Hampshire County Council Education Advisory Panel Meeting

Apologies have been received from:

• Cllr Bowerman, Cllr Huggins is attending as the Conservative Group Deputy
• Cllr Bains
• Sharron Morton, Hampshire Primary Schools
• Justin Innes, Hampshire Special Schools
• Jeff Williams, Church of England

Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3, Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Personal interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and agreed.

No deputations were received.

The Chairman had no announcements that they wished to make.

The Panel received a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the latest information in relation to attendance at Hampshire’s schools (item 6 in the minute book).

The Panel heard that absence rates were increasing nationally, and that this was also the case within Hampshire. The Panel noted that absence of 10% or greater was considered ‘persistent absence’ and translates to half a day a week missed school. Absence rates are substantially increased amongst children who are experiencing vulnerability, with around one third of looked after children and 46% of those subject to a Child Protection Plan experiencing persistent absenteeism. This trend predates the pandemic but has worsened since.

Members noted the Children’s Commissioner for England’s recommendations for addressing this issue, alongside the new DfE guidance which is likely to become statutory from September 2023. This provides new responsibilities in this area for the Local Authority, which the Panel were briefed about in detail.

In response to questions members found that:

·         There is a strong correlation between attendance and performance.

·         The educational experience of parents and carers has an effect on their willing and ableness to engage with their child’s educational setting, making it difficult to work with some families.

·         There are links between persistent absence and the decision to home educate.

·         Some absence can be linked to issues arising due to families inability to access CAMHS or Autism services due to their pressures and wait lists.

RESOLVED

That the Education Advisory Panel note the latest data on attendance alongside the recently published Department for Education guidelines.

The Panel received a presentation from the Director of Children’s Services providing an overview of the Department for Education’s Delivering Better Value programme (item 7 in the minute book).

This programme supports 55 Local Authorities, including Hampshire, to identify high impact, sustainable changes that the LA can make to better support children and young people with SEND. This will build on the High Needs Performance and Oversight Programme in place in Hampshire already to address the underlying challenges in the high needs system.

The Panel received an update on the increasing demand for Educational Health and Care Plans with a projection for the maintained plans, alongside the impact this has on the High Needs Block Funding. This was followed by an overview of the workstreams and SEND schemes currently in development in response to these challenges.

In response to questions members found that:

·         A significant number of EHCP requests are received ahead of a child moving up to a new school, thought to be due to parental concerns for their ability to thrive in the larger settings.

·         There is a need to provide an attractive offer for Teaching Assistants due to issues surrounding their recruitment and retention, as this role is often crucial in providing additional support for SEND pupils.

RESOLVED

That the Education Advisory Panel note the update on the Delivering Better Value Programme.