Issue - meetings

To consider the work programme.

Members considered the work programme. It was suggested that the next scheduled meeting (8 May 2012) could be used a ‘workshop’ session for putting together the 2012/13 yearly work programme. With this agreed, it was suggested that the following items could be considered in addition to those already listed in the work programme:

·         The Council’s response to failing Academies

·         Transition between children’s and adult’s services

·         Operational detail on the Youth Offending Service

It was also suggested that a Task and Finish Review on very early years education be added to the work programme. This was rooted from the concern that children were arriving at school with below expected standards of behaviour and cognition, leading to a need for them to ‘catch up’.

Reference was made to a Cabinet report on Home to School Transport by John McCann from the Diocese of Shrewsbury. He stated the following concerns regarding this paper:

·         That the Cabinet Paper was dismissive towards the ‘minority report’ of the Home to School Transport Task and Finish Review and did not give it due regard.

·         That the Cabinet Paper was dismissive of the sibling issue when this was a concern for a number of families

·         That the decision requested would remove denominational transport support for the 2012/13 academic year even though parents had made their school choice for that year based on the proviso that the subsidy would be in place.

RESOLVED –

a)    That the following items be added to the work programme to be considered at the workshop session on 8 May 2012

a.    The Council’s response to failing Academies

b.    Transition between children’s and adult’s services

c.    Operational detail on the Youth Offending Service

b)    That a task and finish review on very early years education be added to the work programme to be undertaken when resources became available.