Agenda and minutes

Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission - Thursday 5 February 2026 7.00 pm

Venue: Ground Floor Meeting Room G02A - 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH. View directions

Contact: Amit Alva  Email: Amit.Alva@southwark.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

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    To receive any apologies for absence.

    Minutes:

    Apologies for absence were received from Co?opted member Martin Brecknell

    and Councillor Jon Hartley.

2.

Notification of any items of business which the chair deems urgent

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    In special circumstances, an item of business may be added to an agenda within five clear working days of the meeting.

    Minutes:

    There were no items of business which the Chair deemed urgent.

3.

Disclosure of interests and dispensations.

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    Members to declare any interests and dispensations in respect of any item of business to be considered at this meeting.

    Minutes:

    There were no disclosures of interest or dispensations.

4.

Minutes

5.

Interview with HATS representative - private provider of Patient Health care, Mental Health, Home to Schools for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

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    To discuss areas of child safety, child welfare, complaints and working with Southwark council.

    Minutes:

    The commission first heard from Dan Hardy, Director of Operations for Southeast London, representing HATS- home to school transport for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), delivered in Southwark.

     

    Dan provided an overview of HATS’ role and operations, highlighting the following key points:

     

    ·  Service and operational context

    Ø  HATS provides home-to-school transport for SEND pupils on behalf of Southwark Council, alongside patient transport and mental health transport for the NHS.

    Ø  The home-to-school service is highly time?compressed, with most journeys taking place in a short morning and afternoon window, making the service more operationally pressured than patient transport which is spread across the day.

    Ø  There is a national driver shortage. HATS has mitigated this by upskilled drivers with lower license categories, which has helped stabilise staffing over the last 12 months.

     

    ·  Relationship with the council and management changes

    Ø  HATS reported that Southwark officers are generally responsive to concerns.

    Ø  A recent change in council management – a new lead officer (Susanna) – has led to better?defined processes and improved communication between HATS and the local authority, which has been well received by HATS staff.

     

    ·  Complaint and communication improvements

    Ø  HATS recognised that communication with parents and response times to complaints needed improvement.

    Ø  Together with the council, HATS has introduced an internal key performance indicator (KPI) requiring a three?day response to complaints, unless a longer time is needed due to complex investigation (e.g. checking tracking or CCTV).

    Ø  This has contributed to reduced parental anxiety and more timely feedback when concerns are raised.

     

    ·  Technology – parent app, Cordic and AI?enabled CCTV

    Ø  HATS has deployed a parent app that:

    §  Allows parents to log in to see the location of the vehicle

    §  Enables HATS to send messages to specific routes (e.g. delays, changes).

    Ø  Some parents have found the app challenging to use. When issues are reported, HATS now calls parents back, talks through their experience and guides them through the process, leading to fewer repeat calls and lower call volumes.

    Ø  HATS uses Cordic transport software; drivers use personal digital assistants (PDAs) to record pick?ups and “no pick?ups”. HATS is working on improved reporting so that attendance and absence data can be shared more systematically with the council.

    Ø  Vehicles are being fitted with AI?enabled CCTV which:

    §  Detects unsafe driver behaviour (e.g. using the PDA or phone while driving, speeding, aggressive driving) and sends alerts.

    §  Enables faster, evidence?based investigations of incidents and complaints.

    §  Automatically blurs children’s faces, so staff reviewing footage cannot identify individual children.

    Ø  HATS acknowledged the system is expensive but concluded it “pays dividends” in safeguarding, investigations and staff management.

     

    ·  Safeguarding, training and incident management

    Ø  All staff working on home to school routes undergo DBS checks.

    Ø  Passenger assistants receive PATS (Passenger Assistant Training) plus safeguarding and first aid training. Drivers receive MiDAS (Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme) training, covering:

    §  Vehicle safety checks

    §  Safe driving  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Update on Charlotte Sharman and St. Mary Magdalene pupils post closures of the schools.

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    To receive an update on Charlotte Sharman and St. Mary Magdalene pupils from Alasdair Smith, Director of Children’s Services.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    The commission received a report and verbal update from Neil Gordon- Orr, Assistant Director for Education Access (Children and Adult Services), on the closure of Charlotte Sharman Foundation Primary School and St Mary Magdalene Church of England Primary School in August 2025, in the context of falling primary school rolls across Southwark and London.

     

    Context and process

    • Both schools closed after a lengthy, statutory process involving consultation and decision stages over approximately one year.
    • Southwark, commonly in the many London boroughs, has experienced a significant decline in births and primary pupil numbers over the last decade, with London Councils recently publishing analysis showing similar pressures elsewhere.
    • Across Southwark, eight primary schools have closed in the past five years, some through closure and some via amalgamation with other schools.

     

     Impact on pupils and parental choice

    • The council recognises that school closure is disruptive for parents and pupils, and that as soon as closure becomes a realistic possibility some families seek to move their children early for certainty.
    • To support families at Charlotte Sharman and St Mary Magdalene:
      • A dedicated admissions officer was assigned to each school to advise parents and help secure new places.
      • Open days were organised at neighbouring schools, many of which had vacancies and were keen to take additional pupils.
      • A preference exercise was run, similar to the normal admissions process. Of the 34 families who took part:
        • 26 secured their first?preference school
        • 5 secured their second?preference school
        • Only a small number did not obtain one of their top preferences and were supported to consider other options.
    • The council provided £50 school uniform vouchers to each child moving school as a contribution towards uniform costs.

     

    Special educational needs and vulnerable pupils

    • Particular attention was paid to pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) or additional vulnerabilities:
      • EHCPs were reviewed to ensure new placements could meet their needs.
      • Sending and receiving schools worked together on transition planning, including sharing strategies and information and ensuring files transferred correctly.

    Staffing

    • Members asked about the impact on staff, including teachers, teaching assistants, administrative staff, catering and crossing staff.
    • Officers noted that while teachers might find it relatively straightforward to secure alternative employment due to national shortages, detailed data on individual staff outcomes were not available at the meeting and would need to be checked separately.

    The commission explored the future use and ownership of the former school sites:

    • Charlotte Sharman Foundation Primary School
      • As a foundation school, the land and buildings belong to the school’s foundation (governing body).
      • On closure, the governing body is disbanded and the future of the site is determined by the Secretary of State for Education. In many cases, assets revert to the local authority, but this is subject to a formal decision.
      • A decision on the Charlotte Sharman site is still awaited.
    • St Mary Magdalene Church of England Primary School

7.

Work Programme 2025-26

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    To consider the work programme for the 2025-26 year.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    The Chair highlighted the following priorities for the final meeting:

    ·  A Cabinet Member interview with Councillor John Batterson, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Jobs and Businesscovering:

    • A holistic overview of strategies and projects within the portfolio.
    • Repairs in commercial units, including:
      • Timeliness of repairs
      • Impact on businesses
      • Compensation
      • Specific issues such as leaks from residential properties above commercial premises.
    • An update on high streets works, town centre action plans and related East Street Market and town centre programmes, building on previous pre?decision scrutiny.

    ·  To develop and agree draft recommendations to Cabinet from this year’s scrutiny work, with the aim of submitting these before the pre?election period.