To note the appointment at Council of Councillor D.C. Short and Chairman and Councillor J.P. Thomas as Vice-Chairman.

To receive apologies for absence.

To receive any declarations of interest by Members in respect of items on the Agenda.

To approve and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 26th March, 2003

To receive a presentation on the role of scrutiny and the techniques that Scrutiny Committees can use in their work.

To up-date the Committee on the outcomes of individual school inspections undertaken within Herefordshire by Ofsted in the current school year, 2002-2003.

To report on progress towards Local Public Service Agreement Targets.

To update the Committee on the Excellence Cluster Bid (EC) and the Leadership Improvement Grant (LIG).  (Report to follow)

To determine (a) Councillor representation on the reviews teams for the 2003/04 Best Value Reviews, following the local elections, (b) to review the scope of the best value review of SEN Assessment and provision for statemented pupils, and (c) to consider the remaining reviews in the 5-year programme.

To consider the scope of a possible review of the Council’s discretionary policies on home to school/college transport.

To seek comments on the draft School Organisation Plan for Herefordshire 2003-08.

To consider the preparations for implementing the new, co-ordinated admissions arrangements for high schools for admissions in September 2004.

To consider the views of the Scrutiny Committee about the proposed standard school year for 2004/5, following decision by other West Midlands LEA’s to move away from the earlier agreement.

To consider the summary of comments, complaints and appeals relating to the Education Directorate, for the period 25^th January 2003 to 30^th June 2003.

To note the arrangements for the Exhibition.

To provide the Committee with details of the current capital programme, identify issues to be addressed to improve the monitoring of that programme, and to consider priorities for future capital expenditure particularly 2004/5 and 2005/6.

To outline the range of business for the Committee to consider during the coming year.

To review the statutory membership and co-opted representation on the Education Scrutiny Committee.