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 might  have in respect of business on the agenda. None were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 3 November 2014.

Resolved:  That the minutes of the last meeting of the Entrepreneurship in York Schools held on 3 November 2014 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Members noted that the Learning and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee had, at their meeting on 19 November 2014, resolved to appoint Councillor Scott as a coopted Member of the Entrepreneurship in York Schools Task Group for the remainder of the review. Councillor Scott had previously chaired the task group before a change to committee places in October 2014 resulted in him no longer being a member of the Learning and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Members welcomed Councillor Scott back to the task group and confirmed that they were happy for him to continue as chair.

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 13 January 2015.

To register to speak please contact the Democracy Officers 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 Officers (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 interim report provides an update on the ongoing review work in support of the Entrepreneurship in York Schools Scrutiny Review, and asks the Task Group to agree the way forward.

Members considered an interim report which provided an update on the ongoing review work in support of the Entrepreneurship in York Schools Scrutiny Review in order that the Task Group could agree the way forward.

The Council’s 14-19 Development Manager informed Members that an inspirations agenda was in the process of being set up. This would promote employers and entrepreneurs going into schools to inspire young people and would link with careers guidance and would include facilitating a York careers guidance and inspirations offer. Once available this would provide a menu of opportunities to be offered by each organisation and it would be important that York schools engaged fully with that menu when it was published later in the year.

Members expressed the view that the consultation event had gone well and had been useful in that it had given them the opportunity to hear from providers, businesses partners of the Children’s University and schools who have benefitted from it. Members agreed that the event had demonstrated that a lot more was taking place in York’s schools than anyone had realised. They stressed the importance of highlighting best practice and encouraging those schools not currently participating to do so.

Members discussed the Fiver Challenge detailed in the report. They noted that although the local authority had run the fiver challenge in York in 2011, take up had not been good. One Member suggested that it would be worthwhile promoting the scheme in York schools again. This would require a mentor from business to provide support to each school and someone to coordinate and administer the process from within each school. If the scheme was no longer running nationally it would also require a pot of money. It was envisaged that schools could be asked to provide a summary report following participation in the scheme to enable officers to evaluate its success.

Councillor Fitzpatrick advised Members that her visit to the Queens Park Community School in Brent had demonstrated how entrepreneurship could become embedded in a school’s philosophy resulting in pupils having a “can do” attitude. She stressed the need to embed the ethos of entrepreneurship in schools thus providing the correct environment for entrepreneurial inspirations to develop and flourish.

Officers advised that through the Leeds City Region, it was hoped to obtain funding to allow a business person to sit on each school’s governing body.

It was agreed that the task group’s main recommendations would focus on the following areas:

·        Promoting the fiver challenge in York Schools

·        Highlighting best practice in schools.

·        Promoting the work of organisations such as the Children’s University

·        Promoting the inclusion of business people as school governors.

·        Encouraging schools to engage with the Inspirations Agenda.

It was agreed that Officers would provide further information on the inspirations agenda for inclusion in the Task Group’s draft final report and that the Chair would produce a covering report, with the current report and its annexes forming the evidence base for the review.

It was agreed that the next  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.