The Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel met on 11 March 2026 to review the performance of various services related to children and young people in the borough. Key discussions included updates on education standards and achievements, early years and childcare sufficiency, elective home education, children missing education, and suspensions, exclusions, and fair access. The panel also received a cabinet member update.

Cabinet Member Update

Councillor Adel Khaireh, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, provided an update on the priorities and accomplishments of his portfolio. The report highlighted achievements in strengthening children, young people, and parent voices, particularly for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and care-experienced children. Significant investment of £36.4 million in SEND provision was noted, alongside efforts to strengthen fostering, kinship care, and corporate parenting. The launch of Families First in Greenwich was presented as a transformation programme for children's social care, focusing on early help and relational practice. The report also detailed the refreshing of the Young Greenwich youth offer and the expansion of early wellbeing and safeguarding support.

Annual Education Standards and Achievement

The panel reviewed a report on education outcomes for 2025, noting that Royal Greenwich schools continue to demonstrate high standards. Ofsted inspections indicated that the proportion of schools rated Good or Outstanding for Quality of Education and Leadership and Management remained above national and London averages for nursery and primary schools. While secondary school outcomes were slightly below London averages, they remained above the national average. The report detailed provisional headline measures at Key Stages 2, 4, and 5, highlighting areas of strength and areas for continued focus, particularly in improving outcomes for disadvantaged learners and ensuring smoother transitions between key stages. The Be Great in Greenwich programme aims to retain more high-achieving pupils within the borough's secondary schools and sixth form provision.

Early Years and Childcare Sufficiency Report 2025-26

This report assessed the supply and demand for early years and childcare provisions across the borough. The council has a statutory duty to ensure sufficient high-quality childcare for working parents of children aged 0-14 (or up to 18 for children with disabilities). The assessment indicated that there is currently sufficient early years and childcare provision available across the borough, with 51% of providers reporting increasing demand and 49% reporting vacancies. The report also highlighted the impact of the expanded funded entitlement for childcare, with 75% of all early years funded places now taken up in the private, voluntary, and independent sector, including childminders. Key challenges identified include recruitment and retention of a high-quality workforce, particularly those with SEND qualifications, and Ofsted registration and inspections.

Elective Home Education Annual Report 2024-25

The panel received an update on Elective Home Education (EHE) arrangements for the 2024-25 academic year. The report indicated a significant increase in the number of children registered as being provided with EHE, with 882 children recorded at some point during the year, an increase from 756 in the previous year. This upward trend in EHE numbers has been observed nationally. The report detailed the processes and procedures for managing EHE referrals, including safeguarding checks and partnership working with schools and other agencies. It also highlighted the increase in EHE for children with SEND, with 37 pupils registered as EHE with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and 167 pupils known to have received SEN support at school. The report also provided a breakdown of EHE by ethnicity and gender, noting that White British pupils are overrepresented in the EHE cohort. The implications of the forthcoming Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which will introduce a statutory duty for local authorities to register children not in school, were also discussed.

Children Missing Education Annual Report 2024-2025

This report detailed the arrangements for identifying and supporting children missing from education (CME) for the academic year 2024-25. Royal Greenwich has a CME Lead Officer who works to identify, locate, and ensure appropriate educational provision for children who are not in school or receiving suitable education otherwise. The report indicated that 213 CME referrals were received in 2024-25, comparable to the previous two years, with a peak in 2020-21 post-lockdown. The majority of referrals were from out-of-borough sources, followed by Royal Greenwich primary and secondary schools. The report highlighted the importance of partnership working with various agencies, including schools, social care, and housing services, to locate children and ensure their return to education. The effectiveness of the CME process was evidenced by positive feedback from Ofsted's Area SEND Inspection.

Suspensions, Exclusions and Fair Access Panel Report for the academic year 2024-25

The panel reviewed the report on suspensions, exclusions, and the operation of the Fair Access Protocol (FAP) for the 2024-25 academic year. Royal Greenwich schools maintained an exceptionally low permanent exclusion rate compared to national and London averages. Primary school exclusion rates remained at zero, while secondary exclusion rates were below national and London averages. However, secondary suspension rates had risen, mirroring national trends and linked to increasing pupil needs. The report detailed patterns in suspensions by ethnicity, gender, and SEND status, indicating that male pupils, those with SEN, and pupils eligible for Free School Meals were more likely to experience suspensions. The Fair Access Panel continues to play a critical role in securing timely placements for hard-to-place children, with a significant reduction in secondary FAP cases attributed to early intervention and improved inclusive practices. The report also outlined the work of the Inclusion Service in preventing exclusions through targeted support, managed moves, and alternative provision.