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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1, Town Hall, Upper Street, N1 2UD. View directions

Contact: Zoe Lewis  0207 527 3486

Media

Items
No. Item

42.

Apologies for Absence

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Pandor and Ozdemir.

43.

Declaration of Substitute Members

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Cinko-Oner substituted for Councillor Ozdemir and Councillor Chowdhury substituted for Councillor Pandor.

44.

Declarations of Interest

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.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

45.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 316 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 October 2022 be confirmed as an accurate record of proceedings and the Chair be authorised to sign them.

46.

Scrutiny Committee Response Tracker pdf icon PDF 146 KB

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Minutes:

RESOLVED:

That the report tracker be noted.

47.

Chair's Report

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Minutes:

The Chair reported that an evidence session had taken place with Matthew Blood, Head of the Virtual School, the visit to Arsenal in the Community would take place on 2 December and after this visit, she would be attending a celebration for Care Leavers.

 

The Chair reported that this would be the last meeting for Jo Collins, Operational Lead for Children and Young People Services, Whittington Health and Zoe Lewis, Democratic Services. They were thanked for their work.

48.

Items for Call In (if any)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None.

49.

Public Questions

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.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None.

50.

External Attendees (if any)

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Minutes:

None.

51.

Making Children Visible Scrutiny Review - Witness Evidence

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Jon Abbey introduced the presentation.

 

In the introduction, the following main points were made:

 

·       The aim of the review was to assess the way the council worked to improve the visibility of vulnerable children and ensure that there were equitable processes and inclusive practices that enabled the voice of these children and young people to influence the support and services for them to thrive.

·       The objectives of the review were:

1. To further understand and consider the current and future challenges for these children and young people and how the council was responding;

2. To explore how support to attend school, learn and prepare for the world of work could be strengthened for children with a social worker, care-experienced young people and vulnerable young people;

3. To assess how the voice of children and young people could be strengthened across the children’s system to further influence the planning and delivery of support and services, in equitable and inclusive ways.

·       The scope of the review and evidence to be received would include:

1. The disproportionality and disparities for these children;

2. The challenges, opportunities, and developments to improve the visibility of children and the voice of the child/young person identified by the young people and families themselves, and professionals working in Islington;

3. The current support and pathways for identified groups of children and young people at risk of invisibility to the wider children’s system e.g. elective home education, within the virtual school, post-16 education, employment and training and;

4. Different models of child/youth voice and influence approaches and an exploration of how this could be more effective, inclusive and achieve change.ly to become

Akeel Ahmed, Assistant Director Community Learning & Libraries gave a presentation on Young People who were likely to become Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).

In the presentation and discussion, the following main points were made:

       Under the Raising the Participation Age (RPA) legislationall young people were required to be participating in some form of education, training or employment with training (EET) after they had complete compulsory education until they turned 18. This could be in school, college or through work-based learning. Keeping young people actively engaged helped young people develop skills, raise aspirations and develop as members of society.

       RPA also required local authorities to reduce the number of young people whose status was NEET or not known.

       A vision in the Islington Education Plan: 14-19 was to reduce the number of NEET young people by developing a collaborative, ‘Team Islington’ approach to early identification and intervention. 

       Currently the number of Islington’s 16 and 17 year olds not in employment, education or training was 1.9%, which was greater than the London average of 1.5% but below the national average of 2.4%. This represented an increase of 0.2% on last year. 

       Analysis over four years of Year 11 leavers from Islington schools showed approximately 1.4% of the school roll went on to become NEET in the year they left school.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

52.

Quarter 2 Performance Report pdf icon PDF 366 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Jon Abbey, Corporate Director – Children’s Services presented the report.

 

In the discussion, the following main points were made:

·       Members raised concern about persistent absenteeism. An officer stated that this figure was higher than last year, although was lower than statistical neighbours. Persistent absenteeism was a national concern and there was new guidance out to address this. Targeted interventions were taking place and every school was being visited each term to talk to staff about attendance. Every school’s attendance was ranked. Data was being used to provide more focussed support. The Virtual School now supported those who had a social worker.

·       In response to a member’s question about progress with permanent and fixed term exclusions, an officer stated that this work was on track.

·       In response to a member’s question about the Summer reading challenge, an officer stated that uptake, age range and disproportionality would be considered as part of the Library review.

·       In response to a member’s question, an officer advised that 7 out of 10 GCSE pupils had a positive progress 8 score. More maths and science support was required for the 3 out of 10 pupils who did not. The baseline had now been re-established and the service was looking at exam boards to see where links could be strengthened.

 

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

 

53.

Annual Report Back on the Transition from COVID-19 Scrutiny Review pdf icon PDF 490 KB

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Minutes:

Candy Holder, Head of Pupil Services presented the report.

 

In the discussion, the following main points were made:

·       It was noted that Targeted Youth Services offered free counselling for any child aged 12 or over in the borough. An officer advised that this service was for young people up to the age of 21 and was funded by Public Health. Each young person would be allocated up to 12 sessions.

·       In response to a question about the 11 by 11 programme uptake, an officer advised that that the uptake was on target. Work was taking place with cultural organisations to try to extend the current offer so that more schools would take part in the programme.

·       In response to a question about the government’s tutoring funding, an officer stated that this funding brought greater flexibility and was for any child falling behind in reading, writing or maths.

 

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

54.

Education Plan pdf icon PDF 147 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Jon Abbey, Corporate Director, Children’s Services presented the report.

 

In the discussion the following main points were made:

 

·       In response to a member’s question, officers explained that the creativity in the plan was about delivering educational excellence whilst supporting schools to be financially viable. Consultation was currently taking place on the amalgamation of Copenhagen and Vittoria schools. This would help deliver excellent education outcomes.

·       In response to a member’s question, an officer stated that there were currently 10 supplementary schools. The council would have to think creatively about how to continue to support them by pooling resources as government funding had been cut.

·       In response to a member’s question, an officer advised that Appendix G of the report contained six priorities including reducing fixed term exclusions and persistent absence. As part of this the ethnicity, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Free School Meals eligibility would be considered and individual schools would be supported.

·       In response to a member’s question about the 100 hours of work take up and catch up, an officer advised that this was in the remit of the Youth Employment Services team so there were direct links with the wider youth offer. There was a focus on creative industries and officers were looking to review the indicators. Members could be provided with a breakdown of figures.

 

RESOLVED:

1) That the report be noted.

2) That members be provided with a breakdown of figures in relation to the 100 hours of work programme.

 

55.

SEND Strategy pdf icon PDF 129 KB

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Minutes:

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

56.

Work Programme and Final Scrutiny Initiation Document pdf icon PDF 49 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

That the Work Programme and Scrutiny Initiation Document be noted.