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Agenda and decisions
June 25, 2025 View on council website Watch video of meeting Read transcript (Professional subscription required)Summary
The Children's Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss school finances, review performance indicators, and plan for a new approach to scrutiny. Councillors examined the Dedicated Schools Grant recovery strategy, the Children's Services end-of-year performance, and the general fund outturn position, as well as agreeing a new work programme.
Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Recovery Update
The committee discussed the challenges of managing the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) 1 deficit, particularly within the High Needs Block (HNB). The DSG allocation for 2025-26 is £313.670m, including funding for academies, with £70.572m allocated to the High Needs Block, an increase of 5.89% from 2024-25. Councillor Rex Osborn asked what was driving the growth in Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) 2. Ms. Panarelli explained that there had been a 69% increase nationally in EHCPs for under-fives between 2019 and 2023, and that this was due to:
- the impact of the pandemic
- growth in communication and interaction needs
- socioeconomic deprivation
She added that there was a correlation between deprivation and SEND (special educational needs and disability), and that more parents were lodging appeals for increased provision, including specialist schools with privately commissioned legal representation.
Councillor Crivelli asked about the government potentially restructuring or replacing EHCPs. Ms. Panarelli responded that any change would involve a major consultation with parents and schools, and that the council's approach had been to provide the right support at the right time without the need for a plan.
Councillor Osborn asked how confident the council was that projects aimed at reducing reliance on EHCPs were successful. Ms. Panarelli said that the council tracks children for two years after interventions like the Nursery Inclusion Project for All (NIPA) 3 to see if they receive an EHCP, and that only 6% have gone on to need one after two years. Ms. Haroon raised concerns about insufficient local SEND provision, the balance of independent placements, and ineffective SEND support. She said that children on SEND support face higher exclusion rates than those with EHCPs, and asked what plans were in place to address these gaps. Mr. Hallick responded that the council had spent £45 million on provision, including the Paddock School and Granard resource base, and that these saved the council £40,000 per place. He agreed that there was a gap in social, mental and health support, but that this would require a shift in funding from EHCPs to schools.
Ms. Fenaroli added that the council was focusing on upskilling staff and investing early to avoid the need for an EHCP. She said that the council would get involved if there were concerns about exclusions, and that families should reach out for support.
Councillor Birchall raised concerns about children from less privileged backgrounds not getting the support they needed. Ms. Fenaroli responded that the council was identifying needs earlier and putting support in place.
Councillor Owens said that some schools were encouraging parents to push their children through the SEND system, and asked how the council worked with academies to address this. Ms. Fenaroli responded that the support provided was universal, regardless of whether the school was an academy or maintained school.
Councillor Davies asked whether the council was in touch with health professionals to start parents thinking about development as early as pregnancy. Ms. Fenneroli responded that the council worked closely with health visitors and midwives through family hubs, and that it had recently launched an extended baby box scheme.
Councillor Crivelli asked if the council anticipated more appeals to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal, given that they were trying to be more robust with EHCPs. Ms. Fenneroli responded that the council's appeals were slightly lower than nationally, and that this was because of the council's approach to co-production with families.
Councillor Birchall asked how the council coped with SEND children having a higher number of exclusions than those with EHCPs. Ms. Fenneroli responded that exclusion levels were lower in Wandsworth than nationally, and that the council worked with schools to understand what sat underneath the behaviour that led to exclusion.
Councillor Sheila Boswell said that there would be more opportunities for the committee to help officers work on the issue.
The committee noted the paper for information.
Children's Services End-Year 2024-25 Performance Report
The committee received the Children's Services End-Year 2024-25 Performance Report, which highlighted that 97% of schools in Wandsworth were rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. Councillor Davies asked about child protection plans lasting more than two years. An officer responded that there were only six children in this situation, and that there was clear planning around them, with multi-disciplinary professionals providing support.
Ms. Haroon asked about the audit of childcare provision across the borough. An officer responded that the early years team had carried it out, and that there was no need for additional places. Ms. Haroon said that an audit should be independent.
Councillor Osborne asked about the falling percentage of children looked after who are placed with in-house foster carers. An officer responded that the children who came into care often had complex needs, and that the council was actively recruiting foster carers.
Councillor Owens asked why Wandsworth had not managed to reach out more to vulnerable two-year-olds. An officer responded that the stats were not reflective of the current position, and that the council had done a lot of work to engage with families.
Councillor Davies asked for an update on child and family assessments. An officer responded that the statutory timescale was 45 working days, and that the council had put a measure in place to target 35 working days.
Councillor Birchall asked about how Wandsworth was protecting vulnerable young people from grooming gangs. An officer responded that the council had a briefing every morning that included social workers, the police, and a multi-agency group, and that they held strategy meetings with the police and other professionals.
Mr. Langan asked for clarification on the survey responses related to the We Are Young Wandsworth youth offer. An officer responded that the survey was used to understand the current offer across Wandsworth, and that the youth partnership was growing.
Councillor Crivelli asked if schools were becoming more amenable to the idea of having cheaper uniforms that aren't their own brand. An officer responded that some schools had completely given up requiring a particular uniform.
Councillor Osborne asked how the council managed to sort out the provision of EHCPs in a tight window of 20 weeks. An officer responded that the team was dedicated and passionate, and that the whole process was done collaboratively with families.
Councillor Owens said that children were queuing from half past eight in the morning to use Wandsworth libraries, and asked if there was something that could be done to pinpoint them. Councillor Gasser responded that the council was looking into how to provide more opportunities.
Ms. Walsenholm asked how the council was going to progress with the new way that Ofsted were changing their reviews, and how they were working with each school to avoid closure. An officer responded that the council had very high quality link advisors that worked with all of the schools, and that they were focused on supporting schools.
Councillor Jafri asked how Wandsworth had defied the national and London trend in the use of agency social workers, and how they planned to maintain workforce stability. An officer responded that the council had worked hard to create a culture where social workers knew that they were cared for, and that they had a clear career progression pathway.
Councillor Davies asked how parental experience and feedback had directly influenced service delivery, and how the council was able to listen to all voices. An officer responded that the council had 30 trained parent champions, and that they had supported engagement with over 1400 parents and families.
Councillor Davies asked about the Year of Play, and how it was going to be rolled out. An officer responded that the Year of Play was a borough-wide initiative designed to embed play in everyday lives for children and families, and that there was a significant capital investment into play spaces.
Mr. Langan asked if the council was developing a strategy for engaging with schools and pupils who would be coming back into mainstream state-maintained schools. An officer responded that the council worked very closely with all of the schools, and that they had developed a robust plan to transition the children.
Ms. Haroon asked if the council could share the data or detail report on how the local authority made the quality of the EHCP. An officer responded that they could go back to the team and look at how that could be shared.
The committee noted the report for information.
Work Programme
The committee discussed the work programme and a new approach to scrutiny. Councillor Osborne said that he was excited by the process, and that the committee system in Wandsworth varied in its character. He said that all sides in the council did not have a prerogative on good ideas, and that they were trying to come up with a system of scrutiny which made it easier for the parties not to stray from that path.
Councillor Boswell said that there was going to be a meeting with Councillor Sweet, Councillor Davies, Mariana from democratic services, and Councillor Gasser, and that they would be bringing two or three issues that they would consider for scrutiny to that meeting.
The committee noted the report for information.
Children's Services General Fund Outturn Position FY 2024-25
The committee discussed the Children's Services General Fund Outturn Position FY 2024-25. Gareth Evans said that the position didn't move significantly from the position presented at quarter three, and that they finished the year with an overspend of £485k.
Ms. Haroon asked what the reason was for the underspend in business and resources. Mr. Evans responded that it was mainly due to large amounts of grant income that was held in business and resources, and that there had been a restructuring of business and resources.
Councillor Osborne asked what sort of pressures the council might face in the future. Mr. Evans responded that they were forecasting to break even for the current year, and that the biggest pressure was the cost of CLA placements.
Councillor Crivelli asked if it was realistic to expect that the council was going to make any headway in putting a lid on the cost of SEND transport. Mr. Evans responded that the council had quite an innovative model, and that they had managed to control costs in an inflationary environment.
Councillor Osborne said that expanding the resource base in schools would make a difference to the cost of transport. Mr. Hallick agreed, and said that it encouraged independent travel training.
Councillor Davies asked whether AI was something that was going to be very effective for the council in terms of cost savings. An officer responded that they were in the stages of learning, and that they were investing in tools like co-pilots and magic notes.
The committee noted the paper.
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The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is the primary source of funding for schools and local authorities to support education-related services. ↩
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An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document that describes a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs and what support will be provided to meet those needs. ↩
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The Nursery Inclusion Project for All (NIPA) provides early intervention and support to children in their nursery year, to enable them to transition into Reception without requiring an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP). ↩
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