Agenda and minutes

To note any changes to the Membership.

1.1       It was noted that there were no changes to the Membership.

1.2       The Chairman welcomed Councillor Danny Chalkley (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) and Councillor Paul Church (Deputy Cabinet Member for Children and Young People to the meeting.

1.3       The Chairman also welcomed Councillor David Harvey (Cabinet Member for Sports and Leisure), to the meeting to observe and participate in the Committee’s discussion on the Future Delivery of the Library Service.   Any questions that Members had regarding the Children and Young People’s portfolio would be placed on the Committee’s Action Tracker.

1.4       The Chairman further welcomed Kathy Settle, Chief Executive of the Libraries Taskforce, who would be take part in the Future Delivery of the Library Service.

To receive declarations of interest by Members and Officers of any personal or prejudicial interests.

2.1       No further declarations of interests in respect of items to be discussed were made, other than those noted in the circulated schedule as set out below in paragraph 2.2.

2.3       Table of Member’s interests tabled at the Committee Meeting was as follows:

To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 17 October 2016.

3.1       The Committeerequested that abbreviations be used consistency throughout the minutes and asked for confirmation on whether the actions set out in paragraphs 7.7(3) and 8.5(1) had been completed.  The Policy and Scrutiny officer confirmed that both briefing notes had been circulated to Committee Members.

3.2       RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 17 October 2016 be approved for signature by the Chairman as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

a)    To note the progress in implementing the Committee’s Recommendation and Action Trackers.

b)    To provide comment and input into the Work Programme for 2016/17.

4.1       ACTION AND RECOMMENDATION TRACKERS

4.1.1   RESOLVED: That the Action and Recommendation Trackers be noted.

 4.2      COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME

4.2.1   ACTION: That an item on the Young Westminster Foundation be added to the Work Programme. 

Councillor David Harvey (Cabinet Member for Sports and Leisure) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

5.1       The Committee received a written update from the Cabinet Member which covered current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

Councillor Danny Chalkley (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

6.1                   The Committee received a written update from the Cabinet Member who responded to questions on the following topics:

• the creation of the Young Westminster Foundation to allow businesses and individuals to provide services for young people in Westminster.
• the priority to secure future funding to tackle FGM.
• school budgets and the recent deletion of part time meal supervisor’s posts.
• the significant progress being made in the Troubled Families Programme.
• the difficulties in delivering the transfer programme from SEN statements to EHC plans and the measures that had been taken to improve the service.
• the support given to schools following the introduction of the new national method of reporting Standard Attainment Tests and Assessments.

6.2       The Cabinet Member confirmed that he would be responding to the request from the Committee that front line staff (especially in City Hall) be fully trained to react and deal with vulnerable young people coming into Council buildings very soon.

6.3       RESOLVED:

1.    That consideration be given to the recent reduction in hours of part time posts in schools and how it affects part time employees working tax credits and/or other benefits.

2.    That the Cabinet Member agrees to make securing future funding to tackle FGM one of his priorities.

To examine the Libraries Transformation Programme.

7.1       The Committee received a report advising of the proposed changes to the library service to deliver savings and enhance efficiency.  The Committee noted that the Council was committed to keeping all its libraries open and maintaining the current pattern of opening hours and access to services which included the specialist services of the Westminster Archives, Music and Reference libraries. 

7.2       The Committee welcomed Kathy Settle, Chief Executive of the Libraries Taskforce, who spoke about the Independent Library Report and the work undertaken by the Taskforce following the recommendations made in the report.  The Committee discussed the soon to be published ‘Ambition document’ which set out how library services could support the delivery of local and national government priorities such as health and wellbeing, economic growth and digital literacy using a range of approaches to deliver cost-effective library services, as well as, providing a focus on governance and delivery of services, new ways of working and the importance of marketing and communication of the library service.

7.3       Mike Clarke, Tri-Borough Director of Libraries and Archives, then discussed the significant savings that had been achieved through the Tri-Borough arrangement. The Committee noted that Westminster offered a wide range of services that other boroughs did not such as the Archives and Music Library Services.  Mike then emphasised that the Council saw a secure future for its libraries at the heart of its communities and contributing to City For All priorities both on their own and in conjunction with other services.

7.4       The Committee heard that Westminster was currently the highest spending library service per resident in England but noted that there was not a correlation between the amount of money spent and an increase in service use.  The Committee then discussed the approach being taken to remodel Westminster’s library service, the importance of libraries to local communities and the wide range of services they offer residents and the potential to develop commercial activity such as coffee carts, amazon lockers and increasing revenue from room hire.  The Committee noted that a Westminster Libraries Commission would be established in 2017 to consider and advise on the longer term future of library services.

7.5       The Chairman thanked everyone who had given up their time to attend the meeting and contribute to the discussion.

7.6       ACTIONS

1.    That a briefing note be sent on the additional benefits (such as health benefits) and/or incentives that could be offered to library staff

2.    That the terms of reference and timetable for the Westminster Libraries Commission be sent to the Committee Members.

7.7       RESOLVED: The Committee made the following comments which would be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Sports and Leisure for consideration:

3.    The Committee welcomed the City Council’s commitment to the future of the Library Service.

4.    The Committee noted the importance of libraries as community hubs within our central London location and particularly noted Westminster’s lead in funding per resident.

5.    The Committee welcomed the position of the Cabinet Member to look at the longer  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To evaluate the key areas of success and areas to be developed in the Annual Education Report.

8.1       The Committee received a report summarising the outcomes of this year’s tests and examinations in primary and secondary schools in Westminster and the key priorities for school improvement that emerge from the results.  The report also included summary data on OFSTED inspection outcomes for Westminster schools.

8.2       The Committee heard from Ian Heggs, Tri-Borough Director of Schools Quality and Standards and Richard Stanley, Assistant Director, (Schools Standards)

who discussed with the Committee the provisional education achievement data that had been set out in the School Performance Report and future challenges.

8.3       The Committee focused on the new tests and measures introduced and the significant challenge these had caused schools, especially at Key Stage 2 where it had been reported that the new tests were more challenging than previous.  The Committee noted that although the expected standard had been raised Westminster schools were still ranked fourth compared to all other local authorities in the country.

8.4       The Committee further discussed the reduction in pupil numbers in primary schools and how challenging it was to project the necessary number of school places, how Ofsted would measure schools using the new tests and the continuation of significant change in the forthcoming year.  The Committee noted, however, that the new Progress 8 measure for secondary school recognised the positive progress made by each pupil in every subject (not just English and Maths) even if an GCSE A*-C grade was not achieved and would be very useful information for future employers.

8.5       ACTIONS

1.    That a briefing note be sent outlining the new tests and measures introduced into school especially detailing the new Attainment 8 and Progress 8 performance indicators.

2.    That a briefing note be sent outlining the provisional Secondary school GCSE results.

3.    That a briefing note be sent on individual school examination and test results.

4.    That a briefing note be sent on the possible reduction in pupil numbers in primary schools and the difficulty in projecting the necessary pupil places needed in schools.

8.6       RESOLVED: The Committee made the following comments which would be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People for consideration:

            The Committee concluded with the following comments:

1.    The Committee welcomed the report and the strong performance at all levels which were above the national average.

2.    The Committee noted the changes in assessment and how this could improve the measurement of school performance within the City.

3.    The Committee welcome the continued focus on quality and the Council’s commitment to working with schools to deliver continuous improvement.

Verbal Update (if any)

9.1       The Chairman advised that there was nothing to report.

10 .1    The meeting ended at 8.56pm.