To obtain Cabinet approval to undertake a procurement exercise utilising a tender procedure in line with section 4.6 of the council’s contract procedure rules, in order to identify a preferred provider of pupil referral services (includes Herefordshire’s pupil referral function, behaviour outreach function and home and hospital education function).

The Cabinet Member, Young People and Children’s Services, introduced the report. There has been a previous reorganisation of pupil referral services in Herefordshire, and now a more formal arrangement must be established to enable a clear plan to take the service forward and for an anticipated change in leadership in the next few years.

The Head of Additional Needs confirmed the success of the current arrangement. It is rated by Ofsted as “Good” and GCSE results have improved. There has also been a high success rate of the 25 hours’ minimum attendance provision compared with other education providers. The governors have requested a more formalised arrangement to provide this service as the current arrangements are not sustainable.

In answer to a question from a Member about maintaining and improving outcomes, the Head of Additional Needs confirmed that referring schools value how the service is managed and work continues on improving long-term outcomes to reduce the risk of pupils becoming Not in Employment, Education or Training.  The expected level of response to the tender is unknown.

The Director of Children’s Wellbeing gave reassurance over concerns regarding continuous improvement, explaining that by undertaking a procurement exercise, it will allow the council to have more control over the outcome and future intervention to maintain the service. It is proposed to maintain the same level of service with the same resource available rather than for the purposes of efficiency.

RESOLVED:

That      (a)     The council undertake a procurement exercise with a view to  identifying a preferred provider of pupil referral services following the recent amalgamation of pupil referral services into a single pupil referral unit (PRU); and

(b)     Delegated authority is provided to enable the Director of Children’s Wellbeing to conclude the procurement process and authorise award of the resulting contract on the basis it is within the financial envelope described in the report.