Agenda item

Update to the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in this portfolio.

5.1       The Committee received a written and short verbal update from the Cabinet Member for Young People and Learning on current and forthcoming matters in the portfolio.

5.2       The Committee discussed the following topics in detail:

•           the awareness and communication of the Holidays Activities Fund (HAF);

•           the Marble Arch Mound extended opening hours and staffing costs;

•           the consultation process of the SEND Strategy;

•           the Sir Simon Milton Westminster University Technical College (UTC) and the future use of the building;

•           the Afghan resettlement programme;

•           anti-social behaviour amongst young people in the lead up to Halloween and fireworks night;

•           the allocation of student catch up funding; and

•           the growing mental health needs of children and young people and the waiting times for CAMHS. It was noted that the Council were trying to focus their resources on early intervention and therefore minimise the pressure on crisis services.

5.3       Concerning the Holidays Activities Fund, the Committee queried whether the holiday activity and food fund schemes were HAF was operating over the upcoming half-term and where information could be found on the activities on offer. The Cabinet Member advised that the information should be available on the Council or Young Westminster Foundation websites.

5.4       The Committee discussed the SEND Strategy in more detail. The Committee was informed by Ian Heggs that consultation had been carried out by talking to young people, schools and parents and that the consultation process had put children’s voice at its heart, with a focus on how to support young people with the complex transition into adulthood. The Strategy had been published three years ago but the Service was trying to build on feedback already received.

5.5       The Committee discussed the closure of the Sir Simon Milton UTC, its future and possible reasons why the UTC had failed. The Committee was informed by the Cabinet Member that the UTC would not be recruiting more pupils and that the building would become empty this year, with no immediate timetable for the site’s future uses, though a continued educational use seemed likely. Members felt the school had failed predominantly because of the point of entry into the UTC, where the age demographic was the 14 -18 years age range. Members also observed that UTCs elsewhere had largely also not been successful. The Committee heard from Ian Heggs that there was ongoing work with the Department for Education, which coordinated via fortnightly meetings with the UTC.

5.6       The Committee further discussed the Afghan Resettlement Scheme, and the educational offer to child refugees and asylum seekers, depending on the Council’s statutory obligations to the different age groups, capacity within Westminster’s primary and secondary schools, and the immediacy of the needs. The Committee noted the work of Hallfield Primary School (referred to as the Hallfield model) and other schools, which had stepped up to support these children. The Committee heard from Aaron Sumner that Hallfield had welcomed over 50 children to a taster session, the majority of whose families were living in hotels, and that the school’s trauma-informed approach was helping children and their families to adjust to life in the UK.

5.7       The Committee also asked about the language skills of the refugee children and the stress in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. The Committee heard from Ian Heggs that Early Help had been fundamental to assisting the children and their families to transition, in addition to the expertise in Westminster schools. Staff from the Children’s Services team had conducted detailed assessments and found a mixture in abilities, but both children and families were being taught or assisted to find English language courses. The Cabinet Member also advised that the central government help had included provision of a device, enabling the children and their families to use, e.g. the Libby App, and access resources such as newspapers.

5.8       Concerning anti-social behaviour, the Committee discussed the work which had been done by the Council to restrict the sales of fireworks. The Cabinet Member for Young People and Learning observed that the Cabinet Member for Communities and Regeneration had initiated a review of an Autumn Nights package which would be going out to the Metropolitan Police Service and the Council’s City Inspectors. Information was in the process of being shared with schools.

5.9       The Committee discussed whether the allocation of £30 per student in catch up funding was adequate, and the consensus was that it was not adequate: all members and witnesses noted that more funding should be allocated. The Committee heard from Rachel Kelly (St Augustine’s High School) that in her school, secondary Covid catch up had been delivered through their remote learning system, with materials bought for every student and investment in equipment for teaching staff. The Cabinet Member for Young People and Learning observed that, amongst some of the hardest to reach groups, the highest online attendance had been achieved. Maka Baramidze (Westminster Academy) reflected that catch up could be complicated by family circumstances and mental health and, whilst additional resources had been allocated to tutoring programmes, for a school with 1,154 children on the roll, this came to £64,000 but young people preferred to learn from their teachers and not unknown tutoring organisations. The Committee and others present referred to the lengthy CAMHS waiting times, which were not within the City Council’s direct control, and the importance of early provision.

5.10     The Committee noted its thanks to Aaron Sumner, Headteacher of Hallfield Primary School and other schools across the City for their work with refugee children arriving from Afghanistan.

5.11     ACTIONS: The Committee requested that:

•           the Council’s website be updated to include half-term activities available via the HAF.

•           more information on the Autumn Nights package to be sent out to schools.

•           the Cabinet Member supply more detail, including the note about the consultation which had happened over the summer.