Agenda item

For the Select Committee to note the developments in the Children’s Services Directorate for the period March to September 2022.

Contributors:

Cllr Anita Cranmer, Portfolio holder, Children’s Services & Education

John Macilwraith, Corporate Director of Children’s Services

Papers:

Committee report

With links to:

Government White Paper – Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child

Government Green Paper – SEND Review: Right support, right place, right time

Independent review of Children’s Social Care – Macalister  - report

SEND Education Sufficiency Plan

Buckinghamshire Partnership Early Help Strategy - refreshed strategy for 2022-2025

Participation Strategy for Young People. -

The Chairman invited Cllr Anita Cranmer, Cabinet Member for Children’s and Education, and John Macilwraith, Corporate Director of Children’s Services, to speak on this item.

In their presentation, the following points were highlighted:

·       Two regulatory inspections had been held between March and September 2022: one on the Youth Offending Service and secondly the OFSTED focus visit regarding care leavers. The results would be shared with the Committee once available.

·       Action JM

·       Improvement of the service posed as a challenge due to growing demand and the increased complexity of cases. However, regular meetings with the Improvement Board were being held and the improvement journey so far had been successful. The Council was further adapting its procedures around provision and placements for young people to whom the Council was a corporate parent.

·       A Shout out for SEND event, in line with the Council’s participation strategy would be held on the 9^th of November to consider the views of young people. This would be the Council’s second event of this nature. The event would primarily focus on children in mainstream schools receiving SEN support and their inclusion within the schools. The feedback would then be forwarded to the individual schools directly.

During discussion, comments and questions raised by the Committee included:  

·       The Council’s Housing Services had prioritised accommodation for care leavers over the last 12-18 months. The transition from leaving care was a key element in the strategy. It had been successful in supporting young people into employment, education and training with around 20 care leavers commencing university this year. More detailed data around the categories of destinations of care leavers would be provided to the Committee.

ACTION: JM

·       A Member raised concerns about the pledge to deliver up to £6 million tutoring packages nationally in light of current recruitment challenges of teachers and teaching assistants. Simon James echoed that recruitment, particularly of teaching assistants had been challenging due to the cost-of-living crisis. As this was a national issue, discussions were being held with the Department for Education. The team were also examining opportunities for further benefits being put in place to assist teaching assistants with living costs as a matter of urgency. He also advised that the Council was working on a project focussing on recruitment and retention of staff. In collaboration with a number of partners, such as teacher training agencies, to encourage people to take up teaching vacancies within Buckinghamshire. It was also explained that the Council had made representations to central government around school finance and funding.

·       The Council was currently working with the organisation ‘Impower’. They had presented information at the latest safeguarding partnership meeting and were trying to focus on how to meet demands for children’s social care across the partnership and how to deliver services in the future. A further update on the programme would be provided at the next Select Committee meeting.

·       Action: JM

·       Simon James explained that the government had released capital spend of £70m as proposed in the SEND Green Paper. The Council would ensure that those funds would be utilised within Buckinghamshire by releasing a bid for a new special school focusing on children with social, emotional or mental health difficulties. The Council had also received an uplift in revenue money in line with national uplifts. However, the Council has also lobbied the government for more funds to support children with SEND as part of the F40 group.

·       In response to a Member’s concerns about OFSTED inspections, Simon James advised that school inspections had increased over the past 12 months. Schools that had previously received a good or outstanding rating were able to maintain their scores over this period which was to be congratulated. The improvement board had also been very active in overseeing progress against OFSTED’s recommendations. John Macilwraith added that the Council was committed to working towards achieving a ‘good’ rating by putting actions on recommendations in place, such as to reduce homelessness levels of 16 to 17-year-olds. He expressed confidence in the Council’s workforce but noted that a clear plan was needed to consolidate recommendations and other areas of activity. This was currently being undertaken with senior colleagues across the organisation.

·       A Member expressed concerns around OFSTED’s findings of delayed diagnoses of SEND children and questioned how the Council would ensure that the right support is put in place for children awaiting diagnosis. It was noted that the neurodevelopmental pathway for diagnosis of Autism and ADHD remained a significant area of concern. Although the issue mainly involved the healthcare sector, the Council was using their partnership with health colleagues, both in terms of commissioning and provision. The aim was to both decrease wait times for diagnosis and the need for diagnosis itself by focusing on needs-led provision of services and early intervention, for example through mental health support teams in schools.

·       It was noted that schools were contacted to establish whether the requirement of a 32.5 hour week was being met. The schools that fell short of this requirement were monitored and consultations would have to be undertaken with parents, the local authority and other stakeholders to ensure they are meeting the needs of their pupils.

·       The Council had started the introduction of a banded funding arrangement for schools in Buckinghamshire that would follow the needs of the child. The band values had been agreed with the schools, particularly in relation to special schools. This method would be implemented over the coming months.

·       A pilot had been done with some of Buckinghamshire’s schools to ensure that digitised EHCPs were fit for purpose and met the needs of families, before the system was implemented further.

·       In relation to the academisation agenda outlined in the Government’s White Paper, it was noted that the future design of school structures in Buckinghamshire would continue to focus on what works best for the pupils. Headteachers were receiving support and information around which schools might benefit from being a multi-academy trust to alleviate any anxieties. Similarly, schools who were focus of the school improvement agenda would also receive additional support to ensure increases in performance. Mental health support was also being implemented in schools, with an average of over 17 educational psychologists in the service. A board had been established in with public health professionals to focus on mental health support.

The Chairman thanked the presenters for their attendance and participation.