Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from: Cllr Toby Benton, Cllr Dori Schmetterling, Richard Derecki, Estella Gomez and Amanda Sayers.

Any member of the Council who has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a matter to be considered at the meeting is reminded to disclose the interest to the meeting and to leave the Chamber while any discussion or vote on the matter takes place.

Members are also reminded that if they have any other significant interest in a matter to be considered at the meeting, which they feel should be declared in the public interest, such interests should be declared to the meeting. In such circumstances Members should consider whether their continued participation, in the matter relating to the interest, would be reasonable in the circumstances, particularly if the interest may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interests, or whether they should leave the Chamber while any discussion or vote on the matter takes place.

Cllr Will Pascall – Governor at Marlborough and Colville Primary Schools. (Non-pecuniary interest)

The minutes of the Meeting held on 8 February 2024 are submitted for confirmation.

The minutes of the meeting held on 8 February 2024 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

This report provides an update to the Committee on Holland Park School’s current status and other key areas around the school including the latest Ofsted inspection results.

The Chair introduced the item and welcomed Steve Parsons, Senior Vice-Principal at Holland Park School, to the meeting along with the Lead Member for Family and Children’s Services and Council officers from Children’s Services.

Mr Parsons commented on the progress the school had made since governance and leadership changes were made in September 2022, highlighting that despite difficulty and uncertainty, the school’s exam results were above the national average in nearly all measures. In addition, the school’s special educational needs department had been expanded and strengthened safeguarding measures had addressed key concerns identified by Ofsted. The school’s ambition was to be the best in London.

The Chair invited members of the Committee to comment or ask questions on the report. Members of the Committee:

1. Asked for details of the school’s Inclusion Policy. Mr Parsons responded that exclusions were always used as a final resort, and only where reasonable and proportionate. Where possible and with the consent of the family, some students undertook a managed move to another school to support remaining in mainstream education, or to Ormiston Alternative Provision Academy where that option was considered more appropriate. Holland Park had engaged with the North Kensington Inclusion Pilot to promote inclusion and liaised with the Council to inform of any managed moves or exclusions.

2. Requested an update on community use of the school’s facilities, particularly the swimming pool, which was mandated as a condition of planning permission for a new building. The Lead Member advised the swimming pool was not currently in use due to the need for repair work. The Council was in dispute with United Learning on the liability for the cost of the works, estimated at £1m. Negotiations were ongoing, with the Council’s Chief Executive due to meet senior officials at United Learning.

3. Asked how the new school leadership had addressed the key issue of unacceptable behaviour highlighted in the 2022 Ofsted inspection. Mr Parsons stated the school had introduced a centralised system of procedures and sanctions for unacceptable behaviour and enacted a shift in culture from fear-based to incentivising good behaviour via a system of rewards. The system was shared with families and students upon its introduction and regularly revisited.

4. Praised the strong academic achievement at GCSE and A-Level and enquired about how the school compared with other local schools. Educational outcomes at A-Level were significantly higher than comparable local schools and were within the top 5% nationally. Results at GCSE were also above the local average.

5. Noted the aim to be the best school in London and asked how that would be achieved. Mr Parsons stated consistent performance across a range of metrics, including academic outcomes, progress measures, popularity, behaviour, attendance, and suspension rates, would make the school one of the best in London.

6. Highlighted the importance of online and social media safeguarding support for pupils. Mr Parsons outlined a range of training, support, and induction strategies, in addition to DfE guidance, for staff and pupils to ensure the school was a safe space for students.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To update the Committee on the education work of the Grenfell Dedicated Service setting out: The Education Offer; Attainment at Key Stages 1, 2 and 4; and Post 18 Education, Employment and Training at the End of Key Stage 5.

The Chair introduced the item and invited the Lead Member and supporting officers to take part in the discussion and answer the Committee’s questions.

Members of the Committee:

1. Discussed targeted support for bereaved and survivor children around Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Officers recognised a correlation between high profile events and coverage of the Inquiry and instances of behaviour changes in affected pupils. The Council’s dedicated service worked closely with schools to identify where additional support or extra vigilance would be required, and training was provided to teachers and support workers accordingly.

2. Asked how the service identified students in need of greater of support. Officers advised each family had a support plan and dedicated support worker who would regularly discuss the children’s educational needs. Particular learning needs were also flagged with the school and the Local Authority on a consent basis. The Education team also worked closely with the health and wellbeing team within the dedicated service to fast-track additional medical support where required.

3. Highlighted growing numbers of children and young people accessing mental health support services and emphasised the need for the Council to be alert to the specific needs of the bereaved and survivors. Officers assured that the Council worked closely with NHS partners to ensure support was available and accessed when the Council was aware it was required. The Council also recognised the importance of being as responsive as possible to changing mental health needs over time.

4. Noted the education offer was delivered via a consent-based approach and asked whether the Council had systems and structures in place to check-in with families who hadn’t consented to support to assess changing needs rather than waiting for them to the service. Officers confirmed the dedicated service had an open-door policy for families who had not consented to the educational support offer but generally expected schools and statutory services to identify needs and offer support.

5. Welcomed the breadth of support offered to parents, carers and young people in collaboration with schools and other partners.

6. Asked about the educational support offer for children not born at the time of the tragedy. Officers confirmed the support offer was the same and highlighted Key Stage 1 results were above the RBKC and national average in both reading, writing and maths.

7. Highlighted the importance of effective interaction and partnership work with the NHS to support early intervention for the cohort. The Committee discussed the role of the North West London Integrated Care Board and suggested inviting representatives to a select committee meeting in the future.

8. Asked which method of support had been most successful for the young people. Officers felt listening and giving space for families and children to be heard was most important. Collaboration and coproduction of services with residents was also a key element of building trust and relationships with the bereaved and survivors to meet their needs most effectively.

This report updates the Select Committee on the consultation & engagement findings for commissioned youth services, setting out:

•       An overview of youth services as a result of the 2018 review

•       The role of Young K&C as the local youth foundation

•       The approach to the 2024 review

•       An overview of the 5 key priorities identified from the engagement

•       What we want to achieve

•       The response to new statutory duties for youth services

The Chair introduced the item and welcomed Nicola Butler, CEO of Young K&C, the Lead Member and supporting officers to take part in the discussion.

The Lead Member provided a brief introduction, noting the Council had listened to young people and organisations in the voluntary and community sector (VCS) about the type of services that were needed. The Council was seeking to ensure a broader, more inclusive and transparent offer, including greater opportunities for girls and young women, learning, skills and employment services, and greater collaboration with the VCS. Children’s Services was working with teams across the Council to develop the offer.

The Committee heard from Nicola Butler on the work of Young K&C and some of the challenges facing young people and the sector more broadly. This included challenging behaviour in schools, mental health, social media, funding for voluntary organisations and administration costs. On the youth services review, Ms Butler said there was a desire from smaller organisations for greater involvement. A small grants programme with matched funding would enable those smaller organisations to deliver priorities identified in the review.

The Chair invited the Committee to discuss the report. Members of the Committee:

1. Discussed the budgetary implications of the service transformation post-review and called for transparency in the consolidation of funding from across the Council. In response to a question about committed funding for Young K&C beyond the end of financial year 2024/25, the Lead Member confirmed that there was a five-year funding agreement.

2. Discussed the low take up of sports activities and youth club provision by girls and young women and how that could be improved. Officers recognised the type of services offered needed to be adapted to provide structured activities in safe spaces for girls, and the Council was listening to girls, schools, and the VCS to understand different needs and plan services accordingly. The Lead Member added that the Council was keen to encourage young people to be directly involved on panels with decision making powers on funding and activities.

3. Stressed the importance of centralising information on the services available across the borough, particularly by day of the week and by ward. Officers pointed to the website OurCity.org.uk, which provided information on activities, programmes, and support for under 25's in Westminster or Kensington & Chelsea and which enabled filtering by area. Providers were able to update the website themselves remotely.

4. Asked how the Council was reaching as many children and young people as possible across the borough to ensure awareness of the youth offer. Officers advised the Council used a whole system approach; inviting young people to contribute to the development of communications strategies with the Council’s communications department to target schools, parents, and young people.

5. Noted the recent opening of West Youth Zone in White City, within neighbouring Hammersmith and Fulham, and asked if the review had considered how this would interact with the RBKC offer. The Lead Member welcomed the new service and noted it would complement RBKC’s offer by offering a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Chair introduced the report, which provided a summary of the Committee’s topics of scrutiny throughout the municipal year. Members of the Committee were invited to suggest topics for the Committee’s work programme for the municipal year 2024/25. Members suggested:

1. Building on the work of the 0-11 working group to understand how key transitions were navigated from ages 11-25, in collaboration with the Adult Social Care and Health Select Committee.

2. Understanding how NHS and Voluntary Sector partners worked with the Council to engage children and young people.

Focusing on service provision and safeguarding for young women and girls across education, care and youth offending.