Agenda item

Johnny Kyriacou, Director of Education presented the report to the committee and confirmed that from the Council Delivery Plan’s 59 activities, ten are relevant to this committee.  It was confirmed that 50% of the ten are currently on track, 30% are currently showing at risk and 20% are complete.

The following points from the report were highlighted to the committee –

The new multi-agency safe guarding groups are now live.  Agenda setting is well underway to ensure that the right people are in the right place and information is shared with the right people

There has been notable progress in the five-year plan for capital investment.  There is a robust plan in place which maps out how the council will meet the needs of children and young people. 

The committee noted that 85% of key business measures are on track (out of 14).  It was confirmed that the uptake of early education and childcare entitlements currently at around 87%. It's a consistently strong area of focus for the council.

It was further confirmed that the council has created all the additional class places needed. All additional primary places have been found.

One key setback has been the delay in the opening of the Academy which was due to open and provide alternative provision places for up to sixty young people.  It was confirmed that this was a Department for Education project so, although the places are needed, it is currently out of the council’s hands. 

A further set back in terms of performance has been the percentage of education, health and care plans (EHCP) being completed within 20 weeks.  Currently only 22% are being completed within 20 weeks.  It was confirmed that 1971 requests for EHCP have been received this year, compared to 1418 last year, an increase of just over 500 around 39%. The highest number of requests was received in July 2024 at 231.

Following a question from Councillor Penny-Anne O’Donnell, it was confirmed that there has been a huge improvement in the performance relating to EHCP annual reviews; currently at 85% completed on time.  There is now a specific team in place, and it is having a great impact.

An update in relation to EHCP planned conversions confirmed that while the process could still be frustrating, the team is making good progress.  Performance is being measured month to month due to the high demand.  The team is working hard against a background of staff shortages.  It was confirmed that the headlines in the performance report don’t show that there is no detriment to children.  EHCP funding is always back dated so schools can start the provision knowing that they will receive all the funding. 

Following a question from Councillor Jerry Roodhouse, Councillor Kam Kaur, Portfolio Holder for Education, stated that sometimes, too much information could be overkill.  It is important to note that every officer within the team is doing what they can and working hard.  It was noted that everything heard today is linked to the council plan; but if the committee would like deeper information in relation to the strategic view then that is a different road map, but one that can be designed in time. 

Following a further question about whether resources currently match the demand, it was confirmed that there are many different stories from children that could be shared from early years until 25 years old.  Information that is more targeted and more specific could be presented to the committee, showing a transformation journey.

Following a query from Councillor Justin Kerridge in relation to alternative provision, it was agreed that a member development session on this subject could be arranged.  Johnny Kyriacou, Director of Education confirmed that alternative provision is a high priority for us.  There has been a spike in exclusions from primary schools and it is an area that is costing the council a lot of money. 

It was further noted that the schools in Warwickshire are facing challenging times with children with complex needs and the council is working on bringing everyone together – it is a fragmented system at the moment. 

Councillor Tim Sinclair questioned the percentage of Warwickshire County Council Children Homes places that are currently occupied; the performance report shows that it is on track, yet behind target.  Nigel Minns, Executive Director for Children and Young People confirmed that the number of children in Warwickshire owned homes is quite low at the moment which can skew the figures.  There are children due to be placed in homes tomorrow so the number will change again.

Recommendation

That the Children and Young People Overview & Scrutiny Committee (the Committee) considers and comments on Quarter 2 2024/25 organisational progress against the Council Delivery Plan, performance, management of finances and risk in relation to those areas within its remit.