northlincs.gov.uk

115 (63) OFSTED INSPECTIONS – The Service Director Learning, Schools and Communities submitted a report on the outcome of Ofsted inspections at the following school:

• Lincoln Gardens Primary School

The school had been inspected as part of the routine Ofsted inspection cycle of school. Full copies of the reports had been placed in the political group offices.

Resolved – (a) That approval be given to continue supporting improvements in the school inspected above, and (b) that the Cabinet Member writes to the school and makes suitable comments on the report.

116 (64) APPOINTMENT OF LOCAL AUTHORITY SCHOOL GOVERNORS – The Service Director Children, Strategy and Partnerships submitted a report seeking approval of the appointment of a Local Education Authority (LEA) School Governor.

Resolved – That the following person be appointed an LEA School Governor on the school listed, subject to the relevant CRB checks:

117 (65) APPOINTMENT OF EDUCATION APPEALS PANEL MEMBERS – The Service Director Legal and Democratic submitted a repor seeking approval to appoint and independent member to the Education Appeal Panel to hear appeals in respect of school admissions, exclusions and reinstatements.

Parents were entitled to express a preference for they school that they would like their child to attend, if they were refused a place that they requested, or were dissatisfied with the place offered by the Local Education Authority, parents could appeal They could also appeal again any decision of the governing body not to reinstate a pupil who had been permanently excluded from a school maintained by the council.

Admission Appeals Panels consisted of three or five members, including at least one ‘education expert’ and at least one ‘lay member’, this was in accordance with the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

The existing small pool of members was now very experienced, however, the number of appeals was increasing This could cause problems in dealing with appeals within the required timescales, and it was also useful to have a balance of age and gender in the make up of individual panels Therefore, it was considered desirable to extend the number of available panel members Accordingly an advertisement was placed in the council’s Direct Magazine and the Cabinet Member formally appointed three new members in January 2009 (minute 95 refers)

Since then, there had been an enquiry from another individual who had been a member of an appeals panel in the past.

Resolved – That the following applicant, with a view to receiving training and being gradually introduced onto panels as outlined in paragraph 3.6 of the report, be appointed.

• Malcolm Dobbs

118 (66) REVISION TO THE CHILDREN’S HOMES STATEMENTS OF PURPOSE – The Service Director Children, Strategy and Partnerships submitted a report seeking approval for the revisions to the Statements of Purpose for children’s homes in North Lincolnshire.

Children’s Homes Regulations 2001 stated that a home must have in place a Statement of Purpose, regulations also stated that the Cabinet Member approved this on an annual basis The Statement of Purpose was central to the annual inspection of the homes undertaken by OfSTED.

Following the yearly review of the Statements of Purpose for all North Lincolnshire’s children’s homes, revisions had been made which ensured that they reflected current practice in the homes, and the high standards achieved and maintained over a number of years as shown consistently in the reports of inspections by OfSTED.

The Statements of Purpose had also been updated to reflect any changes in staffing and included ongoing improvements and developments They described the role of the homes in meeting the ‘5 outcomes’ as highlighted in Every Child Matters and The Children Act 2004.

Resolved – That the revised Children’s Homes Statements of Purpose be approved.

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