The Hackney Council's Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission met to discuss several key issues, including the lessons learned from a judicial review regarding children's centres, childcare sufficiency, and school inclusion. The commission also reviewed and agreed the minutes from the previous meeting on 22 July 2025 and discussed the commission's work programme for the remainder of the municipal year.

Childcare Sufficiency

The commission received an update on childcare sufficiency in Hackney, focusing on the uptake of the extended free childcare entitlement. Under the 2006 Childcare Act¹, local authorities have a duty to ensure sufficient childcare places are available for working parents.

The government has been rolling out an extended free childcare offer in stages:

• April 2024: Eligible two-year-olds could access 15 hours per week.
• September 2024: Eligible children aged nine months and older could access 15 hours per week.
• September 2025: Eligible children aged nine months and older can access 30 hours per week.

The Childcare Survey Report 2025 provided a mid-term review of childcare provision in the borough, revealing a few key points:

• Data Discrepancies: The Department for Education (DfE) data on entitlement codes did not fully align with the picture in Hackney, with 21% of children with valid codes living outside the borough.
• Provider Numbers: There has been a decrease in the number of childcare providers over the last three years, but an increase in independent schools offering places.
• Funded Entitlement Places: The number of providers delivering funded entitlement places for both two, and three and four-year-olds fluctuates each year, often related to the geographical location of demand for places as well as provider choice.
• Childcare Expansion Capital Grant: Once all works are completed by the end of the autumn term in 2025, it is proposed that 151-187 new places will be created.
• Survey Response: A survey of early years providers to establish occupancy and vacancy rates had a low response rate of 43%.
• Settings Proceeding with Caution: Overall, it seems settings are proceeding with caution, wanting to see the demand before making any significant changes to their business models.

The survey responses suggested the following:

• Childminders and pre-school playgroups had the highest vacancy rates, indicating potential for expansion.
• Private nurseries demonstrated steady vacancy rates across all age groups.
• Children's centres exhibited lower vacancy rates, implying they are operating closer to capacity.

Children's Centres Lessons Learned Report

The commission reviewed the Children Centre Lessons Learned Report, which was commissioned after two public consultations on proposals to reconfigure local children's centres were not completed. The first consultation was paused in September 2021 for further engagement, and the second faced a judicial review claim in June 2024, which the council settled by consent.

The Mayor of Hackney commissioned a lessons learned review to reflect on the factors leading to the judicial review and its outcome. The review identified several themes:

• Inconsistencies between consultation and cabinet report documents, as well as the Ernst and Young Summary Report².
• Challenges surrounding the level of capacity dedicated to the project.
• Difficulties in communicating with staff in children's centres due to the confidential nature of legal proceedings.

The review made several recommendations for future service change proposals:

1. Engage independent support to quality assure consultation documentation.
2. Ensure sufficient staff capacity and timescale for service change projects.
3. Establish a steering group with clear lines of communication.
4. Utilise the steering group to provide feedback on the ease of understanding information.
5. Engage parent/carer forums to review information accessibility.
6. Use service planning tools to forward plan programmes of work.
7. Ensure a wellbeing support offer is available to staff.
8. Seek regular feedback from staff to tailor communications.
9. Provide training on consultation process, design, and law for relevant officers.
10. Review the relevance of the Ernst and Young Childcare Review evidence for future proposals.

Behaviour Management and School Inclusion

The commission received a verbal update on the in-depth review being undertaken on behaviour management and school inclusion.

Work Programme

The commission reviewed and monitored the work programme for the remainder of the 2025/26 municipal year.