Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Cinko-Oner and Councillor Safi-Ngongo.

There were no declarations of substitute members.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 10^th June 2024 be confirmed as an accurate record of proceedings and the Chair be authorised to sign them.

The Chair informed the Committee that they had met with officers to express concern that the Scrutiny Initiation Document did not adequately capture the complexity of the review to be undertaken.

ACTION:

Officers in Democratic Services to co-ordinate the revision and re-circulation of the Scrutiny Initiation Document (SID) to all members/officers.

None.

Officers delivered a presentation to members on the committee’s principal topic of scrutiny for 2024-25, which was on persistent absences in secondary schools. In the discussion, the following points were raised:

• Regarding the presence of attendance officers within individual schools, officers advised that they did hold some information on the numbers but had not conducted any comprehensive analysis of this data.
• Members questioned the methodology used by officers to determine when an absence was recorded as being Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) questionnaire to determine if it was EBSA, officers advised that this was determined through listening and observation.
• Officers stated that there had been an impact on severe absence due to a concerted effort to focus on this.
• Initiatives included an attendance awareness programme for parents and targeted meetings in the south of the borough to bring schools closer together to share experiences. Additionally, within social care, safeguarding and early help, every practitioner was expected to understand what good attendance looked like, to recognise poor attendance early and where there’s mental health factors involved, to ensure that it is addressed.
• Officers informed members that the combination of the attendance duty not being funded by previous governments and deficits within individual schools, meant that schools were losing resources that they had previously benefitted from.
• Officers stated that it was sometimes difficult to get under the reasons for the disparity in absences between schools.
• Parental wellbeing had become a source of concern since the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• Members expressed a desire to see more joined working with Housing and Mental Health services, particularly considering the long waiting lists for each.
• Officers advised that flexi-schooling could only proceed with the agreement of headteachers.
• Officers advised that the Education Board was not a body that was formally tasked with scrutinising school attendance, having been a strategic collaboration that had then been formalised, but that if members deemed it necessary to seek the Board’s input or comment then this could be facilitated.
• Officers stated that once the resource had been confirmed that the mentors funded through the Mayor’s Fund would be targeted at Islington families regardless of whether the school that their children attended was a maintained school or not.
• Members noted that they had received separate accoutns of young people in their constituencies that failed to return to school after the COVID-19 Pandemic and were subsequently exploited by gangs. 
• Members suggested there was an importance of incorporating compassionate language in communications with families regarding persistent absence.
• In terms of addressing how everyone can come together to tackle the issue of attendance, officers advised that concurrent, ongoing work was being undertaken for this purpose, which was the task and finish group and the call to arms.
• Members noted that primary schools seemed to be more affected by persistent absence, to which officers stated that there tended to be more of a challenge working with parents and carers in early years about attendance. Officers assured members that this was being addressed through the task and finish  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

Officers provided an update on the Baseline Report for Supported Internships. In the presentation and ensuing discussion, the following points were raised:

• Members were informed that supported internships ensured a rounded experience of employment and education for young people that were on the scheme.
• The local Mencap had conducted a large amount of the job coaching for the scheme.
• Challenges remained about utilising the breadth of opportunities across the Council that can help broaden the offer.
• In response to members questions about whether preparing young people with SEND for adulthood in Year Nine was too late, officers advised that ideally this would be happening from early years.
• In response to members questions about how schools could consider those children whose career paths would be different, officers advised that schemes such as the 100 hours World of Work programme.
• In response to members questions about the challenges of finding employers for the programme, officers advised that they were in the process of approaching employers and that there was still an anxiety among some businesses on working with young people with disabilities. Officers stated that job coaches were critical to overcoming the challenge and the programme’s success, as they were the connection between the education and employment aspect. Members suggested that the programme should be more heavily promoted via the Council’s communications channels.
• Officers stated that general awareness and demand had been driven largely through promotion in the social care and SEND services and through members – young people’s enthusiasm was demonstrated by the numbers joining the scheme which had doubled every year since 2020. The challenge, officers stated, was convincing parents that the scheme was safe and effective.
• Officers clarified to members that the internships are unpaid, and that Maths and English continue to be offered alongside the work placement, which can be tailored to the young person’s need.
• Officers were receptive to members suggestions about more heavily involving the arts sector in the programme.
• Both Mencap and Project Search hold awards ceremonies celebrating young people’s achievement.

ACTION:

Officers to conduct comparative analysis on the success of the scheme with the Council’s apprenticeship scheme.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted

Officers presented a verbal update on the School Organisation plan to the committee. In the update and ensuing discussion, the following points were raised:

• Officers stated that the update was to keep members informed on the progress of Phases One and Two.
• Officers informed members that the plan was strategic and responding to challenges that was prevalent across London. Officers further stated that the plan would strengthen the Council’s oversight of the ability and sustainability of its schools.
• Phase One had seen the amalgamation of Vittoria and Copenhagen Primary Schools and PAN Reductions of Highbury Quadrant, Montem, New North and Pooles Park schools, for September 2024.
• Phase Two had seen the closure of Blessed Sacremont and the amalgamation of Duncombe and Montem schools.
• Officers paid tribute to the communities of each of the schools affected by the amalgamations, thanking them for their collaboration and responses during the amalgamation process.
• Phase Two had also seen further PAN reductions, some of which was voluntary (City Of London Academy Highbury Hill and City of London Academy Islington).
• Islington’s Corporate Director of Children’s Services headed the all-London group of Children’s Services Directors and could attest to Islington being the most challenged local authority within inner London on school places.
• The deficit had been reduced to close to £6 million and presently there was approximately a 26% vacancy rate for reception places and 18% for Year Seven places.
• Officers planned to reflect on the School Organisation plan after this academic year and were having conversations with the Diocese who were also removing pools of entry. No decisions on a potential Phase Three or Four had yet been made.
• Members noted that there was high anxiety among local headteachers and while it was appreciated that there were limitations on what information officers could provide, sought assurances from officers that the timetables that will be provided to vulnerable schools will be adhered to. In response, officers advised that timeframes had been adhered to each phase, that officers aim to keep timeframes within an academic year and that there would be a long lead-in to any future phases.
• Officers advised that while Islington Council had lost the High Court case on Pooles Park School, it retained a recourse to appeal. The Council had since sought that permission to appeal and a court appearance was scheduled for August 2024.
• Members urged officers to consider the lessons learned from the Duncombe and Montem school amalgamation for any potential future phases of the School Organisation plan.
• In response to member questions about what support was being provided for pupils that had been affected by school amalgamations and had to commute to a new site, officers advised that there was currently no funding available for transporting pupils to schools other than for those that met the current criteria.
• Officers stated that there was other support available for parents that did relocate and that support was available for new school uniforms.
• Members noted that during the call-in of the Executive’s decision to amalgamate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

Members thanked all that contributed to the review, including witnesses, officers and members of the 2023-24 Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee and endorsed the recommendations that had been agreed by that committee in April 2024.

RESOLVED

That the report of the 2023-24 Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee on The Children’s Workforce be approved.