Agenda and minutes

-           to receive minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 24^th August, 2004 were agreed as a correct record.

Jason Ollivent, Head of Information Systems, gave a verbal report on the current situation with regard to the installation of the Rotherham Learning Grid and associated work.

The following issues were reported on:-

-                       Server Farm build

-                       Network/City Learning Centre

-                       On site help/assistance

-                       Service Design

-                       Presentations to Schools

-                       CENT at Magna – Links to Grid

-                       Purchase of Espresso content licences – 69 Primary Schools committed

-                       Broadband - 5 of the Primary Schools connected as at 2/9/04

-                       Branding

In terms of the timescale, work was twelve months ahead of expected Government targets for Broadband connectivity in schools.

Work was progressing largely to schedule and within budget.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the verbal report be noted.

(2)  That a suitable press release be issued at an appropriate stage of the work regarding the achievements being made on an improved IT provision for pupils as a learning aid, and on the achievement of Government targets.

Pursuant to Minute No. C50 of January 2000, consideration was given to a nomination received to fill an LEA vacancy on a school governing body.

Resolved:-  That, with the effective date of appointment, the following appointment be made to the school governing body:-

DaltonFoljambe J & I School             Councillor P. M.  Lakin            7/9/04

Consideration was given to a request for the need to nominate a representative from the Education, Culture and Leisure Services Programme Area onto the above Liaison Group.

A draft Terms of Reference was provided.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the Cabinet Member, Councillor Boyes, be nominated to serve on the above Group.

(2)  That the nomination be re-considered after next year’s Annual Council meeting.

- to inform of an update to the above School Organisation Plan

Consideration was given to a report of the Principal Officer, Forward Planning Resources and Information which outlined the need to update the above School Organisation Plan.

The Education (School Organisation Plans) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2003, which came into force on 1^st June 2003, changed the requirement to publish a plan on an annual basis.  The next plan should now be produced in 2006 (i.e. on a 3 yearly cycle), although there will be a move towards a Single Education Plan which will probably subsume the SOP.  In the interim, the LEA has produced an update of some of the demographic and statistical information contained in the current SOP based on the actual rather than the estimated figures for 2003/04.  Other changes, particularly relating to SEN provision, are also outlined.  The relevant information includes references to sections/pages in the current SOP.

Details of specific points raised in the report were outlined.

Resolved:-  That the report and update, as submitted, be received and forwarded to the School Organisation Committee for information and discussion prior to publication.

- to consider the final review report and evaluation of the progress against the recommendations contained in the Ofsted Report (October 2001)

Consideration was given to a report of the Strategic Leader School Improvement regarding the final review and evaluation of the progress against the recommendations contained in the Osted report (October 2001).

The first Ofsted Action Plan was submitted at the end of January 2002.

The Action Plan was re-written for January 2004 due to the fact that a number of the original targets and proposed actions had either not been achieved or were no longer valid due to the changing education agenda.

Of the original eleven recommendations, six (4, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11) action plans and associated targets have been fully achieved.  The remaining five recommendations have seventeen associated activities.  Of these all targets have been achieved for ten of them.  The remaining activities (1d, 2a, 2f, 2h, 3a, 5a and 8b) have seventeen targets that have not been achieved.

It is proposed that any outstanding actions and targets will now be referred back to the appropriate head of service for inclusion in the Service Business Plan.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the report be received.

(2)                   That the report be referred to Cabinet and Lifelong Learning Opportunities Scrutiny Panel for information.

(3)                   That a full copy of the Ofsted Action Plan Review:  January-June 2004 be placed in the Members’ library and on the Council website.

(4)                   That uncompleted activities be referred back to the head of the appropriate service, for inclusion in the service business plan as a matter of importance.

(5)  That an update report on uncompleted actions be submitted to a future meeting of Cabinet Member, Education, Culture and Leisure Services.