KCC Cabinet Members for Children, Young People and Education and Area Educational Officer for North Kent in attendance to answer questions about Education in the Sevenoaks District. 

The Chairman welcomed KCC Cabinet Member for Education and Skill, Richard Long and Area Educational Officer for North Kent, Ian Watts to the meeting who gave a presentation on the provision of education within the district, including the provision of school places, standards, performance and intake.

In response to questions Members were advised that following the change in admissions arrangements for Skinners Grammar school it was unknown if it had impacted the number of students from the District as the school had been following the criteria since 2018. Academies, free schools and voluntary aided schools were able to set their own admissions criteria with some input from KCC. The admissions code gave examples of how the criteria should work. In relation to preferential placements for children of parents who worked at the school, the parent would had to have worked at the school for 2 years before the priority place could be given, or be in a skill selective post. In regards to Grammar schools the child would still need to pass the assessment but could have a higher ranking in placement.

Parental preference was important when choosing schools and as much as possible was taken into account before local authority allocation. It was not always possible to place a child in the next available grammar school as this could be further away than a parent would want.

In response to questions following the Coronavirus outbreak, Members were advised that following advice from the Department for Education, every school was expected to open to all students from September. There were mitigations put in place to limit contact and risk of transmission and some elements of social distancing had been relaxed but where possible, should be continued. It was acknowledged that this was not always possible. There was a lot of emphasis on hygiene regimes, including personal hygiene including hand washing and spacing so every pupil was forward facing in classrooms. Social distancing, where possible for students and teachers should be maintained with adjustments to timetables to avoid groups crossings over.

Children should still be grouped where possible to limit contact outside of their ‘bubbles’ but it was accepted that the groups could be breached for special teaching and visitors for moderation. Risk Assessments needed to be carried out in line with school’s current health and safety duty and staff should be consulted with.  It was important that schools were open and transparent about measures being put in place.

It was not possible for all schools, in particular secondary schools to stagger start and finish times as altering bus timetables or having additional services were not always possible. As each school was different in regards to layouts, entrance points, outside space and travel guidance was there for each school to make the decision for what would work best for them.

Guidance was being put together, at a more local level following the advice from the Department for Education and this would be posted on the KELSI website with the guidance evolving constantly. It was expected that lunch provisions would be back to normal from September 2020, being mindful of timings and seating arrangements.

A lot of work had been taken to ensure pupils mental health was taken into consideration. Information packs were put together for 1 June when pupils started returning to schools, however the same support for early help and preventative services were still there for schools to access, and online resources were available.

In response to further questions, Members were informed that a number of options were available to ensure that technology was accessible to the most vulnerable students including laptops, routers, dongles. Technology orders had been placed for secondary schools via the local authority. More work could be undertaken with schools to access Pupil Premium to help access the additional technology needs.

In response to a question, KCC could not dictate to schools what the curriculum the students were taught, and this was down to each school.  Individual assessments would need to take place. There would be a catch up premium from central government to help students catch up. A consultation was being held for how examinations would take place, as those students entering into their final years for GCSE and A-levels had missed significant time at school.

In response to a question the Area Educational Officer advised that a mixture of schools, the private voluntary independent sector and childcare providers list was being compiled and would be provided under the Child Information Service. Child care provision was available in each District and Borough if parents required it.

Members were informed that in regards to funding, any mechanisms in place go through the schools funding forum and was consulted on with all schools, as well as being in the public domain. Rates per pupils for the minimum have been met and were within the regulations. Rates per pupils vary across Local Authorities.

Members were advised that the 52 ASD places were being commissioned for Broomhill Bank School and it was as when children were assessed and required those places. In total 108 places were being allocated across the two sites in Tunbridge Wells and Hextable over a period of time. The Education Area Officer advised that he would look into further statistics in regards to travel distance to the school.

In response to a question Members were advised that the Hextable Site, was on the KCC disposal’s list. Currently there were not any plans to do anything on the site but it would depend on the Kent’s Commissioning document to show whether there was anything needed going forward, the local plan, once finalised could have an impact. A Member expressed her thanks for the response by KCC to ensure the site was protected from access.

In response to questions by the Chairman, the Area Education Officer advised that it was at the school’s discretion to manage and health and safety responsibilities. Robust cleaning regimes were required and emphasis on self-management so it could be that students would be required to clean their desks on leaving classrooms and creating staggered timings for use of classrooms. On designated transport for school the social distancing requirements and face coverings were not required, but there was a recommendation that face coverings could be used.

The Area Education Officer agreed to respond to the committee regarding the statistics around those students who were grammar school assessed and did not secure a grammar school place and figures around the number of those who passed the Skinners 360 test but was not offered a place.

The Chairman on behalf of thanked the Area Education Officer for his attendance.