Agenda and minutes

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the above meeting be received and agreed.

- report by Lynne Bruce-Minotti, Extended Schools Co-ordinator.

The Early Years and Childcare Strategy Manager, School Improvement Section, introduced a report by the Extended Schools Co-ordinator relating to a change to the Education Act 2002 to allow School Governors to provide activities and services to children, young people, parents/carers and the wider community.  Schools would be encouraged, in consultation with users and partners, to take the lead in co-ordinating activities such as childcare, sports, arts, study support, adult learning, family learning and the integration and co-location of other specialist workers on a school site.

The report set out proposals and details as follows:- 

Extended Schools

An ExtendedSchool is one that provides a range of services and activities often beyond the school day to help meet the needs of its pupils, their families and the wider community.

Across the country many schools are already providing some extended services including adult education, study support, ICT facilities and community sports programmes.

Schools and their partners can build on existing provision and consider what additional services or activities schools might provide, or how they could be organised.  Working with local partners, schools can develop as little or as much provision as they think suitable for their own community.

Other activities and services schools could provide

- Childcare – including breakfast clubs, after-school clubs, holiday and weekend activity.

-  Community Learning, such as adult, family learning and study support.

-  Health and Social Care – health promotion/co-location of services/early intervention.

-  Sports and Arts development.

-  Parenting/Family support.

-  Greater community use of School buildings and grounds.

The Role of School Governors

The Governing Body has ultimate responsibility for deciding whether the school should offer additional activities and services and what form these should take.

Before making decisions, Governors need to be aware of any additional responsibilities that may result from providing additional services through the school.  As with existing school activities, Governing Bodies can delegate the practical delivery of services to others, but they will keep ultimate legal responsibility.

Progress in Rotherham

The Government has provided funding to Local Authorities over recent years to nominate a school which will become a ‘full-service school’.  This means that they have to deliver a prescribed range of services and activities for their pupils, parents/carers and the wider community.  RawmarshCommunity School was nominated and is in the 2^nd year of a 3 year programme.  They deliver successfully against all the identified strands and attainment levels have increased on the previous year.

In April, 2005 the Local Authority received a Standard’s Fund one year grant of £418,000 to support the central and school co-ordination of Extended Schools.  We have produced an electronic audit for all schools to complete which will indicate:

·                    what activities and services are already taking place

·                    who the users of the activities and services are

·                    who is delivering them

·                    when they are being delivered (after school/during holidays etc)

·                    the involvement of pupils, parents/carers, governors in the planning

·                    whether extended activities and services are included in the School

Improvement Plan

·                    whether  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

- report by Paula Williams, Training and Quality Assurance Co-ordinator.

The Training and Quality Assurance Co-ordinator submitted a report about the proposal for a South Yorkshire Childcare Sector Brokerage.  The proposal was for the four South Yorkshire Training Officers from the Early Years and Childcare Services to take on this role and form the management committee working alongside the Learning Skills Council (LSC) and Action 4 Employment (Managing Agent for Invest in Skills).

The proposals and details set out in the report  were :-

The South Yorkshire brokerage will have a borough wide role across Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield and Rotherham covering two main strands:

·        New entrants to the Early Years, Childcare and Playwork sector workforce

·        Existing Early Years, Childcare and Playwork sector workforce

Within these strands the key activities will be:

·        Work with strategic partners, LSC, Managing Agent (A4E Consult), Colleges/SYFEC, 0-19 Partnership/Children and Young Peoples Partnerships, to influence access to funding at a strategic level and meet identified training needs

·        Identify issues at local level to feed into the wider strategic workforce development agenda across the local authority and wider sub-region of South Yorkshire

·        Advocate, influence and monitor the quality of provision to ensure training providers are delivering the training required to meet the needs of the sector

·        Collection, collation and analysis of training needs/workforce data

·        Matching people with training opportunities

·        Identify and match funding to people

Each local authority (LA) has Government targets relating to qualification levels within the early years and childcare sector and progress towards these are monitored at local level through an audit process.  The introduction of a brokerage role will allow a more consistent approach across the sub-region to be adopted leading to more comprehensive information being gathered.  This information will identify skills needs and shortages within the sector to feed into the local LSC enabling each LA to address local priorities to inform strategic planning decisions and enhance current practices. 

The improved research across the sub-region will identify skills needs in much more detail.  This will enable each LA to develop an annual delivery plan encompassing LA targets and LSC specific targets relating to basic skills, employability, leadership and management skills thus supporting the development of a more responsive training provider base across the sub-region.    

Delivery Arrangements

The four local authorities with responsibility for the South Yorkshire Childcare Workforce Development Programme will tender for Sector Brokerage for the Early Years and Childcare sector.   Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, will provide the brokerage service with Barnsley acting as the lead authority on behalf of all four Authorities for contracting the service directly with the LSC.

Each local authority will work through a local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) or Children and Young People’s Partnership, consisting of representatives from childcare providers, parents, social services, education and health services, maintained schools, private and voluntary training providers, colleges, special educational needs groups, Job Centre Plus, New Deal Partnerships, local LSC, and Objective 1.

The Training Coordinators in consultation with their EYDCP or Children and Young People’s Partnerships support employers in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

- report by Paula Williams, Training and Quality Assurance Co-ordinator.

The Training and Quality Assurance Co-ordinator submitted a report about the launch of Quality in Action, a locally produced quality assurance scheme which had been successful in gaining endorsement through the National Investors in Children Award Scheme.

The proposals and details set out in the report were:-

The development of high quality early education and childcare services is a key element of the Sure Start agenda. An important route towards improving quality is supporting childcare providers to undertake a Quality Assurance scheme. Quality Assurance schemes enable childcare providers and childminders to develop and achieve high standards of care and early education which exceed the minimum standards set by Ofsted in the National Daycare Standards. The schemes support practitioners through mentoring, advice and self - reflection about the services they offer and how they could improve.

To support the expansion of quality assurance the Sure Start Unit developed “Investors in Children” to endorse quality assurance schemes that meet ten rigorous criteria. Investors in Children endorsement enables childcare providers to choose a good quality assurance scheme and helps parents to identify good quality nurseries, childminders, after school clubs, crèches and playgroups.

“Quality in Action” Rotherham’s early years education curriculum guidance document was revised in to include the childcare quality assurance element and submitted to the Sure Start Unit for endorsement. Successful endorsement has been achieved enabling Rotherham’s high quality early years and childcare provision to be recognised and accredited through “Quality in Action” an “Investors in Children” endorsed scheme. 

In March, 2005 the scheme was officially launched at Hellaby Hall.  All Foundation stage units and early education funded settings were given a free copy of the new pack.  The pack can be used as a tool for raising quality or to support the setting to undertake the accreditation process.

The Sub-Group welcomed the excellent work done so far on this scheme and expressed the view that the scheme merited some good publicity . It was noted that arrangements were in hand for an article to be published the Partnership Matters Newsletter and a leaflet was being produced for parents. . 

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

(2)  That an article about the Investors in Children endorsed Quality Assurance Scheme be put in Council Matters and that the Head of Communications be asked to do a suitable Press Release.

- report by Melanie Hunt, Early Years and Childcare Services Project Officer.

The Early Years and Childcare Strategy Manager, School Improvement Section,  submitted a report on Rotherham’s progress, in partnership with Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley, towards the promotion of flexible working and childcare options to employers in the area.

The proposals and details set out in the report  were :-

The Early Years and Childcare Service has worked in partnership with the Early Years and Childcare Services of Doncaster and Barnsley and the Children’s Information Service in Sheffield to successfully access funding from Objective 1 to promote work life balance and family friendly policies to employers in South Yorkshire. This has enabled each authority to employ a project officer to support this role as part of the Creating More Balance (CMB) project.

The project supports the vision in the Government’s 10 year strategy for childcare published in December, 2004: to ensure that every child gets the best start in life and to give parents more choice about how to balance work and family life. 

The remit of the project is to provide 35 hours of free consultancy support to employers. This can include support on any aspect of work life balance/family friendly policies including developing work life balance policies and practice, supporting employers to offer childcare vouchers to staff, provision of information to parents and development of links with childcare providers.  Since August, 2004, 236 employers have contacted and are currently working with 56 of these.

One of the key tools used to support the work life balance initiative is the promotion of childcare vouchers and the benefits for parents.  The project officer is currently raising awareness of childcare vouchers to parents, childcare providers and employers across Rotherham. 

The remit of the CMB project allows time for the project officer to promote the benefits of the childcare voucher scheme within RMBC and offers a direct contact for employees who have any queries about the scheme and how it can benefit them.  The parent fact-sheet sent out to RMBC employees recently highlighting the changes for April, 2005 attracted over 35 enquiries, a large number from school-based staff, and has resulted in additional people signing up to the scheme.

The use of childcare vouchers to pay for high quality childcare encourages the use of childcare provision within Rotherham contributing towards the sustainability of local childcare provision.  This will impact on the economy as a whole as it assists people who have childcare requirements with the costs enabling them to return to work. It also plays a key role in supporting the retention of existing staff.

March, 2005 saw the official launch of the CMB project, and was attended by 62 delegates from 47 companies based throughout South Yorkshire.  Additional companies who registered and were unable to attend on the day are currently being contacted to follow-up their interest in the project. The project also carried out a survey with all childcare providers to find out what sustainability issues local providers face.

Resolved:-   (1)  That the report  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

Resolved:-  That the next meeting of this Sub-Group be held on Tuesday, 19th July, 2005 at 11 a.m.