Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Learning and Employability

The Committee considered a detailed overview of alternative education provision commissioned for Staffordshire’s vulnerable learners. This included details on: funding; permanent exclusions; pupil referral units/short stay schools; enhanced mainstream schools; the alternative provision dynamic purchasing system; the alternative provision panel; and education other than at school.  From January 2019 the Local Authority had established a weekly meeting of representatives across the Vulnerable Learning Service called the Alternative Provision Panel (APP).  Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) headteachers attend on a rotational basis and there was an open invitation to representatives from schools and academies.  The purpose of the APP was to provide a level of scrutiny and problem solving to the allocation and ongoing provision for young people who have either been permanently excluded or required alternative education provision commissioned by the Local Authority.  The APP also considered Fair Access Protocol cases and monitored and reviewed the Protocol.  The APP also ensures that appropriate checks were in place to evidence the young people were properly safeguarded and reviewed. 

 In wide-ranging discussion members expressed concern that young people were spending extended periods of time in PRUs when these should be a short-term, temporary measure with children being encouraged back into mainstream education or other appropriate provision.  It was acknowledged that this was an issue and work was being done to address this.

A member questioned whether Inclusion was better than Exclusion. The response was that in most cases it was. Early identification of special educational needs and appropriate intervention was key.  Efforts were being made to build in a more graduated response into the system. Members commented that some schools were better at managing exclusions than others and that it could be suggested that some schools were less tolerant because they were guarding their reputations.  They were informed that it would be important to tackle individual schools’ behaviour policy and change the culture in mainstream schools.     

Members also questioned whether using the funding for innovative alternative options had been investigated, for example closing the PRUs and using it to support mainstream schools.  They were informed that there were 402 schools in Staffordshire and if the resource was spread in this way there would not be a sufficient level of expertise to deploy.  Officers pointed out that this approach had been taken in Nottingham, and the levels of permanent exclusions were now growing.  Concern was expressed in relation to those cases where parents had been coerced into withdrawing children from school and home educating them.  Whilst many parents did an excellent job there were questions around some parents’ ability to provide a good education and the potential for abuse or neglect.  Members were informed that previously there had been one member of staff responsible for the EHE community but that two additional members of staff had now been recruited.  The EHE children were also picked up by the APP, who knew who they were and where they were and monitored them closely. If there was any evidence of coercive behaviour in a school this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74

Report of the Cabinet Member for Learning and Employability