Children, Families & Learning Cabinet Member – Minutes – 15 July 2016

3 (3) ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND COMPLAINTS REPORT 2015-16 – The Director of People submitted a report presenting the Annual Representations and Complaints Report 2015-16 for social care services for children.

There was a statutory requirement to present an annual report on representations and complaints received about services delivered under the Children Act 1989.

These statutory procedures gave service users, or representatives acting on their behalf, the right to make representations about services.  There was a requirement that councils addressed these representations, through a three stage procedure for complaints for social care services for children.

The Children Act procedure set out three stages under which complaints could be investigated and heard. The guidance specified the timescales for dealing with complaints at each stage.

Resolved – That the Annual Representations and Complaints Report for children’s social care services be received and approved.

4 (4) APPOINTMENT OF LOCAL AUTHORITY SCHOOL GOVERNORS – The Director of People submitted a report which considered the appointment of suitable candidates to serve as local authority governors.

Boards of governors were the key strategic decision-making body for schools.  It was the board’s role to set a school’s strategic framework and to ensure that all statutory duties were met.  There were currently 72 boards of governors within North Lincolnshire serving both schools and academies.  A number of schools were federated, which meant that a governing body oversaw the running of two schools.

In accordance with the School Governance Regulations (2012) maintained schools’ boards were constituted from the following governor categories:

• Parent Governors
• Head Teacher
• Staff Governor
• Local Authority Governor
• Foundation Governor

When a Local Authority vacancy occurred, the relevant board identified the necessary skills, knowledge and experience that would be required of the successful candidates.  The council was then able to match the board of governors’ needs against the perspective candidate’s application.

Resolved – That the following person be appointed as Local Authority Governor on the school listed, subject to the relevant DBS checks:

Wootton St Andrew’s CE Primary School  Mrs Susan Thompson

5 (5) RECONSTITUTION OF BERKELEY FEDERATION BOARD OF GOVERNORS AND CHANGE OF SCHOOL NAME – The Director of People submitted a report seeking approval to change the instrument of government so the school could be renamed and the governing body reconstituted.

Berkeley Infant School and Berkeley Junior School were currently federated and had a single board of governors.

On 18 January 2016 approval was granted for Berkeley Infant School and Berkeley Junior School to amalgamate with effect from 1 September 2016. Subsequently, at the full board of governors meeting of the Berkeley Federation held on 8 February 2016 the governors voted to change the name of the school to Berkeley Primary School.

In addition to the proposed change of name, on 13 June 2016, the board of governors voted to reconstitute the board. The School Governance (Constitution) (Governance) Regulations 2012 and the School Governance (Constitution) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 set out the options available to schools in terms of the overall number of governors, the categories of governor and the guiding principles for the constitution.

The regulations gave the board of governors more flexibility with their constitution and stated that boards should be no bigger than they needed to be to carry out their statutory duties.

Resolved – That the new instrument of government for the constitution, including the change of school name to Berkeley Primary School, be approved.

6 (6) RECONSTITUTION OF BURTON UPON STATHER PRIMARY SCHOOL BOARD OF GOVERNORS – The Director of People submitted a report seeking approval to change the instrument of government to allow the board of governors of Burton upon Stather Primary School to be reconstituted to be effective from 1 September 2016.

At the full board of governors meeting of Burton upon Stather Primary School held on 17 May 2016, the governors voted to reconstitute the board in line with the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012 and the School Governance (Constitution) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.

The above regulations set out the options available to schools in terms of the overall number of governors, the categories of governor and the guiding principles for the constitution. The regulations give the board of governors more flexibility with their constitution and stated that boards should be no bigger than they needed to be to carry out their statutory duties.

The constitution of each board of governors was laid down in a document known as the instrument of government. A board of governors may at any time request changes to its constitution, in accordance with the regulations, by varying its instrument of government.

Resolved – That the new instrument of government for Burton upon Stather Primary School be approved.

The corresponding report of the following item (Minute 7 refers) contains exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

7 (7) SEN HOME TO SCHOOL TRANSPORT – POLICY AMENDMENT ADMINISTERING RESCUE MEDICATION AND/OR UNDERTAKING MEDICAL PROCEDURES – The Director of People and the Director of Places submitted a joint report seeking approval to amend North Lincolnshire’s SEN Home to School policies in respect of administering rescue medication and/or undertaking relevant medical procedures.

A number of children required rescue medication which should be administered promptly to avoid possible serious deterioration in health.  It was proposed that passenger transport assistants (PTA) employed by the council should be able to administer rescue medication and undertake certain medical procedures.

The report related to pupils with special education needs or disability (SEND) who required transporting to school and had been prescribed rescue medication and/or required assistance with medical equipment.

In relation to SEND children, the Education Act 1996 required councils to make transport arrangements available for all children who could not reasonably be expected to walk to school because of restricted mobility or because of associated health and safety issues related to their special educational needs or disability.

Currently 298 children with SEND were transported by the council.  The modes of transport included in-house mini-buses, contracted taxis and specialist vehicles.  A number of the children transported had been prescribed rescue medication.  Examples of conditions that required rescue medication include epilepsy and asthma.

The review had been prompted following the publication of the Department of Education statutory guidance about supporting pupils at school who had medical conditions, and as a result of parental feedback at a SEND consultation event.

Resolved – (a) That the proposal to revise the SEN Home to School Transport policies to provide for trained passenger transport assistants to administer rescue medication and/or undertaking certain medical procedures, pending the conclusion of the PTA roles and responsibilities, be approved, and (b) that it be noted the policy amendment would not take effect until PTAs were fully trained.

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.