Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services.

The report provides Schools Forum members with details of the latest Schools Forum Operational and Good Practice Guide released by the Department for Education (DfE) in March 2015; updated Terms of Reference document; and to identify and consider any further areas for improvement in the operation of the Stockport Schools Forum.

The Forum is invited to consider the detailed recommendations in the report.

Officer Contact: Peter Hughes on 0161 474 3947 or email peter.hughes@stockport.gov.uk.

A representative of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing Schools Forum members with details of the latest Schools Forum Operational and Good Practice Guide released by the Department for Education (DfE) in March 2015 and provided Schools Forum members with the updated Terms of Reference document.

It was reported that Schools Forum had received details of the initial DfE Operational and Good Practice Guide in December 2013 and subsequently at the next meeting in January 2014 received an updated Terms of Reference document.

The Local Authority had reviewed the content of section 1 of the guide book and considered all of the key matters were sufficiently addressed within the current composition as outlined in the Terms of Reference and there were no areas for radical review.

Section 2 of the guide outlined some of the aspects the Local Authority and School Forum should consider in ensuring the operation of the Schools Forum was as effective as possible. Although the Local Authority was satisfied that Stockport covered most of the aspects detailed, there were a number of items identified at section 4.5 of the report that were not imbedded in the Stockport Schools Forum.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Each representative group should meet in the days prior to the Schools Forum meeting to discuss agenda items, however this would be difficult for the Local Authority to monitor;

·         Chair details to be shared with other Local Authorities to facilitate discussion, collaborations and networking;

·         Whilst the Government good practice recommended that recommendations were clearly outlined at the start of the report, Forum members preferred the recommendations at the end of the report;

·         Members requested that they be notified when the minutes of Schools Forum were published;

·         Assess option of providing an annual report on the proceedings of the Forum;

·         Key national updates would be presented as reports to the Forum; and

·         A dedicated Schools Forum website was recognised as unsustainable due to cost and maintenance and members were referred to the area designated to Schools Forum on the Council’s website which included the Schools Forum newsletter.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the Democratic Services Manager be requested to notify members of the Forum when Minutes are published.

(3) That the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services co-ordinate the agreed actions relating to the aspects of the guide not imbedded in Stockport’s Schools Forum.

(4) That the Corporate Directors for People and Corporate & Support Services be requested to assess Stockport’s Schools Forum operations with the Chair and Vice-Chair and report back to the Forum in due course.