BOROUGH OF POOLE

CHILDREN’S SERVICES OVERVIEW GROUP

7 NOVEMBER 2006

The meeting commenced at 7:00pm and concluded at 9:40pm.

Members present:

Councillor Newell (Chairman)

Councillor Mrs Lavender (Vice-Chairman)

Councillors Brooke, Burden, Mrs Dion, Mrs Moore, White, Miss Wilson and Woodcock.

Also present

Councillor Bulteel

Diocesan Representative

Mr K Newman

Parent Governor Representatives

Mr P Crouch

Mrs S Murphy

Members of the public present: 6

  1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Mrs Butt.

2.CANON CHRISTOPHER RUTLEDGE

The representative from the Head of Legal and Democratic Services reported that Canon Christopher Rutledge had resigned as the Salisbury Diocese Representative and that the name of his replacement was awaited from the Diocese.

The Chairman requested the Strategic Director (Children’s Services) write to Canon Rutledge thanking him for his contribution to the Overview Group over many years.

3.DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

The following personal Interests were declared:

Councillor Brooke as LEA Governor for Broadstone First School. Also, his daughter was employed at Hillbourne School as a part-time teacher and was a supply teacher and also worked for Adult Education for the Borough of Poole.

Councillor Mrs Dion’s husband is a Governor of Rossmore Community Sports College.

Councillor Mrs Lavender as school helper Year 1 at St Aldhelm’s CE VA Combined School and Governor of Heatherlands First School.

Councillor Newell as LEA Governor for Poole Grammar School and Governor of Broadstone First School; Lecturer at Bournemouth University and his wife is Deputy Headteacher at Haymoor Middle School.

Councillor Woodcock as LEA Governor for Old Town First School and Nursery, Baden Powell and St. Peter’s CE Middle School, Chairman of Connexions Local Management Group and Board Member.

Councillor Miss Wilson as School Governor for Manorside Combined School.

Mrs S Murphy as Governor of Canford Heath Middle School and Ad Astra First School.

Councillor Burden as Chairman of the Waterloo Youth Club.

Councillor Mrs Moore as LEA Governor for Canford Heath Middle School and Connexions Local Management Group and Board.

Councillor Bulteel declared a personal interest in Minute 7 because he was Chairman of Governors of Old Town First School.

4.MINUTES

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting held on 4 July 2006 be confirmed by the Group and signed by the Chairman as a correct record, subject to the following amendments:-

Minute 3 – Declarations of Interest – add Councillor Mrs Moore as LEA Governor for Canford Heath Middle School and Connexions Local Management Group and Board.

Minute 6 – Youth Justice Plan – add to the preamble of the Minute, “Dorset Fire and Rescue Service be added to the list of consultees on matters relating to the Youth Justice Board”.

5.UPDATE FROM THE MINUTES

Further to Minute 6(ii) – the Strategic Director (Children’s Services) read a statement from Pauline Batstone, Bournemouth and Poole Youth Offending Service Manager, relating to the latest position with regard to the Harbour House Bail Hostel:-

“The position regarding the regime at Harbour House at this point in time, to the best of my knowledge, would appear to be:

  • Harbour House continues to operate as a supported housing facility for 16-17 year olds
  • It is accepting referrals from the YOT but increasingly also from children’s services and self-referrals, which reduces the number of beds available for the Courts.
  • The regime appears to have changed, with a change of management, and to be less controlling, which is a disadvantage from the Courts point of view.
  • Both Bournemouth and Poole Boroughs and Bournemouth Supporting People have agreed to continue their current level of financial support until the end of the current financial year.
  • In the meantime a working group across the three local authorities, led by Bournemouth, is exploring alternative options for providing remand accommodation, in particular looking at a specialist remand fostering service.”

AGREED to note the update Report on the Harbour House Bail Hostel.

6.PETITIONS

The Group considered the following Petitions referred to it by Council on 26 September 2006:-

(i)Branksome Heath Middle School and Sylvan First School

Mrs Gayle Hope presented a Petition signed by over 700 Poole residents in the following terms:

“We, the undersigned, wish to express the view that, whatever option is chosen as a result of “Schools for the Future” reorganisation, both Branksome Heath Middle School and Sylvan First School must continue as separate schools, occupying their present sites.”

The Chairman invited Ms Hope to address the Overview Group, which she did in the following terms:

“We are aware that Heatherlands First School has submitted an application to be designated as a Primary school and whilst at this stage we do not directly oppose their application in principle, we will oppose it if it becomes apparent that Sylvan First School and Branksome Heath Middle School will need to be merged onto a single site. We do not oppose Primary school status if they are to remain on the two sites.

Currently our children benefit from having two small, friendly, local schools where they enjoy a high standard of education. The size of the schools ensure that the younger children, particularly those in reception year, are not thrust into a large building surrounded by children 7 or 8 years older than them. A situation that would be very intimidating for them, cause them unnecessary anguish and instead of making attending school an exciting and pleasurable experience, their education would suffer.

The first years of school are the most important as they mould how our children view their education throughout the rest of their learning years. If those few years are intimidating and traumatic they may lose interest for good and we are not prepared to put our children in that situation.

Currently we have a system that is tailored to cater for the very different needs of both the younger children and those preparing for the transition to Secondary school. A system that works and provides our children with a sound basis to prepare for later life.

Aside of the detrimental effects to our children’s education, the parents of pupils at both schools and local residents have concerns if the two schools were merged as to what would happen to the school currently on the Sylvan site. If it were closed, logic dictates that it would be built on probably with 100% social housing, following the precedent this Council has already set at the site of the former Trinidad First School, or are you planning to turn it into much needed open space, particularly taking into account that the Newtown Ward has the least amount of open space in the whole of Poole?

If it were, as anticipated, to be turned into a housing estate, where does the Council propose to build the new school that would then be required to cater for the educational needs of the children who would be housed there? Or does the Council also propose to increase the class sizes to the extent that all of the children’s education would suffer irreparable harm, leaving another generation of children semi-literate and unable to get jobs, as has been the situation previously?

We would also like it noted for the record that the Petition and letters are in addition to the letters written by our children and handed into the Council on 21st July 2006.”

The Strategic Director (Children’s Services) reported that the Petition, together with that submitted by Heatherlands First School, would be considered by the Overview Group at its meeting on 9 January 2007. The Group would then need to decide if they can accommodate both requests or which proposal was viable for the future of schools in Poole. He also stated that there was never any plan by the Council to dispose of any of the three school sites.

AGREED to note the contents of the Petition and that it would be considered by the Overview Group at its meeting on 9 January 2007, together with that received from Heatherlands First School.

(ii)Top Cats Play Club

“The following people listed below are signing the Petition to try and save Top Cats Pre-School, Parent and Toddler Groups, Breakfast, After School and Holiday Clubs. We wish for the Borough of Poole to find suitable accommodation so that Top Cats can continue to provide top class child care service to all the Community”.

Councillor Mrs Moore, Ward Councillor, spoke in support of the Petition because the owner of Top Cats Play Club was unable to attend the meeting because she had child care commitments.

Councillor Mrs Moore explained the background to the Play Club being given notice to leave the current premises in Ashdown Leisure Centre by the end of December 2006. She further explained that the Club was originally informed that they had to vacate the premises by the middle of October. However, she had managed to renegotiate the date following discussions with Sports and Leisure Management (SLM) and Leisure Services. She was still unhappy about the way the matter had been dealt with and asked for the support of the Overview Group to find suitable accommodation for this excellent Play Club.

The Strategic Director (Children’s Services) stated that the Sure Start Team had done all they could to find alternative accommodation in the area without success.

Members agreed that this was a much needed facility and should ideally be retained at the Ashdown Leisure Centre or very close to it because this was where the majority of the parents lived.

AGREED to give one hundred per cent support to the Play Club and that the Strategic Director (Children’s Services) continue discussions with Councillor Mrs Moore to try and resolve the accommodation problems currently being experienced by Top Cats Play Club.

  1. OLD TOWN FIRST SCHOOL AND NURSERY – EXTENSION PROJECT

The Group considered the Joint Report of the Strategic Director (Children’s Services) and the Head of School Advice and Support Services for additional funding for the school element of this Project to enable the Scheme to progress without further delay.

The Strategic Director (Children’s Services) outlined the history of this Project and emphasised that the Children’s Centre continues to be deliverable within the £560,000 approved budget. It was imperative that the Children’s Centre was completed by April 2008, otherwise the Government Grant could potentially be jeopardised. With regard to the extension to the school, following the granting of permission by the Planning Committee on 24 August 2006, negotiations had been undertaken by Property Services with Raymond Brown Construction to agree a contract figure that he could recommend to the Group. He thanked the School for being incredibly patient and for their co-operation in agreeing to changes made to the design.

Councillor Woodcock, a School Governor, had no regrets about challenging the costings over the last two years but was still disappointed with the proposed overrun figures but accepted that the decision to proceed with the Project was essential to avoid further delays and costs.

The Capital Programme Manager, Property Services, confirmed that the original project budget of £1,891,521 had proved to be inadequate. Despite earlier commitments from the Contractor, the revised design could not in fact be built within the approved budget. It was also unfortunate that the Contractor who supplied the lowest quotes for both roofing and cladding had gone into liquidation. The proposed contract sum based on the original specification now therefore stood at £2,697,696 (including the Children’s Centre element). Therefore, there was an additional funding required of £246,175 of which £100,000 contingencies previously approved to complete the extension project. He further reported that he had had a meeting with the Contractor prior to the Meeting and that the Contractor was prepared to agree to a revised contract offer on a guaranteed maximum price basis inclusive of contingencies, of £ 2,415,259.

Members asked the Officers a number of questions on the costings set out in the Report and raised concerns about the way that credit checks had been undertaken for this Project and previous Projects where there had been financial difficulties with Contractors. Mr Crouch noted that preliminary excavations started on site at a cost of £1,200 resulting in compliance of the 2002 version of Part L of the Building Regulations generated a potential saving of between £100-£150k.

The Strategic Director (Children’s Services) stated that he considered the procurement phase of large projects was a problem within the Borough of Poole and needed to be reviewed.

He also reported that it was essential that the contract figure was accepted by 24 November 2006 to avoid any further costs and recommended that the Group request the Leader of the Council, instead of the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, because he was a Governor of Old Town First School, to approve the increased funding as a Portfolio Holder Decision.

AGREED that

(a)the Children’s Services Overview Group noted

(i)the increased funding required to progress the School’s element of the Project for a guaranteed maximum price of £2,415,259.00, inclusive of contingencies;

(ii)that additional funding for the Children’s Centre was not required but the Project needed to be progressed without delay in order to continue to secure Government Grant; and

(b) in view of the need to progress the whole project without further delay, for the reasons set out in paragraph 5.1 of the Report, the Leader of the Council be asked to approve additional funding of £146,175K from within the Education Capital Programme Budget on behalf of Cabinet.

8.AUTISM STRATEGY

The Group considered the Report of the Head of Pupil, Parent and Youth Services on the strategy for the development of comprehensive services across Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole for children and young people who had Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families. The Principal Educational Psychologist gave a presentation on the Strategy, highlighting the main features of the document:-

  • Based on principle of NIASA, Good Practice Guidance and PAN Dorset Review;
  • Rationale for strategy based on parental feedback and analysis of costs of making provision for ASD, including research on lifetime costs; and
  • A five year plan for comprehensive development and co-ordination of services.

Reference was also made to support for families that had a child with ASD and the availability of respite services which was considered to be an important area of support.

The following matters were raised by Members following the presentation:

  • The Strategic Director (Children’s Services), in reply to a Member’s question confirmed that accountability for the various focus groups associated with autism was to the Children’s Governance Board. Three Members of the Council were on the Board and it was accountable to the Community Support and Education Scrutiny Committee.
  • The Strategy was an excellent document bringing together multi-agency services dealing with ASD. It was important that ASD was identified at an early stage and that front-line services were to be trained to identify children at pre-school stage.
  • Members noted that in Poole in 2001 there were nineteen statements for ASD and in 2006 eighty-six statements, an increase of 400% in five years. This was in line with national trends and the revenue implications was a major concern for the Borough.
  • There was a need for multi-agency organisations working in the ASD spectrum to work together to get the best value for the limited resources available. The financial implications of the Strategy would be contained in the next report to the Overview Group.
  • A Member enquired what was meant by “equitable services” in paragraph 5.2 of the Report? The Officers explained that this referred to the frustration experienced by some with the service they obtained, and often this depended on who they first contacted when they identified a problem with their child. The aim was to develop a situation where the service provided was the same no matter who the family first approached.

AGREED that

(i)Cabinet be recommended to ratify the Strategy in order to move forward with preparation of the Action Plan;

(ii)the Strategy document identified in some detail the key issues, and strategic outcomes in order to ensure equitable services for ASD across Poole, Bournemouth and Dorset;

(iii)a framework be provided for the future development of multi-agency services for children and young people with ASD and their families with the intention that it should be implemented within 5 years;

(iv)the implementation of the Plan would require each Authority (Poole, Bournemouth and Dorset) to undertake an Audit of the status of its services and provision relative to the standards and outcomes described in the Strategy, and to produce a costed plan to meet those standards;