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Education and Children's Services Committee - Thursday, 11 June 2026 - 7.00 pm
June 11, 2026 at 7:00 pm Education and Children's Services Committee View on council website Watch video of meeting Read transcript (Professional subscription required)Summary
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The Education and Children's Services Committee met on Thursday 11 June 2026 to discuss national SEND reforms, the Best Start in Life Local Plan, and the Revenue and Capital Q4 Outturn Report for 2025/26. Key decisions included endorsing the SEND Reform Plan for submission to the Department for Education and noting the development of the Best Start in Life Local Plan. The committee also noted the financial outturn for the year, which showed an overspend on General Fund revenue services and the Dedicated Schools Grant.
National SEND Reforms
The committee noted the content of the Government White Paper on Schools, Every Child Achieving and Thriving,
which outlines proposals to reform the system of support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). They endorsed the SEND Reform Plan for submission to the Department for Education by 19 June 2026. This plan aims to shift towards a system of early intervention and greater inclusion in mainstream schools, with a tiered framework of support and digitised plans. The reforms are supported by significant government investment, though specific funding allocations for local authorities are still to be confirmed. Concerns were raised by councillors and the Richmond Parent Carer Forum about potential workforce shortages, funding adequacy, and the risk of children with complex needs being shoehorned
into mainstream settings without sufficient support. The plan acknowledges these risks and outlines mitigation strategies, including strengthening local partnerships and focusing on workforce development.
Best Start in Life Local Plan
The committee noted the development of the Best Start in Life Local Plan, which aims to improve developmental, health, and educational outcomes for children from conception to age five. The plan sets ambitious targets for Richmond, aiming for 83% of all children to achieve a Good Level of Development (GLD) by the end of their Reception year by 2028, and 60.8% for children eligible for benefits-related free school meals. The plan focuses on three key priorities: integrated service delivery through Best Start Family Hubs, targeted educational quality improvements in early years settings, and parental capacity building through evidence-based home learning environment and parenting programmes. Concerns were raised by the Richmond Parent Carer Forum regarding the prescriptive nature of some evidence-based interventions and the potential for them not to be suitable for all children, particularly those with SEND or care experience. The plan acknowledges the need for early intervention and support for children with additional needs, and will be delivered through existing services and new initiatives, supported by £2.3 million in additional funding.
Revenue and Capital Q4 Outturn Report 2025/26
The committee noted the Revenue and Capital Q4 Outturn Report for 2025/26. The report detailed an overall overspend of £1.397 million on General Fund revenue services for the committee. The ringfenced Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) overspent by £5.127 million, primarily due to increased costs in high needs education and SEND alternative provision. The outturn position on the Capital Programme showed an overspend of £1.155 million, with significant investment in high needs and special educational needs provision. The report highlighted pressures in children looked after services, particularly an increase in high-cost residential placements, and noted that the Dedicated Schools Grant deficit is a long-standing risk. However, the committee was informed that the government's High Needs Stability Grant is expected to cover 90% of the deficit accumulated up to March 2026, with Richmond anticipating receiving around £7 million.
School Organisation
The committee noted the background and context of falling school rolls, the activity undertaken to date, and the approach to school organisation moving forward. They delegated authority to the Executive Director of Children's Services, in consultation with the Chair, to take forward any school organisation proposals to pre-statutory consultation for schools deemed at risk. A further report will be presented in late autumn 2026 to report on the outcome of any pre-statutory consultations and seek approval to progress to statutory consultation. The report highlighted that Richmond is experiencing a significant surplus of school places due to a falling birth rate and families moving away from the borough, impacting school budgets. The local authority has identified 16 primary schools with concerns about their long-term financial sustainability and is engaging with them to discuss potential actions, which could range from reducing admission numbers to more significant school organisation changes. Concerns were raised by councillors about the potential for community schools to be disproportionately affected compared to faith schools or academies, and the process for managing secondary school place planning in light of primary school roll reductions.
Richmond Corporate Plan 2025/26 End of Year (Q4) Performance Report
The committee noted the progress on Richmond Corporate Plan (RCP) actions and performance against key performance indicators (KPIs) for 2025/26. The report indicated positive progress, with 48% of indicators showing improvement compared to the previous year, and the majority of indicators rated as green. However, areas of underperformance were also highlighted, including the percentage of Families First interventions closed with a positive outcome, the percentage of children looked after placed with in-house foster carers, and the percentage of care leavers with annual health assessments. Actions are being taken to address these underperformances, including recruitment and retention strategies for foster carers and a review of the Families First team's scaling process. The committee also considered whether any areas of underperformance should be recommended for further consideration by the Policy and Performance Review Board.
Committee Work Programme
The committee noted the Committee Work Programme, which outlines future agenda items. The next meeting is scheduled for 10 September 2026.
Exclusion of Press and Public
The committee decided that it was not necessary to exclude the press and public from the meeting to discuss exempt information concerning school organisation, as the current stage of the process was focused on approving the consultation process.
The meeting concluded with the Chair thanking members for their contributions.
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Delegated decisions linked to this meeting
Decision summaries below are AI-generated from the council’s published record. Check the council source or the full decision page before relying on them.
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Petitions
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee of Richmond upon Thames Council on 11 June 2026 approved recommendations. There were no petitions.
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Declarations of Interest
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee of Richmond upon Thames Council approved recommendations on 11 June 2026. There were no declarations of interest.
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Exclusion of Press and Public
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee of Richmond upon Thames Council decided on 11 June 2026 that it was not necessary to exclude the press and public from the meeting. Recommendations were approved.
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Ward Concerns
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee of Richmond upon Thames Council on 11 June 2026 approved the recommendations. There were no ward concerns.
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Minutes of Previous Meeting
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee approved the 2026/27 budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy, the Treasury Plan, and the Strategic Plan. The committee also noted the educational outcomes achieved by pupils in Richmond upon Thames schools in the 2024/25 academic year. The committee further noted the suitable and sufficient post-16 education offer for young people in the Borough.
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School Organisation
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee approved recommendations on 11 June 2026. The committee noted the context of falling school rolls and delegated authority to the Executive Director of Children's Services, in consultation with the Chair, to proceed with school organisation proposals to pre-statutory consultation for at-risk schools. They also committed to receiving a further report in autumn 2026 on the outcomes of any pre-statutory consultations.
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Committee Work Programme
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee of Richmond upon Thames Council decided to approve recommendations on 11/06/2026. The Committee noted the Committee Work Programme.
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Apologies
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee of Richmond upon Thames Council received apologies from Councillor Frost. Sam Gower also sent apologies but participated virtually as a non-voting member.
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Revenue and Capital Q4 outturn report 2025/26
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee noted the revenue and capital outturn report for 2025/26 on 11 June 2026. The committee noted an overall overspend of £1.397 million on General Fund revenue services, a £5.127 million overspend on the Dedicated Schools Grant, and the outturn position on the Capital Programme.
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National SEND Reforms
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee noted the government's White Paper on Schools and its proposals for SEND reforms. The committee endorsed the SEND Reform Plan for submission to the Department for Education on 11 June 2026.
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Best Start in Life Local Plan
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee noted the development of the Best Start in Life Local Plan on 11 June 2026. This plan aims to improve developmental, health, and educational outcomes for children aged birth to five, with a specific target of 80% of five-year-olds reaching a good level of development by 2028. The plan includes expanding Family Hubs to Ham, Heathfield, and Barnes by December 2026, enhancing early years workforce skills, and increasing parenting programmes.
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Richmond Corporate Plan 2025/26 end of year (Q4) performance report
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee noted progress on Richmond Corporate Plan actions and performance against key indicators on 11/06/2026. The committee considered if any performance areas should be recommended for the Policy and Performance Review Board's workplan.
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School Organisation
Recommendations ApprovedThe Education and Children's Services Committee of Richmond upon Thames Council approved recommendations on 11/06/2026. This decision addresses the approach to primary school organisation in response to falling pupil rolls.
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