Agenda item

That the report be noted.

7.1      Ruth Griffiths, Service Manager, Access, Inclusion and Participation, introduced the report to the committee. In the discussion that followed, the following key points were raised:

·         Early intervention was best practice for learners and could be done in collaboration with Heads, Governors and families. Managed transfers to Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) were increasing compared to exclusions. This was considered positive in terms of the likelihood of learners to be able to reintegrate into main stream schools after a managed transfer versus after an exclusion. The figures were closely monitored for transparency.

·         Persistent absences continued to be high at the PRU but were lower than the National average. The Council was working hard to reduce absences and had a dedicated welfare and attendance officer working at the PRU two days per week. Serious non-attendance would be pursued by the Council.

·         A member of the Committee commented that it was positive that no children with an EHCP had been excluded from Lewisham schools and asked whether this was similar to Lewisham’s statistical neighbours. This information would be looked into and the Committee would be updated.

·         The recommendations the committee made through its review into exclusions were being looked at and a response was due to be provided to the Committee at the next meeting.

·         A member of the committee asked what could be done to help young people get home safely after the end of the school day. The Committee were informed that there was a walking bus for younger pupils from the PRU to the Youth First provision. Staff at the school were also actively involved in helping dispersing pupils and getting them on buses.

·         A member of the Committee asked whether discussions could be had with Transport for London (TfL) to improve the frequency of some of the routes such as the 181 as they were very crowded and sometimes young people would have to wait for quite a long time.

·         In response the committee was informed that schools talked directly to TfL. The Executive Director for Children and Young People agreed that this could be discussed further with the Council transport lead.

·         A deep dive into secondary exclusions had been commissioned to understand more about why and how some schools had been very successful at reducing their exclusion and managed transfer rates. Early intervention was likely to be key such as monitoring and intervention strategies as well as parent engagement and student enrichment activities. 

·         The Committee had previously highlighted good practice in their Exclusions in-depth review.

·         It would be very expensive for school days to be extended and would require central government to increase funding.

·         A member of the committee gave an example of a MOPAC funded initiative in Enfield and Harringey focusing on increasing the number of walking buses and school patrols between schools and stations and bus stops.

·         Reintegration from the Pupil Referral Until to mainstream schools had increased. This was in part due to the increased transparency around communicating the work undertaken by the PRU to ensure children were ready to return when they returned to mainstream schools.

7.2       RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.