Agenda and draft minutes

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Contact: Christine Rothwell  Tel. 01302 735682

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Susan Durrant, Mark Houlbrook, John Healy and the Co-optee John Hoare.

 

2.

To consider the extent, if any, to which the public and press are to be excluded from the meeting.

Minutes:

None

 

3.

Declarations of Interest, if any.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made.

 

4.

Public Statements.

[A period not exceeding 20 minutes for statements from up

to 5 members of the public on matters within the

Committee’s remit, proposing action(s) which may be

considered or contribute towards the future development of

the Committee’s work programme].

 

Minutes:

There were no public statements made.

 

5.

Education and Skills 2030 Strategy pdf icon PDF 384 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel received a presentation on the 2030 Education and Skills Strategy.

The presentation reminded Members of;

  • The vision for the strategy
  • Priorities
  • Principles
  • The approach
  • Alignment with the Borough Strategy
  • Format and Audience

Following the presentation, Members asked a number of questions as addressed under the following headings;

Covid-19 – It was recognised that as a result of the pandemic, there would need to be flexibility and a level of adjustment built into the implementation plan, concern was raised over how much the strategy would need to alter.

It was explained to Members that the pandemic resulted in an opportunity for the strategy to be means-tested and reassurance was provided that its contents were still relevant.  It was noted that the pandemic had highlighted inequalities within our society and that additional investment was needed for the provisions currently in place.

Concern was raised about Early Years and the impact Covid had on young children and their education (as well as young people taking exams during the lockdown period).

Assurances were provided and it was explained that underneath the overarching priorities, were more comprehensive plans including Early Year’s provision and how it would be moved forward. It was noted that in some areas, Covid had improved family engagement, with Family Hubs seeing increased registrations and being able to provide a virtual offer to families.  It was commented on that Early Years settings remained open throughout the crisis and continued to offer high quality services.

It was highlighted that Covid may have been a catalyst for an accelerated change, and that opportunities had been presented that may remain for the future.

Linkages to Economy – Members stressed the importance of engaging businesses both locally and nationally to support skills development and training.  It was confirmed that there was a net deficit of people moving out of Doncaster for work and acknowledged that there was a need to provide the right economic and industry mix to retain skilled individuals within the borough.  The Panel was assured that under the Inclusive Growth Strategy, the economic mix was changing.  It was continued that monitoring would take place as part of the strategy’s implementation stage and that organisations would be encouraged to offer quality jobs.

Education and Training – It was recognised that the strategy presented opportunities in improving outcomes within the existing system as well as through a transformation of Doncaster’s broader education and skills system.  Members commented on the benefits of being able to educate and access higher skilled jobs within the Borough.

Members were advised that the strategy aimed to ensure that children and adult learners were prepared for the opportunities around them in the community.  It was explained that embedded within the strategy were development plans for four Centres of Excellence, with openings already in engineering and adult social care, and these centres should harness those too.  It was continued that support staff currently working in post were to be included and consideration would be given of how they could  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan and the Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions pdf icon PDF 721 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Senior Governance Officer presented the 2020/21 Scrutiny Work Plan for consideration and reminded Members of the current Forward Plan of key decisions. There was a brief discussion around future items for the Overview and Scrutiny future workplan following the meeting’s discussions.

 

RESOLVED the Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan 2020/21 and Forward Plan of key decisions be noted.