Issue - meetings

(Report 14/15-157 and appendix)

All wards

Key decision

Deputy Leader of the Council (Policy)

Strategic Director, Delivery

Contact:

Cathy Twist, Director, Education, Learning & Skills; 020 7926 1541; ctwist@lambeth.gov.uk

Colm Doyle, Delivery Lead, Lambeth School Services, Education, Learning & Skills; 020 7926 8942; cdoyle@lambeth.gov.uk

(Report 14/15-157 and appendix) (Key decision)

The Deputy Leader of the Council (Policy) introduced the report:

• Councillor Imogen Walker noted that for the third year running, for every child whose application was received on time, places had been provided.  This was due to the hard work of the team, with Peter Scott’s contribution acknowledged.
• The strategy clearly set out the Council’s high ambitions for education, noting that it was on top of their agenda.  However, there still remained work to be done, and by 2018 the Council wanted its schools to all have a ‘good standard’ or higher.
• Delivery Director for Education, Learning and Skills said that the strategy had been created by schools and parents, and was proud of the work achieved, echoing comments that the importance of education only increased during times of austerity.
• Councillor Jackie Meldrum noted that the collaboration of schools, parents, and Council in transforming the borough’s educational facilities over the last 5-10 years.  Early intervention, as factored into the report, was essential for helping vulnerable persons.  She also mentioned that Councillor Jack Hopkins had praised the strategy for working with businesses in the area.
• Councillor Jim Dickson raised the need to understand improvements over the last 10 years and that a study was needed to locate the factors in success; most important was the sharing of information across schools, so that standards rose across the board, not just in a few select institutions.  He noted that it was disappointing that despite recent funding to Trinity Academy Free School, it had seen declining applications.
• The Delivery Director for Education, Learning and Skills finalised by noting that STEM was key to good schooling, but that a broad and balanced approach was needed.  The report has highlighted that collaboration had been good in Lambeth, with all schools encouraged to work in clusters, including the free schools, so this was to be expected of future free schools also.  There was also feedback between Lambeth Council and the Department for Education about places with a good model free school (Vanguard) in development; and a that Trinity Academy was working carefully with stakeholders to bring greater pupil numbers.

RESOLVED:

That the Education and Learning Strategy 2015-18 be agreed.