Issue - meetings

Sarah Stear (Assistant Director, Business & Customer Services) introduced the report, stating that liaison with Education colleagues had informed process improvements. The report provided details of progress made to date; there was still work to be done.

Sarah Stear advised that, in 2020, the Schools Admissions Service was under pressure with significant additional demands being placed on the Team. It was resolved that a review of processes, systems, resources, and capacity would support service delivery.

Rebecca Murphy (Service Manager, Business and Customer Support) provided an overview of measures to support improvement, stating that staff numbers had been temporarily increased to manage ongoing demand and deliver the required changes. A consultation was underway on a new operating model to address issues around roles, responsibilities, and capacity. Additional staff training had been provided to ensure that knowledge was shared across teams. Measures to improve the customer experience for families had proved to be effective.

Rebecca Murphy reported that a strong working relationship was in place with Education colleagues to manage risks, leading to a reduction in the number of children not on the school roll. By working with parents to understand their priorities, it had been possible to make improvements leading to better communication and a reduction in the number of calls and emails being received. She advised that there was still work to be done, including improvements to the functionality of the Parent Portal which provides a digital interface between parents and WCC for school-related matters. 

The Chair stated that the report outlined some areas of concern. It was encouraging that action was being taken the address shortcomings in the system. He suggested that an update be provided to the Committee in six months’ time. It was agreed that this be added to the Work Programme.

Councillor Watson highlighted the wider environmental and financial implications of schools admissions processes, stating that home-to-school costs for the Council were significant, with some avoidable journeys being made.

Councillor Boad stated that schools admissions was a prominent point of interaction between residents and the Authority. It was important to ensure that it was a positive experience to instil confidence in the quality of Council services. She praised the initiative to provide advanced notification if it had not been possible to offer a school place, this would help to reassure parents during a stressful time.

Councillor Spencer stated that the initiative to contact parents who had not been successful in securing a school place for their child was positive. However, it was important to ensure that measures were in place to provide reassurance and a timescale for when a placement would be made available.

The initiative was widely praised as a positive intervention. Members would revisit the subject in six months’ time.

Resolved:

That the Committee:

i.       Notes the progress made on improvements to the Schools Admissions Service;

ii.     Endorses the direction of travel set out for further work; and

iii.    Requests that a progress update be provided in six months’ time.