Local Lib Dem Councillors are questioning the Conservative-led Council’s commitment to developing a sustainable home-to-school transport package which has been shelved for at least another 9 months.

The strategy has been developed to get more children out of private transport and on to school buses on their way to and from school.  Currently parents find it easier and more cost effective to drive their children to school, thus adding to congestion across the district, and especially in Bath.  Lib Dems in Bath see home-to-school transport as a key element of providing transport improvements in the city.

Leader of the Lib Dem opposition on the Council, Cllr Paul Crossley (Southdown) said that “This is deeply disappointing news, and makes me wonder whether the Conservative Council is as serious about congestion in Bath as it should be.  Everyone who travels into Bath at peak times knows how much extra traffic there is during the school term.  Getting our children out of their parent’s cars and onto buses is a massively important step in reducing congestion in the city, yet it is being delayed for another year.  It is even more concerning that the £16million Bus Rapid Transit is being forced through, whereas a project that will actually help to reduce congestion is being put on the back-burner.”

This project is of major importance in promoting sustainable transport in Bath and it is a massive blow to see it delayed for a year.  Parents across the city want to be able to send their children to school on reliable and affordable public transport.  This decision by the Conservatives is a kick-in-the-teeth to these parents, and we want to know why this scheme will now be delayed until the 2009/10 academic year.  We have real doubts as to whether the Conservative Council will ever deliver this crucial service.

We have praised new Liberal Democrat proposals offering free childcare for every family, that would see children and parents in Bath really benefit. 

The plans include:

• 19 months of paid parental leave, replacing current maternity and paternity leave arrangements. To get the maximum entitlement, parents will have to share the leave as no parent will be able to take more than 12 months
• Free and flexible childcare for children aged between 18 months and 5 years for 20 hours per week
• A commitment to improve the quality of childcare provision by expanding the role of children’s centres as training institutions for local providers

 Paying for childcare is a real struggle for many parents, particularly when times are tough.As we enter the recession, more parents are going to find themselves having to look for work or wanting a part-time job to bring in some extra money. The need for flexible and affordable childcare has therefore never been more urgent.  These proposals offer real help to families in Bath.  Support for new fathers is currently very poor.  Paid parental leave will give both parents in Bath an opportunity to spend meaningful time with their newborn baby during those precious first months.

Our Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg MP said, “Britain is a long way off becoming a child-friendly country.  Our childcare provisions are among the worst in Europe.  They discriminate against workless parents and freeze fathers out of looking after their young children.   What we need is a childcare revolution. Finding childcare that fits around a family’s needs can be a real struggle for parents.  The Liberal Democrats want to make things easier for parents and give children the best start in life by providing free, good quality childcare for every family.

“With family budgets getting tighter, more parents are looking at going back to work or training to bring in some extra money. The need for flexible and affordable childcare has therefore never been more urgent.  As a father of two young sons, I know what a struggle it can be for fathers to take time off work to spend with their newborn child.  Paid parental leave - giving both parents the opportunity to spend meaningful time with their baby - will put mothers and fathers on a more equal footing and give families a chance to bond and enjoy those important first months.”

The proposals will be debated at the Liberal Democrat conference in March.  Let us know your views…

Following the decision of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to halt funding decisions for college rebuilding, Bath’s MP Don Foster is one of the joint sponsors of a Parliamentary motion urging ministers to intervene as a matter of urgency.

Commenting, Don said that this decision means a significant delay to the City of Bath College’s plans to remodel their facilities and create new construction jobs in the city.  Putting such a large-scale construction project on hold flies in the face of the Government’s claims of investing to kick start the economy.  What’s actually happening is the opposite.”

Colleges like ours have had to fork out large sums of their own money to make their applications to the LSC.  This delay is putting even greater strain on their already tight budgets. At a time when ministers should be looking to support the building industry, large scale projects are being put at risk. 

The Government must now ensure that the LSC starts granting approval to existing applications as a matter of urgency.

The Council met on the 27th March to discuss issues relating to the forthcoming review of secondary school provision. The Cabinet will have to make a decision on schools in May, and last night’s meeting was a chance for issues to be aired and discussed in public by parents, school governors and Councillors. However, as was made clear at the start of the meeting, no decision was taken at this Council meeting.

The motion which was voted upon was not the one published in the Council papers on 17 March, and the unanimous adoption of the motion did not represent a specific endorsement of any particular strategy or plan for secondary school provision in Bath and North East Somerset. The vote served to officially thank the O&S panel for the preparatory work which had already been done and to formally request that Cabinet take account of the points of view raised at Council when making its decision.

Speaking after the Council meeting, Councillor Paul Crossley said:

“I was very pleased that the Cabinet member for children gave a commitment to go over the recording of the meeting and ensure that all the points which had been raised will be dealt with. We will be looking closely at the forthcoming consultation and decision process to ensure this is the case”.

Read the rest of this entry.

The Council met on the 27th March to discuss issues relating to the forthcoming review of secondary school provision. The Cabinet will have to make a decision on schools in May, and last night’s meeting was a chance for issues to be aired and discussed in public by parents, school governors and Councillors. However, as was made clear at the start of the meeting, no decision was taken at this Council meeting.

The motion which was voted upon was not the one published in the Council papers on 17 March, and the unanimous adoption of the motion did not represent a specific endorsement of any particular strategy or plan for secondary school provision in Bath and North East Somerset. The vote served to officially thank the O&S panel for the preparatory work which had already been done and to formally request that Cabinet take account of the points of view raised at Council when making its decision.

Speaking after the Council meeting, Councillor Paul Crossley said:

I was very pleased that the Cabinet member for children gave a commitment to go over the recording of the meeting and ensure that all the points which had been raised will be dealt with. We will be looking closely at the forthcoming consultation and decision process to ensure this is the case.

A number of Liberal Democrat Councillors spoke in the debate to raise issues which should be considered by the Cabinet. Several spoke of the importance of ensuring the consultation on changes was honest, open and thorough.

Councillor Marian McNeir called for the consultations to be done “in a sensitive way”. Councillor Nigel Roberts called on the Cabinet to make an effort to contact groups “we don’t traditionally get in touch with” and to consider co-location of community facilities, such as libraries, in new schools.

Councillor David Dixon has been involved in a campaign run by parents for better travel to school provision in the area. He spoke of the need to consider transport and that schools provision should be “underpinned by a sound, effective school transport system”.

Councillor Andy Furse focussed on the issue of co-educational schools in Bath, and welcomed an expression of willingness on the part of Oldfield school to go co-ed given that co-ed schools are preferred by 60% of families. He called on the Cabinet to “reconsider its view on Oldfield school in light of the commitment on co-ed given tonight [by the Chair of Governors]”.

Councillor Caroline Roberts also spoke about Oldfield school and the dozens of communications she, and Councillor Loraine Brinkhurst, had received from parents who were worried and confused about the decision making process. She said “many parents feel the decision has already been made and they have missed their chance to speak out”; she also called on the Cabinet to reach out to parents during the consultations and “don’t just expect them to come to you”.

Co-ed is also an important issue for Culverhay school and this was brought to the Cabinet’s attention by Councillor Gerry Curran, who spoke of the length of time for which this had been an aspiration for the school. He asked the Cabinet to “bring forward a package of support for the school to enable a smooth transition to co-ed status”.

A strategy to transform Secondary education in Bath and North East Somerset is to be considered by the Council.

The Council will meet on 27th March to discuss proposals which aim to further improve standards in Secondary education and to provide the best possible opportunities for children and young people.

The proposals affect the district’s 13 Secondary schools. They are being put forward following extensive work which has seen the Council engage with schools, governors, parents, pupils and the wider community, to investigate the challenges and achievements experienced by the schools and to then plan for the best possible pattern of Secondary schooling for the future.

A key part of this work was undertaken by the Council’s Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Panel through its Secondary School Review, published last year.

This report to Council is the result of a thorough review led by Councillor Andy Furse (Kingsmead Ward, Lib Dem) the previous Chair of the Children’s Overview and Scrutiny Panel. The recommendations are challenging as no one likes to close schools. However, if we are to give our children the best education that we can we need to persuade the Government to invest in our schools and that means removing excess capacity and focusing on the needs of our own children. The new schools proposed here will enable our children to excel in faciltities fit for the 21st century.

The Strategy sets out options for the future for each of the areas of Bath and North East Somerset.

Proposals for the City of Bath are as follows:

Retain Beechen Cliff School and Hayesfield Technology College as single sex boys and girls 11-18 schools with co-educational post 16 provision.

Other proposals have been made for Keynsham and Chew Valley, and Midsomer Norton and Radstock.

Leaflets providing further details about the Strategy and the options have been issued to schools.
The Council will continue to engage with members of the school communities, parents, pupils and the wider community.

Anyone wishing to find out more can also view a copy of the report due to be presented to the Council on March 27 at the Council’s committee papers online.

A strategy to transform Secondary education in Bath and North East Somerset is to be considered by the Council.

The Council will meet on 27th March to discuss proposals which aim to further improve standards in Secondary education and to provide the best possible opportunities for children and young people.

The proposals affect the district’s 13 Secondary schools. They are being put forward following extensive work which has seen the Council engage with schools, governors, parents, pupils and the wider community, to investigate the challenges and achievements experienced by the schools and to then plan for the best possible pattern of Secondary schooling for the future.

A key part of this work was undertaken by the Council’s Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Panel through its Secondary School Review, published last year.

This report to Council is the result of a thorough review led by Councillor Andy Furse (Kingsmead Ward, Lib Dem) the previous Chair of the Children’s Overview and Scrutiny Panel. The recommendations are challenging as no one likes to close schools. However, if we are to give our children the best education that we can we need to persuade the Government to invest in our schools and that means removing excess capacity and focusing on the needs of our own children. The new schools proposed here will enable our children to excel in faciltities fit for the 21st century.

The Strategy sets out options for the future for each of the areas of Bath and North East Somerset.

Proposals for the City of Bath are as follows:

Retain Beechen Cliff School and Hayesfield Technology College as single sex boys and girls 11-18 schools with co-educational post 16 provision.

Retain St. Gregory’s Catholic College as an 11-16 co-educational Catholic school.

Retain Ralph Allen as a co-educational 11-18 school.

Consult on closing Culverhay and re-opening the school as a new 11-18 co-educational Community school or Academy on the current site. This would address the issue of parental demand for a higher number of coeducational places.

Consult on the closure of St Mark’s Church of England and Oldfield schools and opening a new 11-18 co-educational Church of England school in the north of the city. The consultation should determine the site for the school. This would address the issue of parental demand, and also factors including the high number of places at Oldfield School which are currently filled by South Gloucestershire students.

Other proposals have been made for Keynsham and Chew Valley, and Midsomer Norton and Radstock.

Leaflets providing further details about the Strategy and the options have been issued to schools.
The Council will continue to engage with members of the school communities, parents, pupils and the wider community.

Anyone wishing to find out more can also view a copy of the report due to be presented to the Council on March 27 at the Council’s committee papers online.

It’s official, our local schools are in the top 10 local authorities for its outstanding Key Stage 3 results.

Cllr Sandry and Cllr McGall are thrilled that we are joint 3rd ranking for science, 8th position in English, and joint 9th in mathematics.

Some three quarters of all 14-year-old pupils in Bath and North East Somerset (actually 76%) attained level 5+ in both English and mathematics in 2007, this is a new measure of achievement and ranks Bath & North East Somerset Council in 8th position, nationally.

Well done to the hard work and dedication of the students, their teachers and families.

It’s official, our local schools are in the top 10 local authorities for its outstanding Key Stage 3 results.

Cllr Sandry and Cllr McGall are thrilled that we are joint 3rd ranking for science, 8th position in English, and joint 9th in mathematics.

Some three quarters of all 14-year-old pupils in Bath and North East Somerset (actually 76%) attained level 5+ in both English and mathematics in 2007, this is a new measure of achievement and ranks Bath & North East Somerset Council in 8th position, nationally.

Well done to the hard work and dedication of the students, their teachers and families.