Issue - meetings

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director – Children and Young People providing information regarding a proposed joint consultation with the Learn Together Partnership to implement a standard school year from September 2010.

It was advised that the standard school year, which was championed by the Local Government Association (LGA), required splitting the school into six terms of roughly equal length, fixing them regardless of the Easter celebration. The benefits of this were outlined for Members’ consideration.

In May 2008, Liverpool City Council had tabled a proposal at the Greater Merseyside Directors of Children’s Services meeting to conduct a joint consultation across all Greater Merseyside Local Authorities (LAs) to implement this change. The Directors present agreed in principle to this proposal, which was outlined within the report, and Liverpool City Council was piloting this system for the 2009/10 academic year.

All Local Authorities in the Learn Together Partnership had been invited to be part of the joint proposal. At Halton’s request, Cheshire had also been invited. The Partnership agreed that each LA would co-ordinate its own consultation based on agreed documentation and timescales, and a consultation letter had been drafted for all LAs involved to use. This would be headed with Halton’s logo and have a proforma for stakeholders to return. The consultation process would begin week commencing 3^rd November with a co-ordinated press launch, and close on 18^th December 2008.

RESOLVED: That Halton participates in the joint consultation process.