Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Woodbyrne.

None.

If you have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest* in an item of business:

§  if it is not yet on the council’s register, you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent;

§  you may choose to declare a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest that is already in the register in the interests of openness and transparency. 

In both the above cases, you must leave the room without participating in discussion of the item.

If you have a personal interest in an item of business and you intend to speak or vote on the item you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent but you may participate in the discussion and vote on the item.

*(a) Employment, etc - Any employment, office, trade, profession or vocation carried on for profit or gain.

(b)  Sponsorship - Any payment or other financial benefit in respect of your expenses in carrying out duties as a member, or of your election; including from a trade union.

(c) Contracts - Any current contract for goods, services or works, between you or your partner (or a body in which one of you has a beneficial interest) and the council.

(d) Land - Any beneficial interest in land which is within the council’s area.

(e) Licences- Any licence to occupy land in the council’s area for a month or longer.

(f)   Corporate tenancies - Any tenancy between the council and a body in which you or your partner have a beneficial interest.

 (g) Securities - Any beneficial interest in securities of a body which has a place of business or land in the council’s area, if the total nominal value of the securities exceeds £25,000 or one hundredth of the total issued share capital of that body or of any one class of its issued share capital. 

This applies to all members present at the meeting.

Osama Al Jayousi declared a personal interest as he was currently corresponding with the local authority in regards to his child’s school place.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 June 2018 be agreed as a correct record and the Chair be authorised to sign them.

The Chair welcomed Osama Al Jayousi, who had been elected as the Primary Parent Governor Representative on the Committee. Osama introduced himself and noted that he was a parent governor at Prior Weston Primary School.  

None.

For members of the public to ask questions relating to any subject on the meeting agenda under Procedure Rule 70.5. Alternatively, the Chair may opt to accept questions from the public during the discussion on each agenda item.

None.

(a)  Scrutiny Initiation Document

The Committee reviewed the scrutiny initiation document set out in the agenda pack. At the previous meeting the Committee had expressed its intention for the review to cover both exclusion and persistent absence, however following discussion with senior officers, the Chair had suggested that the review focus on exclusion matters only.

The Committee was advised that both exclusion and persistent absence were sizable topics, and it would not be feasible to review the two distinct issues in sufficient detail within the time available. It was thought that a review of exclusion could have a greater impact than a review of persistent absence, as the Committee could scrutinise the processes and actions of schools and support services; whereas persistent absence was often the result of complex factors which it was more difficult for the Committee to directly influence. It was suggested that the Committee could review attendance data on a regular basis through the quarterly performance update.

The Committee agreed the scrutiny initiation document, subject to two additions to the scope of the review.

RESOLVED:

That the Scrutiny Initiation Document be approved, subject to the following additions to the scope of the review:

·         If pupils eligible for free school meals or with special educational needs are more likely to be excluded than the remainder of the cohort

·         If there are any common factors among pupils who are excluded and those who are persistently absent.

(b)  Introductory Presentation

Candy Holder, Head of Pupil Services, presented to the Committee on the legal framework for exclusions, exclusion processes, and data on the number of exclusions locally and nationally, characteristics of excluded pupils, and the reasons for exclusion.

The following main points were noted in the discussion:

·         The most frequent reason for either fixed term or permanent exclusion was ‘persistent disruptive behaviour’. All schools had a disruptive behaviour policy, however if some schools had an unusually high number of exclusions, it was suggested that the policy was either ineffective or not being implemented successfully.

·         Boys were more likely to be excluded than girls, however, Islington had a much higher proportion of excluded girls (44%) than the England average (23%).

·         A disproportionately high number of black minority ethnic pupils had been excluded in Islington, compared to the overall cohort. The Committee expressed concern at this, and was keen to explore why this may be, and how this could be addressed.

·         It was advised that Statutory Guidance would be circulated to members of the Committee. Officers summarised key aspects of the guidance, including that schools should avoid excluding pupils with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). It was noted that Islington excluded fewer pupils with an EHCP compared to the England average.

·         Schools were able to exclude pupils for incidents that happened outside of school.

·         Islington Council maintained records of the reasons why pupils had been excluded. The ‘other’ category was reserved for pupils who had been excluded for a weapon-related incident.

·         Officers were concerned by national reports that some schools made  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

Andrea Stark, Director of Employment, Skills and Culture, introduced the report which summarised progress on implementing the agreed recommendations of the Post-16 Education, Employment and Training review.

The following main points were noted in the discussion:

·         Officers thanked the committee for their recommendations, which had helped the service to develop a more strategic approach. It was commented that the integration of the Progress team into the iWork service had resulted in better business engagement with the team, and this was having a positive people on young people engaging with the service.

·         The Committee’s recommendations were being considered alongside the recommendations of the Fair Futures Commission, which also sought to improve careers advice and progression support for young people.

·         It was reported that an increased number of schools were welcoming the support of the Progress team.

·         Work was underway to provide greater employability support to young people in alternative provision. This involved partnership work between the council, New River College, and the BIG Alliance. This work was in its early stages, however officers reported that there was a huge amount of goodwill on all sides and the partners were enthusiastic about this work.  It was commented that industry-led careers education was limited in mainstream education settings, so providing this support to vulnerable pupils in alternative provision was considered to be an innovative approach.

·         It was commented that Islington now had one of the highest rates of young people in apprenticeships in London, however further work was needed to ensure that young people could access apprenticeships in all employment sectors. It was highlighted that Islington had many innovative tech businesses that young people would be keen to work for, but did not know how to access these industries.

·         Officers reported that the most challenging recommendation to implement had been engaging with school governors on careers education matters. It was advised that the council would re-engage with governors on this issue in autumn 2018.

·         It was reported that the Progress and iWork team now had more accurate information on how taking up work could affect a young person’s family’s benefits entitlement, and bespoke advice was provided to parents as required.

·         A member asked how a significant increase in cultural entitlement and work experience would impact on the school curriculum. In response, it was advised that the council wanted schools to include careers education as a core part of their curriculum from primary school onwards.

·         A member expressed concern that some young people became NEET after choosing an inappropriate college course, and asked what was being done to support young people in choosing appropriate pathways. In response, it was advised that the council was developing an emphasis on the breadth of pathways available to young people in the local area. A local labour market analysis was currently underway, and the results would be shared with schools, parents and young people to help them better understand the employment opportunities locally and how to access them.

·         Officers had identified young people with high rates of absence  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

Carmel Littleton, Corporate Director of Children, Employment and Skills, introduced the report which summarised Children’s Services performance at the 2017/18 year end.

The following main points were noted in the discussion:

·         The Committee was pleased that re-referrals to children’s social care were gradually decreasing.

·         The number of children subject to a child protection plan for a second or subsequent time had slightly increased, however officers advised that this was due to a small number of cases. The most common reason for issuing a child protection plan was due to domestic abuse or violence.

·         A virtual college had been established to supplement the work of the virtual school, and would support care leavers aged 18 to 25.

·         Officers emphasised the challenges of recruiting suitable foster carers for vulnerable young people aged 15 and over. It was noted that these young people exhibited challenging behaviours and may be gang affiliated. Work was underway with foster carers and those interested in becoming foster carers to inform them of trauma informed practices. It was hoped that this would result in more stable placements for teenagers in foster care.

·         There had been a reduction in first time entrants to the youth offending service, and a reduction in young people in custody. Re-offending had not decreased as hoped; this was due to a small cohort of young people entrenched in offending.

·         The Committee welcomed the significant reduction in the number of young people in Alternative Provision.

RESOLVED:

That Children’s Services performance at Quarter 4 2017/18 be noted.

A member suggested that the Committee could have a greater focus on universal services, and a particular focus on educational attainment. The Committee requested that preliminary exam results for GCSEs and KS2 SATs be reported to the Committee as part of the quarterly performance report when they become available. The Committee wished to review trends in attainment and any significant or unexpected results.