Agenda item

To receive and consider the Education Partnership Terms of Reference report.

The Committee received the Education Partnership Terms of Reference report which was set out in Agenda pages 19-28.

Councillor Howe, Executive Member for Children’s Services stated that over the last few years, many maintained schools converted to academy.  There had been a perception that academy schools were independent from the Local Authority.  There had also been a belief that there ought to be a line of command.  However, both assumptions were now outdated.

Councillor Howe believed that the conduit to the schools were the headteachers.  The Partnership sought to reconnect schools and the Local Authority through working in partnership with headteachers, in order to achieve the needs and aspirations of the children.

Heather Tomlinson added that the Partnership sought to enable collaboration and co-production to find solutions for big issues.  It was also a mechanism for schools to work together and to hold each other and the Local Authority into account.

During discussions of the item the following comments were made:

·           Members were in support of this initiative and asked to be regularly updated on its progress;

·           Heather Tomlinson stated that this was going to be a completely open and transparent forum.  She informed that schools had also requested to be kept informed of its progress;

·           Members asked that care be taken to not overlap the work of the Partnership with Schools Forum and to avoid any duplication of work;

·           Heather Tomlinson explained that Schools Forum had a very specific financial role and function.  However, some complex strategic issues had been discussed at Schools Forum because there had not been another place to debate those issues.  The Partnership would sit in parallel with Schools Forum and would have representations from Schools Forum on it;

·           A Members asked if examples of best practice in other local authorities had been looked at.  It was also asked if the cost implications could be included in future reports;

·           Heather Tomlinson informed that there were many different versions of such partnerships across the country, which had developed to meet the needs and culture of specific areas.  There was a national association of partner education partnerships.  She stated that she had experience of working with different local authorities with different versions of education partnerships.  Wokingham’s Education Partnership was being established to provide a forum for collaborative strategic discussions, which was something that did not exist before.  The model could change shape in the future.  She agreed that costs could be included in future reports;

·           In response to a question Heather Tomlinson stated that there were no limits to which discussions could take place in the partnership.  The main priorities identified by schools leaders were school organisation and the delivery of additional school places due to population expansion, school admissions and fair access protocol.  Some of these work had already been undertaken and would be discussed at the first meeting of the Partnership on 27 January;

·           A Member asked if the Partnership’s Chairman would receive a salary.  Heather Tomlinson stated that she would temporarily chair the Partnership, it was for the group to decide who would be the chair.  headteachers had indicated that this should be an independent person with broad experience in education;

·           Councillor Howe stated that other similar partnerships did not pay for the position of chairman, and he was of the opinion that it was not necessary for this to be a paid position.

RESOLVED That:

1)     The report be noted; and

2)     The Committee would receive regular updates on the progress of the Wokingham Borough Education Partnership.