Decision details

The Chair welcomed County Councillor Jayne Rear, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, and Aby Hardy, Head of Service – Education Improvement, to the meeting.

The report provided the committee with the annual report of the education strategy, including the progress made towards the strategies priorities. A presentation was also provided, a copy of which was included in the agenda.

Comments and queries raised from the committee were as follows:

·  The county council ranked 77th out of 138 Local Authorities this year on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, which assessed children's development at the end of the academic year in which they turn five, which was an improvement since the previous year's rankings.

·  The breakdown of Key Stage 2 results was used to determine which schools required support over the next academic year, with the monitoring intervention team providing assistance to those schools. The committee requested if the information could be shared with councillors, to see the schools in their areas. It was noted that the schools would need to agree in order for this information to be shared.

·  It was also clarified that the reason for the combined scores being lower than the individual subject scores of Key Stage 2, as outlined in the presentation, was due to some children excelling in one subject but not in others resulting in higher individual subject scores. The combined score indicated only the number of children who met the expected standard across all three subjects, which high schools used to predict Progress 8 scores.

·  Although the local authority was no longer responsible for school improvement, the authority continued to provide advisory services and training, which schools could choose to opt into. It was also noted that though the authority lacked direct authority over academies, it maintained good relationships with them and endeavoured to be as involved as possible. It was also highlighted that the authority was responsible for safeguarding and had a duty to ensure compliance in that area.

·  Following concerns raised about the authority's performance compared to national figures, it was noted that though the authority faced challenges, including high levels of deprivation and a transient population but despite these challenges, there had been a steady improvement since the return from COVID-19. The authority also aimed to exceed national standards and was working on improving both the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and education outcomes to achieve better results.

·  Identifying the needs of pupils requiring Special Educational Needs and Disabilities support early and providing appropriate support was a priority for the authority, and efforts were ongoing to ensure all children needing support were identified and included on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities register. It was also noted that the variation in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities definitions across local authorities was making direct comparisons with other authorities challenging.

·  Concerns were also raised about the attainment gap for disadvantaged children, which had widened since COVID-19. The challenges faced by disadvantaged children, including mental health concerns and health inequalities, were highlighted as contributing factors for widening the attainment gap.

·  Trauma-based training for schools remained optional, but it was noted that schools that invested in trauma-informed practices experienced a decrease in exclusions. There was also a "day six provision" in place to provide suitable education within six days for those permanently excluded pupils to move onto another school. This included options like pupil referral units, alternative provisions, therapeutic support, one-to-one tuition, or online packages. It was also noted that the trauma-informed practice training being provided involved children's champions who would ensure that the pupil's voice was heard to understand the reasons behind their behaviour.

·  Out of the 627 schools in Lancashire, only 200 had completed the trauma-informed practice training and it was noted that the trauma-informed training could not be made mandatory, and the authority could only use its influence to encourage schools to adopt it.

·  The high percentage (approximately 25%) of parents citing mental health as the reason for home education was a concern for the committee and it was noted that removing children from school rolls would lead to a loss of access to significant health support services, such as school nurses and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services referrals. It was also noted that families considering home education would be contacted to ensure they understood the implications behind home schooling and to explore if it was the best option for their child.

·  The new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill going through Parliament would bring in a register for children that would give the child a unique identifier number to improve data sharing and safeguarding between different organisations. The new bill would also prevent children on child protection plans or in special schools from being removed from rolls without proper consultation.

·  It was highlighted to the committee that The Red Rose Maths and Phonics programs, which were educational programs and created in-house by the authority, were recognised both nationally and internationally.

·  It was also suggested that a benchmarking activity take place to share best practices with other local authorities.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Members and the officer for the report and for answering the committees' questions.

Resolved: That

  i.  Figures be provided to the committee of children who were having to travel for SEND school places;

  ii.  Figures be provided to the committee of children who travel in to and out of Lancashire for school places;

  iii.  Further information relating to the Key Stage 4 curriculum review; and

  iv.  Further information relating to benchmarking exercises and best practice sharing between Lancashire County Council and other local authorities be provided to the committee.