Agenda and minutes

To receive any declarations of interest.

At a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on 18 April 2023, a new structure for scrutiny arrangements in Middlesbrough was agreed.  As a consequence, the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel is a new panel for this year. 

The minutes of the last meetings of the two former Children’s Services scrutiny panels are provided for Members’ information:

·        Children and Young People’s Learning Scrutiny Panel - 20 March 2023; and

·        Children and Young People’s Social Care and Services Scrutiny Panel - 14 March 2023.

Members were advised that at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on 18 April 2023, a new structure for scrutiny arrangements in Middlesbrough had been agreed.  As a consequence, the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel was a new panel for this year.

The minutes of the last meetings of the two former Children’s Services scrutiny panels were provided for Members’ information, as follows:

• Children and Young People’s Learning Scrutiny Panel - 20 March 2023; and
• Children and Young People’s Social Care and Services Scrutiny Panel - 14 March 2023.

NOTED

Representatives of Children’s Services will be in attendance to provide the Panel with an overview of the services provided across the Directorate, and to also highlight the strategic and departmental priorities for the coming year.

Recommendation: That the Panel notes the information provided and considers the information when formulating its Work Programme at the next meeting.

The Director of Education and Partnerships and the Interim Head of Review and Development Unit, Quality and Assessment and Principal Social Worker were in attendance to provide the panel with an overview of the services provided across the Directorate, and to also highlight the strategic and departmental priorities for the coming year.

The Director of Education and Partnerships provided information regarding the four areas within his remit, which regulated the education sector in Middlesbrough.  These were delivered as follows:

• Achievement.
• Inclusion and Additional Needs.
• Access to Education.
• Partnerships.

Members were informed that the Achievement area comprised of several teams/services, as follows:

• Family Hubs (previously Sure Start) and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
• Ethnic Minority Achievement Team (EMAT) and English as an Additional Language (EAL).
• Safeguarding and Compliance, which dealt with concerns about families and referrals to services.
• Achievement Hubs, which worked with schools to increase achievement.  Members heard that Middlesbrough had an almost fully academized system, with direct reporting to the Department for Education (DfE).  The authority held accountability for 30,000 children and their achievement.  Work included undertaking inductions with new international arrivals and driving standards across all Trusts in Middlesbrough.  The current focus was around attendance, numeracy and literacy, with £1.7m of DfE funding invested in this.  It was explained that the vast majority of education money in Middlesbrough came from the DfE, with a £170m pot paying for teachers, utilities, etc. - a £40m allocation remained for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services.
• Literacy/National Literacy Trust (NLT).

In terms of Inclusion and Additional Needs, the teams/services involved in this work were:

• Education Psychologist Service (EPS).  A brief overview of this service was provided, with reference being made to EP statements (previously SEND statements); the support provided by school staff; and work with other Local Authorities, such as Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, for income generation.
• Sensory Teaching and Advisory Service, which ran across all five Tees Local Authorities and related to a child’s audio/visual requirements.
• Inclusion Assessment and Review 0-25 Service.
• Resources and Local Offer.

Access to Education comprised the following teams/services:

• Strategic School Planning, i.e., looking at provision and determining whether Middlesbrough had both a sufficient number of schools and the appropriate types.  Reference was made to special schools and the high numbers of children on roll.  It was explained that since the pandemic, owing to young children not acquiring tertiary skills, the number of children with additional needs had increased dramatically.  A plan for the development of a further school had been developed; reference was made to a special school that had recently been completed on Ladgate Lane.  Details regarding a temporary teaching facility in Middlesbrough were also provided to the panel.  A further matter for the Place Planning Team related to population changes and working with international families to place children in local schools.
• Virtual School, i.e., managing the coordination of individuals in the system.  It was explained that the Virtual School discharged responsibility on the schools’ behalf, monitoring and following up on progress.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23/3

Recommendation: The Panel is asked to consider the proposed schedule of meeting dates for 2023/2024 and to agree a finalised schedule.

A proposed schedule of meeting dates for the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Panel for the 2023/2024 Municipal Year was submitted for Members’ consideration.

AGREED that the proposed meeting dates for 2023/2024 were approved.