The People Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council met on Tuesday 11 November 2025, approving recommendations on school place planning, the annual reports from Achieving for Children, and the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment. The committee endorsed the finding that there is an overall sufficiency of childcare within the Royal Borough of Kingston and approved subsequent priorities and actions for 2025-2026.

School Place Planning Annual Update

The committee noted the report on school place planning developments. This report detailed school place planning developments since the previous year, covering primary, secondary, and specialist provision. It included information on current and historical demand for places, current capacity, and future demand, alongside an overview of ongoing projects related to new provision. The report also provided background detail on school place planning in Kingston, referencing the School Place Planning Strategy approved in March 2023. Data on current occupancy levels, capacity, and numbers on roll was taken from the Admissions Team as of October 2025.

Achieving for Children Annual Reports

The committee received and noted Achieving for Children's (AfC) Annual Impact Report, Annual Equalities Report, Annual Participation Report, and Annual Report and Statement of Accounts for 2024/25. Any comments made by the committee were to be referred to the Council's Lead Commissioner for Children's Services. AfC, a not-for-profit organisation, delivers children's services for the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The reports detailed AfC's strategic priorities, performance, equality initiatives, and financial position, highlighting achievements such as 'Outstanding' Ofsted ratings for children's social care in Kingston and Richmond, and 'Good' ratings for other services. The reports also covered AfC's commitment to participation and engagement with children, young people, parents, and carers, and its approach to equality, diversity, and inclusion within its workforce and service delivery.

Childcare Sufficiency Assessment

The committee endorsed the outcome of the Royal Borough of Kingston's (RBK) Childcare Sufficiency Assessment, which concluded that there is an overall sufficiency of childcare within the borough. This assessment fulfils the Council's statutory requirement under the Childcare Act 2006 and 2016 to assess its childcare market and ensure sufficient childcare places are available to enable parents to work, train, or study. The report indicated a good choice of childcare and early education provision across various sectors, with a particular focus on the expansion of early education for working families. The assessment identified three priority areas for 2025-2026: developing data to understand demand from families facing additional challenges, enhancing outreach to support families with the greatest need, and supporting early years and childcare leaders to ensure access to high-quality provision. The report noted a decrease in the early years population but an increase in school-aged children, and highlighted the importance of continued oversight of the childcare market to ensure flexible, high-quality provision. The assessment also detailed the cost of childcare, quality of provision, and staff qualifications, noting a decrease in the number of early years providers but an increase in places, and challenges in recruitment and retention within the sector. The report also provided ward-level data on childcare sufficiency and detailed government initiatives aimed at expanding childcare availability.