Agenda, decisions and minutes

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 September 2023 be agreed as an accurate record.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 September 2023 be agreed as an accurate record.

There were none.

There were none.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

Witnesses

Pinaki Ghoshal, Director for Children and Young People
Ruth Griffiths, Head of Access, Inclusion and Participation
Anthony Doudle, Head of Lewisham Learning

Susan Rowe, Lewisham Education Group and Lewisham Black Parent Forum

Key points from discussion

The Children and Young People Directorate Officers introduced the item. Key points included:

3.1.       Lewisham pupils exhibited good behaviours for learning, were receiving a quality, well-taught curriculum, and demonstrated respect for one another and school staff.

3.2.       Assessment against the Good Level of Development Framework needed to be more consistent.

3.3.       More support was to be provided for Key Stage 2 pupils exceeding the expected standard, particularly in writing so that those pupils’ performance mirrored national performance outcomes.

3.4.       Phonics in Year 1 needed to improve.

3.5.       Key Stage 4 outcomes had largely returned to 2019 levels.

3.6.       Since the report had been drafted, CTK Acquinas had received an Ofsted grading of Good.

3.7.       The proportion of schools rated Good or better given in the report was inaccurate: the actual figure was 97.1 per cent.

3.8.       The Council played an important role in careers guidance (the statutory responsibility of schools), particularly in relation to the work experience programme, in which all schools still engaged.

3.9.       Lewisham had consistent safeguarding practice, and structures which enabled collaboration. 

3.10.    An audit of schools’ behaviour policies had been undertaken in connection with the Tackling Race Inequality in Education Programme. Next steps were being considered. 

The Committee then put questions to the witnesses. Key points from the discussion included:

3.11.    Initial Key Stage 5 results for vocational courses were positive.

3.12.    The proportion of Key Stage 1 pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths had been revised up to 60 per cent due to continuing validation. Final validated results would be provided to the Committee in March.

3.13.    SATs papers had assessed knowledge pupils were expected to acquire in Years 3 and 4, when there were Covid-19 lockdowns. There was an expectation that outcomes would return to pre-2019 levels.

3.14.    Phonics had also been impacted by Covid-19 lockdowns, when it had been taught online to Reception pupils. The rate of subsequent improvement was quick and outcomes were approaching the pre-2019 level of 84 per cent. Year on year improvement was expected, Lewisham had well-taught, high quality programmes which began when pupils were in Reception and were underpinned by robust professional development.

3.15.    Safeguarding training for Governors was provided throughout the year by the Access, Inclusion and Participation (AIP) Service, but take-up could be better. The Service promoted training opportunities through governor and designated safeguarding lead networks and during visits to schools.

3.16.    The audit of behaviour policies was triangulated with AIP’s understanding of their application in schools. In some cases, where policies seemed lacking, good and inclusive practice had been found in reality.

3.17.    The process for the planned consultation regarding behaviour policies needed to be developed and discussed with the Tackling Race Inequality in Education Steering Group, which had commissioned the review. The review  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

Witnesses

Pinaki Ghoshal, Director for Children and Young People
Lucie Heyes, Director of Children’s Social Care
Sara Rahman, Director of Families, Quality and Commissioning

Key points from discussion

The Director of Children’s Social Care introduced the report. Key points included:

4.1.       The report was based on the Council’s 2022/23 Ofsted self-assessment. In the first half of the year, children’s services had continued to be adversely affected by the legacy of the pandemic, experiencing increased demand in combination with significant workforce challenges, including high turnover, vacancies and caseloads. Towards the end of 2022, services began to recover: demand had levelled off (at higher rate than before the Covid-19 pandemic) and the workforce had stabilised, although it was inexperienced (a mitigating strategy was in place to address associated risks).

4.2.       Two thirds to three quarters of practice was believed to be Good, up from 15 per cent in 2018. Fewer children were on child protection plans, fewer children were being removed from their families, and fewer children were in care. This was largely due to investment in services to prevent high levels of statutory interventions and the Signs of Safety practice model enabling more children to stay with their families. Caseloads were reasonable with strong management oversight in place. There was a healthy practice culture. The Joint Targeted Area Inspection on safeguarding in November 2022 had recognised improvement across children’s services and its health and police partners.

4.3.       Early Help was at an earlier stage of its improvement journey than Children’s Social Care.

The Committee then put questions to the witnesses. Key points from the discussion included:

4.4.       The staff turnover rate was better when the London boroughs formula was applied.

4.5.       The education, training and employment rate for care leavers (58 per cent) was significantly lower than for the wider cohort of young people but not dissimilar to the rate for care leavers in other boroughs. The target was 75 per cent. A new support offer for care leavers was being commissioned with the intention of launching in January.

4.6.       Due to the high number of Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) in the workforce, additional management oversight panels and coaching had been implemented. More-senior social workers (‘consultant social workers’) based in the Academy were supporting NQSWs’ Assessed and Supported Year in Employment to reduce the burden on managers. Team managers’ experiences of supporting such high numbers of NQSWs was being considered.

4.7.       Children’s Social Care expected it was at the peak of staff inexperience, which it expected to begin to fall in six to twelve months. The attrition rate for NQSWs was around 40 per cent. Many NQSWs had their first professional experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, when staff were working remotely, providing them with less rich pre-qualification experience. Services were, therefore, seeking to diversify their recruitment of NQSWs and introduce more family practitioners, who tended to have more life and professional experience. A recently launched recruitment campaign was aimed at experienced social workers, as there was a large pool of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

For information only.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

5.1.       The Chair invited the Committee to send any written questions regarding the report to the Directorate via the Scrutiny Manager.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

RESOLVED

That updates on the Family Hubs programme and the outcome of the Adventure Playground tendering process be provided to the January 2024 meeting.

RESOLVED

That updates on the Family Hubs programme and the outcome of the Adventure Playground tendering process be provided to the January 2024 meeting.