The Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel of Greenwich Council met on Wednesday 09 September 2026 to consider reports on performance monitoring, the annual update on insight and influence activities, and the annual report on complaints, compliments, and representations. The meeting also included discussions on the annual education standards and achievement, early years and childcare sufficiency, elective home education, children missing education, and suspensions, exclusions, and fair access panel reports.

Performance Monitoring Report (Q1 2026-2027)

The panel was scheduled to consider a report providing an update on Children's Services performance for the first quarter of the 2026-2027 financial year. The report focused on core Children's Services business, covering areas such as children's educational achievement, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), children missing education or at risk of falling out of education, employment, and training (EET), risks outside the home, and children at risk, suffering harm, or in care. The report included a RAG rating system to indicate performance levels and provided contextual demographic data for children and young people in Greenwich. It also highlighted specific areas for attention, including the performance of schools in leadership and management, the number of new requests for SEND assessments, and the percentage of 16-17 year olds who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).

Insight and Influence Annual Update 2025/26

This report was scheduled to detail the participation, engagement, and co-production activities undertaken by the Insight & Influence Team during the 2025-26 period. It was intended to outline key themes emerging from discussions with children, young people, parents, and carers, and to assess the impact of this participation on service development, commissioning, and strategic decision-making. The report also set out the priorities for the Insight & Influence Team for 2026-27. Key achievements highlighted included the strengthening of strategic participation through governance roles for Young Advisors, the influence of the Greenwich Young People's Council (GYPC) on policy and service development, and the contributions of the Children in our Care Council and Care Leaver Forum to corporate parenting. The report also detailed the work of the ACE Network for children and young people with SEND, the Families First Parent and Carer Forum, and the role of Young Commissioners in shaping services.

Complaints, Compliments and Representations Annual Report 2025-26

The panel was scheduled to consider the annual report on complaints, compliments, and representations received by Children's Services for the 2025-26 financial year. This report fulfils the statutory requirement to publish an annual report on complaints managed under the Children Act 1989 Representations Procedure, and also includes complaints managed under the Council's Corporate Complaints Procedure, alongside compliments, Ombudsman enquiries, and other feedback. The report indicated an increase in complaint activity across both statutory and corporate procedures, with a significant rise in Stage 2 investigations. Key themes identified included SEND services, school transport, communication with families, timeliness of decision-making, and the quality of records and assessments. The report also noted 84 compliments received during the year, recognising the dedication of staff. Areas for improvement identified included timeliness of responses, strengthening early resolution, and enhancing the service's capacity to handle complex complaints.

Annual Education Standards and Achievement

The panel was scheduled to receive an update on education standards and achievement. This report, presented by the Head of School Improvement, was expected to highlight the performance of disadvantaged children across all stages of education, noting that they were outperforming their peers nationally in various assessments. The report was also to cover the trajectory of GCSE outcomes, performance in Key Stage 5 indicators, and the focus on meeting the Department for Education's Best Start in Life agenda. Changes in Ofsted's new inspection framework and the work of the Greenwich Learning Partnership were also to be discussed.

Early Years and Childcare Sufficiency Report 2025-26

This report was scheduled to provide an overview of childcare provision in the borough, with a particular focus on the expansion of funded childcare for working parents. It was also to address challenges in the recruitment and retention of the early years workforce and the support provided for children with special educational needs and disabilities. The report was expected to detail monitoring of the early years population decline and the provision of data to schools and providers for planning purposes.

Elective Home Education Annual Report 2024-25

The panel was to consider the annual report on elective home education, which was expected to highlight a significant growth in numbers and the complexity of cases. The report was also to discuss the potential impact of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 on administrative processes and home visiting requirements. The network meetings held for home educators and the services offered by the Elective Home Education Nurse were also to be mentioned.

Children Missing Education Annual Report 2024-2025

This report was scheduled to address the issue of children missing education, with a focus on strategies to reduce children coming off the roll and their subsequent return to the system. The report was also to discuss engagement with the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities and the network meetings held across London on this matter.

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

The panel was to receive a report on suspensions, exclusions, and the Fair Access Panel for the academic year 2024-25. The report was expected to detail efforts to challenge and resolve permanent exclusion cases before they occurred and provide data on the reduction in cases going through the Fair Access Panel. The report was also to comment on Greenwich's exclusion rate in comparison to the national rate and discuss work with out-of-borough schools and early interventions.