Agenda item

Verbal Report

Officers from Children’s Services will provide the Scrutiny Panel with an overview of the main service areas within its remit and an outline of priorities, key issues and challenges for the year ahead.

The Director of Education and Partnerships provided the scrutiny panel with information on the main service areas within its remit and an outline of priorities, key issues and challenges for the year ahead. The following information was provided:

·        For a significant period of time there had been disruption for education, due to Covid-19. Infection rates had settled and schools were now undertaking ‘business as usual’ activities.

·        In light of the impact of Covid-19, the Government had introduced a White Paper, which focussed on achievement and improving outcomes for children and young people. The paper set out plans to make sure every child could reach their potential. Middlesbrough would be provided with additional funding to deliver the Government’s ambitions. The Local Authority would continue to ensure schools worked collectively to improve outcomes, provide high quality education and deliver the ambitions of the White Paper. Given the Government’s plans, by 2030 it was anticipated that all schools would have become academies.

·        To support the delivery of the White Paper, the Government was currently seeking views on its Green Paper about the changes it planned to make to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) system in England. The Government had recognised that although significant investment had been made in the SEND system, the system was financially unsustainable. The Green Paper aimed to tackle that by improving mainstream provision and ensuring settings offered early and accurate identification of needs, high-quality teaching, and prompt access to targeted support. The Green Paper aimed to improve mainstream provision, building on the ambitious of the White Paper reforms.

·        The Local Authority was currently investigating the funding and opportunities available to develop multi-agency family hubs, focussing on school readiness.

·        Given the impact of Covid-19 and the increase in demand, the issue of SEND sufficiency was highlighted and the importance of ensuring there was a sufficient number of places to educate children and young people with SEND and provide specialist provision.

·        There had been recent changes in respect of attendance in schools. The importance of school attendance was highlighted, as it provided reassurance that children/young people were benefiting from education and professionals were able to safeguard and promote their welfare. It was expected that, in future, there would be new duties placed on the Local Authority to improve attendance. The Local Authority’s Vulnerable Children Attendance Project (VCAP) aimed to monitor and track the attendance of vulnerable children. The Department for Education (DfE) had selected Middlesbrough as a pilot area in respect of school attendance, building on the good work that had already been undertaken.

·        Although the areas referenced were of national importance, the issues of SEND sufficiency and attendance were very specific to Middlesbrough’s local needs.

·        The issue of youth violence and the work undertaken with schools was highlighted as a priority for Education and Partnerships. Work in that area would continue via the delivery of the Youth Justice Plan.

A Member enquired about the relevance of SEND sufficiency to the scrutiny panel’s recent review of SEND. The Director of Education and Partnerships explained that SEND sufficiency was specific to the free school wave and funding announced by Government to provide special and alternative provision free schools. The closing date to register an interest was July 2023. The issue was specific to sufficiency, rather than broader SEND provision.

In response to a Member’s query regarding the locations of the proposed family hubs, the Director of Education and Partnerships advised that the funding planned to provide universal provision to those families in need. It was added that, in respect of developing the hubs, the scrutiny panel may wish to provide input.

A Member highlighted the importance of tackling youth violence and recommended that the topic be selected for the scrutiny panel’s work programme for 2022/23.

A Member commented that, when agreeing its work programme, the scrutiny panel may wish to review the development of family hubs as part of a broader topic of early learning for young children.

NOTED