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Hampshire County Council
Councillors: 78
Wards: 76
Committees: 50
Meetings (2025): 163
Meetings (2024): 156

Meeting

Education Advisory Panel - Hampshire

Meeting Times
Scheduled Time
Start:
Wednesday, 9th November 2022
10:00 AM
End:
Wednesday, 9th November 2022
2:00 PM
Actual Time
Started:
Wednesday, 9th November 2022
12:00 AM
Finished:
Wednesday, 9th November 2022
12:00 AM
Meeting Status
Status:
Confirmed
Date:
09 Nov 2022
Location:
Ashburton Hall, EII Court, The Castle, Winchester
Meeting Attendees
Councillor Gavin James photo
Committee Member
Councillor Gavin James

Liberal Democrat

Present, as expected

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Councillor Michael Ford photo
Conservative Deputy
Councillor Michael Ford

Conservative

Not required

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Councillor Zoe Huggins photo
Conservative Deputy
Councillor Zoe Huggins

Conservative

Present, as substitute

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Councillor Jackie Branson photo
Chairman
Councillor Jackie Branson

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Councillor Prad Bains photo
Committee Member
Councillor Prad Bains

Liberal Democrat

Apologies

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Councillor Lulu Bowerman photo
Committee Member
Councillor Lulu Bowerman

Conservative

Apologies

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Councillor Juliet Henderson photo
Committee Member
Councillor Juliet Henderson

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Councillor Adam Jackman photo
Committee Member
Councillor Adam Jackman

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Councillor Louise Parker-Jones photo
Independent Group Deputy
Councillor Louise Parker-Jones

Independent

Not required

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Councillor Malcolm Wade photo
Liberal Democrats Deputy
Councillor Malcolm Wade

Liberal Democrat

Not required

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Councillor Tim Groves photo
Liberal Democrats Deputy
Councillor Tim Groves

Liberal Democrat

Not required

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Councillor Sarah Pankhurst photo
Vice-Chairman
Councillor Sarah Pankhurst

Independent

Present, as expected

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Councillor Christopher Donnelly photo
Committee Member
Councillor Christopher Donnelly

Conservative

Present, as expected

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Councillor Jackie Porter photo
Committee Member
Councillor Jackie Porter

Liberal Democrat

Present, as expected

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Co-opted Member
Sharron Morton

Hampshire Primary Schools

Apologies

Co-opted Member
Chris Anders

Hampshire Secondary Schools

Present, as expected

Co-opted Member
Justin Innes

Hampshire Special Schools

Apologies

Co-opted Member
Catherine Hobbs

Catholic Church

Absent

Co-opted Member
Jeff Williams

Church of England

Present, as expected

Co-opted Member
Julie Kelly

Hampshire Teacher's Liaison Panel

Present, as expected

Co-opted Member
Ian Potter

Hampshire Teacher's Liaison Panel

Present, as expected

Councillor Andy Tree photo
Independent Group Deputy
Councillor Andy Tree

Whitehill & Bordon Community Party

Not required

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Agenda
1 Apologies for absence
To receive any apologies for absence received.
Minutes Apologies have been received from:

Cllr Bowerman, Cllr Huggins is attending as the Conservative Group Deputy Cllr Bains Sharron Morton, Hampshire Primary Schools Justin Innes, Hampshire Special Schools Jeff Williams, Church of England
2 Declarations of interest
All Members who believe they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting must declare that interest and, having regard to Part 3 Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members’ Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore all Members with a Personal Interest in a matter being considered at the meeting should consider, having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 4 of the Code, whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, consider whether it is appropriate to leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.
Minutes Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3, Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Personal interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.
3 Minutes of previous meeting
To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting.
Attachments:
Minutes The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and agreed.
4 Deputations
To receive any deputations notified under Standing Order 12.
Minutes No deputations were received.
5 Chairman's Announcements
To receive any announcements the Chairman may wish to make.
Minutes The Chairman had no announcements that they wished to make.
6 Attendance
To receive the latest data on attendance for Hampshire’s school’s and introduce recently published Department for Education guidelines on this issue.
Attachments:
Minutes The Panel received a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the latest information in relation to attendance at Hampshire’s schools (item 6 in the minute book).

The Panel heard that absence rates were increasing nationally, and that this was also the case within Hampshire. The Panel noted that absence of 10% or greater was considered ‘persistent absence’ and translates to half a day a week missed school. Absence rates are substantially increased amongst children who are experiencing vulnerability, with around one third of looked after children and 46% of those subject to a Child Protection Plan experiencing persistent absenteeism. This trend predates the pandemic but has worsened since.

Members noted the Children’s Commissioner for England’s recommendations for addressing this issue, alongside the new DfE guidance which is likely to become statutory from September 2023. This provides new responsibilities in this area for the Local Authority, which the Panel were briefed about in detail.

In response to questions members found that:

·         There is a strong correlation between attendance and performance.

·         The educational experience of parents and carers has an effect on their willing and ableness to engage with their child’s educational setting, making it difficult to work with some families.

·         There are links between persistent absence and the decision to home educate.

·         Some absence can be linked to issues arising due to families inability to access CAMHS or Autism services due to their pressures and wait lists.

RESOLVED

That the Education Advisory Panel note the latest data on attendance alongside the recently published Department for Education guidelines.
7 Delivering Better Value
To receive an outline of the ‘Delivering Better Value’ programme which the Department for Education has invited Hampshire County Council to partake in, aiming to improve outcomes for children with SEN whilst reducing costs.
Attachments:
Minutes The Panel received a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the Department for Education’s Delivering Better Value programme (item 7 in the minute book).

This programme supports 55 Local Authorities, including Hampshire, to identify high impact, sustainable changes that the LA can make to better support children and young people with SEND. This will build on the High Needs Performance and Oversight Programme in place in Hampshire already to address the underlying challenges in the high needs system.

The Panel received an update on the increasing demand for Educational Health and Care Plans with a projection for the maintained plans, alongside the impact this has on the High Needs Block Funding. This was followed by an overview of the workstreams and SEND schemes currently in development in response to these challenges.

In response to questions members found that:

·         A significant number of EHCP requests are received ahead of a child moving up to a new school, thought to be due to parental concerns for their ability to thrive in the larger settings.

·         There is a need to provide an attractive offer for Teaching Assistants due to issues surrounding their recruitment and retention, as this role is often crucial in providing additional support for SEND pupils.

RESOLVED

That the Education Advisory Panel note the update on the Delivering Better Value Programme.
Previous Meetings
Meeting

13th Mar 2025

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

27th Nov 2024

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

19th Jun 2024

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

27th Mar 2024

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

22nd Nov 2023

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

21st Jun 2023

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

22nd Mar 2023

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

9th Nov 2022

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

29th Jun 2022

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

30th Mar 2022

Education Advisory Panel

Future Meetings
Meeting

18th Jun 2025

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

19th Nov 2025

Education Advisory Panel

Meeting

12th Mar 2026

Education Advisory Panel

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