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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon CR0 1NX. View directions

Contact: Tom Downs  Email: tom.downs@croydon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

20/23

Apologies for absence

To receive any apologies for absence from any members of the Committee.

 

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Elaine Jones (Voting Diocesan Representative (Catholic Diocese)).

21/23

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 120 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 28 February 2023 as an accurate record.

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 28 February 2023 were approved as an accurate record.

22/23

Disclosures of Interest

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and other registrable and non-registrable interests they may have in relation to any item(s) of business on today’s agenda.

Minutes:

There were no declarations made at the meeting.

23/23

Urgent Business (if any)

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

Minutes:

There was none.

24/23

Exclusions Update pdf icon PDF 193 KB

For the Sub-Committee to receive a presentation and update on Exclusions and Suspensions in Croydon. This item was deferred from the last meeting on the 28 February 2023.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a paper set out on pages 17 to 26 of the agenda, which provided an update on Exclusions and Suspensions in Croydon. This item was deferred from the last meeting on the 28 February 2023. The Director of Education introduced the item and went through the presentation slides.

 

Members asked whether officers attended Exclusion Panels for academy schools, and heard from the Head of Access to Education that parents were provided the contact details of the Council Exclusions Lead in the statutory exclusions letter, and could invite them should they wish; academies were not obligated to inform the Council of the details of Exclusion Panels. The Director of Education explained that the Council has a statutory duty to provide education to excluded students and so would be aware of these pupils, if they have not been informed, after the Panel had taken place, or earlier in some cases. The Sub-Committee asked if academies had their own Pupil Referral Units and heard that this was not the case.

 

The Sub-Committee asked about challenge where patterns of disproportionality with exclusions were identified, and what training opportunities were provided to Head Teachers. The Head of Access to Education explained that there were training opportunities available, but these were at the discretion of Head Teacher to attend. Representatives from every school in Croydon had attended a training session on ‘Adultification’ in the 2021/22 academic year; this had been followed by other ongoing training sessions for which the Council held attendance logs. Academies held their own training and reported these sessions to the Council. The Head of Access to Education explained that the Council did undertake Section 11 statutory audits of safeguarding which included scrutiny of the training schools were providing. Members asked if training had been effective in reducing disproportionality for black children and the Head of Access to Education explained that it was effective on an individual basis and that strong challenge was being made on the basis of race, which would be reflected in this year’s exclusions figure. The Head of Access to Education acknowledged that systemic change would take a much longer time to embed.

 

Members asked about the independent review of exclusions decisions and the Director of Education explained that every permanent exclusion went through an independent review panel that was usually convened by the school’s governing body. The Sub-Committee asked about Croydon’s adoption of a ‘Public Health’ approach to crime, and whether there was a correlation between exclusions and youth crime. The Director of Education explained that there was a known link that had been identified through the Vulnerable Adolescents Review. Members heard that sometimes young people ‘self-exclude’ by taking a decision not to attend school and that this could impact on their outcomes. Members heard that Saffron Valley Collegiate, the Council’s Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), have been involved in the AP ‘taskforce’ project and that pupils within the PRU were receiving support that extended beyond their education and incorporated a ‘trauma informed’ approach.

 

The Vice-Chair  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24/23

25/23

Elective Home Education pdf icon PDF 133 KB

For the Sub-Committee to receive a briefing on Elective Home Education (EHE), including the data showing the number of Children and Young people receiving EHE.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a paper set out on pages 27 to 50 of the agenda, which provided a briefing on Elective Home Education (EHE) in Croydon, including the data showing the number of Children and Young people receiving EHE. The Head of Access to Education introduced the item and summarised the report.

 

Members asked whether the Council provided any open days for EHE pupils and heard from the Director of Education that this was not the case due to the small size of the EHE team and the different circumstances of families that were better addressed through individual conversations. The Head of Access to Education added that the Local Authority had to remain neutral in regards to EHE, and could not make a judgement on any family’s decision to take that route. Members heard that historically the EHE team had provided a number of resources to EHE families, and that additional online resources were planned for the future with expansion of the team.

 

The Sub-Committee asked what the Council could do to address children who fell significantly behind in EHE. The Director for Education explained it was expected that any child with a special need was in a school that could meet their needs, but where families had chosen to EHE, they would be responsible for meeting these needs without resources from the Council. The Corporate Director for Children, Young People & Education explained that there was very little power for the Council to intervene over issues that could not be in the child’s best educational interest, but that forthcoming legislation may change this. The Sub-Committee heard the Council was supportive of this legislation changing. The Sub-Committee asked how many SEN children were being home educated and heard that currently there were seven in Croydon with an EHCP, but some parents may be in the process of applying for EHCP, or have less substantial needs. The Head of Access to Education explained that families were responsible for delivering the EHCP should they chose to EHE.

 

The Sub-Committee asked if the Council knew how many ‘not known’ EHE students were in Croydon, and whether there were any processes to try to identify these children. The Director for Education explained that families did not have to register with the Council to notify of EHE, but the Council would know if the child had previously been on a school roll. The Vice-Chair asked how an EHCP process would be conducted for a child receiving an EHE. The Director of Education explained that a parent or GP could submit an application for an EHCP assessment. Members asked about the increase in parents not providing a reason for EHE and heard that this was not known but that possibly this was because it was the first year that this option had been included as a ‘tick box’ on the notification form.

 

The Sub-Committee asked about the most common obstacles facing children in receipt of EHE. The Head of Access to Education explained that many families delivering  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25/23

26/23

Experience of Care Leavers pdf icon PDF 233 KB

For the Sub-Committee to receive a report which will provide an opportunity to look at the experiences of Care Experienced Young People.

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a paper set out in the supplementary agenda, which outlined the position of Care Experienced young people in Croydon as assessed by Officers in the Annual Self-Assessment and Improvement plans and a recent review and recommendations by Mark Riddell, the National Implementation Adviser for Care Leavers, at the Department for Education (DfE). The Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers introduced the item and summarised the report. The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People explained that this report was a very early response to the recent review and recommendations by Mark Riddell, and that a full report would be coming forward through Cabinet and the Corporate Parenting Panel.

 

Members asked about the housing offers available to Care Leavers, and whether there was effective support from the Council Housing department. The Corporate Director for Children, Young People & Education explained that significant work with Housing colleagues was already underway, but the scale of the challenge in this area was not being underestimated. A full Cabinet paper would be forthcoming on the housing responsibilities to Care Experienced Young People that would be a collaboration between the Housing department. Deputy Mayor, Children, Young People and Education department and Cabinet Member for Children & Young People. The Corporate Director for Children, Young People & Education agreed with the Sub-Committee that a ‘whole Council’ approach was needed in addition to good partnership working.

 

The Sub-Committee asked if all departments were aware of their Corporate Parenting responsibilities. The Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers explained that he felt departments were as a whole, but often individuals were not and there needed to be additional training and available information to further embed this approach and knowledge to make sure every officer was aware of their responsibilities.

 

The Chair asked what housing support and options were offered to Care Leavers. The Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers responded that a large number of Care Leavers had ‘stay put’ arrangements where they were able to stay with their foster carers. Some young people did not want to do this and wished to live independently, but housing waiting lists for those who wished to move on could be long, and often other alternatives had to be sought in the private rental market, rent guarantee schemes or supported living where appropriate. The Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers stated there was an aspiration for more supported housing to be available. Members heard that there were a number of wraparound services that were available and work had begun on developing these further to provide some additional support. The Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers explained that Housing colleagues were on-board with further developing housing pathways for Care Leavers.

 

The Sub-Committee asked what the main obstacles were to providing a good service for Care Leavers. The Head of Looked After Children and Care Leavers explained that this question had been considered in a recent restructure of the service; the housing expectations of young  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26/23

27/23

Early Help, Children's Social Care and Education Dashboard pdf icon PDF 78 KB

To receive the Early Help, Children’s Social Care and Education Dashboard.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered a report set out on pages 51 to 54 of the agenda, which provided the Early Help, Children’s Social Care and Education Dashboard.

 

Members asked about ‘Progress 8’, and heard from the Director of Education that the figure in the report was an average across schools and that the Council was focussed on improving outcomes for Key Stages 4 and 5. One of the main remits for the Education Partnership would be around working collectively to improve outcomes for children in attainment and progress. The Director of Education explained that recent Ofsted inspections had been very positive, but a balance needed to be struck between making sure children made progress and making sure outcomes were comparable to Croydon’s neighbours. The Director of Education commented that this needed to be a collective priority that was shared between schools.

 

The Chair commented on the Sub-Committee’s desire to include some KPIs on Care Experienced Young People in future versions of the dashboard.

28/23

Cabinet Response to Scrutiny Recommendations pdf icon PDF 89 KB

The Children & Young People Sub-Committee is presented with an up to date list of responses from Cabinet to recommendations made by the Sub-Committee to note.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee noted the report.

29/23

Work Programme 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 80 KB

The Children & Young People Sub-Committee is asked to: -

 

1.       Note the most recent version of its Work Programme, as presented in the report.

 

2.       Consider whether there are any other items that should be provisionally added to the work programme as a result of the discussions held during the meeting.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee noted the report.