The November meeting of the Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to review the Committee's proposed work programme for the 2024/25 Municipal Year and to receive reports on the July 2024 Ofsted inspection of Children’s Services, and school attendance.

Ofsted Action Plan

The Committee was scheduled to receive an update on the outcome of the July 2024 Ofsted inspection of Children's Services and to review the action plan produced in response. The Ofsted report, which was included in the meeting pack, judged the council’s children services to be outstanding.

The report identifies only two areas for improvement:

• The management of contacts within Family Connect.
• The consistency of making children aged 16 and 17 years old who present as homeless aware of their rights and entitlements.

In relation to Family Connect, the report notes:

Some contacts are closed and then reopened to be reviewed, when the necessary information is received to allow for informed decisions to be made. — Ofsted Action Plan

The report pack included a draft action plan detailing how these issues will be addressed.

Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2024/25

The Committee was scheduled to review and agree its proposed work programme for the 2024/25 Municipal Year.

The draft work programme, which was included in the meeting pack, lists the following topics for discussion during the year:

• The Annual Safeguarding Partnership Report 2022/23.
• Education attainment in the Borough for 2023/24.
• The Council’s process for allocating school places across Telford and Wrekin.
• An update on the Council’s provision for SEND including identification, placements and funding.

School Attendance

The Committee was scheduled to receive a verbal report providing an update on school attendance and absenteeism for the preceding academic year.