The Children and Families Scrutiny Committee meeting on 11 September 2024 received a range of reports on topics including the recent Ofsted inspection of children’s services, school attendance, exclusions and the educational achievements of children in care. The committee was also asked to consider its work programme for the remainder of the year.

Response to the Ofsted inspection of children’s services

The committee was due to receive a report on the findings of the Ofsted inspection of children’s services which took place in July 2024. The inspection report, which was published on 8 July, found that children in Waltham Forest continue to receive “good-quality services” but identified three areas for improvement. These were:

• The use of the pre-proceedings element of the Public Law Outline (PLO) when children experience neglect.
• The support to care leavers, including how information is shared, to help them fully understand their pathway plans and their rights and entitlements.
• The quality of supervision and the impact of audits on practice.

The report to the committee proposed an action plan to address these points.

School Attendance, Exclusions, and Support for Children Missing Education

Councillors were also due to receive a report on school attendance, permanent exclusions and elected home education. This report provided a summary of data collected from local schools in the borough for the 2023/24 academic year and outlined some of the challenges faced by schools, children and their families in relation to school attendance.

The report identified that overall school attendance in Waltham Forest (93.7%) was above the national average of 92.9%, whilst the overall absence rate of 6.3% was below the national average of 7.1%. However, the report noted that persistent absence, defined as missing 10% or more of school sessions, was slightly higher than the national average, at 19.4% compared to 19%.

The report also highlighted that 110 permanent exclusions were implemented by Waltham Forest schools in 2023/24, with 103 of these in secondary schools, representing a slight rise on the previous year.

Education Outcomes for Children in Care

Another report to the committee focussed on the educational outcomes of children in care, summarising the GCSE and A-level results of this cohort. A key focus of this report was the positive achievements of many young people in care, including those who arrived in the UK as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and those with special educational needs and disabilities.

In total, 39 young people completed their GCSEs this year, of whom 25 undertook traditional GCSE examinations. Of these, four (representing 17% of those eligible) achieved five or more GCSEs at Grades 9-4 including English and Maths. This compares to a national average of 13.9% for children in care. However, it is notable that the report identifies that a disproportionate number of children in care enter care during the GCSE years, which may have a negative impact on their attainment.

amongst those who didn’t achieve any qualifications, their average period in care was just 9 months, suggesting that entering care during Year 11 has an extremely negative impact on outcomes at GCSE.

Forward work programme of the Committee

Councillors were being asked to consider and approve the draft work programme of the committee for the remainder of the municipal year. The Forward Plan included items on a range of issues including:

• The response to the Ofsted report, including how the service will address the three areas identified for improvement.
• The impact of the separation of the People’s Directorate into separate Adults and Children’s directorates.
• The local authority’s response to the Children’s Care Reforms.
• The high number of children with Education, Health and Care Plans in the borough.
• The availability of sufficient places in early years childcare settings.

The committee was being asked to make recommendations on this work programme.