To interview Councillor Jasmine Ali, Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Refugees covering a holistic overview of key strategies and projects under the Cabinet member portfolio for Children, Education and Refugees with a focus on key aspects.
Minutes:
The commission first received a presentation from Cllr Jasmine Ali the Cabinet member for Children, Education and refugees on the following points
· Challenges for children & families, refugees and young people; Children services leadership, scrutiny of Youth Justice Service Leadership
· Corporate parenting; one new care home; Lifelong links programme for children in care and care leavers.
· Free School Meals (FSM) - 10th Anniversary and rollout of FSM for secondary school children; Early Intervention and Prevention; Climate Action Plan and sustainability in schools.
· Keeping Education Strong (KES) strategy, falling birth rates, pupil place planning; Increase in adult education numbers; Mental Health in children and young people; demands in NEST mental health service; Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) waiting list 462 referrals in 44 weeks.
· Radically improving SEND services in Southwark; SEND and Inclusion Partnership Board and challenges faced; £700k investment in SEND; 98% good and outstanding schools, GCSE/A level student results higher than inner London and national trends
· School exclusions on the rise at 5.7% in Southwark, however still lower than other London boroughs, regular meetings between the council Headteachers; Inclusion Charter progress.
· Southwark 2030 work in mental health and SEND; Child Poverty Task force; Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) grades to be replaced in schools with score cards; Early years expansion.
· Refugees- 2362 asylum seekers receiving support, 3rd highest in London; Borough of Sanctuary status for Southwark.
The commission then asked questions on the following topics
· Closures and amalgamation of schools in the KES strategy; Number of school exclusions over the years; Library sanctuaries and adult education.
· Analysis of increase in exclusions; Adult education needs and upskilling; CAMHS waiting list and working with the NHS; Borough of Sanctuary and jobs for asylum seekers.
· Lifelong links program; Investment areas for £700k in SEND; School staff redundancies due to amalgamations and closures; Wider expansion of Borough Sanctuary process; Exclusions in the previous year, Demographics of school exclusions.
Councillor Ali explained to the commission that the council is constantly working on the numbers within the pupil place planning report with regards to closure and amalgamations of schools. Furthermore, previous pro-active steps taken in the KES have made progress in a positive way in dealing with falling pupil numbers in schools within Southwark. On exclusions, the commission heard that it was at 49 exclusions in 2018, which was reduced during the pandemic years, however it is now on the rise. Library sanctuaries are where adults can go to access information and support in education.
Councillor Ali informed the commission that poverty, cost-of-living and impact from the pandemic has had a major impact on children and their behavioural expectations in schools.
Adult education has seen significant progress, apprenticeships through the work of the local economy team working with industry partners. With regards to the CAMHS, new structures in health and social care and the wellbeing board meetings will help resolve the challenges in mental health, there is a need to clear the EHCP backlogs in partnership with the health service. Furthermore, employment is a key focus for asylum seekers and the Secretary of State has been invited to visit Southwark with regards to supporting refugees.
The commission heard from Councillor Ali that Lifelong Links program is about supporting children and young people, rebuilding links between children and young people with their families, including foster parents. Wider expansions of the borough of sanctuary involves working with voluntary sectors such as Community Southwark, Centre for Asylum Seekers, Afghanistan refugee centre.