Corporate Services Cabinet Member – Minutes – 7 February 2011

The following item contains exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

440 (67) LEARNING AND IMPROVEMENT SERVICE – The Service Director Children and Young People submitted a report to seek approval for a revised structure for the Learning and Improvement Service from April 2011.

The recent removal of dedicated National Strategies grant funding to the council had resulted in the deletion of 23 posts with effect from April 2011. The subsequent publication of the Government White Paper ‘The Importance of Teaching’ defined the role of Local Authorities in school improvement, and highlighted that the statutory duty of the local authority had not changed, but the role of school improvement had reduced. The brokering and commissioning role had also increased and was a new area of development for the service.

The reductions in the core funding had meant that more efficient use of officer roles and responsibilities had to be made in order to achieve a cost effective service. The proposed changes to the structure brought the monitoring functions 0-19 together into one team, and created a new team to cover the brokering and commissioning and delivery of professional standards together.

Resolved – (a) That the deletion and creation of posts, as set out in the report, which enables a new structure for the Learning and Improvement Service with effect from 1 April 2011, be approved.

Where there is no report this is because it is exempt, as it contains information which is considered to be of a confidential nature, as detailed in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act.