Agenda item
QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE FROM MEMBERS
To consider any questions with notice from Members received in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rules No 219 and No. 219A.
Minutes:
The Chair notified the Panel that comments and questions had been received from Miss Gale Waller, Ward Member for Normanton.
1. I think it would have been helpful to have a copy of the questionnaire sent to schools to understand what is being asked of schools.
2. Whilst the increase in responses on last year is to be welcomed, and officers congratulated, I would have liked more detail on the follow up RCC intends to make to schools/settings which did not respond.
3. I would like to have had more detail about school governors, especially for the independent and academy schools. Are they all receiving their biennial safeguarding training updates? Indeed, have they all received safeguarding training? Do they all have DBS clearance? Have all school governors approved their school’s safeguarding policies (if this is delegated to a committee or to one or two people it rather negates the “safeguarding is everybody’s business” philosophy RCC is trying to promote).
The Chair invited Ms Gill Curtis, Head of Learning and Skills, to answer the comments and questions.
1. The questionnaire would be distributed to members as part of the presentation and would be appended to the minutes.
2. More detail on these actions can be incorporated into future reports, follow-up actions were described within the presentation. In the case of childminders and the PVI settings, this was followed up through one to one discussions, and with schools, through reminder e-mails to head teachers. We had 100% return from our maintained schools where we were able to directly intervene. A key issue that arose from our follow-up investigation was that some education providers, and childminders in particular, felt that because some of the questions did not appear to be relevant to them, they did not engage with the audit. This is being addressed for the 2019 audit by offering a more provider specific audit and also through engaging earlier with each sector to promote this audit within the schools and setting’s own review processes. We will be working with the LSCB for the 2019 audit to utilise their role in assurances over safeguarding processes in schools to promote a 100% approach from Rutland early education providers and schools.
3. This feedback is very useful and will be considered in the report following the 2019 audit. We will also strengthen the question in the audit for 2019 to include a specific question about DBS checks – this was inferred within Question 15 but agree this was not explicit. Question 13 of the audit covers the timing of statutory safeguarding training for governors, including Safer Recruitment Training and Question 6 includes a question on who was involved in reviewing policies. Outcomes indicated that this did vary and this has been fed into our training and guidance. We do promote, at our training, that review and monitoring of safeguarding policies should not be delegated to only representatives of the leadership team or governing body but that it should be shared with, and understood by, all who are responsible for the safety and welfare of the children and young people.
The Chair also noted that Mr Oxley had formally requested an item regarding the Ofsted report for Cottesmore Academy to go to the next Scrutiny Panel.
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Mr Bool entered the meeting at 19:04
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