Agenda item

To enable the Cabinet to consider its response to recommendations made by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee following that Committee’s enquiry into the subject matter of Children Missing Education.

Decision:

RESOLVED that the recommendations made by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee be endorsed and that the response of the Partnerships Portfolio Holder thereto be approved.

Minutes:

Cabinet was aware that, at its meeting held on 21 March 2022 (Minute 53 referred), the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee (“the Committee”) had undertaken an enquiry into the safeguarding and education position concerning those persons of school age not attending mainstream schools.

 

Officers from Essex County Council had attended that meeting and Members had been advised of the potential impacts, suggested by research, of children missing school, such as:

 

- Slower progress in learning

- Worse Prospects for future employment

- Poorer mental health and emotional well-being

- Restricted social and emotional development and

- Increased vulnerability to safeguarding issues and criminal exploitation

 

The Committee had also been informed which children were at risk of missing education, namely:

 

- Children at risk of harm/neglect

- Children of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families

- Families of Armed Forces

- Missing Children/runaways

- Children and young people supervised by the Youth Justice System

- Children who cease to attend a school

 

The Essex County Council officers had also advised Members of figures within Essex and specifically in Tendring of children who were Electively Home Educated (EHE) and that a rise was being seen nationally. The Committee was shown figures of the following:

 

- Children Missing from Education (CME) broke down by quadrants

- EHE broke down by quadrants

- A breakdown of school aged CME by district

- A breakdown of school aged EHE by district

 

Members of the Committee had been further informed at that meeting that, currently, parents who removed their child from school were not required to tell their Upper Tier Local Authority; they were not required to provide the school with a reason for de-registering their child from a school; they did not have to have their EHE plans documented at the time of de-registering their child; and they were not required to let an inspector into their home to observe their EHE system.

 

The Committee was also advised that in the admissions process for schools, the Education Compliance Team of the County Council offered support for parents to navigate the appeals process in order to reduce their perception of alienation from the process.  Where there were schools with unusually high numbers of children being de-registered, the Education Compliance Team would work with that school in order to address any issues leading to those de-registrations.

 

That meeting was also informed that schools across Essex were signed up to support young carers who otherwise could lose out on mainstream education. It was also the case that a Fair Access Protocol was in place for secondary school age children to facilitate them returning to mainstream schooling if a home schooling experience was not successful following a child being de-registered.

 

After a discussion the Committee had RECOMMENDED to Cabinet:-

 

“That Cabinet agrees to:-

 

(1)    Send a letter of support to the Secretary of State for Education for the introduction of the following powers/measure to safeguard the position of those de-registering from mainstream schools and opting for Elective Home Education (EHE) namely:-

 

 (a)    that the details of the proposed Elective Home Education should be documented and submitted to the Upper Tier Local Authority in advance of the child being de-registered.

 

(b)     that a backstop right of access for the Upper Tier Local Authority be provided to the home and to the child where Elective Home Education is provided with a view to confirming the position.

 

(c)     that Academies be urged to provide access on their sites in a locality for those being home schooled to undertake examinations close to home.

 

(d)     that parents of children being home schooled be required to provide regular updates to the Upper Tier Local Authority on the progress of the children being home schooled.

 

(2)  That an email be sent to all Tendring District Councillors, prepared by Essex County Council, to explain the position on those missing from mainstream education and the routes for reporting concerns about those children (which, if recommendation (1) above is also approved) could be accompanied by the letter to the Secretary of State as referred to in that recommendation.”

 

The Cabinet had before it the response of the Partnerships Portfolio Holder thereto as follows:-

 

“With reference to the enquiry into Children Missing Education, I fully support the recommendations of the Committee and I will action the following:-

 

a)  Writing to ECC giving the Cabinet’s support to strengthening home education.

 

b)  Writing to the Secretary of State for Education outlining support for the powers/measures as indicated above, as well as giving support to the Essex County Council Cross-Party Response to the House of Commons’ Education Committee Report entitled “Strengthening Home Education” (published 26 July 2021). 

 

In summary the cross party response further outlines the urgent need for a number of additional safeguarding measures for Upper Tier local authorities together with the financial support per pupil to set standards to ensure consistency regarding regular monitoring, communication and assessment of the suitability of home education.”

 

Having considered the recommendations of the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee, together with the response of the Partnerships Portfolio Holder thereto:-

 

It was moved by Councillor McWilliams, seconded by Councillor Newton and:-

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations made by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee be endorsed and that the response of the Partnerships Portfolio Holder thereto be approved.

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