Agenda item

To enable the Cabinet to consider the recommendations submitted to it by the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee following that Committee’s consideration of the report from its Scrutiny of School Age Education Provision Task and Finish Group at its meeting held on 23 April 2024.

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

It was reported thatthe Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee (“the Committee”) at its meeting held on 23 April 2024, had considered a final report from its School Age Education Provision Task and Finish Group, which had been submitted following that Group’s conclusion of its enquiry concerning Education. That report was attached as Appendix 1 to report A.11.

The Committee’s decision at its meeting held on 23 April 2024 had been to recommend to Cabinet as follows:-

a)    Advocate and champion where possible local mental health support for young people.

b)    Seek funding opportunities, wherever possible, to provide mental health support for young people.

c)    Promote the suicide prevention training (free online learning package) to schools across Tendring.

d)    Support and have Officer attendance at the Tendring Education Strategic Board, Attendance sub-group.

e)    Champion and continue to work closely with Family Solutions.

f)     To continue to support the Primary Wellbeing hubs and cascade the evaluation from the University of Essex through the Essex Health and Wellbeing Board, Tendring Community Safety Partnership/Health and Wellbeing Board.

g)    To request an update from ECC Education colleagues regarding school attendance data:-

That the following requests be submitted to ECC post January 2025 - (this will be the earliest opportunity for school data to be available under new reporting arrangements for schools. (Ref: Department for Education Guidance, “Working Together to Improve School Attendance,” (update February 2024)):

•    Request attendance data relating to the autumn term of 2024/25 to show levels of persistent and severe absence within the district (for the Tendring area and broken down by school).

•    Number of alternative commissioning arrangements, which have been commissioned by the LA (Education Access Team/SEND Team) for the Tendring district, including the reasons why such provision has been deemed necessary. This request should cover the autumn term 2024/25.

•    Number of SEND children (SEN Support or EHCP) who have been removed from a Tendring school roll in favour of elective home education, during the autumn term (Tendring district data for the autumn term 2024/25, broken down by primary and secondary phases), where the reason provided suggests needs have not been met by the school.

The response of the Partnerships Portfolio Holder to the above recommendations was as follows:-

“The Education Task and Finish group highlighted the significant challenges both for Tendring secondary schools and young people in relation to mental health and school attendance. 

I welcome this report and the focus around the mental health of our young people as it is one of the significant reasons for non-attendance and with the many challenges young people face, early mental health support and provision is critical.  As teachers are not routinely trained around mental health, projects such as the Wellbeing Hubs provide an excellent and very powerful opportunity to support our young people and upskill our teachers.

I support the championing of mental health services for young people and also the broader provision, for example around Family Solutions which can provide wider holistic support for families and thereby opportunity for young people.

Attendance is a key priority of the Tendring Education Strategic Board this academic year.

The work of the task and finish group has identified some key areas of focus and I look forward to seeing how this work develops.”

It was moved by Councillor Placey, seconded by Councillor Barryand:-

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