This meeting was scheduled to include discussions on statutory complaints made about Children’s Social Care, the demand for school places in the borough, rates of persistent absence, and support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It is important to note that this article describes what was scheduled to be discussed, as detailed in the meeting agenda and reports pack. It does not describe what was actually discussed, or what was decided.

Demand for school places in the borough

The 2024 School Place Planning Report sets out the latest forecasts for the demand for school places in Camden over the next decade.

The report says that demand for both primary and secondary school places has fallen significantly over the past five years, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating this trend. The report pack notes that “the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have fundamentally altered people’s lives and changed patterns of migration within central London”.

The report says Camden Council has reduced primary school places by 10 forms of entry (FE) since 2018, including the closure of St Aloysius Roman Catholic Primary School, Carlton Primary School and St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School. The planned admission number (PAN) at Kingsgate Primary School has also been reduced.

The latest Greater London Authority (GLA) forecasts anticipate primary school pupil surplus in Camden to be between 16% and 21% by 2034/35. The report details the surplus/deficit anticipated in each of Camden’s five planning areas, which are geographical areas the council uses to model demand. The greatest potential surplus is anticipated in Planning Area 1, which includes Fortune Green, Frognal, Hampstead Town, Kilburn and West Hampstead.

The report also anticipates a surplus of secondary school places, with Year 7 PAN surplus forecast to rise to 28% by 2034/35. Camden Council has previously reduced places at Haverstock School and La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School, with a total reduction of 5.5FE since 2018. The council is working with secondary schools to identify further reductions in provision.

The report pack also contains financial data for schools, showing that the majority of Camden schools are in surplus, with a total balance of £20.377m at the end of 2023/24. However, the number of schools in deficit has increased from 5 to 8, and the report pack says that “the over-supply of school places exacerbates the financial pressures in the school system as no funding is received for vacant places”.

Persistent Absence, Inclusion and Alternative Provision

The report pack contains a report about the prevalence of persistent absence in Camden schools and the council’s work to improve attendance and ensure education is inclusive.

The report notes that persistent absence from school “has been recognised as a major challenge, both in the United Kingdom and overseas since the COVID-19 pandemic.” The report pack says that, based on Autumn/Spring data, persistent absence amongst Camden primary school pupils is 17.7%, compared to 14.6% across London. 24% of Camden secondary school pupils are persistently absent compared to 19.6% across London.

Camden Learning have employed three School Inclusion Support Officers who work with school inclusion teams to identify the best support and intervention for pupils at the highest risk of non-attendance or exclusion. In addition, six Camden secondary schools have been delivering a programme of intensive mentoring and virtual mentoring to secondary-age children, as part of the Inspiring Inclusion initiative, led by Future First and delivered by the Winch and the Somali Youth Development Resource Centre (SYDRC).

The report pack notes that “illness is the largest single reason for pupil absence, accounting for 53% of all absences in 2022/23.” It says that anecdotal evidence suggests “that, since the pandemic, the number of children absent from school due to mental ill-health and EBSA has increased”.

The report says that attendance of children looked after (CLA) was a particular concern, with 18% of CLA being persistently absent in 2023/24. The report pack notes that “Camden’s Virtual School do a range of work to support these young people”, including providing alternative education packages, and a Specialist Reintegration and Inclusion Worker to support children with significant trauma.

Children’s Statutory Services Annual Complaints Report 2023/24

A report on complaints made to Camden’s Children’s Social Care was scheduled to be discussed. The report says that there were 43 complaints made in 2023/24 that went through the formal Stage 1 process, which is dealt with by the service managers responsible. This is an increase of 14 (67%) on 2022/23. The report attributes this increase to the rise in contacts and referrals made to Camden Children’s Social Care last year.

The most common complaint at Stage 1 is lack of communication from practitioners. The report notes that “attending to communication is an integral aspect of relational practice that is being developed across the Children and Learning Directorate”.

Only 9% of complaints were dealt with within the 10 working days deadline. The report acknowledges there were significant challenges to responding to complaints on time and says that the Quality Assurance service have introduced a new system to improve response times.

The report pack includes the 2023/24 annual report of Coram Voice, who provide advocacy services to children and young people in Camden. According to the Coram Voice report, the main themes in their advocacy work last year were housing, concerns about social workers, and finance, benefits and debt.

The Coram Voice report says: “In reporting and discussing the themes arising in our advocacy with children and young people, the local authority is provided with rich detail of their day-to-day lived experiences in Camden. This offers a valuable opportunity to listen, reflect and respond to what they say about their relationships with local authority staff; the homes where they live; the planning around the care and support they receive; the resources provided to them; etc.”

The Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee’s Work Programme and Action Tracker 2024-25

The report pack contained a work programme for the committee for the 2024-25 municipal year. The work programme lists the items that were scheduled to be discussed in each meeting. The action tracker lists items where officers were asked to provide a response to queries raised at previous meetings.

The action tracker lists three actions:

• The Director of Health and Wellbeing was asked to provide a written response to the query about whether children on the waiting list for MOSAIC diagnosis are still excluded from Speech and Language Therapy support.
• The Director of Education Commissioning and Inclusion was asked to provide a written response about how children were being supported who were not attending school due to SEND needs and were not formally diagnosed.
• The Director of Children's Prevention, Safeguarding and Family Help was asked to provide further information about the Youth Justice Service, including year-on-year data, breakdowns and case studies.

The report pack notes that the committee can form scrutiny panels “to look at more specific areas under its remit”.