The Children and Education Scrutiny Sub-Committee met to discuss children's health, relationships, sex education, and health education within the school curriculum, and the implications of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts for schools. Key decisions included a commitment to further investigate the impact of vaping, particularly concerning the presence of synthetic drugs, and to explore ways to improve the uptake and adequacy of free school meals. The committee also reviewed the council's guidance on relationships and sex education, noting that schools are not mandated to follow it, and discussed the upcoming expiry of PFI contracts and the council's preparations to support schools through this transition.

Children's Health

The committee received a comprehensive update on children's health in Tower Hamlets, focusing on a holistic approach to mental health and healthy lifestyles. Dr. Suman Banerjee, Director of Public Health, highlighted that a child's health is influenced by a complex range of factors, including poverty, housing, and education. Councillor Mayim Talibah, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, emphasised the council's initiatives such as universal free school meals and the insourcing of leisure services to promote healthy lifestyles.

Phoebe Kulangi, Public Health Programme Lead, outlined high-impact areas for child health, from pre-conception through to school-aged children, including supporting parental mental health, healthy weight, and reducing harm from alcohol and smoking. Georgia Ramirez, Public Health Programme Lead, detailed investments in children and family centres, the Healthy Lives team, and the Tower Hamlets Education and Well-Being Service. Kate Smith from the Healthy Lives team shared successes in the Healthy Schools Awards and the Daily Mile initiative.

A significant portion of the discussion focused on youth vaping and the consumption of high-energy drinks. Councillor Shahaveer Shubo Hussain raised concerns about vaping being laced with synthetic drugs like spice, citing a personal family experience. The officers acknowledged this serious issue and outlined multi-agency efforts involving Trading Standards and community safety teams. New legislation banning disposable vapes and restricting their marketing was also mentioned. The committee heard that schools do not permit energy drinks.

Regarding free school meals, Councillor Sabina Akhtar raised concerns about portion sizes and whether the food provided is sufficient for all children, particularly those at the end of the queue. The Deputy Mayor confirmed that this feedback had been relayed to the catering service and that uptake of free school meals is excellent, with 89-95% of primary school children participating.

The committee also discussed the impact of overcrowding on children's well-being, with research indicating that 15.8% of households in Tower Hamlets live in overcrowded conditions. This lack of space can affect children's ability to study, play, and their overall mental health.

School Curriculum: Relationships, Sex Education (RSE), and Health Education

Kate Smith, Head of the Healthy Lives Team, presented an update on Relationships, Sex Education (RSE), and Health Education in schools, noting that new statutory guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) is expected imminently. The current guidance covers a broad range of topics, including mental health, internet safety, physical health, healthy eating, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and first aid.

The presentation highlighted Ofsted figures revealing high rates of sexual harassment and abuse experienced by girls in schools, underscoring the importance of RSE. The council's current advice to schools includes teaching about LGBT relationships and different family structures in Key Stage 1, naming sexual body parts for safeguarding purposes, and starting lessons on puberty in Year 4. However, it was stressed that schools are not obligated to follow the council's advice and can make their own decisions based on their school community.

Councillor Ashraf Zaman raised concerns about the council's guidance being perceived as narrower than the DfE's and the pressure on schools to adopt the council's position. He also questioned the extent to which schools engage parents in developing RSE policies. Lisa Fraser, Acting Corporate Director of Children's Services, stated that the council's guidance was developed in response to safeguarding issues and that they anticipate adopting the forthcoming DfE guidance.

Councillor Sabina Akhtar and Shiblu Miah, a Muslim community representative, raised concerns about the age at which certain topics, particularly sexual vocabulary, are introduced, and the potential for parental consent to opt-out of specific sessions. Kate Smith explained that schools are encouraged to be transparent with parents, share resources, and hold meetings to discuss the curriculum. She noted that while some parts of the RSE curriculum are statutory and cannot be withdrawn from, other parts may allow for parental withdrawal, with decisions made on a case-by-case basis after discussion with parents.

Education PFI Contracts

Terry Bryan, Service Head for Pupil Access and School Sufficiency, and Ben Jeffrey, PFI Monitoring Officer, provided an overview of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts for schools in Tower Hamlets. Two PFI contracts, established in 2002, cover 25 schools and are due to expire in 2027 and 2029. These contracts funded the initial construction and refurbishment of schools and included facilities management services.

The committee heard that while PFI contracts offer long-term surety for school buildings and transfer maintenance risks to private contractors, they can also lead to additional costs, higher contract management expenses, and increased charges due to inflation. Ben Jeffrey noted that schools have mixed views on the current performance of PFI providers, with concerns raised about reactive maintenance, understaffing, and the time taken for major capital projects, all exacerbated by rising annual charges.

The council is actively preparing for the expiry of these contracts, working with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) and the DfE. A steering group has been established, and an exit strategy is being developed. The council is committed to supporting schools by providing financial assistance from PFI reserves and through annual charge adjustments, as well as funding PFI benchmarking uplifts. Post-expiry, schools will regain control of their premises management, with options for ongoing facilities management support through cost-effective service level agreements (SLAs).

Councillor Shafi Ahmed requested detailed tables showing the annual school charges within the PFI contracts as a percentage of each school's budget, to understand the impact on individual schools. The officers committed to providing this information, explaining that the unitary charge is inflation-linked and that the council has limited flexibility to alter these contractual terms. They acknowledged that schools are facing financial pressures due to reducing budgets alongside increasing PFI charges.

Shiblu Miah inquired about the value for money (VFM) of the PFI contracts. The officers stated they could provide detailed written information on this, explaining that the complexity of the contracts requires thorough analysis. Councillor Bellal Uddin asked about the risk of schools having to cut services in the final years of the PFI contract due to budget pressures. The officers confirmed that while schools are experiencing budget reductions, there have been no instances where a school has been unable to meet its PFI unitary charge and consequently had to cut services. They are continuously working with finance colleagues to ensure schools remain sustainable until contract expiry.