The meeting on 11 September 2024 was scheduled to include an update on the Council's plans following the recent Ofsted inspection of Children's Services, which judged the service to be 'Good' overall. The Committee was also due to receive a range of information relating to the educational experiences of children and young people in the borough, including school attendance, permanent exclusions and the educational achievements of children in care.

Ofsted Inspection of Children’s Services – July 2024

A report on the outcome of the recent Ofsted inspection of Waltham Forest Children's Services was included for discussion. The report, which was published on the 8th July 2024 found that the service had maintained its 'Good' rating from the previous inspection in 2019. Ofsted found that Children in Waltham Forest continue to receive good-quality services delivered by knowledgeable and committed social workers. They also found that services for Children in Care had improved to ‘Outstanding’, from ‘Good’ at the previous inspection.

The inspection did, however, highlight three areas for improvement:

• How the service works with families before initiating care proceedings for children experiencing neglect.
• The support provided to care leavers, in particular how they are helped to understand their pathway plans and their rights.
• The quality and consistency of supervision for social workers, and how the impact of audits is assessed.

Access, Participation and Mainstream Inclusion

This item was scheduled to provide an update on 2023/24 school attendance, permanent exclusions and elective home education in Waltham Forest.

Attendance

The headline attendance rate for Waltham Forest in 2023/24 was 93.7%, with a persistent absence rate of 19.4%. Some key trends were identified in the data:

• Attendance is generally higher in primary schools than in secondary schools.
• Attendance has improved for many groups of pupils, including those with Child Protection Plans, Looked After Children, and children with Special Educational Needs.
• Children receiving Free School Meals had an attendance rate 2.5% lower than their peers.
• There was a notable difference in attendance between ethnic groups, with the lowest attendance amongst children of Gypsy Roma heritage (84.3%) and Traveller of Irish heritage (87.2%).

Permanent Exclusions

The total number of permanent exclusions from schools in Waltham Forest was 110 in 2023/24, a decrease of 2 from the previous year. 103 of the exclusions were from secondary schools. There were some notable trends in the data:

• 46% of permanently excluded pupils were on the Special Educational Needs register or had an Education, Health and Care Plan, demonstrating the challenges faced by these pupils.
• Although Black Caribbean children make up just 4.4% of the school population, they accounted for 22% of permanent exclusions.

Suspensions

The total number of suspensions in 2023/24 was 1,951, a decrease of 202 from the previous year. The data showed the following trends:

• Boys were more than twice as likely to receive suspensions as girls.
• Some ethnic groups are disproportionately represented in the suspension figures, notably Black Caribbean pupils.

Virtual School Briefing Note on outcomes at Years 11 & 13

This item was scheduled to provide an update on the educational achievements of children in care in Waltham Forest, many of whom are supported by the Virtual School.

GCSE Results

44% of the 39 care-experienced young people in Year 11 sat GCSEs. Of these, 39% achieved at least one pass at Grade 9-4.

The report noted the success of two young people who had experienced acute mental and physical health needs, both of whom achieved impressive GCSE results despite being hospital inpatients for much of the year.

The report also highlighted the positive achievements of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children. Of the four who had been in care for over a year, three achieved passes in multiple subjects at Grade 2 or above.

The report noted with concern that young people who had entered care during Year 11 were far less likely to achieve any GCSE qualifications, indicating a need for improved early intervention.

Post-16 Education

Of the care-experienced young people in Year 13, six completed A-Levels or equivalent Level 3 qualifications. Two of these young people were supported by Education, Health and Care Plans.

The report celebrated the fact that 62 care experienced young people were due to continue in full-time education at the age of 18, an increase of over 50% on the previous year.

The report concluded by raising concerns about the lack of educational opportunity for care experienced young people who have been involved with the criminal justice system, many of whom have experienced criminal exploitation. It was noted that mainstream education providers such as FE colleges are often reluctant to offer them places, which can make it difficult for these young people to continue in education.