Agenda and minutes

             Resolved – That Councillor Fionuala Foley Chair this meeting of the Panel.

Councillor Foley took the Chair.

Members are reminded that at the start of the meeting they should declare any known interests in any matter to be considered, and also during the meeting if it becomes apparent that they have an interest in the matters being discussed.

The Chair reminded Members of the need to declare any known interests in any matters to be considered at the meeting.  No declarations were made.

To receive and note the minutes of the meeting held on 5^th June 2008.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 5^th June 2008, be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

See explanatory note below.  Please phone the Committee Officer whose name and number appears at the top of this agenda if you need further guidance.

            The following questions were asked in accordance with Standing Order 28.

Questioner

Mr Simon Wyatt – Chair of the Governing Body at Penhill Primary School

• We recognise that we need to continue our year on year steady improvement and should always aim to accelerate that improvement. We have met and held many discussions with the Local Authority during which time there was no mention made of working partnerships with other schools nor collaboration with other heads  - see your pack for the letter objecting to the proposal from the Swindon Association of Primary Headteachers - which is why we have spent a considerable amount of time and effort exploring a move to Trust Status, which was encouraged by Cabinet members at the last meeting. This would have enabled community ownership of the school whilst still remaining in the Local Authority, an option that was never offered to the school nor, it would appear, considered by the Local Authority officers. The move onto the Trust programme, was blocked at the DCSF on Local Authority  advice.  Feedback from our application has stated that the Trust Programme would be happy to work with us at any time. Can the Panel please explain why this option was not considered and why the application to become part of the Trust programme was blocked by the LA officials – were Cabinet consulted about this?

• Given the large number of objections, where the majority of parents have clearly stated that they do not wish Penhill Primary to become part of the Swindon Academy, and ULT ‘s stated position that they would not go where they were not welcome, can the Council please explain why they are still proceeding?

• The School Improvement Partner’s Annual Report to Governors (July ’08) states that ‘the school is likely to need a reduced amount of Local Authority support from September 2008’. It also states that ‘school self-evaluation is strongly focussed on pupil progress but also reflects a broader picture of the school’s effectiveness across the 5 Every Child Matters outcomes’. This recognises that Penhill Primary is improving and that we will need reduced levels of support so why is the move to Academy still being pressed?

• SBC claims to be a listening council so could the panel please explain how they can ignore the overwhelming objections of the community, parents, staff and governors and persist with this unwelcome move?

Responses

Mr Paddy Bradley, Director of Schools and Learning, advised that Penhill Primary School was on the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) list of ‘Hard to Shift’ Primary Schools, and that as such the Local Authority (LA) were charged with the duty to propose changes to the school in order to deliver improvements. He explained that the LA had three options open to them; to pursue Trust Status, Federate the School or expand the Academy. He stated that the Academy had the required structure to be able to drive attainment forward and as it was already in place in Swindon it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Appendix 9 (Government Guidance) is attached as a separate Annex circulated with the Agenda Papers.

The Director of Access and Provision, Mr Ian Bickerton, and the Director of Schools and Learning, Mr Paddy Bradley, submitted a report concerning the proposal for the closure of Penhill Primary School and Nursery to allow the expansion of the Swindon Academy. Mr Bickerton and Mr Bradley outlined the proposal and highlighted key aspects of the report.

Ms Jan Shaddick, Principal of the Swindon Academy spoke in favour of the proposals to close Penhill Primary School and Nursery in order to expand the Swindon Academy. She stated that although she understood the level of concerns, it was important to concentrate on what the children from Penhill would benefit from. She advised that it was time to be honest and accept that the children from Penhill were not achieving their full potential. She recognised that improvements had been made, but believed that in order to achieve the maximum potential for every child in that area, there needed to be radical change in the delivery of education, and that all parties should take collective responsibility and work together to remove the barriers. She outlined the benefits the children of Penhill would receive if they joined the Academy and the many achievements and improvements that the Academy had accomplished in just one year. This included a 14% improvement in Maths, 22% in Science and 21% in Reading at Key Stage 2, and she outlined the improvements made at Key Stage 3 and 4. She stated that the Academy was also very used to and experienced in dealing with students who have Special Educational Needs (SEN) as 50% of its intake were SEN students, and even these pupils were beginning to reach the floor targets. She advised that the Academy had the structure, leadership and management team that could provide the necessary step change needed and provide a better future for the children of Penhill.

The Panel heard questions and statements from (a) Mrs Christine O’Hara, a parent, who informed the Panel her view was that Penhill was a good School and that the officers speaking in favour of the proposals and Mrs Shaddick, did not have children at either Penhill Primary School or the Academy, (b) Ms Helen Rankin who commented that children with a statement of SEN at Penhill Primary School currently received a personalised approach, and that this would be lost at the Academy due to its size, (c) Mrs Tracy Rogers, a teacher at Penhill, regarding the needs of SEN children and the accuracy of the DJB Consultation Report, (d) Mr George Rankin, husband of the Headteacher of Penhill Primary School, regarding a comparison between Penhill Primary School and other Swindon Primary Schools in terms of the national average, and (e) Mr Spencer Allen, a teacher at Penhill Primary School, updated the Panel on Penhill School’s improvements at Key Stage 2 in Maths (15%) and Reading (28%).

Councillors David Glaholm and Paul Baker (Penhill Ward Councillors) made joint representations regarding the proposed recommendations. Councillor Glaholm enquired whether the date for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.