The Children's Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Wokingham Council met on Wednesday 18 March 2026 to discuss a range of important updates and plans concerning children's services. Key topics included an update on social care reforms, the Best Start in Life delivery plan, the Youth Council's activities, education and SEND performance, school place planning, and the development of a Skills and Employment Strategy.

Social Care Update

Estelle Kellaway, Service Director for Family Help and Safeguarding, presented an update on children's social care, detailing progress on reforms and a new delivery model focused on family help pods to ensure consistent support and prevent needs from escalating. The report highlighted a 70% reduction in children waiting for an allocated worker due to improved early help services. While child protection plan numbers remained higher than previous years, quality assurance indicated safe practices. The number of children in care had decreased, but an increase in care leavers was anticipated, prompting plans for a strengthened offer and a new care leaver hub. Councillors raised concerns about the rise in child protection plans, which officers attributed to increased complexity, population growth, the cost of living crisis, and historical underinvestment in early help. The committee resolved to circulate policy documents related to the Families First Partnership reforms and details of the Positive Relationship Week and awards events.

Best Start in Life Delivery Plan

Jonathan Wilding, SEND Programme Manager, presented the Best Start in Life delivery plan, outlining its role in providing holistic early childhood support by integrating health, education, family support, and voluntary sector partners. The plan prioritises prevention and early intervention, with key actions including the implementation of family hubs, expansion of parent volunteering, and a focus on school readiness to improve Good Levels of Development (GLD). The strategy aims to address inequalities, with a particular focus on closing the GLD gap for disadvantaged children. The governance structure includes a multi-agency Best Start Steering Group. Councillors discussed targeted interventions to address the GLD gap and the low uptake of the 2-year-old entitlement, with officers confirming ongoing work to understand and overcome barriers. The committee resolved to circulate promotional materials for the Best Start in Life programme and receive a further update report.

Youth Council

Joanna Dixon, Participation Manager, presented an annual update on the Youth Council's activities. The council had engaged in various initiatives, including contributing to the Community Safety Action Plan, collaborating with public health, and hosting a successful Youth Politics Night that demonstrated an increase in young people forming political preferences. New Youth MPs, Lima Dimitri and Jasmine Dix, were elected and would focus on mental health, skills, and volunteering. The committee resolved to consider inviting Youth Council members to relevant meetings and to provide contact details for community event invitations. Jonathan Wilding and his team would also engage with the Youth Council to discuss their potential involvement in the Best Start in Life and early help strategies.

Education and SEND Update

Ming Zhang, Service Director for Education and SEND, provided an update on school inspections and SEND developments. Gillian Cole, Schools Service Manager, discussed the new inspection framework, highlighting the inclusion judgement and recent inspection reports. The report detailed progress on the national curriculum and assessment review, with a focus on oracy, financial literacy, and climate education. The Schools White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, was also discussed, outlining government plans for education policy, including targets for GLD and phonics screening, and a focus on reducing the disadvantage gap.

Regarding SEND, Ming Zhang reported an improvement in EHCP timeliness to 68% in Quarter 3, with a focus now shifting to quality. He noted a backlog in annual reviews, which was being addressed. The national SEND reform agenda was highlighted, with a plan due in mid-June. Councillors raised concerns about the increase in child protection plans and the impact of untimely EHCP reviews. Emma Cockerell, Director of Children's Services, acknowledged the erosion of trust with parents regarding EHCPs and outlined efforts to rebuild it through collaboration and improved resourcing. The committee resolved to note the report.

School Place Planning Update

Oliver Gill, Head of Education Access and Sufficiency, presented an update on school place planning. He reported a sufficiency of Early Years and Post-16 places, but an oversupply in mainstream primary and secondary sectors, necessitating capacity reductions. A new 1 FE Primary School is planned for Shinfield, to be delivered as a relocation from an oversupplied area. For secondary provision, a strategy to reduce capacity through tapering over-offering was in place. Significant investment was planned for specialist provision, with new resource bases, SEND units, and a post-16 SEND hub opening in September. A new special school was also approved for delivery by September 2028. The committee resolved to note the report and requested a detailed review of post-16 specialist provision, including transport implications.

Skills and Employment Strategy

The report on the Skills and Employment Strategy was deferred to the next meeting.

Forward Programme and Action Tracker

The committee reviewed and amended its Forward Programme, adding items on the Skills and Employment Strategy and a Best Start in Life Update. The Action Tracker report was also noted.

Exclusion of the Public

The committee resolved to exclude the public from the meeting for Item 83, Schools Causing Concern – Part 2, due to the likely disclosure of exempt information. This item was subsequently discussed in a Part 2 session.