The Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission met on Thursday 14 March 2024 to discuss a draft scrutiny report and recommendations concerning school amalgamations and closures, as well as community wealth building and youth employment. The commission considered recommendations for the Cabinet on these matters, with a focus on addressing disparities in school staffing, improving communication with schools, and enhancing youth employment opportunities.

Draft Scrutiny Report and Recommendations 2023-2024

The commission considered a draft scrutiny report and recommendations stemming from its review of school amalgamations and closures in Southwark. The report highlighted concerns regarding the disproportionate impact of redundancies on Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) school staff, with redundancy percentages in certain GEM categories being slightly higher than White British staff. The commission recommended that the Cabinet acknowledge the importance of GEM representation in the school workforce and investigate disparities in HR processes, particularly in redundancies and retention. It also proposed developing a long-term plan to address these disparities by monitoring diversity and identifying trends, with actions to commence in the first quarter of the 2024-2025 municipal year. This plan includes using Equality Impact Assessments, valuing the contributions of Global Majority school support staff, and working with schools and trade unions to tackle redundancy disparities.

Further recommendations addressed disparities in disciplinary procedures within schools. The commission noted that a significant percentage of disciplinary cases involved GEM staff and recommended that the Cabinet develop a long-term plan to address these disparities, ensuring diverse governance panels and working with schools and trade unions to raise awareness and tackle these issues.

The report also highlighted concerns about the recruitment of GEM staff, despite the council's hiring policy being non-discriminatory. The commission recommended that the Cabinet review school hiring policies to encourage the recruitment, training, and career progression of GEM staff across all levels of school employment.

Communication failures between the council and schools facing closure or amalgamation were also identified as a key issue. The commission recommended that the Cabinet immediately review its communication processes with such schools, ensuring early mitigation measures for budgetary deficits and clear channels of communication.

Significant attention was given to the impact of school changes on children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), particularly at Kintore Way (KW) nursery school. The commission recommended that the Cabinet review nursery budgets with financial deficits, aiming to reduce their impact on SEND provisions and ensure equitable distribution of additional Department for Education (DfE) funding. It also proposed exploring all possible options to support KW nursery, including early years SEND funding and piloting resource-based provisions.

Finally, the commission made recommendations regarding the amalgamation process itself, emphasizing the need for strategic leadership, effective governance, and regular communication with parents and teachers. It recommended that the council assign resources to ensure schools receive sufficient support during amalgamations, including a single point of contact, and that a process for formally reviewing all amalgamations be established to learn lessons and celebrate successes.

Community Wealth Building, Youth Employment and Procurement

The commission also reviewed its scrutiny of community wealth building and youth employment in Southwark. It noted the need to review the information-gathering process in procurement and welcomed the council's agreement with some recommendations from the Centre for Local Economies and Strategies (CLES) report. The commission recommended that the Cabinet review the council's devolved commissioning model for procurement and revise its systems to eliminate gaps in the contract monitoring register.

Regarding social value contracts, the commission acknowledged the council's work in developing a regional engagement program for GEM jobseekers but noted the complexity of creating a central social value framework. It recommended that the Cabinet commission officers to research the methodology for creating such a framework to drive the procurement of social value contracts.

The commission addressed concerns about the current graduate scheme, where graduates with good degrees were undertaking delivery jobs. It recommended that the Cabinet urgently review and amend the graduate scheme to provide support for internships and work placements starting from one year before graduation.

The report highlighted a lack of career development and guidance in schools, particularly for young people with special needs. The commission recommended that the Cabinet develop a plan to build pathways for career development for young people, focusing on short-term career goals.

The commission agreed on the success of Southwark Works in collaborating with trusts like St. Giles but noted the need to increase ring-fenced employment and work placement opportunities, and to provide more entry-level jobs. It recommended that the council review its progress on ring-fencing opportunities and explore how more entry-level jobs can be provided.

The definition of Better Work within Southwark Works was also discussed, with the commission noting that the diverse needs of residents, such as work-life balance and childcare commitments, need to be considered. It recommended that the Cabinet review and revise the definition of job progressions within Southwark Works and review the progress of better work delivered through the tri-borough partnership with Lewisham and Lambeth post-pandemic.

Finally, the commission appreciated the financial support provided to the East Street Market renovation project but noted that not all allocated funds had been disbursed. It recommended that the Cabinet consider increasing and expediting financial support for the project and that the council provide resources and support in kind to aid its development.

Work Programme 2023-2024

The commission noted the addition of the Southwark Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) to its work programme for the upcoming meeting on 14 March 2024.