SEN Reorganisation Steering Group Minutes

The group comprises representatives of interest groups including Council, Education Bradford, NHS Trusts, Headteachers and Governors.

Other interest groups or individuals will be asked to join the group as required.

Attendance is crucial and members should ensure an alternate can attend if unavailable.

Steering Group members will inform timelines within the overall project plan, oversee action planning, and to provide feedback to colleagues and the group. Various groups to indicate who feedback will be provided to on 27^th June.

All members are asked to confirm email addresses with LS.

Check absence of Governors – ensure dates are available.

Membership – extend invitations to Ronnie Hartley (Early Years) and LSC (via Angela Dobson)

Update: Sheila Slator, Inclusive Learning Manager will attend on behalf of LSC.

A list of members of the Special schools Reorganisation Subgroup is attached.

Circulation lists to be provided by group members. Email ideally – addresses to be forwarded to Liz Singleton.

Finance – concern that finance representation within sub-groups when drawing up action plans.

EB – reminder for sub-group leaders of the need to ensure HTs and GBs reps are included in sub-groups.

Pressuring June 10^th and O&S.

Consultation from 17^th June 2003-07-10 Consultation paper to be distributed (Health colleagues to advise on distribution list)

Range of meeting with schools and health and others (Health to advise. Hazel to provide a copy of arranged meetings – full timetable to be appended to consultation paper)

EB to engage with media.

Focus on reading ‘hard to reach groups’ – Health colleagues ask to provide names of voluntary groups.

Signers and translators to be provided for at least the 2 open meetings at the end.

Consultation document to be placed on web-site.

Consultation ends September 2003.

Secured pathfinder status – one of 4 LEAs. Other PFIs – Sheffield, Bristol, Greenwich (Havisham and Southwark)

Focus on ‘Building schools for the Future’. Consultation complete. Awaiting Secretary of State statement in mid-July (delayed). This will provide the trigger for a large-scale secondary school rebuild. PFI focus on inclusion as well as secondary schools, implementation of extended schools.

Discussions continue with DfES on PFI for primary schools (as with Sheffield). Meeting on 19^th June (DfES) to set out vision in detail. Plus workshops on 25^th/26^th June.

PFI involves working with private partners and to explore Facilities Management element. This has implications for school service staff working for a private company.

Exemplar DfES designs for primary/secondary and later special schools are due to be published. Bradford has offered to pilot the Special Schools design template.

Bradford presenting a strategic case for developing primary as well as secondary special schools. Plan B is to utilise Targeted Capital Fund and site disposal funds as a more traditional route of financing school capital programmes. The latter would not be simple – other claims of TCF.

MC – helpful to link with Salford (currently signed PFI secondary SS contract) or York (HS) to learn from others involved in similar programmes.

Need to coordinate funding between Health/Social Services and Education to build schools with facilities to both to avoid waiting for major treasury decisions.

Special School HT expressed concerns about need to deal with poor buildings and to coordinate funding.

4 SITES CONFIRMED.

One school has withdrawn due to land/levels encroachment on playing fields.

One site ruled out due to Highways advice.

Consultation/further discussions regarding existing school in Keighley and new build proposed for primary mainstream and special in Heaton/Cottingley area. Expressed as the current best options.

A draft timeline was discussed. Sub-group leaders to complete their timelines. Concern about HR draft timeline. To be developed fully by HR project group.

Significance of budget, vertical lines. Clarity needed and proposals to Exec by November 2003 and for approval by March 2004.

Monitoring of timeline to be a standard item on the agenda.

Mid September 2003. Suggested focus of first meeting to be convened before end July 2003.

Tuesday 10^th June 2003, 2-00pm. Public meeting.

Friday 27^th June 10-30am Saville Room at City Hall

Friday 18^th July 9-00am Saville Room at City Hall

Each sub-group leader to write a remit for their sub-group as a draft for the Friday 27^th June. To include summary of groups to receive feedback on meeting.

Sub-group membership to be drafted for 27^th June.

Leaders to plan a single meeting with the sub-group before end July 2003 at which the foci will be the group plan.