Professor Steven Broomhead Chief Executive

Town Hall Sankey Street

Warrington WA1 1UH

Statutory Co opted Members: Roman Catholic Representative: Mr David Littlewood Church of England Representative: Ms Penny Johnson Parent Governor Representative: Vacancy Parent Governor Representative: Vacancy

Publish date

Meeting of the Scrutiny Committee

Wednesday, 10 April 2019 at 6.30pm

Council Chamber, Town Hall, Sankey Street, Warrington, WA1 1UH

Agenda prepared by Adam Kellock, Senior Democratic Services Officer – Telephone: (01925) 442144 E-mail: akellock@warrington.gov.uk

Note – In line with The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 this meeting may be recorded. A guide to recording meetings has been produced by the Council and can be found at https://www.warrington.gov.uk/info/201104/council_committees_and_meetings/1003/access_to_council_meetings

A G E N D A

Part 1 Items during the consideration of which the meeting is expected to be open to members of the public (including the press) subject to any statutory right of exclusion.

To: Members of the Scrutiny Committee

Councillors: Cllr P Carey - Chair Deputy Chair (Vacancy) Cllrs H Cooksey, M Creaghan, A Fradgley, C Froggatt, T Jennings, I Marks and M Tarr

Item Page Number

1. Apologies for Absence

To record any apologies received.

2. Code of Conduct - Declarations of InterestRelevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations2012

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare anydisclosable pecuniary or non-pecuniary interest which they have inany item of business on the agenda no later than when the item isreached.

3. Minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 6 February 2019 asa correct record.

4. Warrington Sixth Form and Further Education College Offer

To consider a report by the Executive Director – Families andWellbeing to consider the potential for improving the sixth formand FE college offer in Warrington.

5. Work Programme 2019/20

To consider progress as to the final Work Programme 2018/19 andconsider items for the committee work programme for the2019/20 municipal year.

6. Schedule of Meetings for 2019/20

To note the schedule of meetings for the 2019/20 municipal year,as follows:-

19 June 201918 September 201911 December 201919 February 202015 April 2020*dates subject to approval by Full Council

5-12

13-20

21-27

Part 2 Items of a "confidential or other special nature" during which it is likely that the meeting will not be open to the public and press as there would be a disclosure of exempt information as defined in Section 100I of the Local Government Act 1972.

Nil

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SCRUTINY COMMITTEE 6 February 2019

Present: Councillor P Carey (Chairman) Councillors: H Cooksey, M Creaghan, A Fradgley, C Froggatt, T Jennings and I Marks Co-optees: Mr D Littlewood Apologies Apologies for absence were received from Councillor M Tarr. It was reported that Penny Johnson, Church of England Co-optee, had now resigned from her role. SC14 Code of Conduct – Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest submitted. SC15 Minutes Decision,

That the minutes of the meeting held on 5 December 2018 be agreed as a correct record.

SC16 Cheshire and Warrington LEP - Update The Committee considered a presentation by Philip Cox, Chief Executive, Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (C&WLEP), providing an update on its work, including progress on the Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) and the development of the Local Industrial Strategy (LIS). Mr Cox was in attendance to deliver the presentation and was supported by Stephen Fitzsimons, Business Growth Manager, and David Boyer, Director of Environment and Transport, Warrington Borough Council. The presentation provided information on the following:-

• Strategic Economic Plan – the journey so far; • Local Policy Context – other policy documents produced to date and planned for

release; • Timetable for development of the LIS – due for publication in July 2019, subject to

Government consideration; • Sub-regional economy and productivity – currently a £30bn economy with an

ambition to reach £50bn by 2040. £34.63 produced per hour worked across Cheshire and Warrington, which was 4.1% higher than the UK average and 13.6% higher than the North West average, but stagnant and not back to 2007 levels;

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• Overall productivity including comparisons with other authorities - showing significant variations between the three constituent authorities within C&WLEP. All three economies were growing, with increasing numbers of hours worked and high employment, but that work was being measured as less productive;

• Spotlight on three super strength specialisms within the sub-region – including manufacturing, energy and environment and life sciences;

• Bringing finance and business services to the forefront – the initial evidence showed that those sectors were not doing as well, but work would be undertaken to test the data more rigorously;

• Unlocking the potential of the logistics and distribution sector – money had been received from the Department for Business, Energy and the Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to carry out an in-depth look at the figures, which currently showed some large variations;

• The Five Foundations of Productivity – ideas, infrastructure, business environment, place and people;

• Clean Growth Grand Challenge; • Supporting UK development of other Grand Challenges – Artificial Intelligence (AI)

and data, ageing society and future of mobility; • Potential priorities for growth:-

o Raising productivity and focusing on competitive advantage; o Building resilience in the economy; o Increasing earnings power of every resident; o Leading the Clean Growth Grand Challenge and contributing to others; o Enabled by strategic investments in infrastructure and place.

Members made comments and asked questions on a number of matters as follows:-

• How was the productivity of people working in warehouses and in call centres assessed? - Response: The data was gathered by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) from information held on pay and company accounts. Productivity within the chemicals sector, which was strong within the sub-region, was high at around £66k per head, as against the national average of £33k. However, a new entrant into the sub-regional economy producing £40k per head would, therefore, reduce the average productivity for Cheshire and Warrington;

• Warrington was generally seen as having a booming economy with lots of jobs created, but was that because these were low paid jobs in services, rather the production? - Response: That scenario was not necessarily true. The sub-regional economy was prosperous and booming and still better than the national average. However, the LIS would attempt to address the issue of moving further up the value chain.

• One simple measure of productivity was output over input, but the measures used above were linked to pay. How would those measures assess the value of worker who did not make a tangible product, such as a care worker? - Response: The ONS methodology was considered to be robust, as details of pay were known, although the calculations would be simpler if there was a final product. Mr Fitzsimons added that productivity was higher from manufacturing companies with high levels of

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automation, but there was only a relatively small manufacturing base in Warrington. The authority had recently attracted more of those industries into the area;

• The salaries of public sector workers, such as care workers and teachers, had been depressed as a result of austerity which might lower the levels of productivity per worker. Also, there were numerous part-time workers in that sector - Response: The introduction of part-time workers made the figures more difficult to interpret as two workers effectively halved the productivity figure.

• Should the focus be on employment levels rather than productivity? - Response: The balance between productivity and employment was interesting. For example, during the recession the UK’s workforce had been flexible and taken pay cuts or shorter working hours to stay in employment. As a result, productivity had gone down. However, in France unemployment had risen, but those who stayed in work had seen productivity rise. Given that the UK had a very high levels of employment and those who were long term unemployed often had complex needs for which a job was not the best solution and that some people travelled into the area for work, the Government’s aim was to raise wage levels for people who lived here.

• Was a zero carbon energy footprint achievable by 2040? - Response: Money was available for a feasibility study to create a local energy network, which would include wind, biomass and waste energy all channelled to other businesses. The Cheshire Energy Hub was currently working on those plans, with funding received from Innovate UK. There were also opportunities to collaborate with the Liverpool City Region.

• Was the growth in the finance and business sector due to new businesses coming into the market or growth within existing businesses? - Response: This was not yet fully understood. Mr Fitzsimons added that some 10k jobs had been created in Warrington mostly through inward investment, although a smaller number (500-600) had been through expansions of businesses particularly at Birchwood. One aim was to look after businesses that were already established here.

• Companies such as Amazon, were often criticised for opening very large warehouse sites that used up much land, but which did not in fact create a large amount of employment. - Response: Mr Fitzsimons indicated that the perceptions were not always accurate. Amazon in Warrington employed around 1,200 people off peak and around double that number at Christmas. In fact, the warehouse was a good use of space. Mr Cox added that the age profile of the workforce was such that a lot of people were due to retire soon and there were insufficient young people coming through to fill those vacancies. It might prove increasingly difficult to fill an oversupply of jobs in the future.

• Did the Council’s draft Local Plan take relevant business factors, such as the above demographics, into account? - Response: The message had been fed into local authorities’ strategic planning teams. Mr Boyer confirmed that the housing mix and the viability of businesses and their workforce were taken into account. Mr Cox confirmed that Warrington was contributing well to the agenda which promoted the town as a good place to live for young people. Councillor Marks added that a BBC survey had identified Oxford as the best place for young people to live and that there might be lessons to be learned from that area.

• Had culture and creativity been considered during development of the LIS? - Response: That was covered under the Quality of Place Strategy, which had been

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developed earlier (see presentation slide number 3). Tourism was a large employer, but could often be seasonal, which meant that Gross Value Added (GVA) was not always high. That said, Chester Zoo was the second highest paid for visitor attraction in the UK and most visitors came from within a distance of 1½ hours travel.

• Was fracking due to be considered in connection with the energy and environment super-strength specialism? - Response: There were no fracking sites planned as yet in the sub-region. The focus of the Clean Growth Grand Challenge was a net-zero carbon industrial cluster by 2040.

• It was noted that the Grand Challenge on Ageing should have referred to people enjoying ‘at least 5 more years of life by 2035’.

• Would there be a balance struck between a stable workforce and new technology and automation? - Response: the Strategy would look some 5 to 10 years forward. The challenge was to have enough people available for work in 10 years time. Automation would help, at least in the short term.

• What progress had been made in securing devolution of some issues from Government? - Response: The Government continued to say that they were working on devolution, but no progress had in fact been witnessed. It was possible that some delegated elements might emerge from the current work on the LIS. The Virtual Institute of Technology was due to be funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), which would no longer be available soon. Government could be lobbied to delegate the FE education budget to the sub-region.

The Chairman thanked Mr Cox for providing further insight into the work of C&WLEP, the state of the local economy and the development of the LIS. The contributions from Mr Fitzsimons and Mr Boyer were also very helpful. The draft Local Plan would be available shortly and the above information would help Members to question that document from an informed viewpoint. It would be useful to receive a further update from C&WLEP in due course, particularly following Brexit. Mr Cox suggested that it might be useful to report back to the Committee in June or July 2019, following the production of the draft LIS document and as part of the formal consultation process. Decision,

(1) To note the presentation on the work of C&WLEP, including progress on the Strategic Economic Plan and the development of the Local Industrial Strategy.

(2) To request Mr Cox to provide a further report to the Committee on the LEP’s

initial draft LIS document, at its meeting on 19 June 2019. SC17 Planning Update The Committee consider a verbal update by David Boyer, Director of Environment and Transport, Warrington Borough Council, on planning issues.

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Mr Boyer indicated that this service now fell within his remit, following his recent appointment to the Director of Environment and Transport post. The Planning Service had experienced a lot of change recently, both as a result of national and local issues. In particular, national revisions to the Planning Policy Framework had brought about some significant changes. That situation, coupled with raised levels of customer expectations about the Service, with calls for a 24 hours, 7days per week service, demands for lots of information and a growth in the overall workload, together with reduced levels of financial support, had placed a significant strain the Service. A similar picture was noted across other departments within the Council. The jobs market was also difficult with fewer professionals available and wages depressed in local government due to austerity. When quality staff were lost, it was increasingly difficult to recruit their replacements. Planning fees were set nationally and although they had been increased by 20% in 2018, that was on the back of a freeze for over five years and was in effect only making up lost ground. Warrington’s Planning Service had suffered as result of the above factors. The result was a lot of staff vacancies, some of which had been covered through temporary staff. It was acknowledged that this situation had caused some frustrations with elected Members. The previous Manager had, therefore, reviewed the Planning Service, which he had considered to be not sustainable. The review had included a view of business methods and processes and use of IT and was also linked to the Council’s wider Transformation Programme. Customers were recognised as important and the review had looked at ways to improve their access to services. As a result, it was intended to improve capacity and the resilience and flexibility of the Service and to improve workflow. There was already a good core of permanent staff. There was a need to develop a specialist team to deal with major and super-major applications, possibly with some support from the private sector. The future Service would better fit workloads to the structure, appropriate rewards would be paid to help recruitment, and the aim would be to retain and develop all staff. The review process had been completed in late November 2018 and Mr Boyer had also reviewed part of that work. The previous Manager had left post in December 2018 and the main priority now was to recruit to that and other vacant positions. Job descriptions and person specifications had already been drafted and the Manager position would be filled first, followed by the next tier below. Overall, Warrington was a good employer to work for and that culture would also pervade the Planning Service. The customer interface was seen as particularly important. The existing IT system was felt to be somewhat ‘clunky’. As a consequence, the Planning Service was being included in the Warrington 20:20 Digital Transformation Programme. It might have been possible to develop a stand-alone IT system sooner, but it was considered important to procure a system which was compatible with other Council systems. It was envisaged that the measures already put in pace would quickly start to bear fruit. Members made comments and asked a number of questions as follows:-

• Concern was expressed at the level of turnover of staff, the fact that some work had ben outsourced to a private sector company, Urban Vision, which had some staff

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based in Dublin and that the Planning website was hard to navigate. - Response: The planning employment market was very competitive and Warrington was not paying the highest rates. Staff sometimes moved on for a better salary. Culture was an important factor in retention of staff. Mr Boyer valued his staff and was keen to ensure their development. On the question of outsourcing, he was aware of the issues mentioned. However, sometimes it was necessary to use external support, such as agency or consultancy staff, particularly to deal with peak times. Those staff would normally be based locally within the Council’s offices, although that might not always be possible. There were currently a number of temporary staff within the Planning Service, but all of those were based in the local office. Notwithstanding this, occasional homeworking was a growing practice and part of the Council’s office accommodation plans. Mr Boyer was not aware of any Urban Vision staff currently being utilised.

• Would there be dedicated teams for both minor and major applications? - Response: There would be three teams in total: a Support Team to process, register, and validate applications and deal with the committee papers; a Major Applications Team to deal with large scale applications; and a Mainstream Applications Team to deal with routine applications. There would be different rates of pay, as appropriate. However, all teams would interface closely with each other.

The Chairman commented that, given the financial environment within which all councils were currently operating, some of the issues brought to light were inevitable. Cash savings and cuts had led to the loss of trainee posts. Market supplements could be paid for scarce staff, but only as an interim measure. Existing staff were not being regraded in the present climate. Mr Boyer added that there would be a number of graduate planning posts and career grade posts in revised the structure. The previous loss of graduate trainees had not helped the situation, but other trainees and graduates were being brought in across the Directorate. The Chairman requested a further update on planning issues later in the year. Decision,

(1) To note the update report in relation to planning issues.

(2) To request the Director of Environment and Transport, to provide a further update later in the year.

SC18 Work Programme 2018/19 The Committee considered an update on its Work Programme for 2018/19, which had been compiled from information provided to, or suggested by the Committee towards the end of the Municipal Year 2017/18. Julian Joinson, Principal Democratic Services Officer, was in attendance to provide advice. The Chairman reported that he and a number of Members had taken part in a visit to Safety Central and Lymm Fire Station. The session had proved to be very interesting and had been

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a valuable use of two hours. He envisaged that the planned visit to NW Fire Control Centre at Lingley Mere would be just as interesting. A very small number of staff were responsible for almost the whole of the North West area. Councillor Creaghan commented that Safety Central provided an immersive experience for children. The Chairman reminded Members that Warrington and Vale Royal and Priestley Colleges were due to attend the meeting in June 2019. Councillor Jennings enquired if the college item could be brought forward to an earlier date and the 10 April 2019 meeting was suggested as an option. Mr Joinson indicated that he could ask the two colleges, but his recollection was that the 19 June date was the first date that was convenient for both colleges to attend. Councillor Froggatt suggested that the item on Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) be deferred until June to be heard with the proposed item on Looked After Children. The Chairman undertook to arrange a meeting with Lynton Green, Corporate Services Director (Deputy Chief Executive) to discuss amendments to the dates within the Work Programme. The Chairman reminded Members that Steve Fitzsimons would report be back to the Committee on Town Centre Retail Vacancies in April 2019. Councillor Jennings indicated that the topic was already being considered by the Supporting the Local Economy Policy Committee and that the Scrutiny Committee should not seek to duplicate that work. Other Members supported that viewpoint. The Committee was informed that a session for C&WLEP would be built into the Agenda for the meeting in June 2019. The Chairman asked Members to e-mail himself or Mr Joinson with any further suggestions for scrutiny topics. Decision,

(1) To note the updates to the Work Programme 2018/19.

(2) To approve a meeting between the Chairman, Corporate Services Director (Deputy Chief Executive) and Mr Joinson, to consider possible amendments to the Committee’s Work Programme as discussed above.

SC19 Schedule of Meetings for 2018/19 Decision,

To note the schedule of meetings for the remainder of 2018/19, as follows:- 10 April 2019 and that the first meeting of the Municipal Year 2019/20 would be held on 19 June 2019.

The Chairman and Members presented Mr Joinson with a card wishing him well in his new role, as he was due to leave the authority in the near future.

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WARRINGTON BOROUGH COUNCIL HEALTH SCRUTINY COMMITTEE – 4 APRIL 2019 Report of the: Steve Peddie, Executive Director, Families and Wellbeing Report Author: Kate Guise, Assistant Head of Service, Planning & Participation Contact Details: kguise@warrington.gov.uk Tel. 01925 442759

TITLE OF REPORT: Post 16 Education in Warrington (March 2019) Following a report to the Committee on 5 December 2018, Members sought a further report on how to make the sixth form/FE college offer in Warrington more attractive to prevent the loss of skills and talent from the Borough. 1. Introduction Background

1.1 We welcome the opportunity to promote the work that is going on between the authority

and our post 16 providers. We are fortunate that the authority has a very open and frank relationship with both Priestley Sixth Form College and Warrington & Vale Royal (WVR) the two largest post 16 providers for Warrington residents.

1.2 The authority are also members of the Post 16 provider network which is a sub group of the

Warrington Association of Schools and Colleges Leaders (WASCL) which reviews performance and the local offer in Warrington and provides a forum to challenge and support provision as appropriate.

1.3 While we endeavour to ensure that our post 16 local education providers attain the highest

qualification achievement for all students, the hope is that this paper will provide some assurance that we are exceptionally fortunate that our children and young people have access to the very best possible range of education opportunities.

2. Post 16 A level education in Warrington

2.1 The national published A level results data is only one small measure of post 16 education in Warrington. The authority has worked very closely with providers to ensure that there is a varied quality education offer accessible for all Warrington residents, which includes Warrington providers but also takes account of those providers outside of Warrington, such as Winstanley, Sir John Deane’s, Carmel RC and Cronton (Riverside) College (all based within

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20 miles of Warrington). Basically, providers based outside of Warrington are just as important as our Warrington providers in order to ensure we are able to offer a suite of options to our Warrington residents.

2.2 A concern raised by the scrutiny committee was that the average score at A Level in

Warrington education providers is lower than our statistical neighbours and surrounding colleges. The short answer to why this is the case is that nearly all post 16 A level education providers in Warrington are more inclusive. Students with a modest GCSE profile that would not be accepted into Winstanley or Sir John Deane’s, are accepted onto our A level courses, and are enabled and challenged to achieve good A Level results and/or to take a broader programme of qualifications. As a consequence enhancing their career and Higher Education opportunities and helping us to facilitate social mobility and broaden access, especially for disadvantaged groups1.

2.3 What this means in reality, is that there were 137 students that fit the criteria stated in point

2.2 above who completed A levels at Priestley college in 2018, 79% of which went on to University (including Russell Group Universities), 6% onto Apprenticeships and the rest are either on a gap year prior to going to University or are in employment. These are young people that potentially would not have been provided the opportunity they have had to access HE and higher apprenticeships had our post 16 providers not been so inclusive.

2.4 To put it another way, if Priestley worked to the same entry requirements as Winstanley (only accepting higher GCSE grades) and achieved the same value added2 learning as they do with their present more disadvantaged cohort, they would be achieving an overall average performance result of between A- and C.

2.5 Please also note that the A Level performance results are by provider and this does not reflect the performance of our Warrington residents. What the question might be is what are these other LAs doing to support those students who do not achieve the high average GCSE points scores required to do A Levels at their ‘exclusive’ providers? Especially when you consider that disadvantaged groups are less likely to travel.

3 Post 16 Education Choice

3.1 All young people have the right to choose where they would like to study post 16 (as long as

they take responsibility for their transport). We have a vast range of providers available for our Warrington residents which are easily accessible even though provision might be based

1 Disadvantaged usually refers to those students on free school meals, children in care, and children with special educational needs or disabilities. 2 Value added is the difference between a student’s starting point to where they are when they end a programme

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in surrounding local authority areas. The choices that students have available to them includes:

3.1.1 The qualifications on offer: a total of 20 different qualification types were studied by Warrington residents last year, including A levels, BTEC, Diploma, Certificate, Awards, Apprenticeships. From next year we will also have T-levels pilot being delivered by Priestley in Childcare and Digital. Learners are able to access pre Entry, Entry, Level 1 (L1), Level 2 (L2) and Level 3 (L3) course dependant on their abilities and needs (please see Appendix A for a summary of the Level of qualifications). Warrington & Vale Royal College offered inclusive and varietal education to school leavers from pre-entry to Level 3 with a clear pathway to progress onto higher education programmes at the college (HNC’s/HND’s and higher apprenticeships).

3.1.2 The choice of subject they want to study. In 2018 Warrington 16 to 18 year olds partook in wide range of programmes of study with over 500 individual courses to choose from, including an increase in the number of STEM related courses.

3.1.3 The choice of venue. Some students prefer a smaller site and want to stay within the environment they are used to, such as a school. Other students want to meet lots of new people and have access to the opportunities gifted by being at a larger college. Others will travel due to the faith dimension as at Carmel RC College. In 2018, Warrington 16 to 18 year old residents accessed 76 different education providers (this does not include apprenticeship providers).

3.1.4 Access to activities outside of the curriculum. A priority for a student may be to consider what extra activities are on offer, such as a sports programme, hobby/interest clubs, vocational interests, etc.

3.1.5 Post 18 pathways opportunities. Some providers have close links with employers and Universities which makes selecting their education offer more attractive based on the potential it will lead to. Priestley has exceptional HE links for STEM pathways, and is developing a regional offer linked to Oxford University (for disadvantage young people). Warrington & Vale Royal College offers a wide range of apprenticeships, the majority of which are with local employers in Warrington and proximal areas, hence skills are being developed and maintained in the Borough.

4 Preventing the loss of skills and talent in the borough

4.1 61.2% of Warrington residents achieve a Level 3 qualifications by 19 years (fourth highest LA

result in the North West), compared to 57.6% regionally and 57.5% nationally.3 Based on

3 Level 2 and Level 3 Attainment aged 19 in 2017 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-attainment-at-19-years

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Warrington resident data, there is no evidence to suggest that there is any loss of skills and talent in the borough.

4.2 The concern for the authority for many years has been the performance of our disadvantaged groups, with the latest data showing that only 29.6% achieve a Level 3 compared to 33.8% regionally and 35.9% nationally. Therefore, our priority as an authority remains to ensure provision is in place to support the most disadvantaged, which includes high quality A level and vocational provision which is inclusive of our more modest GCSE attainment students. Priestley and WVR have been very supportive of this agenda.

4.2.1 50% of learners accessing Warrington & Vale Royal College are identified as having a

disadvantaged postcode. However, their achievement rates are very good and comparable to their peer from non-disadvantaged postcodes.

4.2.2 It is worth noting that Warrington & Vale Royal College offer bespoke full time Level 1 programmes and Priestley and Warrington & Vale Royal offer full time Level 2 programmes - Winstanley and Sir John Deane’s Colleges and most high schools do not. As a Local Authority we also work with a range of specialist providers to meet the needs of targeted groups such as those who are or who are in danger of becoming NEET.

4.3 Warrington post 16 providers are also helping young people gain qualifications that have not been achieved at statutory school age. Warrington is reporting 33.9% of students achieve a L2 in English and Maths for those students who left school without these qualifications. Warrington is the second best performing LA in the North West, with the Cheshire’s being more than four percentage points worse than Warrington, and the England average being over eight percentage points worse than Warrington. WVR who are the recipients of the largest number of resitting learners have around 1500 learners resitting English and maths in 2018/19.

4.4 Warrington post 16 education providers are not complacent, they continue to aspire to do whatever they can to assure every student is able to achieve their highest goals and aspirations. For example:

4.4.1 TCAT4 have set up a new project with Oxford University which is scheduled to be rolled

out to all Warrington schools later this year. This project includes staff continuous professional development, curriculum support, and careers pathways (from Primary school age and up). With a clear agenda to increase the number of disadvantaged young people going to University.

4 TCAT is a multi academy trust of which Priestley Sixth Form College is a member.

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4.4.2 Priestley continue to offer AS qualifications, which most providers no longer offer due to the high additional cost (preference is that they only offer students a 2 year A level linear course). Priestley do this purely as it benefits their students and helps them to make the right choices on which full A levels they will complete, it also ensures that all students have a qualification at the end of the first year.

4.4.3 Priestley and WVR accept students that have left other providers after year 12 (first year of an A level), so they start again at 17 years of age without any post 16 qualifications and the loss of a full year of funding. Usually programmes run for at least two years if not three years, however government funding decreases for students at 18 years and older by £700 per learner to £3,300. Priestley ascertained that they lost almost £200k of funding last year due to accepting students as new students at 17 years. The same applies for those students who take a Level 2 programme before progressing to Level 3, in their second year of Level 3 funding is reduced compared to other students by the £700.

4.4.4 Mentoring and support programmes are put on in the colleges to support the most disadvantaged students as well as those students in specialist areas of learning, such as STEM.

4.4.5 Priestley and WVR continue to support the council’s agenda to upskill in careers related to the local area, to ensure skills remain in Warrington. These include STEM related subjects, noting that Priestley is a pilot for the new Digital T-Level.

4.4.6 The Local Authority continues to encourage students to access local provision in Warrington by:

Supporting access of post 16 education providers into schools to promote their offer.

Providing an annual careers event in September where all new year 11s are invited

to attend in order to meet a suite of post 16 providers and employers, assuring impartiality.

Promoting use of the LA Careers for Young People service in schools, to ensure

children receive quality guidance with a deep understanding of local provision.

Ensuring post 16 providers offer bursary support for transport, books and meals (potentially breakfast and lunch) for disadvantaged students.

Reviewing post 16 SEND transport to ensure appropriate independent travel training

is in place.

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4.5 In order to ensure all of the above continues, and further improvements are made, we have

a high level strategic meeting with WVR and Priestley on an annual basis, and meetings throughout the year to work together to improve any identified concerns (including performance monitoring, Children in Care and SEND caseload reviews, provision needs, quality reviews). We will continue to monitor performance and very much welcome the interest taken by members to ensure Warrington provision is the best it can possibly be for our residents.

Appendix A

Qualification Level

Academic Awards

Vocational Awards, Certificates and Diplomas Le

Apprenticeship el

Level 4 Level 4 Qualifications

Degree, Foundation Degree, HNC or HND NVQ Level 4/5

Higher Apprenticeship

Full Level 3 Minimum 2 x A-Levels

NVQ Level 3, BTEC Awards, Certificates, Diplomas at Level 3,

Advanced Apprenticeship

BTEC Extended Diplomas, OCR Nationals, Cambridge Technical Level 3

Full Level 2 5 x GCSEs A*-C or Grade 4-9

NVQ Level 2, BTEC First Diploma, Functional Skills L2, OCR Nationals, Cambridge Technical

Intermediate Apprenticeship

Traineeship

Level 2

Level 1 GCSEs D-G or new Grade 1-3

NVQ Level 1 Introduction Diploma, Certificate, Cache Diploma, Skills for Working Life,

Access to Apprenticeship/ Traineeship

Functional Skills L1, OCR Nationals/Foundation Re-engagement programmes

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Entry Level 1, 2 or 3 Entry Level Awards, Certificates and Diplomas, Functional Skills at Entry Level Re-engagement programmes

Traineeship

5. RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Based on Warrington resident data, there is no evidence to suggest that there is any loss of skills and talent in the borough.

5.2 The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to note the inclusive nature of post 16 provision in Warrington and efforts being made to constantly improve overall performance in qualification achievements in order to provide Warrington young people with the very best chance to connect with the wide range of opportunity available in a borough that is growing in economic prosperity and industry and to be competitive in the employment market nationally.

Agenda Item 5

Scrutiny Committee Draft Work Programme – June 2018 to May 2019

Work Programme

Topic Purpose of the item

Link to National Policy &

Local Context Lead

Officer Date of Meeting

Theme – Working with Our Partners Cheshire Fire and Rescue

Possible site visits to Safety Central/Lymm Fire Station and the Fire Control building at Lingley Mere Business Park A visit to Safety Central/Lymm Fire Station took place on 15 January 2019. A visit to NW Fire Control Centre is planned for 5 March 2019

The service continues to focus on preventative measures and is currently branching out working to improve the health and wellbeing of residents. In addition, ‘blue light’ services are increasingly sharing resources to increase their cost effectiveness. The Committee may wish to undertake site visits

Alex Waller (Cheshire Fire and Rescue)

Mark Shone

(Safety Central)

Neil McElroy

(Lingley Mere)

(site visits in early 2019)

15 January 2019

5 March

2019

School Performance A look at overall educational attainment in the Borough, including performance at Academies and Free Schools

GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2017 to 2018 (provisional), GCSEs (key stage 4) collection data is due to be published in October 2018. LGA/CfPS have recently published a document ‘Your school, your community - Elected councillors’ role in school improvement’ which provides some guidance on how councillors can engage with local schools, including those not under local authority control. The Committee may wish to keep a watch on overall educational attainment within a diverse provider landscape

Steve Peddie (P

Worthington)

5 December 2018

Agenda Item 5

Position on Schools Converted to Academy Status

An update on the position regarding academies in Warrington and indication of how the local authority, schools and Regional Schools Commissioner for Lancashire and West Yorkshire work together to improve educational attainment

With the exception of one community and two faith schools, all of the secondary age schools/colleges in Warrington are academies/free schools. In addition, there are four primary schools with academy status. The Committee may wish to take stock of the education landscape within Warrington

Steve Peddie 13 June 2018

Warrington and Vale Royal College and Priestley College

An update on the changing landscape of further education, the opportunities for Warrington and Vale Royal College and Priestly College and their respective performance

Following a review of post 16 education provision, the Cheshire and Warrington Area Review Recommendations were published in November 2016. Further education plays a crucial role in preparing young people for employment and in meeting the needs of local businesses. Both Warrington and Vale Royal College and priestly College are a key local providers The Committee may wish to hear about the ambitions of key further education partners

Nichola Newton

(Principal and Chief Executive WVRC)/

Matthew

Grant (Principal –

Priestley College)

19 June 2019 (both)

It was not possible to bring this

item forward to 10 April

2019

Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE);

To maintain an up to date understanding of the landscape within which CSE can occur and to ensure that agencies in Warrington have robust plans and systems in place to prevent, detect and intervene in any CSE cases

The Protecting the Most Vulnerable Policy Committee has previously considered an introduction to this topic on June 2013 and a more detailed presentation on 23 September 2014 about multi-agency working in the light of the Rotherham case and has received annual reports of the Warrington Children’s Safeguarding Board (WSCB). PMV Policy Committee is not proposing to reconsider this topic in 2018/19. Accordingly, this Committee may wish to review the current landscape and safeguarding activities around CSE

Steve Peddie

(Police/ WSCB)

10 April 2019

Referred to PMV Policy Committee

Agenda Item 5

Culture Warrington An update on the performance and

future plans of a key Council partner.

Culture Warrington is a charitable trust delivering arts, heritage and events across Warrington. It was formed in May 2012 and operates the venues of Warrington Museum & Art Gallery and Pyramid & Parr Hall, as well as providing events across the town such as the Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival, Warrington Summer and Winter Music Festivals and the Christmas town centre activities. The Committee may wish to hear about the ambitions of a key Council partner

Emma Hutchinson, Managing Director

17 October 2018

Livewire An update on the performance and future plans of a key Council partner.

Livewire was established in May 2012 as a Community Interest Company (CIC) encompassing the Leisure, Libraries and Lifestyles services transferred from the Council. Its aims are to promote a healthy lifestyle, increased participation in activities whilst encouraging reading and learning through the use of free access to books, IT suites and the internet. The Committee may wish to hear about the ambitions of a key Council partner

Emma Hutchinson, Managing Director

17 October 2018

Cheshire and Warrington LEP - Update

To receive an update on the development of various strategies and policies underpinning the Strategic Economic Plan (SEP). The update will include information as to the development of the Local Industrial Strategy

The Committee received an initial presentation on the work of the LEP in April 2018 and requested further updates.

Philip Cox, Chief

Executive C&WLEP

6 February 2019

Agenda Item 5

Theme – Council Services Consultation and Engagement

To receive a report on the Council’s approach to consultation and engagement

The Council consults on significant changes to its policies and services and other matters, such as the annual Budget. The level of engagement can range from simple information sharing to full devolution, where participants are involved in shaping the final decision. A Manager’s Toolkit on Consultation and Engagement is currently accessible via the Council’s Intranet. A review of the consultation and engagement activity and approach is currently taking place The Committee may wish to consider how the authority consults the public on local issues and proposed changes

Lynton Green

(Amanda Juggins

supported by Helen Hill)

19 June 2019

National Funding Formula for Schools and High Needs Funding

To maintain a watching brief on the implications of the recent implementation of the National Funding Formula for Schools and High Needs Funding

New national funding formulae for schools, high needs and the central school services block was introduced in April 2018. The Committee may wish to receive a paper which outlines the effects of the new National Funding Formula on Warrington schools

Steve Peddie

TBA

Town Centre Retail Vacancies

To gain an picture of and the number of empty retail outlets in the Town Centre and action being taken to mitigate the situation

High street store closures is a national issue, as the trend in the way that people shop is changing. As well as encouraging new businesses, other uses for empty properties need to be considered. Further details are likely to be available when the Business Improvement District (BID) is operational in Quarter4. The Committee may wish to explore how the Council intends to make the best use of Town Centre accommodation

Steve Park

(Stephen Fitzsimons)

10 April 2019

Referred to SLE Policy Committee

Agenda Item 5

Parks and Open Spaces Strategy

To consider progress as to the development of a Parks and Open Spaces Strategy

The Open Space Audit 2015 records the position of open space at that time. An updated Playing Pitch Needs Assessment (PPNA) and associated Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) are currently being prepared. A Warrington Sports Facilities Strategic Needs Assessment (SFSNA) was adopted by Executive Board in April 2015. This topic is not being considered by any other Committee. Accordingly, this Committee may wish to review the development of a Parks and Open Spaces Strategy

Dave Boyer TBA

Ofsted Inspections To consider the Action Plans arising from published Ofsted reports:- • a focused visit of local authority

children’s services, regarding inspection arrangements for children in need and children subject to a child protection plan (23/02/18);

• a single inspection of services

for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers and review of the effectiveness of the Local Safeguarding Children Board (12/05/18)

The local authority, as a provider of children’s services, is subject to inspections by Ofsted in accordance with their published framework. This topic falls within the Committee’s terms of reference of providing assurance to the public and stakeholders about the Council’s performance as identified in external inspection reports

Steve Peddie 13 June 2018

This item focused on the current inspection

frameworks

Agenda Item 5

Cheshire Pension Fund To gain an understanding of the issues facing the Cheshire Pension Fund and its performance

The Local Government Pension Scheme is administered by Cheshire West and Chester on behalf of member authorities. Councillor R Bowden is Warrington’s representative on the Pension Fund Committee and may be in a position to provide some feedback This topic is not currently being considered by any Committee

Lynton Green 10 April 2019 (subject to

confirmation by Mark Wynn,

CWAC)

Item deferred to 19 June

2019 due to availability of

Cheshire Pension

Fund Officer (Nick Jones –

Finance Manager to

attend) Annual Report on Children in Care (including trends in Looked After Children

To gain an understanding of the issues

The Council’s Corporate Parenting Forum considers issues in relation to LAC, but meetings are not open to the public. This topic is not currently being considered by any Scrutiny or Policy Committee

Steve Peddie (A

Amesbury)

19 June 2019

Refer to PMV Policy

Committee

Planning Issues To review elements of the Development Management Service

Members have previously expressed some concerns over elements of the development management process. Mr Boyer will provide an update as to progress

Dave Boyer 6 February 2019

School Performance To consider a report on how disadvantaged pupils’ needs were being addressed, including those pockets of deprivation in affluent areas.

Following a report to the Committee on 5 December 2018, Members sought more detail about how disadvantaged pupils’ needs were being addressed. The Committee has requested this report

Steve Peddie (P

Worthington)

TBA

The Warrington Sixth Form/FE College Offer

To consider the potential for improving the sixth form/FE college offer in Warrington, to encourage

Following a report to the Committee on 5 December 2018, Members sought a further report on how to make the sixth form/FE

Steve Peddie 10 April 2019

Agenda Item 5

local students to stay in-Borough at Key Stage Five.

college offer in Warrington more attractive to prevent the loss of skills and talent from the Borough. The Committee has requested this report

Baseline information on 6th form

student numbers and

places to inform a

future debate (subject to S

Peddie) Cheshire and Warrington LEP - Local Industrial Strategy Consultation

To consider the draft Local Industrial Strategy (LIS)

The Committee received an initial presentation on the work of the LEP in April 2018 and update at its meeting on 6 February 2019, which introduced the emerging LIS priorities.

Philip Cox, Chief

Executive C&WLEP

19 June 2019

Corporate Plan and Performance Update

To consider the ‘State of Warrington’ based upon the annual performance report to the Executive Board

The Committee has not considered general performance data for some time. This exercise may assist the Committee in identifying items of underperformance to include as topics in its Work Programme for 2019/20

Lynton Green 10 April 2019

Draft Version 8.0 – 04/03/19