30 July 2020
WEDNESDAY, 15 JULY 2020
- Discussions on the development of a Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice Policy Management Framework
- Assistant Director of Lifelong Learning gives brief overview of the Apprenticeship Policy
- Additional meeting before the August monthly meeting to be arranged
The monthly meeting of the Education Committee took place on Wednesday, 15 July 2020.
Members were asked for their approval of the recommended process for developing the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice Policy Management Framework which was given at the meeting.
The Committee was reminded of the SEND Policy approval in 2018 and that this was the supporting documentation to the Policy. Members were also reminded on how the Code of Practice works in the UK and how it would work on-Island for the provision of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
It was noted that the Code of Practice Policy will have an impact on the schooling system, therefore it was advised to get a steer from the Attorney General’s Chambers regarding whether there are any legal implications. Financial implications were also noted which included costs for training for specific needs and the resources that would be required. As a result, a budget costing would need to happen as soon as possible. A consultation with all Elected Members would also need to take place.
It was noted that a lot of what is stated in the documentation is already happening in the schools and in going forward this would minimise budgetary impacts.
It was agreed that the Committee would need to see a first draft following communication with the Attorney General’s Chambers, and that they would need to consider financial implications as part of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) process. It was also advised that the dates on the process would need to be changed. In going forward, the draft Policy will be looked at within a three to four month period before coming back to the Committee.
Assistant Director of Lifelong Learning (ADLL) gave a brief overview of the Apprenticeship Policy, whereby it was noted that budgetary constraints would be a problem for continuation of the programme. It was also noted that from a meeting with ADLL, the Work Development Coordinator, and a member of the Education Committee, that there were errors within the document, therefore debates were then held on the Policy content.
The Committee was asked for a steer regarding transport and the difference of conditions between Apprentices in school and those that were work-based. The current allowances for Apprentices are quite expensive to accommodate. A member suggested that Corporate Human Resources should be involved in the process of setting allowances and this should then be reported back to Committee. However, according to the current Apprenticeship Policy, the Committee is responsible for setting the allowances. It was noted that Apprentices are not employees. It was also reported that the Committee previously based allowances on the Minimum Wage.
Eventually, members agreed to defer the Apprenticeship Policy to allow 10 days to provide feedback and then have the document prepared, therefore an additional meeting before the August monthly meeting will be arranged.
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SHG
30 July 2020