Islington Council's Children's Services Scrutiny Committee met to consider a call-in of the executive's decision to amalgamate Duncombe Primary School and Montem Primary School, and to take witness evidence on the Children's Workforce. The committee voted to uphold the executive's decision by a majority vote.

Call-in of the Executive's decision on the amalgamation of Duncombe and Montem Primary Schools

The call-in, triggered by Councillors Hamdache, Jegorovas-Armstrong, Russell, Shaikh and Williamson, was in response to the executive's decision at its meeting on the 8th of February to amalgamate Duncombe and Montem Primary Schools.

The reasons given for the call-in were the decision's impact on Drayton Park Primary School, which is currently federated with Montem; a perceived lack of consultation with Drayton Park and the wider community; and concerns about the provision of education for children with Special Educational Needs, in particular the future of Montem's Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) for autistic children.

The committee heard representations from Councillor Hamdache, supported by Councillor Russell, in favour of the call-in. They argued that the decision to amalgamate the two schools would have a negative impact on Drayton Park, which would be left to manage a larger budget deficit, and that the consultation had not been sufficiently thorough. They also highlighted Montem's successful ARP for children with autism, which they felt was at risk due to the proposed amalgamation, and argued that the consultation had not adequately considered the impact on these children.

The committee then heard from Councillor Safi-Ngongo, the Executive Member for Children, Young People and Families, who defended the executive's decision. Councillor Safi-Ngongo argued that the decision was necessary due to falling pupil numbers and the resulting financial pressure on schools. The Councillor also highlighted that the decision was taken in consultation with headteachers, and that the amalgamation would actually improve the quality of education for pupils at both schools, due to the pooling of resources.

The committee also heard from Jeremy Corbyn MP, who spoke in support of the call-in during the public question session. Mr Corbyn MP argued that the closure of Montem would be a loss to the community and highlighted the impact on families from the Andover Estate, who were some of the borough's most disadvantaged residents. Mr Corbyn MP also questioned the long-term use of the Montem building and urged the council to take a more holistic approach to school place planning.

During the questioning session, several concerns were raised about the impact of the proposed merger on Drayton Park Primary School. Committee members were told that Drayton Park was facing a significant budget deficit, which would likely be worsened by the defederation, but that this had not been adequately considered in the consultation. The committee also heard concerns that the governing body of the federated schools had not been fully consulted, and that the timeframe for implementation was too ambitious.

The decision to amalgamate Duncombe and Montem was taken as part of phase two of the council's School Organisation Plan, which aims to address the issue of falling pupil numbers in the borough. Falling pupil numbers are a London-wide issue, resulting in surplus places in schools and, consequently, smaller budgets. The council has a statutory duty to ensure that all children in the borough have access to a school place, but is also required to ensure that schools are financially sustainable. The School Organisation Plan aims to achieve both of these objectives.

Phase one of the plan looked at the Barnsbury area, which was the most acutely affected, and phase two is looking at the Hornsey area, which has a 32% surplus capacity.

The committee was told that the council had followed the guidance issued by the Department for Education (DfE) in developing the plan, and that the proposals had been informed by a feasibility study which took into account a range of factors including the condition of the buildings, the quality of education, the inclusion factors, and the financial position of the schools. The council also consulted with headteachers and school governors on the proposals.

Despite the concerns that were raised, the committee voted to uphold the executive's decision. This means that the amalgamation of Duncombe and Montem will go ahead. The new school will be based at the Duncombe site and will open in September 2024.

Witness evidence on the Children's Workforce

The committee also heard evidence from Laura Eden, the outgoing Director of Safeguarding and Deborah Idris, the Assistant Director of Safeguarding and Quality Assurance, on the Children's Workforce. The focus of the evidence session was on recruitment and retention of Children and Family social workers.

The committee was told that recruitment and retention of experienced Children and Family social workers was a national issue and that Islington, like all local authorities, was struggling to recruit and retain staff.

The committee heard that one of the major challenges was the cost of living in London, which was making it difficult for social workers to afford to live in the borough. The committee was also told that social workers were leaving local authority employment to work for agencies, which could offer higher salaries.

Despite the challenges, Islington Council has a better track record on retention than many other authorities. This was attributed to a number of factors including the council's 'motivational practice model', good supervision, and manageable caseloads. The committee was told that the council was working hard to make Islington an attractive place to work for social workers, and highlighted its social worker apprenticeship degree and partnership with Frontline as good examples of this.

The committee also raised concerns about the removal of Key Worker Housing for social workers, from 1 April 2024. This was a decision taken by the council in response to the increasing demand for housing from care leavers, which was deemed to be a greater priority. The committee was told that this decision would likely impact negatively on the council's ability to recruit and retain social workers.

The committee asked officers to provide a breakdown of the social care workforce by age, ethnicity and gender and asked for a follow up discussion with officers and/or the Executive Member for Homes & Communities to see what can be done about the removal of key worker housing for social workers.

Executive Member's Report

Councillor Safi-Ngongo also presented the Executive Member's Report to the committee. The report highlighted the work that is being done by the council to improve outcomes for children and young people in the borough, such as the Bright Start and Families First for Children Pathfinder programmes.

The report also highlighted some of the challenges that the council is facing, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's mental health, persistent absence in schools, and the cost of living crisis.

The Executive Member provided some further detail on the council's plans to make Islington a Child-Friendly Borough by 2030.

Committee members asked about a number of issues relating to the report including:

• the impact of the Additionally Resourced Provision pilots for children with SEND

• work that is being done to support children who are missing from education

• the council's plans to deliver laptops to all year 7 students

• work to address rising mental health problems in children and young people.

Finally, the committee noted the Executive Member's Work Programme for the remainder of the year.