School Organisation Stakeholder Group Meeting Thursday 16 April 2015 Ground Floor Meeting Room 2, County Hall, Oxford 2.30 pm – 4.30 pm Agenda 1. Notes of the last meeting 2. Matters Arising, including: a. Report 1 (Gail Witchell): Universal Free School Meals update b. SEN links between mainstream schools and special schools / other provision across the county 3. Report 2 (ND): Banbury school planning issues 4. Report 3 (ND): Admissions update 5. Report 4 (BC): Updates on new school processes a. Didcot Great Western Park b. NW Bicester c. Banbury Longford Park d. Barton e. SW Bicester secondary school 6. Report 5 (AM): Academies, Free Schools, University Technical Colleges update 7. Report 6 (verbal - BC): Pupil Place Plan – update on annual revision process 8. Schools Forum questions /discussion points – could members please send issues in advance to Cllr Waine 9. Report 7 (DC): Forward Plan 10. Next meetings: Tuesday 23 June, 2.00-4.00 Tuesday 17 November 2.00-4.00 Barbara Chillman Service Manager, Pupil Place Planning Notes of School Organisation Stakeholders Group Meeting 26 January 2015 Room 3, County Hall, Oxford 2pm – 4.00pm Attending: Roy Leach, OCC School Organisation & Planning (part) Allyson Milward, OCC School Organisation & Planning Barbara Chillman, OCC School Organisation & Planning Diane Cameron, OCC School Organisation & Planning Neil Darlington, OCC School Admissions & Transport Service Manager Cllr Lawrie Stratford OCC (Conservative, Bicester North) Cllr John Howson, OCC (Liberal Democrat, St Margaret’s) Carole Thomson (Oxfordshire Governors’ Association) Cllr Pat Kennedy (Oxford City Council) Peter Cansell (Oxfordshire Primary Headteachers Association), Cllr Liz Brighouse, OCC (Labour, Churchill & Lye Valley), Cllr Michael Waine (Chair), OCC (Conservative, Bicester Town) Janet Johnson (OCC Children with SEN Manager) Malcolm Wright, Oxford Governor’s Association Stephen Passey (Oxfordshire Association of Special School Head Teachers) Cllr Neil Owen (WODC, Conservative, Burford & Carterton North) Cllr Rose Stratford (Cherwell District Council). Apologies: Cllr Melinda Tilley (OCC Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Families), Christine Jones (Diocese of Oxford), Cllr Jenny Hannaby (OCC, Liberal Democrat, Grove & Wantage), David Wilson (Oxfordshire Secondary School Head Teachers Association), Janet Rowe (Catholic Archdiocese), Cllr Elizabeth Gillespie (SODC, Conservative, Garsington, Frank Newhofer (Oxfordshire Governors’ Association), Jonathan Hopkins (Oxfordshire Governors’ Association), Action 1. Notes of the last meeting held on 18 November 2014 The Notes were agreed by those attending as an accurate record. 2. Matters arising ND reported on matters that had been referred to the Schools Adjudicator. The primary school matters had been resolved pre- adjudication. The secondary school referred to the Adjudicator was Banbury Academy and the meeting was in November 2014. Banbury Academy had published two sets of admission arrangements for September 2014 admission, and for 2015 could not substantiate that it had consulted on its proposed arrangements, which did not correspond with its signed Funding Agreement. The Adjudicator ruled therefore that Banbury Academy had no admission arrangements and instructed it to 1 put them in place. The Academy now has arrangements published on its website. AM reported that, separately, the EFA has been in discussion with OCC about Banbury Academy’s refusal to admit pupils despite spare capacity, and its disagreement over the capacity itself. OCC has responded to EFA, including mention of the Adjudicator’s ruling that the school had no admissions arrangements in place last year. Cllr Waine will write on behalf of the Group to the Regional Schools Commissioner asking specifically for a response on the matters raised with him relating to Banbury Academy, making clear the impact the Academy’s behaviour Cllr has on other schools, pupils and transport costs. Waine Free School Meals. It was reported to the Group that OCC has been successful in its bid for funding for 4 primary schools to help with adaptations required to deliver the government’s Universal Free School Meals programme. The primary schools are King’s Meadow, Southwold, Aston & Cote and we expect the bid for William Fletcher also to be announced as successful. The Group requested an update on the cost of the UFSM programme at the next meeting including its Carillion sustainability. / FWT RL reported that the exchange of information between the DWP and DfE re eligibility for Free School Meals to take the burden off schools had RL to been raised through the Chief Executive’s office but no response had follow yet been received. up It has been agreed that when new schools open, the only information that will be sent out to parents about them will be that which would normally appear in the Admissions booklet. No promotional material will be sent out, and all Headteachers will be informed that a mailing is being sent out to parents. The Fair Access Protocol is now out for consultation and is available to view on the Current Consultations section of the OCC website. Schools Forum endorsed a fund, built up from DSG 2013/14, to go towards the costs of new school set ups. AM reported that joint use negotiations have commenced relating to Bicester Community College and the proposed new Studio School on the site. JJ will report back to the Group on SEN links between mainstream schools and special schools / other provision across the county at the JJ next meeting. 3. Report 1 – Neil Darlington – Update on School Admissions – applications for 2015 6238 secondary school on-time applications have been received. 2 7250 primary school on-time applications have been received. Currently there are no anticipated issues in terms of sufficiency of school places, although the usual challenges of over-subscription of certain individual schools will remain. Overall, a good percentage of applicants are expected to be able to be offered their first preference of school. Cllr Brighouse asked whether the expansion of Cheney School by 1 form of entry will be sufficient. BC replied that it is being seen as the first stage of secondary school expansion in Oxford. There are also signs that an increase in popularity of Oxford Spires Academy should lead to less pressure on places at Cheney School from those outside the Headington area. ND reported that Oxfordshire now has a new point of admission, at age 14. This is the case for admission into the Space Studio in Banbury, and will be in September this year for the new UTC at Didcot, for the future Studio School in Bicester and Oxford College is also wishing to set up courses for this age of admission. 4. Report 2 – Barbara Chillman – Update on New School Processes BC tabled reports on progress on the opening of new schools at Didcot Great Western Park, NW Bicester, Longford Park in Banbury and Barton in Oxford. Interviews for potential sponsors of the Longford Park school will be held this week. The two potential sponsors are Aspirations Academy Trust and GLF Schools. The Group expressed concern that Aspirations were potential sponsors given the major issues experienced with the Trust at Banbury Academy, and surprise that the Trust was still on the approved sponsors list given that Banbury Academy had no legal admission arrangements in place. Cllr Brighouse requested information on pupil progression at Aspiration’s schools, related to KS2 SATS, GCSEs and expected progress measures. RL/BC 5. Report 3 – Allyson Milward – Academies, Free Schools, University Technical Colleges, Studio Schools update There has been one conversion since the last meeting: Millbrook Primary School. Meadowbrook College will be Oxfordshire’s first alternative provision academy upon conversion, however the Hospital School has pulled out of converting with them as a MAT at the last minute. OCC is therefore seeking abortive fees for work already carried out on their conversion, which was almost complete and was very costly. On 1 March 2015, three more primary schools will join the Diocesan Schools Trust. Bicester Community College’s conversion is likely to be deferred from 1 March until 1 August, but this is yet to be formally agreed by the Regional Schools Commissioner. If agreed, OCC will need to have more involvement than 3 anticipated relating to securing land for the new Studio School as BCC will still be a maintained school rather than an academy over the next few months. AM reported that OCC, BCC and the Studio School will decide together what Net Capacities each should have in their Funding Agreements. The Group expressed approval over this collaborative approach. The rate of conversion to academy has slowed because it is now taking longer due to schools converting in groups, and because of the election later in the year. AM is to circulate the Annual report on the Academies Programme for 2014 which is awaiting final input from cross Directorate colleagues and Deputy Director Education & Learning over the next fortnight AM 6. Report 4 – Barbara Chillman – Local Plan updates Cherwell District Council’s Local Plan examination was in December 2014 and was uncontroversial relating to schools. OCC has asked for land to be reserved in the Local Plan in Banbury for a new secondary school for the future. We have also asked for land in the site “South of Salt Way” in Banbury in order to have additional playing field area for Blessed George Napier School in case of expansion, as its site area is small. The developer wanting to build on this site however is not keen, therefore we are waiting to see what the Inspector says in March. In Cherwell, the main issues in terms of school capacity are around small rural schools such as Deddington / Bloxham area. JJ requested that SEN places / requirements be integrated into the responses process for Local Plans, rather than being separate. S.Passey said that the complexity of children’s needs will be more of an issue in the future.