academy on Portland report

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Dear Mr Pitman

Thank you for your request for information.
Cabinet reports are available to read electronically, so I'm attaching a
link to the dorset for you website, committees page, which is the place to
start to locate the report you mention.

http://www.dorsetforyou.com/3312

I have looked at May 2009 for cabinet - but not having a great amount of
detail - I can't find that particular report. The link above lists
committees (June 2009 onwards) and committees archive (pre June 20009),
and from there you can click on the committee you wish to research
(cabinet) and scroll through until you find the report you want.
If you can't find the report you require, please get back to me (with more
detail if possible) and I will try to locate it for you.

I hope this information is useful to you, and completes your request for
information. If you are not completely satisfied with my response, please
contact me again, or write to the complaints officer at: Dorset County
Council, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1XJ. Or you
can follow the complaints procedure that can be found on our website
www.dorsetforyou.com at: http://www.dorsetforyou.com/complaints If
your appeal is not resolved to your satisfaction, you have the right to
apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision.

Yours sincerely

Helen Lea
Freedom of Information
Dorset County Council

mike pitman <[FOI #42097 email]>
16/07/2010 15:02

To
FOI requests at Dorset County Council <[Dorset County Council request email]>
cc

Subject
Freedom of Information request - academy on Portland report

Dear Dorset County Council,
A couple of weeks ago the [Dorset Echo] newspaper printed a story
about the Portland Academy.In the article it stated that lives were
being blighted on Portland by drink,drugs and pregnant young
girls.I e-mailed the Echo and asked just where they they sourced
the information from as this did not seem correct to me.The reply
stated that it came from a Dorset Council report that was presented
to Cabinet in May last year.Under the freedom of information act I
am asking just where I can read the report if it is not possible to
obtain a copy.

Yours faithfully,
M.Pitman

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Pitman

I have further investigated your request by approaching the Dorset Echo
and asking for the specific report that was referred to in the Portland
Academy story.
The link to the cabinet report on the Dorset for you website is attached:

http://www1.dorsetforyou.com/Council/COM...

I have pasted a part of it for you below that was specific to the article:

2.1 Portland suffers from high levels of social deprivation amongst many
of
its population and is one of the most deprived areas in Dorset, with
Fortuneswell being the single most deprived area in the County. The
figures
for each school on the island are as follows:

Royal Manor Arts College ? (11 -16) 730 students SDI: 34.18%

Underhill Junior ? (7-11) 130 students SDI: 49.83%

Brackenbury Infant and Nursery ? (3-7) 120 students SDI: 54.2%

(Federating Sept?08)

St George?s Primary ? (5-11) 420 students SDI: 32.9%

The Grove Infants and Foundation - (2-7) 78 children SDI:16.10%

Southwell Primary ? (5-11) 208 children SDI: 31.10%

Currently there are 1686 children being educated on Portland, with 600+
Under 5?s being cared for either at home, or by independent nurseries or
play groups.

From national research (Joseph Rowntree Foundation) we know that schools
have an influence over 14% of a child?s development and their environment
accounts for 86%.

Appendix 1

7

2.2 In this context we need to address a number of barriers:

? High percentage of NEETs - over 12%

? Highest teenage pregnancy rate in Dorset of 54 per 1000. Recent local

research has shown that for some, pregnancy is a ?career? choice taken in
the belief that it will lead to independent living and housing.

? High proportion of ?white working class boys? ? liable to
underachieve

? Major health issues on the island (obesity, drug/alcohol dependency
etc)

? No pre-nursery (0 ? 3) provision in Underhill and very limited across

whole Island

? High levels of domestic violence - 465 in 2006

? Historically low aspirations ? very little experience of Higher
Education
among families on Portland

? Fragile family structures

? Low levels of literacy and numeracy on entry to school

? Historically low achievement

? Low basic skills identified by employers

? Some buildings not fit for purpose ? including lack of playing fields

? Recruitment difficulties among all schools on Portland

? High level of Special Educational Needs among all year groups

2.3 We want to increase education?s influence, and therefore educational
attainment, so we have to work more effectively in partnership with all
relevant agencies to improve the social and environmental factors.

I hope this information is useful to you, and completes your request for
information. If you are not completely satisfied with my response, please
contact me again, or write to the complaints officer at: Dorset County
Council, County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1XJ. Or you
can follow the complaints procedure that can be found on our website
www.dorsetforyou.com at: http://www.dorsetforyou.com/complaints If
your appeal is not resolved to your satisfaction, you have the right to
apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision.

Yours sincerely

Helen Lea
Freedom of Information
Dorset County Council

mike pitman <[FOI #42097 email]>
16/07/2010 15:02

To
FOI requests at Dorset County Council <[Dorset County Council request email]>
cc

Subject
Freedom of Information request - academy on Portland report

Dear Dorset County Council,
A couple of weeks ago the [Dorset Echo] newspaper printed a story
about the Portland Academy.In the article it stated that lives were
being blighted on Portland by drink,drugs and pregnant young
girls.I e-mailed the Echo and asked just where they they sourced
the information from as this did not seem correct to me.The reply
stated that it came from a Dorset Council report that was presented
to Cabinet in May last year.Under the freedom of information act I
am asking just where I can read the report if it is not possible to
obtain a copy.

Yours faithfully,
M.Pitman

show quoted sections

We acknowledge receipt of your request for information.
This will now be passed to the relevant area(s) of the authority and a
response sent within 20 working days.
If for any reason we cannot respond in full within 20 days, we will let you
know.

"This e-mail is intended for the named addressee(s) only and may contain information about individuals or other sensitive information and should be handled accordingly. Unless you are the named addressee (or authorised to receive it for the addressee) you may not copy or use it, or disclose it to anyone else. If you have received this email in error, kindly disregard the content of the message and notify the sender immediately. Please be aware that all email may be subject to recording and/or monitoring in accordance with relevant legislation."

Scanned by MailDefender - managed email security from intY - www.maildefender.net