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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Room 3.1, 3rd Floor, 5 Strand, London, WC2 5HR. View directions

Contact: Sarah Craddock, Senior Committee and Governance Officer  Tel: 020 7641 2770; Email:  scraddock@westminster.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Membership

The Director of Law to report that there are no changes.

Minutes:

1.1         It was noted that Marie Holmes had substituted for Sian Maddrell.

 

1.2         The Chairman welcomed Councillor David Harvey (Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Community) and Councillor Richard Beddoe (Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and Planning) to the meeting.

 

1.3         The Chairman advised that the Cabinet Members would be attending the meeting until 7pm tonight in order to attend Cabinet Briefing.  Any questions that Members had regarding their portfolio would be placed on the Committee’s Action Tracker.

 

1.4         The Chairman welcomed John Trow-Smith, London Early Years Foundation, Elizabeth Hillyard, Tachbrook Nursery School and Marie Holmes, The Grey Coat Hospital School who took part in the discussion on the School Organisation and Investment Strategy.

 


2.

Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

 

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.

 

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

           

 

Councillor/Member of the Economic Development, Education, Community and Place Shaping P&S Committee

Organisation

Nature of Interest

Simon Atkinson

 

St Stephen’s Primary School

 

Headteacher

Geoff Barraclough

 

Dorothy Gardner

Centre

 

Partner is a Governor at the school

Rebecca Carrigan

 

All Souls Primary School

Parent Governor

Danny Chalkley

Burdett Coutts School Foundation

 

 

Trustee

Elizabeth Hitchcock

 

St Andrew’s Club

Trustee

Marie Holmes

 

The Grey Coat Hospital School

Bursar

Miles Ridley

 

St Peter’s Eaton Square School

 

Headteacher

Ryan Nichol

 

St Gabriel’s Primary School

Parent Governor

Tim Roca

 

Paddington Academy

Governor

Karen Scarborough

St Vincent’s School

 

St Mary of Angels

 

Young Westminster Foundation

 

St Marylebone Almshouses

 

Governor

 

Governor

 

Trustee

 

 

Trustee

 

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 117 KB

To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 17 September 2018.

Minutes:

3.1       RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 17 September 2018 be approved for signature by the Chairman as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

 

4.

Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Community pdf icon PDF 481 KB

Councillor David Harvey (Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Community) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

Minutes:

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

 

  • the consultation on the Markets Strategy which aimed to help markets thrive and the proposed changes to street trading licence fees and charges.
  • theActiveWestminster Strategy and the plans to build on existing work around ‘ActiveStreets with it becoming a key #MyWestminster project.
  • the future SEND pupil projections and capacity within Westminster schools.
  • the importance of tackling isolation and loneliness through the Family and Community Learning Partnership.
  • the opportunities for including financial data in reports.

 

5.2       ACTIONS

 

1.    The Committee requested a briefing note on the Active Streets Pilot.

 

2.    The Committee requested a briefing note on whether ‘Active Minutes’ in Westminster’s schools had increased in the past year.

 

3.    The Committee requested a briefing note on the next steps for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Westminster.

 

4.    Councillor Harvey to arrange a meeting with Councillor Barraclough to discuss the data/financial implications for particular services. 

 

5.

Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and Planning pdf icon PDF 170 KB

Councillor Richard Beddoe (Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and Planning) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

Minutes:

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

 

  • the parking facilities available in the Oxford Street Delivery Plan.
  • the benefits of the Government’s recently published proposals to remove permitted development rights for new phone boxes.
  • the allocation of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding for projects.
  • the City Plan, the Mayfair Neighbourhood Plan and Park Lane.
  • the commencement of the Berkeley Square project.

 

6.2       ACTION

 

  1. The Committee requested an update on the Berkeley Square project.

 

6.

School Organisation and Investment Strategy 2018 pdf icon PDF 150 KB

To review and provide comment on the School Organisation and Investment Strategy 2018.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

7.1       The Committee received a report on the School Organisation and Investment Strategy 2018, which provided details on place planning, projected pupil numbers, spare capacity and opportunities for providing new school places. 

 

7.2       The Committee heard that the data used to obtain the information for the Strategy was collected from the 2011 Census and from the GLA School Roll Projection Service.  The Committee heard there was still currently a small surplus of primary school places and that the Council was in discussion with all schools to identify opportunities to develop a collaborative approach to ensure future viability.  The Committee noted that the Strategy anticipated the increasing need for additional secondary school pupil places and the flexible approach Westminster was taking to provide these places in the future. 

 

7.3       The Committee discussed the following issues:

 

  • the creative ways and principals that would guide Westminster in providing more secondary school places within Westminster.
  • the opportunities to work with academy sponsors to assist in delivering additional secondary school places.
  • the additional secondary school places that had already been created at St George’s school and Westminster City and the expansion projects at King Solomon Academy and Pimlico Academy.
  • the work carried out by the Admissions Team on encouraging parents to make realistic preference choices on their school admission form
  • Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision and the possibility of SEND units being located in Westminster’s mainstream schools.
  • the secondary population trends and cross border movement and the popularity of Westminster’s Outstanding Secondary schools,
  • the capacity and admissions criteria of the Sir Simon Milton Foundation UTC.
  • the financial issues facing Primary schools that were exacerbated when a school was not at full capacity and the creative ways to use school resources.
  • the impact of Regeneration Schemes, Universal Credit and Brexit on school places across London.

 

 

 

7.4       ACTIONS:

 

  1. The Committee requested that they receive regular updates regarding the potential expansion of Pimlico Academy (particularly Professor Ryan and Councillor Andrea Mann).

 

  1. The Committee requested a briefing note on the capacity/admission criteria of the Sir Simon Milton Foundation UTC.

 

  1. The Committee requested to see the report commissioned on staff turnover in Westminster’s schools.

 

7.5       RESOLVED: The Committee concluded with the following comments, which would be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education, and Community:

 

  1. The Committee welcomed the work that had already been undertaken to provide additional secondary school places and noted that further consideration still needed to be carried out on the different options of how to provide the necessary school places in the future.

 

  1. The Committee encouraged that, due to the small surplus of places in primary schools in Westminster and financial issues being exacerbated when a school is not at full capacity, primary schools be encouraged to be creative when meeting these financial challenges.  This can include solutions such as letting or renting school spaces to external organisations and sharing resources amongst schools, including headteachers/teachers/equipment.  

 

  1. The Committee highlighted the need for the Admissions Team to continue sharing knowledge and supporting schools  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Early Years Funding pdf icon PDF 176 KB

To review Early Years Funding.

Minutes:

8.1       The Committee received a report providing information on Early Years Funding and the Government’s Free Early Years Education Entitlement, both nationally and in the context of Westminster City Council.

 

8.2       The Committee welcomed witnesses from London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) and Tachbrook Nursery School who outlined the work of their organisations.  The Committee heard that there were four maintained nursery schools in Westminster and that LEYF was a charity and social enterprise operating 37 nurseries across 10 London Boroughs. 

 

8.3       The Committee then discussed the following issues with the witnesses:

 

  • the work of the Quality Assurance Team and how they supported and assured good quality Early Years Provision within Westminster.
  • the scope for sharing knowledge from outstanding maintained nursery schools to other providers in the sector.
  • the current funding allocations to providers delivering universal and additional entitlements for 3-4 year olds and disadvantaged 2 year olds.
  • the importance of regular and continuous Early Years education for all children and especially for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
  • the reasons why the take up of the 30 hour a week extended entitlement may be significantly lower than initially anticipated (benefit reforms and restricted mid-term starts at provision).
  • the importance of providing good quality flexible childcare/childminders for parents.
  • the high proportion of SEND children that attended maintained nursery and the support and balance that needed to be achieved between maintained and private provision so children could attend their local provision.

 

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

 

8.5       ACTION:

 

  1. The Committee requested a briefing note outlining how the Early Years Team would be updating their operational procedures.

 

8.6       RESOLVED: The Committee concluded with the following comments, which would be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education, and Community:

 

  1. That a review of data around eligibility to the free entitlement to nursery provision be carried out and reported back to the Committee.

 

  1. That the Committee receive the updated childcare sufficiency data once available in Spring 2019.

 

  1. That outstanding nursery schools within the City share knowledge or lessons learnt with other nursery providers, especially around provision for nursery pupils with SEND.

 

  1. That the Committee endorsed the importance of early intervention in a child’s development and that lobbying for the continuation of funding for this important area was essential to maintain good Early Years provision.

 

8.

Trackers and Work Programme pdf icon PDF 148 KB

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 2018/19.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

9.1       ACTION AND RECOMMENDATION TRACKERS

 

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

 

 9.2      COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME

 

9.2.1   RESOLVED:

 

1.    That the Work Programme be noted.

 

2.    That a Working Group be established to investigate Access to Culture within the City.