Issue - meetings

To consider the final report of the Task/Finish Panel.

The Committee considered the final report of the Scrutiny Review Task/Finish Panel on Managing the Provision of School Places: report on Transforming Learning Communities (TLC) and its implications for Cheshire East Council.

The remit of the Task/Finish Panel had been to review the TLC inheritance from Cheshire County Council and consider the needs of Cheshire East in relation to future changes to the schools system.  The work of the Panel had been informed by a thorough Scrutiny Review of TLC undertaken by a Scrutiny Review Panel of the County Council, first hand information from Education Improvement Partnership members and Headteachers and consideration of evidence regarding supply and demand for school places.

The report outlined the Panel’s consideration of the County Council’s own Scrutiny Review of TLC and the implications for Cheshire East; described the current position in Cheshire East regarding surplus places and the challenges of managing the provision of school places.  It outlined the attributes of a new system for managing school places taking into consideration key factors such as schools’ cost-effectiveness, academic performance and local popularity.  Finally the report listed a number of recommendations.

In considering the Report, Members noted that it did not contain current Published Admission Numbers (PAN) as at September 2009 but these would be made available to the Committee for information. 

The Committee was advised that the Council was currently considering whether to indicate to the Department for Children, Schools and Families its “readiness to deliver” the Building Schools for the Future programme.  The Committee noted that any consideration of school places must be seen in the context of an education vision and strategy based on a number of factors including location, facilities, extended schools provision and other wider uses.

The reference to working with Dioceses was welcomed.

It was also noted that any future work on school reorganisation must ensure business continuity so that learning and experience was not lost.

RESOLVED:  That the report and recommendations be endorsed and submitted to Cabinet for consideration, subject to the addition of a final bullet point on page 60 of the report (section 7) to read:

“Attention needs to be given to Business Continuity, as the Council takes forward its work on the provision of school places, so that experience and learning are consolidated and not lost”.