Agenda and minutes

At this point, Members are asked to declare:

·        Any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests

·        Any prejudicial interests or

·        Any disclosable pecuniary interests

Which they may have in respect of business on this agenda.

Members were asked to declare any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests, any prejudicial interests or any disclosable pecuniary interests which they may have in respect of business on the agenda. None were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 4 August 2014.

Resolved:  That the minutes of the last meeting of the Entrepreneurship in York Schools held on Monday 4 August 2014  be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Board’s remit can do so. The deadline for registering is 5pm the working day before the meeting, in this case 5pm on Tuesday 16 September 2014.

To register to speak please contact the Democracy Officer’s for the meeting, on the details at the foot of the agenda.

Filming or Recording Meetings

Residents are welcome to photograph, film or record Councillors and Officers at all meetings open to the press and public. This includes the use of social media reporting, i.e. tweeting.  Anyone wishing to film, record or take photos at any public meeting should contact the Democracy Officer’s (whose contact details are at the foot of this agenda) in advance of the meeting.

The Council’s protocol on Webcasting, Filming & Recording of Meetings ensures that these practices are carried out in a manner both respectful to the conduct of the meeting and all those present.  It can be viewed at http://www.york.gov.uk/downloads/download/3130/protocol_for_webcasting_filming_and_recording_of_council_meetings

It was reported that there were no registrations to speak under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report provides further information in support of the ongoing review on Entrepreneurship in York Schools, and asks the Task Group to agree the next stages for progressing the work on this review.

Members considered a report that provided further information in support of the ongoing review on Entrepreneurship in York Schools, and asked the Task Group to agree the next stages for progressing the review.

The Principal Advisor 14-19 was in attendance at the meeting and additional information was tabled on the Children’s University, feedback from St Peters School and details of a recent meeting with the STEM coordinator at Fulford School.

Members considered the Ofsted reports and school prospectuses for the four schools which the Task Group had previously identified as examples of good practice, and made the following comments:

·        Queens Park Community School: The Ofsted report showed that the school had succeeded in terms of embedding its business and enterprise specialism within the curriculum and that this permeated other subjects. Members agreed that contact should be made with the school in order to be able to gather evidence of where they were previously and how they got to where they were now. It was agreed that Councillor Fitzpatrick would seek to visit the school when she was next in London.

·        St Mary’s RC Primary (Falmouth): Members expressed the view that the approach there was based around a citizenship programme and felt that the key element was citizenship rather than entrepreneurship. 

·        Manchester Enterprise Academy – Members acknowledged the references in its Ofsted report to “links with sponsors, the wider community and world of business” Members recognised that it was important to have good business support and if good sponsors came into a school, it could influence the curriculum in a positive way.

·        King James School, Kirklees – Members noted the survey letter dated April 2011 regarding the economics and business education.  Due to the fact the school was relatively close and the council had links with Kirklees, Members felt it would be useful to know whether the situation was still the same as when the survey letter had been written. The Principal Advisor 14-19 agreed to contact colleagues at Kirklees to investigate this further.

Officers also provided an update on ongoing work in relation to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) as it was recognised that much of this was linked to product design, creative and innovative thinking and business related activity.  However, Members agreed that from an enterprise perspective, the STEM work did not go far enough as the process did not include pupils looking at the marketing and selling of the products they designed.

Officers updated the task group on the refurbishment of a small maths area at Archbishop of York Junior School, responsibility for which had been handed over to the school’s pupil council. While it was recognised that this project would not be completed within the timescales of the Task Group’s review, Members felt it would be beneficial to talk to staff and pupils from the school to gain further information on the project.  It was therefore agreed that a visit be arranged to the school.

In regard to teacher training, Members queried whether this included an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.