Agenda item

Sue Wilson, Children and Young People’s Services Performance and Quality Manager, Commissioning, Policy and Performance, to report.   

Consideration was given to the submitted report and background papers, presented by Sue Wilson, Performance and Quality Manager, Resources Directorate, in relation to Government Consultation on proposals to repeal Section 138 of the Education and Inspections Act (2006).  This consultation specifically related to the removal of the requirement on Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to conduct an annual rating on the ‘top-tier’ of Local Authority Children’s Services.

The proposed changes to legislation were being made through a Legislative Reform Order under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act (2006).  Consultation had begun on 23^rd January, 2012, and would close on 18^th March, 2012.  Subject to the outcome of consultation it was proposed that the changes be implemented from Summer, 2012. 

The assessment methods currently considered by Ofsted when deciding local authorities’ Annual Children’s Services’ Assessment ratings were:

• Outcomes from education, social care settings and skills providers’ inspections, and;

• Performance profiles. 

The overall level of assessment was awarded on a four point scale: grade 1 (performs poorly), grade 2 (performs adequately), grade 3 (performs well) and grade 4 (performs excellently). 

The rationale for the proposed repeal was that it would free up resources within Ofsted so that the Inspectorate’s workforce could be used for other, higher priority inspection activity.  The proposals would also contribute towards meeting Ofsted’s 30% budget reduction target.

The effects of the proposal within Rotherham were discussed.  These factors included:

• The Annual Children’s Services Assessment and the related Performance Profile had been used as part of continued service monitoring since the removal of Rotherham’s Children’s Services’ Notice to Improve.  The Service was currently rated as ‘performing adequately’;
• Regular local updates, over and above the quarterly publication of the Ofsted profile, were already produced, whereby performance reports were provided to Children and Young People’s Services’ Strategic Director and the Service’s Lead Cabinet Member; 
• To ensure that recent improvements that had led to the lifting of the Service’s Notice to Improve were maintained, it was essential that equivalent internal monitoring arrangements continued.

Discussion ensued and the following points were raised and clarified:

• Proposed loss of a ‘critical friend’: it was noted that although the external annual rating would no longer take place, setting inspections that contributed to the outcome would continue.  Rotherham would therefore be able to develop an accurate and reflective performance profile and identify areas of good practice and where improvements were required.
• The quality monitoring of Children and Young People’s Services would remain a priority for the Service and for the Commissioning, Policy and Performance team within the Resources Directorate.
• The Children and Young People’s Services’ Improvement Panel would continue to meet and would be chaired by the Chief Executive of the Council.  The Panel would assess whether the Service’s performance profile was continuing to improve;

o       It was noted that the Service’s performance profile was currently Green in a RAG rating, as 66% of provisions were rated good or better.

·         Changing relationships with Schools and the Local Authority’s school improvement activities were noted.  These factors included Academisation, school-on-school support, the Teaching School Alliance, the Authority’s Schools of Concern measures, and building the capacity of school governing bodies to challenge schools’ progress.

·         The inspection regimes that would continue were noted and included the three yearly inspection of Safeguarding and Looked After Children’s Services and the potential for unannounced inspections to be called at any time.

·         Future changes were planned to inspection regimes from 2014, which would see the introduction of integrated inspections of services across all sectors that provided services for children and families. 

The consultation questions were considered by the Improving Lives Select Commission and a joint response was provided.  RMBC would be submitting two consultation responses to this consultation, one from Elected Members and Officers, and one from children and young people. 

Resolved: - (1) That the contents of the consultation documents be noted.

(2)  That the Performance and Quality Manager submit a consultation response on behalf of the Improving Lives Select Commission.

(3)  That the Improving Lives Select Commission receives future updates on Children and Young People’s Services performance profile.