Agenda item

This report analyses performance by reference to the service plan, the budget and the performance indicators for all of the

services funded through the Children’s Services budget.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)                       That the performance of services within the directorate funded through the Children’s Services budget be noted and the draft revenue outturn for 2006/07 be approved.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:In order to ensure appropriate performance management arrangements are in place across the department.

Members considered a report that analysed performance by reference to the service plan, the budget and the performance indicators for all of the services funded through the Children’s Services budget.

Officers clarified that the key points were set out in paragraphs 7 and 8 of the report.  There had been a net underpsend of £450,000.00 which was split as follows:-

Dedicated Schools Grant                -  £598k

General Fund (Council Tax)             + £142k

Members agreed that Officers had a very good set of Performance Indicator achievements but commented on the presentation of the report, in particular on the use of acronyms without any explanation of their meaning. They saw this as being user-unfriendly for members of the public.

Some Members requested more information about the Youth Offending Team’s (YOT) Performance Indicators and Officers agreed to bring these to the next meeting of Executive Member for Children’s Services and Advisory Panel meeting.

Members asked if there was a plan in operation regarding improvements at Tang Hall School and Officers said that there was and they were very please with the progress.

Members discussed the delivery of the ‘Music Manifesto’ and said that there was a real commitment by the department to give every child in the City the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. Officers said that a third of the schools in the City had signed up to the scheme and they were hoping that at least half the schools would eventually participate.

Members discussed the statistics on Access and Inclusion and noted that the effectiveness of the Council’s support for combating discrimination and racism had improved.  The Council’s effectiveness at meeting the needs of pupils from minority ethnic groups, refugee families and traveller communities was worse than last year but there had been an increase in people arriving from Eastern European countries thus increasing the pressure on available resources.  It was noted that younger children needed support to ‘fit in’ whereas older children were more in need of language tuition.

Members commented on the production of a CD of resources for schools to support beginners in Key Stages 1&2, and employment of teaching assistants to help meet needs of increased numbers of international new arrivals.  They asked whether the CD was audio or video and Officers confirmed that it was video and specifically aimed at working with new arrivals and their families.

Members asked for clarification regarding the percentage of long term placement stability and the percentage of care leavers with at least one qualification; they asked whether the qualification figures related to both academic and vocational qualifications.

The Officer said that the Performance Indicator for long term placement stability was new and was concerned with how many children had been in care for two and a half years or more and been in the same placement for at least a year. He then said that every school had a dedicated teacher for looked after pupils and there were many resources for them. Each child had a personal education plan in place but there were still huge challenges in this area and Performance Indicators regarding them could be quite volatile.

Members asked if the Support Officer for Headteachers’ work/life balance was an appointment for one year only and Officers clarified it was but could be ongoing.

Members asked Officers how they had obtained the data regarding how many fruit and vegetables Year 7 and 8 pupils consumed and they replied that it had come from an extension of the bullying survey and was children self-reporting.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised:

(i)                             That the performance of services within the directorate funded through the Children’s Services budget be noted and the draft revenue outturn for 2006/07 be approved.

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED:       That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:            In order to ensure appropriate performance management arrangements are in place across the department.