gave approval to pursue the proposal to relocate and enlarge Westfield Community Primary School, with final terms to be agreed by the Director of Resources in consultation with the Executive Members for Resources, Property and the Economy and Education, Libraries and Localism for:
the acquisition of additional land at High Leigh, Hoddesdon the application of indexed s106 funds as detailed in the formal s106 agreement relating to the High Leigh housing development, Hoddesdon the use of County Council funding equivalent to the value of the eventual disposal receipt to part-fund the acquisition of additional land at High Leigh, Hoddesdon and additional building costs the use of schools Repairs and Maintenance budget and Basic Need funding to bridge the funding gap the submission of a planning application for housing on the Westfield School site and completion of any planning agreement the submission of a planning application for the proposed new school the procurement of the new school premises, and the subsequent disposal of the Westfield School site;
5.2 Currently, the financial implications remain as set out in that report. Cabinet will be provided with an update on the financial viability of the proposal for consideration following publication of the Statutory Notice but prior to making its final decision.
6. Equality Implications
6.1 When considering proposals placed before Members it is important that they are fully aware of, and have themselves rigorously considered the Equality implications of the decision that they are making.
6.2 Rigorous consideration will ensure that proper appreciation of any potential impact of that decision on the County Council’s statutory obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As a minimum this requires decision makers to read and carefully consider the content of any Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) produced by officers.
6.3 The Equality Act 2010 requires the County Council when exercising its functions to have due regard to the need to (a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation Agenda Pack 151 of 194 5 and other conduct prohibited under the Act; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. The protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.
6.4 An Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) has been carried out on this proposal and has been updated where necessary (attached at Appendix 3).The EqIA will be reviewed and updated as part of any future public consultation.
6.5 Consideration has been given to the likely impact of the proposal, and current assessments conclude that it is not anticipated that people with protected characteristics will be affected disproportionately.
6.6 The County Council is also bound by the Admissions Code and Regulations and this does not allow for any discrimination.
6.7 Officers are of the view that the relocation and expansion of the school will enable:-
additional school places to be made available in new facilities at a more sustainably sized school that are well located to meet demand from the new development and to continue to serve the existing community; enhanced education opportunities and an enriched curriculum offer which has a positive impact on the whole school community; the opportunity for improved facilities for disabled access in the new building.
Background Information
Cabinet Minutes December 2017 https://cmis.hertfordshire.gov.uk/hertfordshire/Calendarofcouncilmeetings/tabid/70/ctl/View MeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/656/Committee/8/SelectedTab/Documents/Default.aspx
Agenda Pack 152 of 194 6 APPENDIX 1
PROPOSAL TO RELOCATE AND ENLARGE 1 FORM ENTRY (fe) WESTFIELD COMMUNITY PRIMARY SCHOOL TO A NEW 2fe SCHOOL AT HIGH LEIGH, HODDESDON, FROM 2020 (subject to the developer’s programme)
1. Response to the consultation:
A total of 26 online responses were received to the consultation of which 46.15% were in agreement with the proposal and 30.77% disagreed. The remaining 23.08% were undecided. A breakdown of the responses is shown below:
Total Capacity of respondent Agree Disagree Don't Know responses Parent/carer 8 2 5 1 Governor 4 4 0 0 Member of staff 8 4 0 4 Resident 5 2 2 1 Grandparent 1 0 1 0 Other 0 0 0 0 % 100% 46.15% 30.77% 23.08% Total responses 26 12 8 6
The Governing Body agrees with the proposal to relocate and expand the school by 1fe to 2fe, the full response can be found at the end of this appendix.
On Tuesday 23 January an exhibition on the proposals was held at the school. The purpose of the event was to provide information and seek views on this consultation and on the proposed design of the new school as part of a pre-application, town planning consultation.
The event was well supported, 81 people recorded their attendance (some people chose not to sign in). Of those who attended, 23 completed a written response on the day, 52.2% of which were in agreement with the proposal, 30.4% disagreed and 17.4% were undecided. A breakdown of the responses is shown below:
Total Capacity of respondent Agree Disagree Don't Know responses Parent/carer 4 1 3 0 Governor 0 0 0 0 Member of staff 0 0 0 0 Resident 5 2 1 2 Grandparent 0 0 0 0 Other (or not given) 14 9 3 2 % 100% 52.2% 30.4% 17.4% Total responses 23 12 7 4
Agenda Pack 153 of 194 1 The written responses collected at the event were primarily related to the design proposals consulted on, as part of the pre-application town planning process for the new school building. The issues raised will be addressed in a Statement of Community Engagement that will be submitted along with a planning application for the new school design that will be considered separately to this consultation.
A summary of the combined responses, online and the event is shown below:
Total Capacity of respondent Agree Disagree Don't Know responses Parent/carer 12 3 8 1 Governor 4 4 0 0 Member of staff 8 4 0 4 Resident 10 4 3 3 Grandparent 1 0 1 0 Other (or not given) 14 9 3 2 % 100% 49% 30.6% 20.4% Total responses 49 24 15 10
Copies of every response received online and recorded at the event are available in the Members Room to enable Members to review the detail prior to the Education Panel and Cabinet meetings.
2. Key themes raised:
A significant number of the respondents welcomed the proposals to relocate and enlarge Westfield Community Primary School, agreeing that it will be good for the school to be relocated to a modern, energy efficient building and that it would be beneficial for the pupils and staff.
The following key issues were raised and a response to them provided below:
3. Expanding the school will adversely affect its small-school ethos, standards and impact on school’s ability to recruit and retain staff:
Permanent expansion to 2 forms of entry will allow the school more flexibility to offer a broad curriculum for teaching and learning, as well as improved opportunities for staff development. The school name and team will not change as a result of the relocation.
There is not a direct relationship between the size of a school, the standards it achieves and its overall effectiveness. Schools of differing sizes can, and do, perform very well. The key factors which contribute to school standards and effectiveness are the quality of leadership and management, and of learning and teaching. Where these factors are equal, larger schools have some significant benefits. The larger budget provides greater flexibility in terms of staffing and resources; there is a better distribution of management responsibilities; there are improved opportunities for staff promotion within the school leading to better capacity to sustain leadership; and consequently the school is less vulnerable to turbulence.
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In view of the opportunities for staff outlined above, a positive impact on recruitment and retention of staff is anticipated.
The county council is confident that Westfield Community Primary School will maintain its ethos and standards.
4. Further to walk to school via new routes, road safety, additional traffic and parking:
It is inevitable that a relocated school will mean that some children will have to travel further to get to school, including the need for some families to walk through different areas that some respondents have expressed concern about. The school will produce and maintain a travel plan for the new location to encourage sustainable travel amongst pupils, staff and visitors to the school. The school will continue to explore a number of walking to school initiatives to address pupil safety and make environmental improvements. Safe pedestrian and crossing routes from both the High Leigh development and existing residential areas, including Westfield Road, have been incorporated into plans and will be delivered as part of the new housing development to encourage families to walk to school.
The impact of traffic generated at peak times by a larger relocated school was considered in an independent transport assessment completed to inform the design process. This will be submitted with the planning application for the new school.
The car parking requirement for the school has been established in conjunction with the Highway Authority and reflects the normal provision for a school of this size considering the location and accessibility by other sustainable modes of transport.
A construction management plan has been submitted as part of the wider High Leigh development and the construction traffic for the northern area where the new school will be located will access the site directly from the Dinant Link Road, not from Westfield Road.
5. What will the vacated school site be used for?
Should the school relocate, the existing school site would be disposed of for housing development, subject to town planning approval. Disposal of the site for housing is essential to the financial viability of the relocation of the school to new premises.
It will be necessary to submit a town planning application for housing on the vacated site and as part of the pre-application town planning process a separate exhibition to discuss the proposed housing scheme was held at Westfield School on 22nd February 2018. Further formal consultation with local residents will take place through the Borough of Broxbourne’s town planning process when a planning application is submitted.
6. Will the pre-school relocate with the school?
The new school building provides a nursery classroom space and as is currently the case, it will be for the school to determine how the nursery accommodation should be
Agenda Pack 155 of 194 3 used.
7. A public meeting should be held to allow people to ask questions and express their views:
A public exhibition held at Westfield Community Primary School on Tuesday 23 January gave interested parties an opportunity to express their views and ask questions about the expansion and relocation proposal and the design of the proposed new school. Representatives from the school planning and project teams were available to answer questions, including the highways and planning consultants. Attendees were offered forms to provide written responses at the event and encouraged to provide a response online as set out in the consultation letter and Hertfordshire County Council’s website.
When the planning applications for the new school building and the redevelopment of the vacated school site are submitted, there will be further public consultations where the public will be able to express their views.
8. Governing Body Response:
At a Full Governing Body Meeting on the 21st November 2017 the Governors of Westfield Community Primary unanimously voted in favour of the proposed relocation and change to two form entry for Westfield CP School.
Received on 31st January 2018
Agenda Pack 156 of 194 4 APPENDIX 2
Hertfordshire County Council County Hall Hertford, SG13 8DF
Tel: 0300 123 4043
My ref: School Planning
Date: 10 January 2018
Dear Consultee
We are consulting you on the following proposal:
The enlargement and relocation of Westfield Community Primary School, Westfield Road, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, EN11 8RA by 30 places (1 form of entry), to a new 2 form entry school building located within the nearby High Leigh housing development from September 2020 (or at a later date, depending on the timing of the housing development).
This proposal would support a permanent increase in the size of this school by 30 places (1 form of entry). The capacity of the school on its current site is 210 pupils and the eventual capacity in the proposed new school building would be 420 pupils. This means the school would then have the capacity to admit up to 60 pupils per year group to allow it to meet both the existing local demand for school places plus demand from the new housing development at High Leigh. The school would manage the growth in pupil numbers across the school; increasing gradually to provide sufficient additional places, as necessary, to meet demand from the new housing (with up to 60 places being made available in all year groups).
Why is this being proposed?
On 2 April 2015, Broxbourne Borough Council granted planning permission for up to 523 dwellings at High Leigh, Hoddesdon. The development is expected to create demand for about 1 form (30 pupils) for each primary school year. A legal agreement linked to the granting of planning permission requires the developers to make available land to the county council, and make a financial payment, for a 1 form entry school.
The county council has a preference for primary schools of at least 2 forms of entry because it considers that they are financially and educationally more viable in the longer term. Larger schools can also offer a broad curriculum and enhanced opportunities for staff development. A 2 form entry school would also manage fluctuations in pupil numbers more easily than a smaller school.
Agenda Pack 157 of 194 1
As the proposed development is so close to Westfield Community Primary School (less than 0.5 miles), an option for the county council to acquire additional land sufficient to accommodate a 2 form entry school has been secured to provide the opportunity to consider the enlargement and relocation of the school. In addition to the educational benefits of becoming a larger school, relocation from an older school building to modern, energy-efficient accommodation would also have a positive impact on the school’s running and maintenance costs. It also avoids the provision of two smaller primary schools within close proximity to each other.
The Governing Body of the school is supportive of the proposal to relocate as a 2 form entry school.
When would the school relocate?
The earliest anticipated timing for completion of the new school is September 2020, based on current information on the developer’s programme. Although this is some time off, a decision is required now in order to be certain of meeting legal timescales necessary to achieve this.
What would the new school look like?
As part of the initial feasibility work that will be used in the decision making process, it has been necessary to progress some design work. A project team has been working with representatives from Westfield Community Primary School to develop the design of the proposed new 2 form entry school building. There will be an opportunity to see the plans of the new building at a public exhibition at Westfield Community Primary School on Tuesday 23 January between 2:30 pm and 8:00 pm.
The purpose of the event is twofold: firstly, to provide an opportunity to speak to school place planning team representatives and ask any questions about the expansion and relocation proposal; secondly, to display the plans for the proposed new school ahead of submission of a planning application. Representatives from the project team, including highways and planning consultants, will be available to answer questions and gather feedback about the new school design for consideration as part of the town planning process.
If you are unable to attend, the exhibition material will be available to view between 24 and 31 January 2018 at: www.vincent-gorbing.co.uk/consultation and at: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/consultations
Have your say
The county council believes that the enlargement and relocation of Westfield Community Primary School would have a positive impact on existing and future pupils and staff and the local community. This proposal would secure the right number of school places and provide enhanced education opportunities in a brand new school building.
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You have until 27 February 2018 to let us know your views. The easiest way you can do this is by completing the online form on our website at: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/consultations You can tell us if you agree or disagree with the proposal and leave your comments.
If you do not have access to the internet you can visit your local library where free access is available to all Hertfordshire residents. Should you wish to request a hard copy of the response form or need help understanding this information you can email [email protected] or alternatively please call us on 0300 123 4043. An interpreting service is available for those who need it.
Your comments must be received by 27 February 2018. We will not be able to acknowledge or respond individually to your comments but they will be taken into account, as explained below.
How the decision will be taken
This is a consultation and no decision has been made yet. All comments received will be made available to elected members who make the final decision. All responses may be made available in public reports, although personal details will be removed to respect individual privacy.
The following timetable outlines the decision-making process. Please note that meetings marked with * will be open to the public. Although it will not be possible to inform everyone individually of the decisions made, you will be able to access this information throughout the process at: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/committees
Process Date Public consultation 10 January to 27 February 2018
Education Panel* 17 April 2018
Cabinet* 23 April 2018
Statutory notice period (4 weeks) 3 to 30 May 2018 Cabinet* (for final approval if 9 July 2018 objections received)
Implementation September 2020 (Indicative only)
Yours faithfully
Simon Newland Operations Director, Education
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APPENDIX 3 Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
STEP 1: Responsibility and involvement
Title of proposal/ Education strategy for the delivery of additional primary project/strategy/ school places to serve the new community arising from the procurement/policy new development of up to 523 homes at High Leigh, Hoddesdon and the relocation and enlargement of Westfield Community Primary School. Head of Service or Business Manager Pauline Davis Names of those Lead officer involved in contact details: Brenda Dennett completing the EqIA: Adrian Bentley Date completed: 16 April 2018 Review date: 2 October 2018
STEP 2: Objectives of proposal and scope of assessment – what do you want to achieve?
Proposal objectives: The County Council has a legal duty to ensure sufficient what you want to school places to meet the needs of existing and new achieve communities. intended outcomes purpose and need The new housing development proposes the delivery of an additional1 f.e. (30 places) for primary school aged children to meet anticipated demand from any new community moving into the new housing development at High Leigh Hoddesdon. The additional places will be available on a school site to be located within the housing development.
As part of the development there is an option to acquire additional land to provide a 2 f.e. school instead of a 1 f.e school. This option would include the relocation of the existing nearby 1 f.e. Westfield Community Primary School. This option is considered to offer a more sustainable pattern of provision, and would provide the school with brand new accessible accommodation that would have the benefit of lower maintenance and running costs than that of an equivalent older building.
A 7-week public consultation was concluded on 27 February 2018 on the enlargement and relocation of Westfield Community Primary School, Westfield Road, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, EN11 8RA by 30 places (1 form of entry), to a new 2 form entry school building located within the nearby High Leigh housing development from September 2020 (or at a later date, depending on the timing of the housing development).
Consultation letters were provided to staff, parents, pupils and governing bodies of the affected schools and local residents and other key stakeholders, including neighbouring local authorities, MP’s,
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Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
local members, parish councils, local schools and nurseries, the Roman Catholic and Church of England Dioceses, community groups and relevant staff at Hertfordshire County Council.
Posters were displayed in local libraries and other selected public places. The consultation documents were also available on the Hertfordshire County Council website, Hertfordshire.gov.uk. The consultation documents were made available in other formats on request, including large print, braille and other languages.
At the conclusion of the consultation all responses were carefully considered and no issues were raised that further impact any of the protected characteristics considered as part of this EqIA.
Stakeholders: Schools in the education planning area Who will be affected: Hertfordshire County Council Planning colleagues the public, partners, Local Members and political representative staff, service users, Local community local Member etc. Borough of Broxbourne Residents in the local and surrounding areas Department for Education High Leigh Developer (s) MPs, County Councillors, District Councillors, Parish and Town Councils and Local Authority Chief Executives; Trade Union representatives; Church Diocese representatives; NHS representatives; Parent Governor representatives on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Hertfordshire County Council; Further Education establishments, pre-schools, playgroups, Children’s Centres, toddler groups and day nurseries; Libraries and Citizen’s Advice Bureaux; Senior officers in Hertfordshire County Council’s Children’s Services department and Property teams.
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Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
STEP 3: Available data and monitoring information
Relevant equality What the data tells us about equalities information For example: The strategy seeks to provide additional primary school Community profiles / places to meet the anticipated need from the new community service user arising from High Leigh and provide more sustainable demographics, data provision than having two 1 f.e schools in such close and monitoring proximity (less than 0.5 mile). The school will offer local information (local and places for local children. The additional places will be national), similar or available on a school site to be located within the new previous EqIAs, housing development and a new pedestrian/cycle route from complaints, audits or the current school site to the new location will be provided by inspections, local the Developer as part of the Development scheme approved knowledge and by the Borough of Broxbourne. consultations. As the housing development is not yet built, the new community does not currently exist so the data from the existing Westfield Community Primary School has been used to provide a guide to the possible composition of the ultimate population of the enlarged school.
Spring 2018 school Westfield census data on gender Community Primary Spring 2018 School Census data split, English as an Primary Countywide additional language School (EAL), ethnicity, free school meal (FSM) Students (Years R to 6) 192 101019 eligibility, number of Number Minority Ethnic Students (not children with SEN White British and excluding Refused and 53 31683 statements, SEN Not Obtained) Provision or who have % Minority Ethnic Students (not White Education & Health British and excluding Refused and Not 27.60% 31.36% Care Plans. Obtained) (Countywide data includes pupils at Number EAL (English as an alternative special schools.) Language) (First language Not English 28 17053 or believed not to be English excluding Refused and Not Obtained)
% EAL (English as an alternative Language) (First language Not English 14.58% 16.88% or believed not to be English)
Number with Statement (or EHCP (S or 2 2050 E)) % with Statement (or EHCP (S or E)) 1.04% 2.03%
Number SEN Provision (K) 12 12147
% SEN Provision (K) 6.25% 12.02%
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Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
Number Eligible for FSM (at date of 31 8761 Census) % FSM (Free School Meals) (at date of 16.15% 8.67% Census) Number of Male Students 99 51668
% of Male Students 51.56% 51.15%
Number of Female Students 93 49351
% of Female Students 48.44% 48.85%
The percentage of Minority Ethnic Students, EAL students, students with a Statement (or EHCP) and students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) Provision are all lower than the County Average. The percentage of students who are eligible for Free School Meals is higher than the County Average.
STEP 4: Impact Assessment – Service Users, communities and partners (where relevant)
Guidance on groups of service users to consider within each protected group can be found here
Potential for differential Protected What reasonable mitigations impact (positive or characteristic can you propose? negative) Age This proposal offers Pupil numbers and age ranges will additional primary places at be kept under close scrutiny to an existing, good school in a inform whether or not the number new building in the heart of a of places available reflects the new community. need.
The school will be expected The position will continue to be to phase the provision of monitored and if any issues in additional places with the aim respect of the protected to provide sufficient capacity characteristic are identified then without destabilising the Action Plan will be amended neighbouring schools. It is accordingly. not anticipated that the proposals will affect people disproportionately because of their age. Disability School planning officers are The school will be fully inclusive. Including liaising with the Headteacher It will meet the needs of children in Learning to ensure that any issues the local area, including those with Disability identified for pupils relocating Special Educational Need (SEN) to the new school can be and/or disability. addressed. It is not Should the Proposal proceed and
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Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
Potential for differential Protected What reasonable mitigations impact (positive or characteristic can you propose? negative) anticipated at this stage that issues arise that require specific the proposals will affect professional advice this will be people disproportionately sought. because of the issues of disability. Any issues identified or known, as well as the duties found within Part The new school building will 6, Section 149 and Schedules 10 be designed to ensure and 13 of the Equality Act 2010 accessibility by all. concerning disability will be factored into the individual scheme designs. Any building scheme will also meet the requirements to avoid Disability Discrimination under Section 15 of the Equality Act 2010.
The position will continue to be monitored and if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Race It is not anticipated at this The school will be required to stage that the proposals will accept all children regardless of affect people race or ethnicity. disproportionately because of the issues of race. No mitigation is currently required but the position will continue to be monitored and if any issues in respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly.
Gender It is not currently anticipated No mitigation is currently required reassignment that the proposals will affect but the position will continue to be people with this characteristic monitored and if any issues in disproportionately. respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly.
Pregnancy and It is not currently anticipated No mitigation is currently required maternity that the proposals will affect but the position will continue to be people with this characteristic monitored and if any issues in disproportionately. respect of the protected characteristic are identified then
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Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
Potential for differential Protected What reasonable mitigations impact (positive or characteristic can you propose? negative) the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Religion or belief It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently required proposals will affect people but the position will continue to be disproportionately because of monitored and if any issues in their religion or belief. respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Sex It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently required proposals will affect people but the position will continue to be disproportionately because of monitored and if any issues in issues around sex. respect of the protected characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Sexual orientation It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently required proposals will affect people but the position will continue to be disproportionately because of monitored and if any issues in issues around sexual respect of the protected orientation. characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly. Marriage & civil It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently required partnership proposals will affect people but the position will continue to be disproportionately because of monitored and if any issues in issues around marriage and respect of the protected civil partnership. characteristic are identified then the Action Plan will be amended accordingly Carers (by It is not anticipated that the No mitigation is currently required association with proposals will affect people but the position will continue to be any of the above) disproportionately because of monitored and if any issues in issues around caring respect of the protected responsibilities per se. However characteristic are identified then we are aware that some Carers the Action Plan will be amended may have disability issues that impact on their ability to access accordingly. the new site Opportunity to advance equality of opportunity and/or foster good relations (Please refer to the guidance for more information on the public sector duties) The provision of school places within the heart of the new community will allow more children to attend a school in their locality and extend the range of successful preferences available to parents/carers.
The provision of a new school building provides a clear opportunity to assist those with protected characteristics to attend education provision which is local and of modern, accessible design. The layout/design of the building(s) will meet the requirements to
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Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
Potential for differential Protected What reasonable mitigations impact (positive or characteristic can you propose? negative) avoid Disability Discrimination under Section 15 of the Equality Act 2010 and the duties found within Part 6, Section 149 and Schedules 10 and 13 of the Equality Act 2010 concerning disability will be factored into the scheme design(s). The designs will allow access to everyone throughout the site and therefore promote integration of all pupils with one another.
STEP 5: Gaps identified
Gaps identified The current proposal relates to exercising the option for Do you need to collect acquiring land for a 2 f.e. site that will provide for the relocation more data/information of the existing 1 f.e. Westfield Community Primary School. or carry out When the final decision has been made and the way forward consultation? (A ‘How determined, the scope of data necessary to assess the impact to engage’ equalities issues will be reviewed and any gaps identified at that consultation guide is time. Mitigation measures will also be identified at that time. on Compass). How will you make sure We have now completed a 7-week public consultation. The your consultation is consultation ended on 27 February 2018. accessible to those affected?
STEP 6: Other impacts
Consider if your proposal has the potential (positive and negative) to impact on areas such as health and wellbeing, crime and disorder and community relations. There is more information in the guidance.
STEP 7: Conclusion of your analysis
Select one conclusion of your analysis Give details No equality impacts identified No change required to proposal.
Minimal equality impacts identified Adverse impacts have been identified, but have been objectively justified (provided you do not unlawfully discriminate). Ensure decision makers consider the cumulative effect of how a number of decisions impact on equality.
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Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
Select one conclusion of your analysis Give details Potential equality impacts identified Take ‘mitigating action’ to remove Ensure that the proposals do not impact barriers or better advance adversely upon pupils with disabilities and equality. ensure that the communications strategy Complete the action plan in the takes into account the differing needs of the next section. local community. Major equality impacts identified Stop and remove the policy. The adverse effects are not justified, cannot be mitigated or show unlawful discrimination. Ensure decision makers understand the equality impact.
STEP 8: Action Plan
Issue or opportunity identified relating to: Officer Mitigation measures Action proposed Responsible Further research and target date Consultation proposal Monitor and review The need to address access This will form part of the design brief School Planning and equality issues when and specification for the new school Team – Ongoing developing the layout of the building. through the building. design process. There is an opportunity to The accommodation will be Project Manager provide a site and building compliant with the Equality Act 2010 – reviewed every design which all those with to avoid Disability Discrimination 3 months Protected Characteristics to under Section 15 of the Act. throughout be fully integrated in the design process school community
This EqIA has been reviewed and signed off by:
Head of Service or Business Manager: Pauline Davis Date: 16 May 2018
Equality Action Group Chair: Date:
HCC’s Diversity Board requires the Equality team to compile a central list of EqIAs so a random sample can be quality assured. Each Equality Action Group is encouraged to keep a forward plan of key service decisions that may require an EqIA, but please can you ensure the Equality team is made aware of any EqIAs completed so we can add them to our list. (email: [email protected]). Thank you.
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Agenda Item No.
EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND LOCALISM CABINET PANEL TUESDAY, 5 JUNE 2018 AT 10:00AM 8
DEVELOPER CONTRIBUTIONS TO NEW SCHOOLS
Report of the Director of Children’s Services and the Director of Resources
Report Authors: Kate Leahy, Senior School Planning Officer (Tel: 01992 555864) Trevor Mose, Head of Building Management (Tel: 01992 556658)
Executive Members: Terry Douris, Education, Libraries & Localism Ralph Sangster, Resources & Performance
1. Purpose of report
1.1 Panel is asked to note and comment upon the proposed change in approach to seeking developers’ financial contributions to school buildings and to endorse the proposed change to Cabinet.
2. Summary
2.1 In April 2016, Cabinet approved a report which endorsed the County Council’s adoption of the upper end of the Department for Education’s (DfE) Building Bulletin 103 (BB103) space standards.
2.2 In light of the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s (ESFA) policy and practice to build schools at the lower end of the BB103 range, officers consider that the high- level costs associated with the County Council’s approach is no longer considered sustainable in the context of seeking developer contributions to school buildings.
2.3 A change in the County Council’s current approach to seeking developer’s contributions for new and expanded school buildings is therefore being recommended by Officers to support ‘Good Growth’ in Hertfordshire, whilst maintaining good and collaborative relationships with Local Planning Authorities (LPA) and developers.
2.4 It is proposed that whilst the County Council continues to seek new school sites in line with its current policy (i.e. the top of BB103) the County Council will use the lower end of BB103 when it comes to quantifying the value of developer contributions to the cost of the school buildings. A further reduction in price (by up to 10%) will be available on the basis of robust evidence of quality of site.
3. Recommendation
3.1 Panel is asked to recommend to Cabinet that Cabinet agrees a change in approach to developer sought contributions to the cost of school buildings as set out in paragraph 5.1 of the report.
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4. Background
4.1 In May 2016, Cabinet approved a report CMIS > Calendar of council meetings1 which endorsed the adoption of space standards at the upper end of the DfE’s BB103 guidance for school site and buildings.
4.2 This allowed the County Council to continue to deliver school sites and buildings broadly in line with (or in excess of) previous County Council space standards, which had been formulated through extensive consultation with education advisers and Head Teachers.
4.3 In 2017, updated estimates for the cost of building new schools and school expansions were sought from a cost consultant. These costs estimates are required for adoption within the planned update of the County Council’s Section 106 (S106) toolkit (https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/about-the-council/freedom-of-information- and-council-data/open-data-statistics-about-hertfordshire/who-we-are-and-what-we- do/property/planning-obligations-guidance.aspx ); to respond to Local Planning Authorities’ Infrastructure Delivery Plans; and as part of negotiation with developers in relation to the provision of school sites and funding for their buildings.
4.4 The building cost estimates were generated using the following assumptions:
Gross floor areas and pupil numbers (which adopt the upper end of BB103); Base construction cost data obtained from BCIS. The upper quartile figure selected based benchmark cost data from schemes delivered for the County Council; Site works / abnormals - 25% (primary schools) / 20% (secondary schools); Contingency – a fixed percentage to cover unforeseen issues arising during construction; Fees (10% fees for consultant design and specialist support); Fixed furniture and equipment (FF&E) and ICT equipment
4.5 The initial view from officers was that the result of these revised build cost-estimates inevitably appear high given the inputs above, before any site specific feasibility (c. £9.5m for a 2 f.e. primary school). This has been borne out in discussions with Local Planning Authorities and developers, who consider these costs unreasonable and are seeking justification for the significant contribution being sought. This is leading to protracted negotiations.
4.6 The County Council is engaged with developer negotiations in most areas of the County. Often developers are experienced in working with local authorities outside Hertfordshire, where negotiations have been concluded and new school buildings have been delivered at the lower end of the BB103 range (at lower cost than those being presented by the county council). There has been specific challenge to the County Council on this point.
1 https://cmis.hertfordshire.gov.uk/hertfordshire/Calendarofcouncilmeetings/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Mee ting/344/Committee/8/SelectedTab/Documents/Default.aspx Agenda Pack 169 of 194 2
4.7 This aligns with the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) approach to the delivery of new Free Schools and rebuilds through, for example, the Priority School Building Programme. Within Hertfordshire, several new or rebuilt primary and secondary schools have been (or will be) delivered through these routes via Central Government programmes at the lower end of the BB103 range.
4.8 It therefore appears appropriate to review the current approach to developer contributions to school build costs. This will enable the County Council to enter sensible discussions with Local Planning Authorities around county council delivery of school building, being positive and supportive of the Growth Agenda across Hertfordshire. It will also help to maintain good and collaborative relationships with Local Planning Authorities.
4.9 Consideration of the key elements of the build costs (see para 4.4) is summarised below.
4.10 The size of the required school is specified in BB103 as a range of values. Any increase above the baseline results in increased costs which are built into the developer contributions. The County Council can vary its policy in this regard.
4.11 Officers consider that this element of the costs (i.e. upper end of BB103) is hard to justify and the rationale for reducing this to the lower end would be as follows:
the ESFA has already built schools in Hertfordshire at this level; Head teachers and schools have not demonstrated any ongoing concerns with these builds; some other local authorities already work to this standard; developers are challenging this principle, which is increasingly difficult to defend
Build costs
4.12 Construction costs per metre squared are derived from national Building Cost Indices (BCIS) as a range. These are considered robust and are adjusted independently to derive estimates for the cost of building in Hertfordshire. The County Council can choose to adopt a higher or lower position relative to the average.
4.13 The County Council currently applies an upper quartile index figure which reflects the experience from real build contracts as to the cost of building in Hertfordshire. This approach is evidence based and will be kept under review by officers but may be adjusted to react to current market conditions. Decisions to apply a lower position will need to consider the financial risks which relate to the market prices of contracts at the time of tendering.
Abnormal costs and contingency
4.14 Percentages for these elements are variable and account for known and unknown risks. The actual percentages are arbitrary but based on industry norms. They reflect the real uncertainty that exists on an unknown site. Agenda Pack 170 of 194 3
4.15 The amount explicitly demanded could be reduced but this would transfer risk to the County council. It is suggested that 10% might be offered where a developer is prepared to sign up to the County Council’s school site specification document and provide appropriate evidence. The County Council could also seek additional contributions on sites where site conditions are cause for significant concern (e.g. contaminated land).
5. Recommended approach
5.1 Officers are therefore recommending that a new approach is taken to securing developers contributions adopting:
the bottom end of the BB103 space standards the upper quartile build costs (to be kept under review by officers subject to prevailing market conditions) the potential to reduce costs by 10% where risks are contained
6. Financial implications
6.1 The adoption of a new position in respect of developer contributions is a balance of risk. The risk of not securing sufficient contributions to cover essential costs must be balanced against securing the necessary housing growth and educational infrastructure required.
6.2 There are many other reasons within the planning system why the total amount of developer contributions might still require the County Council to top-up the cost of new and expanded school infrastructure. To date this has been achieved through the use of Basic Need or other applicable S106 contributions, although this may not be achievable to the same extent in the future. Any future proposal to ‘top up’ schemes with Basic Need or County Council capital would be reported to Cabinet on an individual basis for a decision.
6.3 The proposed approach will ensure the County Council is in a stronger position to negotiate contributions without undermining the genuine cost of building in Hertfordshire. The proposals offer a £1.5m reduction on the current cost of a 2FE primary. The actual price will of course vary on a case-by-case basis.
6.4 For illustrative purposes the modelled costs relating to a 2 f.e. primary school are included below:
Scenario Cost Estimate Difference A. Upper end BB103 (Illustrative) £9,543,785.75 B. Lower end BB103 (including £8,719,208.56 -£824,577.19 10% for abnormals) C. Lower end BB103, less 10% £8,075,671.88 -£1,468,113.87 abnormals (clean site)
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7. Equality Implications
7.1 When considering proposals placed before Members it is important that they are fully aware of, and have themselves rigorously considered the Equality implications of the decision that they are making.
7.2 Rigorous consideration will ensure that proper appreciation of any potential impact of that decision on the county council’s statutory obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As a minimum this requires decision makers to read and carefully consider the content of any Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) produced by officers.
7.3 The Equality Act 2010 requires the county council when exercising its functions to have due regard to the need to (a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited under the Act; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. The protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.
7.4 An Equalities Impact Assessments (EqIAs) has been carried out on this proposal and will be updated where necessary (attached at Appendix A). The EqIA will be reviewed and updated as part of any future public consultation.
7.5 Consideration has been given to the likely impact of the proposal, and current assessments conclude that it is not anticipated that people with protected characteristics will be affected disproportionately.
Background Information
May 2016 Cabinet Minutes - https://cmis.hertfordshire.gov.uk/hertfordshire/Calendarofcouncilmeetings/tabid/70/ctl/Vi ewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/344/Committee/8/SelectedTab/Documents/Default.a spx
Agenda Pack 172 of 194 5 APPENDIX A Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
1. Who is completing the EqIA and why is it being done?
Proposal DEVELOPER CONTRIBUTIONS TO NEW SCHOOLS
Names of those involved in completing the EqIA Kate Leahy Head of Service or Business Manager Pauline Davis Team/Department School Planning Team Lead officer contact details Kate Leahy
To consider any impact of changed approach to seeking financial contribution from Developers to school buildings.
Focus of EqIA – what are you assessing? This is proposed in light of the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s (ESFA) policy and practice to build schools at the lower end of the BB103 range, officers consider that the high- level costs associated with the county council’s approach is no longer considered sustainable in the context of seeking developer contributions to school buildings
Pupils Stakeholders Staff Local planning authorities County Councillors Officers of the county council
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2. List of data sources used for this EqIA
A range of useful local data on our communities can be found on Herts Insight and on the Equalities Hub
Title and brief description Gaps in data Date
Cost Estimate for new school buildings January to No gaps have been identified. Any new school buildings would meet (produced by Mace) June 2018 Department for Education (DfE) guidelines and Equality Act Engagement with other local authorities Projects undertaken by the ESFA in Hertfordshire
Agenda Pack 174 of 194 3. Analysis and assessment: review of information, impact analysis and mitigating actions
Protected What do you know? What does this mean – what are the What can you do? characteristic What do people tell you? potential impacts of the group proposal(s)?
No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if the proposals will affect people Age any issues in respect of the protected disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action age. Plan below will be amended accordingly. Any issues identified or known, as well as the It is not anticipated at this stage that duties found within Part 6, Section 149 and the proposals will affect people Schedules 10 and 13 of the Equality Act 2010 disproportionately because of their concerning disability will be factored into the Disability disability. However, the responsible individual scheme designs. Any building Officer will continue to monitor closely scheme will also meet the requirements to this aspect. avoid Disability Discrimination under Section 15 of the Equality Act 2010. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Gender the proposals will affect people any issues in respect of the protected reassignment disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action gender reassignment. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Pregnancy and the proposals will affect people any issues in respect of the protected maternity disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action pregnancy or maternity. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if the proposals will affect people Race any issues in respect of the protected disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action race. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Religion or the proposals will affect people Agenda Pack 175 of 194 any issues in respect of the protected belief disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action religion or belief. Plan below will be amended accordingly. Protected What do you know? What does this mean – what are the What can you do? characteristic What do people tell you? potential impacts of the group proposal(s)?
No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if the proposals will affect people Sex/Gender any issues in respect of the protected disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action sex/gender. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Sexual the proposals will affect people any issues in respect of the protected orientation disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action sexual orientation. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if Marriage and the proposals will affect people any issues in respect of the protected civil partnership disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action marriage or civil partnership. Plan below will be amended accordingly. No mitigation is currently required but the It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if the proposals will affect people Carers any issues in respect of the protected disproportionately because of their characteristic are identified then the Action caring responsibility. Plan below will be amended accordingly. Other relevant groups Consider if there is a potential impact No mitigation is currently required but the (positive or It is not anticipated at this stage that position will continue to be monitored and if negative) on areas the proposals will affect people in other any issues in respect of people in other such as health and relevant groups disproportionately. relevant groups are identified then the Action wellbeing, crime Plan below will be amended accordingly. and disorder, Armed Forces community.
Agenda Pack 176 of 194 Opportunity to advance equality of opportunity and/or foster good relations
All school buildings will meet the appropriate standards to ensure they meet Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requirements
Conclusion of your analysis and assessment
OUTCOME AND NEXT STEPS SUMMARY
i. No equality impacts identified - No major change required to proposal
ii. Minimal equality impacts identified - Adverse impacts have been identified, but have been objectively justified (provided you do not unlawfully discriminate)
- Ensure decision makers consider the cumulative effect of how a number of decisions impact on equality - No major change required to proposal
iii. Potential equality impacts identified Yes – in order to ensure that the change in policy is understood and - Take ‘mitigating action’ to change the original policy/proposal, that the individual scheme designs and that all building schemes are remove barriers or better advance equality compliant with the Equalities Act 2010 the steps in the attached - Set out clear actions in the action plan in section 4. Action Plan have been identified
iv. Major equality impacts identified - The adverse effects are not justified, cannot be mitigated or show unlawful discrimination
- You must stop and remove the policy [you should consult with Legal Services] - Ensure decision makers understand the equality impact
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4. Prioritised Action Plan Impact identified and group(s) Action planned Expected Measure Lead officer affected outcome of and success timeframe
Kate Leahy Stakeholders Keep stakeholders informed of any impact of this change. Ongoing Ensure that all building schemes are compliant with the Equalities Act. Kate Leahy Disabled Pupils Obtain information around individual needs of children with Ongoing disabilities where a school is relocating
This EqIA has been signed off by:
Lead Equality Impact Assessment officer: Kate Leahy Date: 21 May 2018 Head of Service or Business Manager: Pauline Davis Date: 21 May 2018 Review date: 22 June 2018
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6 Agenda Item No. HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND LOCALISM CABINET PANEL TUESDAY, 5 JUNE 2018 AT 10:00AM 9
‘SHARED HERITAGE’ STRATEGY: INFORMATION UPDATE
Report of the Director of Resources
Author: Andrew Bignell – Head of Libraries and Heritage Services (Tel: 01707 281559) Julie Gregson – Head of Heritage Services (Tel: 01992 555100)
Executive Member: Terry Douris (Education, Libraries and Localism)
1. Purpose of report
This paper provides an update to the Heritage Services Strategy paper presented to the Public Health, Localism and Libraries Panel in March 2016. It provides an update on the implementation of the ‘Shared Heritage’ Strategy two years on from its introduction.
2. Summary
2.1 ‘Shared Heritage: the future of Hertfordshire’s past 2016-2026’ was agreed by Panel in March 2016 to provide a vision and direction for Heritage Services over the next ten years. It sets out a number of key actions to deliver vibrant and sustainable archives, local studies and museums development.
2.2 Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS) opening hours were reviewed and changes implemented following public feedback from July 2017.
2.3 HALS achieved Archive Accreditation status in July 2017.
2.4 Some short-term storage improvements have been made, and the air conditioning project work for the outstore (located under the carpark at County Hall) has been completed.
2.5 Work to plan for the long term storage and premises needs of the service has started, and a feasibility study for a new Archive Centre for Hertfordshire has been commissioned by Herts Property.
2.6 Technological developments include new digital microfilm scanners introduced at HALS, and rolled out to specific libraries in line with their refurbishment programmes; an upgrade to the Herts Memories network of websites; completion of a pilot project for digital preservation; and the launch of new e-store and archive catalogue search facility.
2.7 HALS digitisation programme has been expanded in response to customer feedback and work has started on the next large scale map digitisation project.
2.8 Opportunities for access and community involvement have been extended through co-creation and partnerships, and through volunteering programmes.
2.9 Promotion and marketingAgenda have been Pack improved 179 of through194 the introduction of an e- - 1 - newsletter, social media and promotional campaigns.
2.10 A number of new income generating services have been introduced and Heritage Services has taken steps to realise and identify savings from its annual revenue budget in order to meet the contribution of £75,000 required by 2018/19.
3. Recommendation
Panel is asked to note and comment upon the progress made in implementing the Shared Heritage strategy.
4. Background
4.1 ‘Shared Heritage: the future of Hertfordshire’s past 2016-2026’ was presented to the Public Health, Localism and Libraries Panel on 9 March 2016 to set the vision and direction for Heritage Services over the next 10 years. The strategy set out priorities for Heritage Services to ensure vibrant and sustainable services. It responds to the changing needs of customers, technological challenges and opportunities, and the need to meet the requirements for archive preservation within the context of continuing pressure on local government budgets.
4.2 ‘Shared Heritage’ is based around three themes: Ensure preservation - caring for Hertfordshire’s archives and historic collections in accordance with required legislation and standards, to make them fully available for current and future generations to use and enjoy, in modern, welcoming, premises. Exploit technology - to improve services and meet customer needs, through online services, increased access to digitised records and preservation of digital archives. Embed heritage in the life of the community, working in partnership to extend opportunities for access, learning and involvement in ways that support citizens to live healthy fulfilling lives in thriving communities.
4.3 Heritage Services includes Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS) which cares for the county archives and county local studies collections, with integrated services for access and preservation, based at County Hall; local studies in libraries across the county and the Museums Development service. Together they have a shared mission to preserve and promote resources for the study and enjoyment of Hertfordshire’s unique heritage for the personal, community, social and economic benefit and wellbeing of Hertfordshire’s citizens.
4.4 HALS fulfils the County Council’s statutory responsibility under Section 224 of the Local Government Act 1972 for preservation and access to records, and services are delivered in accordance with legislation, and national standards.
5. Revised opening hours
5.1 HALS opening hours were reviewed in January 2017 to realign services and resources to meet changing patterns of use. Customers were asked for views on options for opening hours and digitisation priorities, alongside the regular archive visitor survey organised by the Archives and Records Association and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. The survey ran for six weeks from 17 October 2016 at HALS; the opening hours and digitisation questions were also available on the Council website and advertised in the e- newsletter. 308 responses were received.
5.2 Following analysis of customer feedback, changes were implemented from 1 July 2017 which enabled HALSAgenda to re-focus Pack resources 180 of 194 on digitisation, cataloguing and
- 2 - other services for remote customers, including income generating services, whilst making some savings.
5.3 HALS new opening hours are:
Mon: Closed Tue: 9:00am-5:00pm* Wed: 9:00am-5:00pm Thu: 9:00am-5:00pm Fri: 9:00am-12:30pm Sat: 10:00am-2:00pm twice a month (first and third Saturday of the month)
*evening opening by prior appointment once a month (first Tuesday of the month)
6. Archive Accreditation
6.1 Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS) achieved Archive Service Accreditation (which lasts 6 years) in July 2017. This UK wide quality standard replaces the previous framework for assessment of archive services. HALS is required to seek and retain Accreditation in order to fulfil statutory obligations and retain status as a Place of Deposit.
6.2 The key findings of the assessment for HALS were summarised in the following three points: A local archive service committed to delivering good service and value to its communities HALS has made excellent use of opportunities to develop its service provision in past years, but progress to develop the service more fully may be hindered without further investment in physical and digital storage facilities for the future. A strong professional and knowledgeable workforce committed to developing digital skills and knowledge, which is keen to maximise the service’s assets through fundraising opportunities
6.3 An action plan lists required actions which need to be addressed to maintain accreditation in future. These include implementation of a full fundraising strategy, moving forward with digital storage and preservation plans, and developing plans for new accommodation to allow modern and flexible service delivery.
7. Archive storage and premises
7.1 It will be necessary to plan for, and take steps to secure, the long term storage needs of the service. HALS is currently accruing physical archives at a rate of an average of 10 cubic metres per year. Current estimates project that there is sufficient space for archive collections for approximately 6-8 years. There are also challenges in maintaining the quality of the current storage space at County Hall to ensure it is fit for the purpose of storing of archive materials to required standards.
7.2 HALS has continued to progress small scale improvements to improve preservation and public facilities in the short term. Additional plan chests have been installed. Air conditioning project work for the outstore (located underneath the main carpark at County Hall) has been completed.
7.3 The limitations of a 1930s listed building continue to have a significant impact and it is increasingly difficult to operate effectively in the current premises. From 2015 to 2017, HALS incurred £22,800 additional expenditure from the service budget (excluding property costs), resulting from unplanned building issues, and a significant amount of staff time (averaging 37.5 hours per week) has been diverted from other service priorities.Agenda This problemPack 181 is notof 194 unique to Hertfordshire, and there
- 3 - are numerous examples in recent years, where authorities have sought to modernise or relocate archives and local studies services into more flexible, tech- enabled accommodation, suitable for the provision of a 21st Century service. This would not only improve services to customers but also enable more efficient deployment of staff. Heritage Services will need to seek capital investment (for property and ICT) to support the ambition to develop services and improve premises, as well as actively exploring opportunities to relocate to more suitable premises.
7.4 Work to plan for the long term storage and premises needs of the service has started. In November 2017, a site visit took place to the new Herefordshire Archives, built according to the Passivhaus standard. A feasibility study has been commissioned by Herts Property to take forward plans to develop the specification for a new archive building.
8. Developing technology
8.1 Technological developments have improved services for customers and increased access to digitised records.
8.2 Digital microfilm scanners Five new digital microfilm scanners were installed in the Local Studies Library at HALS to replace increasingly obsolete microfilm readers. The new equipment has been received positively by customers and provides superior viewing and higher quality printed copies. Two staff scanners support HALS copying service; extending the services available to include digitising customers’ own microfilm/fiche. New microfilm scanners have also been rolled out in line with library refurbishment plans to improve digital access to local studies microfilm, starting with two scanners at Watford Library. The scanners have the ability to save digital copies – a permit scheme and charges have been developed.
8.3 Herts Memories upgrade Work was undertaken to modernise the Herts Memories community archive network websites (originally created in 2009) which collect ‘informal’ history, enabling communities to tell their own stories. The design was refreshed and all sites were migrated to the new WordPress platform by the end of March 2017.
8.4 Digital Preservation pilot HALS took part in an East of England Regional Archive Council (EERAC) pilot project exploring collaborative approaches to digital preservation of ‘born-digital’ archives. Led by Norfolk County Council, funded by EERAC and The National Archives, the project investigated the use of Archivematica and associated open source systems.
8.5 E-store and catalogue search A new e-store for the Heritage shop and customer friendly interface for the archive catalogue search was launched in January 2018. This work developed from the corporate E-commerce project and offers additional features for cross-selling shop products and for displaying catalogue search results via a timeline and map facility, the ability to add promotional articles and develop online donations.
8.6 Digital Transformation The e-store project has been the first phase in the planned digital transformation of HALS services. The next phase will start in 2018/19 with the further development of the Orangeleaf system (which provides the e-store and catalogue interface) to address ‘reader order management’ with streamlined copying and document ordering, customer accounts and image download. Agenda Pack 182 of 194
- 4 - 9. Digitisation programme
9.1 HALS digitisation programme has been expanded in response to customer feedback. Survey results confirmed a strong interest in digitisation, with maps, photographs and images, newspapers, parish registers and wills the most popular priorities (in order). Work has started on the next large scale map digitisation project. Inland Revenue maps have been conserved and prepared for digitisation, with over 500 maps digitised so far. A new volunteer project to record information about local studies images has also started. These two large scale projects are in addition to ongoing digitisation of police records, Herts Yeomanry photographs and scanning of images.
10. Co-creation, partnerships and learning
10.1 Learning activities, events and opportunities for community involvement have been extended through co-creation, partnerships and volunteering. This approach has increased the diversity of exhibitions and events; HALS has raised awareness of services by attending community heritage events. Five out of the last six exhibitions displayed at HALS have been delivered with the support of partnership projects or other external funding.
10.2 Partnership projects which have provided additional opportunities for exploration and enjoyment of Hertfordshire’s heritage include the ‘Seeing it Through’ community history project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) led by Pins and Feathers theatre company in 2016, and in 2017-2018 ‘Traditional Hertfordshire’, (funded by HLF) and the museums ‘Explorer Passport’ project (funded by Arts Council England), both led by the Museums Development team.
10.3 A new promotions volunteer role was introduced at HALS and funded projects have led to a range of project based volunteer activities – oral history and video editing, research, scanning, repackaging and listing archive photographs and documents. In 2017/18, 151 volunteers contributed a total of 8989 hours by assisting with listing and indexing documents, preservation, digitisation, promotion and community archives.
11. Improved promotion
11.1 ‘Shared Heritage’ highlighted the need to improve promotion and marketing to ensure residents and visitors are aware of the wide range of services and resources available to them. ‘Shared Heritage’ strategy priorities have been shared with stakeholders, partners and major donors/depositors.
11.2 A new archives and heritage e-newsletter was introduced through the County Council’s ‘Update Me’ facility, which now reaches 5,450 subscribers with an average of 1200 unique opens per month.
11.3 Good use has been made of social media – Herts Archives Twitter now has 2,235 followers and Facebook advertising has been used in relation to funded projects.
11.4 Heritage Services have worked closely with Corporate Communications and the wider Libraries service to increase promotion; this has included a successful family history campaign online and Horizons articles. Participation in the national ‘Explore your Archives’ campaign has increased the number of opportunities for customers to learn about and enjoy local history and heritage.
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- 5 - 12. Increased income
12.1 A key element of ‘Shared Heritage’ involves taking a positive and proactive approach to fundraising and developing income streams, to support the growth of income sustainably over a period of time.
12.2 Several new services have been developed by HALS and have started to generate new income. These include conservation, digitisation and copying of customers’ own records; room and space hire, promoted to local history societies and groups; and the new permit scheme for using digital microfilm scanners. New OCR (optical character recognition) software has been installed to enhance the digitisation offer.
12.3 Donation boxes have been installed in each of HALS reading rooms to encourage private giving. Smaller portable boxes are now taken out on outreach activities. Donations are requested at HALS free events and this is mentioned in event publicity. An online donation facility has been included in the new e-store.
12.4 The membership structure and fees for Hertfordshire Association of Museums were revised in 2017 and now offer an associate membership category.
12.5 In 2017/18, income contributed a total of £51,799 to the Heritage Services budget.
13. Performance
13.1 In 2017/18, Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies received 6,591 research visits, with 20,627 documents retrieved (and returned to) archive storage. There were 289,104 virtual visits to HALS website and network resources. A further 2,255 customers took part in events and learning activities. The team received 25,954 enquiries last year including requests for research, copies and reproduction rights.
13.2 The Museums Development team provide support and advice to museums across the county, including through Hertfordshire Association of Museums which currently has 29 members.
14. Financial implications
14.1 Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies revenue budget for 2018/19 is £592k.
14.2 The total budget for Museums Development in Hertfordshire is around £55k, of which the County Council contributes around £28k.This helps us to leverage an additional £26k in annual grant funding from SHARE Museums East. Other grant funding for projects varies annually. Around £1,500 comes from subscriptions to Hertfordshire Association of Museums.
14.3 Heritage Services have contributed £75,000 towards annual savings targets since 2016/17. These savings have been achieved by reducing revenue expenditure and increasing income, and delivered as follows: 2016/17 - £15k 2017/18 - a further £30k 2018/19 - a further £30k
14.4 Local Studies materials (books, maps, microfilm) in libraries and at HALS are funded from Hertfordshire Libraries materials budget which has been reduced in line with savings proposals for ‘Inspiring Libraries’.
14.5 ‘Shared Heritage’ is a tenAgenda year strategy, Pack 184service of 194 developments will be made as
- 6 - resources allow. Heritage Services will need to seek capital investment (for property and ICT) to support the ambition to develop services and improve premises, as well as actively exploring opportunities to relocate to more suitable premises. This will include investigating a bid for Heritage Lottery Funding to support these aspirations.
15. Equalities Implications
15.1 When considering proposals placed before Members it is important that they are fully aware of, and have themselves rigorously considered the equality implications of the decision that they are making.
15.2 Rigorous consideration will ensure proper appreciation of any potential impact of that decision on the County Council's statutory obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty. As a minimum this requires decision makers to read and carefully consider the content of any Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) produced by officers.
15.3 The Equality Act 2010 requires the County Council, when exercising its functions, to have due regard to the need to (a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited under the Act; (b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it and (c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it. The protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion and belief; sex and sexual orientation.
15.4 As ‘Shared Heritage’ is progressed, individual EqIAs will be developed as required for specific initiatives and service changes. An EqIA for the implementation of HALS revised opening hours was undertaken (attached as Appendix A).
16. Next steps
16.1 Implementation of the ‘Shared Heritage’ strategy will continue to build on progress made so far. 2018/19 will see particular focus on next steps towards securing new premises and the further development of Heritage Services Fundraising Strategy. This will include investigating a suitable model to support ongoing fundraising and income generation, such as a development trust or charitable incorporated organisation.
16.2 Further papers will be presented to the Panel as and when specific changes to the service are proposed, and where required, these will be subject to public consultation in line with County Council policies.
17. Background papers
‘Shared Heritage’ Strategy - https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/media- library/documents/libraries/hals/shared-heritage-strategy-june-2016.pdf
‘Shared Heritage: the future of Hertfordshire’s past – Developing a strategy for Heritage Services 2016-2026’ - https://cmis.hertfordshire.gov.uk/hertfordshire/Calendarofcouncilmeetings/tabid/70/ ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/431/Committee/50/SelectedTab/Document s/Default.aspx
Archive Accreditation - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/archive- service-accreditation/ Agenda Pack 185 of 194
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HALS e-store and catalogue search - https://archives.hertfordshire.gov.uk/
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- 8 - Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
STEP 1: Responsibility and involvement
Title of proposal/ Proposed changes Head of Service or Andrew Bignell, Head of project/strategy/ to Hertfordshire Business Manager Service Archives and Local procurement/policy Studies (HALS) opening hours Names of those Julie Gregson, Lead officer Julie Gregson, Head of involved in Head of Heritage contact details: Heritage Services, services; Janice julie.gregson@hertfordshire completing the EqIA: Brooker, Senior .gov.uk; 01992 01992 Librarian: Local 555100; Comnet/internal: studies 25100 Date completed: 8 May 2017 Review date: January 2018
STEP 2: Objectives of proposal and scope of assessment – what do you want to achieve?
Proposal objective Proposed change to reduce HALS opening hours in order to respond to what you want to achieve changing patterns of use, increased demand for digital and digitised records, intended outcomes increased online use and periods of lower onsite customer usage. The changes will enable Heritage Services to re-align resources to increase purpose and need support for digitisation, cataloguing, and services for remote customers to deliver priorities outlined in the Shared Heritage 10 year strategy and generate income and required savings.
The proposed pattern of opening hours: Mon: Closed for public Research Tue: 9:00am-5:00pm* Wed: 9:00am-5:00pm Thu: 9:00am-5:00pm Fri: 9:00am-12:30pm Sat: 10:00am-2:00pm twice a month (first and third Saturday of the month)
*Limited opening extension to hours once a month (first Tuesday of the month) on a trial basis for 6 months
The proposal to reduce opening hours has been drafted with the aim of causing minimum disruption to people wanting to use HALS for research and onsite services. It takes account of customer feedback on opening hours and digitisation priorities gathered in Autumn 2016. Stakeholders: All HALS customers who visit the public reading rooms for research use. Who will be affected: These include members of the public and internal customers (from HCC the public, partners, staff, departments). service users, local Member etc Members of the public include family and local history researchers, academic researchers, archaeologists, members of family and local history groups such as the Herts Association of Local History, St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society, Herts Family History Association, Herts Records Society.
HALS volunteers who volunteer in the reading rooms at times which will now be closed to researchers.
HALS donors and depositors – opening hour changes will not affect care of collections but will reduce public access to their collections and the availability of appointments.
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Remote customers contacting the service by phone (remote customers via email contact will not be affected) including Libraries staff.
HALS staff will be affected by changes to rota patterns and reduced build-up of flexi credit for Saturday and evening hours.
STEP 3: Available data and monitoring information
Relevant equality information What the data tell us about equalities For example: Community profiles / service user demographics, data and monitoring information (local and national), similar or previous EqIAs, complaints, audits or inspections, local knowledge and consultations. Hertfordshire’s population will become larger and more diverse HCC Community Profile data over the next decade. This growth is not evenly distributed across the age range. By 2021 42.6% of the population will either be under 20 or over 65.
The older population will increase significantly over the next ten years. Currently one out of every five households in Hertfordshire contains only residents that are aged 65+. 59% of these households contain one person living alone. The Office of National Statistics projects that by 2021 the number of over 65s will have increased by 22.4% and the number of over 80s will have increased by 28.2%.
There are 110,000 carers in Hertfordshire, with latest estimates suggesting up to 34% of Hertfordshire’s population regularly give support to someone because of frailty, old age or long term disability. 34% of over 65s provide over 50 hours of care a week, in comparison to 9% of 0-24 year olds.
HCC’s community profile data shows that 69,000 people in Hertfordshire have a disability. This includes 23,000 people with a severe physical disability. Around 26,000 people have a learning disability. People with disabilities are statistically less likely to be employed than people who have no disabilities.
20% of children in Hertfordshire live in single parent households. Single parent households are statistically more likely to experience poverty than households with two adults. Most single parent households have the woman as the lone parent.
Hertfordshire has a higher percentage of ethnic groups than the East of England regional average, but lower than the national average. Asian and African people make up the largest of the ethnic minorities.
HALS customers - break down Research visitors: physical visits to HALS have been in modest into research visitors, learning decline since 2014-15 . The total number of visits in 2016-17 was events & outreach, volunteers, 7,436. The average time spent by visitors at HALS was 3.2 hours Remote customers (ARA survey 2016). Opening hours consultation (2016) provided additional information about our customers: Location: 25% of our visitors came from the SG13 and surrounding postcodes, with 60% from the rest of Hertfordshire, and 15% from outside the county including international visitors.
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Age: 0-34 years 12%, 35-64 years 35%, 65+ years 53% Disability: 17% of the respondents indicated that they considered themselves to have a disability Gender: female 60%, male 40% ARA Survey (2016) provided information on the diversity of HALS visitors: Ethnicity: Mixed race: 2%, White: 97%, Other: 1%
Remote customers: we are continually developing online access via the online catalogue CALMView, the online index Hertfordshire Names Online, Herts Memories community archive websites and information on HCC’s website. CALMView saw a rise in use of 30% between 2014-15 and 2015-16. While there has been a slight reduction in the number of virtual visits to HALS resources in 2016-17 at 275,836 (-9%) in comparison to 2015-16, perhaps reflecting recent changes to webpages, online and remote usage continues to be significant. Email enquiries have remained strong. (3,808 in 2016-17, in comparison to 2,905 in 2014-15).
Volunteers: 179 volunteers in 2016-17, most based at HALS, but others off site, either volunteering remotely for HALS, on projects or as part of off-site Herts Memories groups. Volunteering goes from strength to strength, with an increase of 13% in hours in 2016-17 on the previous year.
Learning & Access Service (at HALS and outreach ie offsite): a wide range of visits, talks, film screenings are devised and delivered by staff. Outreach talks are delivered in Hertfordshire or beyond the county boundary. Overall, 2016-17 saw an increase in the number of all types of learning events compared with previous year, at 176 with a total number of attendees, at 3,123.
In general there is a downward trend in engagement with HALS onsite services, while there is continuing strong demand for outreach services and remote and online access.
National Trends & benchmarking data This proposal is in line with changes to archive service opening hours elsewhere. Benchmarking data shows other archive services responding to lower onsite usage and increasing demand for digital access. This includes reduced weekend and evening opening.
STEP 4: Impact Assessment – Service Users, communities and partners (where relevant)
Guidance on groups of service users to consider within each protected group can be found here
Protected Potential for differential impact What reasonable mitigations characteristic (positive or negative) can you propose? All HALS customers may be unable to visit a Continuing to offer Saturday opening a time convenient to them such as twice a month and Tuesday evenings customers in full time work who visit on once a month on request for customers Tuesday evening who are unable to visit during office hours
Accelerated provision of online and digital services (enabled by these proposed changes) would allow access HALS services at home.
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Protected Potential for differential impact What reasonable mitigations characteristic (positive or negative) can you propose?
Our remote enquiry, copy and research services continue to assist customers who are unable to visit in person.
Volunteers on Tuesday evenings, Friday 8 volunteers would be affected (7 on afternoons and Saturdays Friday, 1 on Saturday). Offer a different time slot if convenient. Remote volunteering such as Herts Memories. Establish alternative volunteering options for Friday afternoon such as map conservation.
Age Older people might be affected if support Tuesday evenings once a month on required which only allowed them to come request for customers who require a to HALS on one of the days affected by longer day. change. Older people may need to allow more time to travel to HALS and to use Saturday opening hours have a later start services, so reduction to a half day on to allow for longer travel time at the start Friday and shorter day on most Tuesdays of the day. could have an adverse impact. Our remote enquiry, copy and research services continue to assist customers who are unable to visit in person.
Disability People with disabilities might be affected Tuesday evenings once a month on Including Learning if support required which only allowed request for customers who require a Disability them to come to HALS on one of the days longer day. affected by change. People with disabilities may need to allow more time Saturday opening hours have a later start to travel to HALS and to use services, so to allow for longer travel time at the start reduction to a half day on Friday and of the day. shorter day on most Tuesdays could have an adverse impact. One comment was Our remote enquiry, copy and research received which reflected this impact. services continue to assist customers who are unable to visit in person. Changes to routines can have a significant negative affect on customers Well planned communications to provide with learning disabilities/ difficulties and as much advanced notice as possible other mental health problems. across all channels. Staff well trained to advise customers of changes.
Race People from BME communities may find it Staff will be able to use the Intran service harder to access archive services – e.g. to talk to the customer about the opening language barriers may lead to a lack of hours changes if their first language is not understanding about changes to hours English. This service is available in 150 languages.
Gender There are no unique impacts identified for The position will continue to be monitored reassignment this characteristic and action will be taken to address any identified issues.
Pregnancy and There are no unique impacts identified for The position will continue to be monitored maternity this characteristic and action will be taken to address any identified issues
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Religion or belief There are no unique impacts identified for The position will continue to be monitored this characteristic and action will be taken to address any identified issues.
Sex 60% of HALS customers are women. Continuing to offer Saturday opening Most carers are women: 58% of carers twice a month and one Tuesday evenings are women; 42% are men. Reduced per month on request for customers who opening outside office hours may impact are unable to visit during office hours on those with caring or family responsibilities. Accelerate provision of online and digital services (enabled by these proposed JSNA estimates that there are 85,000 changes) would allow carer’s and their military veterans living in Herts and that dependants to access HALS services at they are more likely to suffer disability, home mental health disorders and ill-health than the general population. The majority of Our remote enquiry, copy and research them will be men. They are also likely to services continue to assist customers who be in need of additional welfare support are unable to visit in person. from organisations such as Royal British Legion due to financial difficulties
Sexual orientation There are no unique impacts identified for The position will continue to be monitored this characteristic and action will be taken to address any identified issues.
Marriage & civil There are no unique impacts identified for The position will continue to be monitored partnership this characteristic and action will be taken to address any identified issues.
Carers (by Carers might be affected if respite care Continuing to offer Saturday opening association with only allowed them to come to HALS on twice a month and one Tuesday evenings any of the above) one of the days affected by change per month on request for customers who are unable to visit during office hours
Accelerated provision of online and digital services (enabled by these proposed changes) would allow carer’s and their dependants to access HALS services at home
Our remote enquiry, copy and research services continue to assist customers who are unable to visit in person.
Opportunity to advance equality of opportunity and/or foster good relations (Please refer to the guidance for more information on the public sector duties)
STEP 5: Gaps identified
Gaps identified None Do you need to collect more data/information or carry out consultation? (A ‘How to engage’ consultation guide is on Compass). How will you
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STEP 6: Other impacts
Consider if your proposal has the potential (positive and negative) to impact on areas such as health and wellbeing, crime and disorder and community relations. There is more information in the guidance.
STEP 7: Conclusion of your analysis
Select one conclusion of your analysis Give details No equality impacts identified No change required to proposal.
Minimal equality impacts identified Adverse impacts have been identified, but have been objectively justified (provided you do not unlawfully discriminate). Ensure decision makers consider the cumulative effect of how a number of decisions impact on equality. Potential equality impacts identified The introduction of revised opening hours will have a Take ‘mitigating action’ to remove barriers potential impact due to the following mitigations: or better advance equality. Changes to opening hours take account of the least Complete the action plan in the next used hours and the responses to HALS opening section hours questionnaire in Autumn 2016. Tuesday evening opening on request once a month and two Saturdays per month provide options for customers who are unable to visit during office hours.
Accelerated provision of online and digital services (enabled by these proposed changes) would allow access HALS services at home.
Alternative volunteering options for Friday afternoons will be explored. Different time slots or remote volunteering will be offered if suitable.
Learning and access events will continue to be offered at varied times to reach the widest audiences. This will include events outside of opening hours as at present.
Services for remote customers contacting HALS by electronic means will be unaffected. Telephone access will be slightly reduced; as on Mondays and at other closed times at present CSC or Libraries staff would refer enquiries by email.
Planned communications will ensure effective communications of changes to minimise impact on customers and partners.
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Select one conclusion of your analysis Give details Major equality impacts identified Stop and remove the policy The adverse effects are not justified, cannot be mitigated or show unlawful discrimination. Ensure decision makers understand the equality impact.
STEP 8: Action plan
Issue or opportunity identified relating to: Officer Mitigation measures Action proposed Responsible Further research Consultation proposal and target date Monitor and review Customers may not be aware of or Clear information (posters, e-news, Sue Burton, understand the changes to opening information on the website) provided about Operations Officer; hours changes to opening hours at least four weeks June 2017 in advance of the changes.
Information provided to LHS staff to: give clear messages to customers explaining why the changes have been made to explain changes to regular customers and partners in advance signpost customers to online and alternative resources to support their research whilst HALS is closed for public research
Ensure flexibility during introduction of the revised opening hours to support researchers for whom the timescale of implementation poses a particular problem e.g. allow greater number of documents to be ordered for production
Information provided to volunteers in advance to explain the rationale and affected individuals spoken to on a one to one basis
Promotion of remote enquiry, copy and research services to assist customers who are unable to visit in person.
Further research, monitoring and Promote and continue to monitor opening Julie Gregson, review hours, including limited Tuesday evening and Head of Heritage review 6 months after introduction. Services; January 2018 Accelerated provision of online and Information gathered during the opening Julie Gregson, digital services (enabled by these hours consultation in 2016 has been used to Head of Heritage proposed changes) will improve inform priorities for digitisation in 2017. Services; March access for remote customers. The Digitisation progress will be well publicised to 2018
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Issue or opportunity identified relating to: Officer Mitigation measures Action proposed Responsible Further research Consultation proposal and target date Monitor and review changes refocuses resources to ensure customers are well placed to benefit reflect changing demand. from increased access opportunities.
This EqIA has been reviewed and signed off by:
Head of Service or Business Manager: Date:
Equality Action Group Chair: Date:
HCC’s Diversity Board requires the Equality team to compile a central list of EqIAs so a random sample can be quality assured. Each Equality Action Group is encouraged to keep a forward plan of key service decisions that may require an EqIA, but please can you ensure the Equality team is made aware of any EqIAs completed so we can add them to our list. (email: [email protected]). Thank you.
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