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Agenda and draft minutes

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Contact: Sarah Craddock; 020 7641 2770 

Items
No. Item

1.

Membership

To note any changes to the Membership.

Minutes:

1.1          The Chairman advised that Councillor Christabel Flight was substituting for Councillor Mark Shearer.

 

1.2           The Chairman welcomed Councillor Timothy Barnes (Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Skills) and Marina Coleman, (Roman Catholic Diocesan Representative) who was a new co-opted voting representative on the Committee, to the meeting.

 

1.3           The Chairman advised that Richard Beddoe(Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and Planning) would not be attending the meeting. Any questions that Members had regarding the Place Shaping and Planning portfolio would be placed on the Committee’s Action Tracker.

 

1.4          The Chairman welcomed Arinola Edeh, Principal and Head of Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES), Councillor Lorraine Dean who was attending in her capacity as a Governor of WAES and Ms Carolyn Keen, Chairman of Governors of WEAS to the meeting.

 

1.5           The Chairman further welcomed Mr Stephen Lay of SLA FE Consultancy Ltd, External Reviewer, Dr Sue Pember, Policy Director HOLEX and three Westminster Adult Education Service learners who take part in the discussion on the Westminster Adult Education Service.

 

2.

Declarations of Interest

To receive declarations by Members and Officers of the existence and nature of any pecuniary interests or any other significant interest in matters on this agenda.

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 and Place Shaping P&S Committee

 

Organisation

Nature of Interest

Geoff Barraclough

 

Dorothy Gardner

Centre

 

Partner is a Governor at the school

Danny Chalkley

Burdett Coutts School Foundation

 

Trustee

Sam Green

Pimlico Academy

Headteacher

 

Marina Coleman

 

St Vincent’s RC Primary School

 

Headteacher

 

Christabel Flight

 

Sir Simon Milton Foundation

 

Trustee

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

 

Selina Short

Rochester Row Almshouses

Trustee

 

 

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 124 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2019.

Minutes:

3.1      RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2019 be approved for signature by the Chairman as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

 

4.

Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Skills pdf icon PDF 538 KB

 

Councillor Timothy Barnes (Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Skills) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolios.

Minutes:

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

 

·       the launch of the Westminster Enterprise Space Network.

·       the launch of a supported internship scheme for young people with severe SEND to increase their chances of obtaining employment and independence.

·       the opportunities that the Westminster Enterprise Week offers to residents.

·       the examinations results of Looked After Children (LAC) and the data for young people ‘not in Education, Employment or Training’ (NEETS).

·       the possibility of obtaining up to date Westminster school exclusion data.

·       the possibility of using old iconic pubs/buildings ‘at risk’ for community businesses/interactions within the community.

·       the increase in high needs funding to support services providing support to young people with SEN requirements.

·       the future of the Sir Simon Milton UTC

 

4.2       The Committee congratulated Westminster’s Children Services on being judged ‘Outstanding’ in their recent Ofsted Inspection.

 

4.3       ACTIONS

 

1.     That the school performance results for Looked After Children (LAC) be sent to the Committee.

 

2.     That the data for the young people ‘not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETS) be sent to the Committee.

 

3.     That Westminster school exclusion data for 2018/19 be sent to the Committee.

 

5.

Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and Planning pdf icon PDF 101 KB

Councillor Richard Beddoe (Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and Planning) 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 which covered current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio. 

 

6.

WAES Strategic Review: Key Findings and Recommendations pdf icon PDF 369 KB

To review the work of the Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

6.1       The Committee received a report providing an overview of Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES) that included the findings of a strategic review of the service.  The Committee noted that WAES offered a diverse portfolio of education and training, had an excellent reputation both locally and across London and that the review had given WAES the opportunity to highlight its work and identify future needs of the service in line with the wider City for All Vision.

 

6.2       The Committee welcomed Stephen Lay, External Reviewer of SLA Consultancy Ltd, who commented on the rigour of the review process and shared his professional impressions of WAES.  He advised of the benefits of setting up a working group with the aim of clarifying the roles and responsibilities between the WAES governing body and the Council.  He explained the importance of maintaining learner enthusiasm, securing appropriate accommodation and ensuring the future financial viability of the service.  He emphasised that the WAES Forward 2019-2022 Strategic Plan centred around innovation and the wider benefits of learning to a person’s health and wellbeing, confidence and ability to participate in society and that there was every opportunity for WAES to gain an outstanding rating at its next Ofsted inspection.

 

6.3       The Committee welcomed three WAES learners (Geraldine Crimmins, Cristinel Hogas and Nasima Begum) who addressed the Committee on what had influenced them on becoming a user of the adult education service and their experiences of it.  The Committee heard that they had chosen to use the service to develop their skills which had provided them with the confidence to gain employment, enter their work for exhibitions/competitions or enrol onto further courses preventing social isolation and promoting social integration into the community.

 

6.4       The Committee further welcomed Dr Sue Pember, Policy Director HOLEX, who described lifelong leaning in terms of the national policy context and key developments in the sector.  She advised that lifelong learning was a growth industry and that other countries had a national Lifelong Learning Strategy.  She advised of the need for increased funding for those people who had not flourished at school and faced barriers to learning and employment.  She stated that WAES was an amazing service and that it needed to continue to build on its success to face the challenges of the future. 

 

6.5       The Committee welcomed that 50% of learners were Westminster residents’ and that 80% of those learners lived in the most deprived Westminster wards.  The Committee noted that the service specially targeted vulnerable and hard to reach groups to promote community cohesion.  The Committee further noted that 71.5% of learners progressed to higher education or employment and that even informal learning focused on progression and job employability.

 

 6.6      The key themes that emerged from the Committee discussion were:

 

·       the huge difference that lifelong learning made to people’s lives and the key role it played in combating isolation, promoting social integration, good health, employment and community cohesion.

·       the importance of ensuring that WAES was seen as part of the Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Work Programme and Action Tracker Report pdf icon PDF 123 KB

A)    To note the progress in implementing the Committee’s Recommendations and Action Tracker.

 

B)    To provide comment and input into the Work Programme for 2019/2020.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

7.1      ACTION AND RECOMMENDATION TRACKERS

 

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

 

7.2      COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME

 

7.2.1   RESOLVED:

 

1.     That the Committee review the Oxford Street Programme including Victoria Place Plan as well as School Performance at its next meeting.

 

8.

Any Other Business

To consider any other business which the Chairman considers urgent.