Agenda item

To interview Councillor Jasmine Ali, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Refugees covering a holistic overview of key strategies and projects under the cabinet member portfolio including Breakfast Clubs in Schools.

The commission received a presentation and updates from Councillor Jasmine Ali, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Refugees, accompanied by officer, Alastair [Director of Children’s Services], on topics under the cabinet member portfolio.

Councillor Ali outlined her leadership vision for children’s services within the borough, aligned with the Southwark 2030 vision for residents and communities, with a particular emphasis on:

• Giving children and young people a good start in life and a great childhood that builds a solid foundation for adulthood.
• Responding to the continued impacts of Covid?19 and the cost?of?living crisis on family life, child development and mental health.
• Ensuring that children and young people, especially those facing disadvantage, receive excellent services from the council and its partners.

Councillor Ali also highlighted that the administration’s approach remains rooted in early help and prevention, robust safeguarding, and ensuring that no child “falls through the gaps” of the system.

Councillor Ali thanked the commission and the Chair for their work on the recent review of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) processes, including members’ direct observation of EHCP practice and recommendations, noting that most of the commission’s recommendations have been accepted and will be embedded in practice.

Councillor Ali further spoke about SEND and EHCP’s in Southwark

• High demand for EHCPs in Southwark, with rates above the national average.
• Improved timeliness of EHCP completion since the commission’s previous review, though demand and complexity remain high.
• Continued focus on evidence?based, preventative approaches in early years.
• Southwark’s permanent exclusion rate is the 14th lowest in the country, approximately a quarter of the national rate, but there is no complacency and work continues to reduce exclusions further.
• A listening project has been undertaken with around 20 families and children who have experienced exclusion, with findings being grouped into typologies to preserve anonymity and to inform policy and practice change.
• An increasing recognition by schools that they must respond to need rather than waiting for formal diagnosis (e.g. autism, ADHD, broader neurodivergence), particularly in the wake of Covid?19, to avoid behaviour?only responses to emerging SEND needs.

Councillor Ali emphasised that many exclusion cases are linked to unmet or emerging SEND rather than “bad behaviour”, and explained that headteachers had responded constructively when presented with family experiences from the listening project

The commission heard that the council is actively building capacity in SEND provision, including:

• Repurposing school buildings and spaces where there are falling rolls to increase SEND places.
• Expanding existing SEND provision in schools.
• A recently agreed £5.7m investment in Ivydale Primary School to make the older building more suitable for the current cohort, and to adapt the newer building specifically for SEND provision.
• Growth of the SEND Children and Family Hub to support families earlier and more holistically.

Councillor Ali reported on the recent Annual Standards Report to Cabinet, which showed:

• 99% of Southwark schools are judged good or outstanding by Ofsted, including 100% of special schools.
• Strong outcomes at GCSE and A?level, and exceptional achievements for children in care and pupils with SEND.

The commission also heard that the significant journey from Southwark’s historic position near the bottom of national league tables to being among the strongest performing areas in London and nationally.

The commission was updated on the Keeping Education Strong strategy:

• The borough has experienced a significant fall in birth rates and high levels of families moving out of London, compounded during the Covid?19 pandemic.
• Working collaboratively with schools, the council has now concluded the programme of reducing school places and closures to stabilise the system, ensuring schools remain financially viable and quality is maintained.
• Decisions were taken by agreement with schools and academy trusts, guided by data on pupil numbers and local need.
• A local secondary school (a non?council?run academy) has decided to close following DfE processes, with plans to teach through examination years and work with nearby schools to support affected pupils.

Councillor Ali noted that further demographic trends will need to be monitored, particularly in relation to housebuilding and any future recovery in birth rates.

The commission then heard from Councillor Ali and the Director of Children’s Services regarding children’s social care and corporate parenting:

• The number of children in care has been reduced and is now more in line with similar London boroughs.
• However, a greater proportion of children in care are teenagers, with increasingly complex needs, presenting practice, provision and cost challenges.
• Education outcomes for children in care are stronger than London comparators, including examples of care leavers progressing into higher education and employment.
• The children’s placements market is described as “broken”, with heavy reliance on private, for?profit providers. This has historically led to more out?of?borough and out?of?London placements, which the council is now working to reduce.
• Southwark has opened Olive House, a council?owned and run children’s home, in July 2025, and is renewing its sufficiency strategy to increase local, high?quality placements.

The commission heard that the placement sufficiency strategy for children and care leavers is being refreshed, with oversight from the Corporate Parenting Committee and cross?council engagement, including the Cabinet Member for Jobs and local economy colleagues.

Councillor Ali referred to wider safeguarding and early help arrangements, noting that:

• While the number of children subject to child protection plans has decreased to a more appropriate level, overall child protection activity remains high, reflecting continued pressures and complexity.
• Southwark’s network of former Sure Start centres has been defended and repurposed as Children and Family Hubs, providing a strong base for integrated early help.

Family Hubs have been planned based on 20?minute walking distances and 15?minute public transport journeys, and are concentrated in areas of higher deprivation, in line with residents’ feedback and need.

Councillor Ali referred to wider safeguarding and early help arrangements, noting that:

• While the number of children subject to child protection plans has decreased to a more appropriate level, overall child protection activity remains high, reflecting continued pressures and complexity.
• Southwark’s network of former Sure Start centres has been defended and repurposed as Children and Family Hubs, providing a strong base for integrated early help.

Family Hubs have been planned based on 20?minute walking distances and 15?minute public transport journeys, and are concentrated in areas of higher deprivation, in line with residents’ feedback and need.

The commission heard brief updates on:

• The Schools Climate Network, with 35 schools registered and participating in climate action projects, including exemplar work showcased at the GLA by a local amalgamated school.
• The Southwark Scholarship Scheme, established in 2011, which has supported 148 young people into higher education (including at Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, King’s and other universities) who might otherwise not have been able to take up places. Due to cost pressures the scheme has been scaled back from earlier cohorts of 25 scholars per year but has been maintained at a reduced level to preserve the offer for the future.

Councillor Ali also highlighted:

• Extension of free healthy school meals to secondary pupils in Southwark ahead of national policy changes, and the rollout of breakfast programmes in partnership with government initiatives.
• Work to secure and utilise DCMS funding for youth services, including capital investment in youth centres and adventure playgrounds, and work with the Youth Parliament and young advisors.
• Advocacy at national level, including submissions to the Education Committee on SEND, work with the Poverty Strategy Commission calling for the removal of the two?child benefit cap, and contributions to recent national policy shifts which will lift significant numbers of children out of poverty.

The commission was informed that Southwark has now launched as a Borough of Sanctuary, with:

• A published plan for year one and year two of activity.
• A public statement expressing concern about national proposals such as extended 20?year routes to settlement and restrictions on family reunification, given Southwark’s position as one of the boroughs with the third?highest rate of refugees.
• Ongoing work to ensure refugees and asylum seekers can access education, support and community opportunities.

Commission members asked questions and raised issues on the following themes:

• Link between SEND and exclusions:
  • Members requested statistical breakdowns of exclusions relating to pupils with SEND, and further information on the “need not diagnosis” approach, including formal definitions and operational guidance.

• EHCP delays and assessment processes:
  • Officers explained the multi?agency nature of EHCP assessments (education, health and care) and the national context of long waits for diagnosis, particularly for autism, with local efforts focused on earlier, needs?led support in schools to avoid dependence on diagnosis alone.
  • The commission noted the importance of the council’s free mental health drop?in and early intervention offers.

• Care leavers’ employability pathway:
  • Members asked about the care leavers employability pathway, success measures and links to wider employment schemes. Officers and Councillor Ali highlighted recent work with the Connect to Work and Southwark Works programmes, guaranteed interviews for care leavers who meet minimum criteria, and co?design with care experienced young people.

• Secondary school closure and future risk:

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member and Director for the update and noted that the commission would return to several themes in its final report, particularly SEND, exclusions, poverty and youth opportunities.