Agenda item

(a)  That the contract period for school improvement services and the integrated support services in the Council’s contract with Mott MacDonald Ltd (Cambridge Education) be extended by two years to achieve a five-year contract period overall for these services.

(b)  That the progress and conclusions of the negotiations of the Deed of Variation with Mott MacDonald Limited (Cambridge Education) be delegated to the Director, Children’s Services following consultation with the Chief Executive and the Council’s Commissioner for Education and Children.

(c)  That support services to schools within the Council’s current contract with Mott MacDonald Ltd (Cambridge Education) are brought in-house and managed directly by the Council from 1 October 2016.

(d)  That a Deed of Variation to the Services Contract between the Council and  Slough Children’s Services Trust Limited (SCST) be drawn up to reflect the transfer of responsibility for children’s centres and early years services to the Trust, in order to clarify operational, financial and performance management arrangements subject to Cabinet agreement in September 2016.

(e)  That the Council and the Commissioner for Children’s Services appointed by the Secretary of State for Education requests the Secretary of State for Education to update Schedule 2 of the Second Direction to reflect the Council’s ongoing responsibility for the delivery of some of the education services currently listed therein, as agreed with Slough Children’s Services Trust Limited. 

The Interim Director of Children’s Services introduced a report which set out proposals for the future delivery of services and functions within the Mott MacDonald Ltd (Cambridge Education) contract, including an extension to the existing contract to deliver some specified services on behalf of the Council.  An update was also provided on the implementation of Schedule 2 of the Second Direction issued by the Secretary of State for Education on 30^th September 2015.

The background to the these matters was explained and the Cabinet was advised that extending the Cambridge Education by two years for school improvement and integrated support services was considered to be the best way for the Council to meet its service challenges most effectively.  It was also proposed that support services to schools, including fair access, home to school transport and admissions be brought back in house from 1 October 2016; and to conduct further work on the transfer of children centres and early years provision to Slough Children’s Services Trust with a view to bringing a further to Cabinet in September on the financial and contractual issues.

Councillors Brooker and Pantelic raised several issues under Rule 30 including the financial details of the Cambridge Education contract extension and the timescales for transferring services to the Trust by October 2016.  It was noted that negotiations with Cambridge Education were ongoing and the Council was seeking to make savings through this process.  It was recognised that the timescale for transfer of services to the Trust was tight but that the Council had been working hard for many months to fulfil its obligations to prepare for the transfer on the timescale set out the 2^nd Direction.  A series of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and operational targets would need to be agreed with the Trust.  Concerns were raised by some Members about the time taken to agree such measures for the services that transferred to the Trust in October 2015.  It was clarified that the KPIs were in place but some target were yet to be fully agreed and were subject of ongoing discussion between the Trust, Department for Education and the Council.

After due consideration, the recommendations were agreed and a further report would be received by Cabinet in September 2016 on the transfer of responsibility for children’s centres and early years services to the Trust.

Resolved –

(a)  That the contract period for school improvement services and the integrated support services in the Council’s contract with Mott MacDonald Ltd (Cambridge Education) be extended by two years to achieve a five-year contract period overall for these services.

(b)  That the progress and conclusions of the negotiations of the Deed of Variation with Mott MacDonald Limited (Cambridge Education) be delegated to the Director, Children’s Services following consultation with the Chief Executive and the Council’s Commissioner for Education and Children.

(c)  That support services to schools within the Council’s current contract with Mott MacDonald Ltd (Cambridge Education) are brought in-house and managed directly by the Council from 1 October 2016.

(d)  That a Deed of Variation to the Services Contract between the Council and  Slough Children’s Services Trust Limited (SCST) be drawn up to reflect the transfer of responsibility for children’s centres and early years services to the Trust, in order to clarify operational, financial and performance management arrangements subject to Cabinet agreement in September 2016.

(e)  That the Council and the Commissioner for Children’s Services appointed by the Secretary of State for Education requests the Secretary of State for Education to update Schedule 2 of the Second Direction to reflect the Council’s ongoing responsibility for the delivery of some of the education services currently listed therein, as agreed with Slough Children’s Services Trust Limited.