The Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee of Camden Council met on Thursday 15 October 2026 to discuss a range of critical issues affecting children and young people in the borough. Key topics included school attendance, pupil behaviour, elective home education, and updates on various council initiatives and reforms. The committee also noted updates on co-opted memberships and agreed to the appointment of new co-opted members.

Access to Education: Attendance, Pupil Behaviour and Elective Home Education

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a comprehensive report on Access to Education: Attendance, Pupil Behaviour and Elective Home Education. The report highlighted persistent concerns regarding school attendance, particularly in secondary schools, where overall attendance was below national and London averages, and persistent absence rates were higher. Disadvantaged pupils, those with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), and young carers were identified as priority cohorts with higher rates of absence. The primary reasons cited for absence were illness, followed by family holidays.

The committee discussed the impact of absence on educational attainment, noting a strong correlation between regular attendance and achieving expected standards in both primary and secondary education. The report detailed the Department for Education's updated statutory guidance, Working Together to Improve School Attendance, which advocates a support first approach. Camden Learning's strategies to support schools in improving attendance were outlined, including termly meetings with headteachers, attendance improvement plans, and targeted initiatives such as a text messaging pilot and a team around the school model.

The rise in elective home education (EHE) was also a key concern, with numbers increasing significantly over the past decade. The report noted that while Camden's processes for identifying and monitoring EHE children were considered robust, the increasing numbers necessitated a risk and vulnerability-based approach to caseload management. New legislation, the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, was discussed, which will introduce new duties for local authorities regarding EHE, including a statutory register of Children Not in School.

Regarding pupil behaviour, provisional data indicated an increase in permanent exclusions in secondary schools, a trend that was a cause for concern. The report detailed the reasons cited for this increase, including falling pupil rolls, the loss of local college provision, and declining pupil numbers coupled with rising needs. Camden's strategies to reduce exclusions and support schools with behaviour management were presented, including a three-tier model for alternative provision (AP) and a review of AP in Camden.

Appointment of Co-opted Members

The committee agreed to the appointment of Ema Howling as the secondary schools parent governor representative and Dr Rachel Wrangham as the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) parent governor representative, both for a term of four years. The ongoing vacancy for the primary schools parent governor representative position was noted. Updates on other co-opted memberships, including the Camden Youth Council representatives, were also noted.

Cabinet Member Updates

Updates were received from Councillor Marcus Boyland, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, and Councillor Sabrina Francis, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Young People and Culture.

Councillor Boyland's update covered the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Reform Programme, including Camden's Local Area SEND Reform Plan and the Experts at Hand model. He also provided information on strengthening support for children and families, including the Connecting Families pilot, the Family Help model, kinship care support, the North London Fostering Hub, and the development of new children's homes. Health and wellbeing initiatives, such as Raise Camden, a Youth Justice Nurse pilot, and the Health Visiting Immunisation Pathfinder, were also highlighted.

Councillor Francis's update focused on Camden's Youth Justice Service (YJS), detailing its priorities, recent initiatives, and performance data. The YJS had received an Outstanding rating from His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation. The update also covered the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Young Futures Hubs programme, for which Camden had been selected.

Work Programme and Action Tracker

The committee reviewed its work programme for 2026-27 and noted the update on actions requested at previous meetings. Several new items were added to the work programme, including updates on Free School Meals, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), work experience opportunities for young people with SEND, and cyber safety for young people. The Chair indicated that they would explore developing proposals to set up a scrutiny panel on school attendance and persistent absence.

The meeting also included announcements regarding the Fostering Hub update and an update from the Camden Youth MPs, Hannaan Abdalla and Asim Khan, who presented their goals and campaigns for their term of office. They highlighted concerns regarding the discontinuation of funding for the UK Youth Parliament, their campaign for Free School Meals for all Year 10 and 11 students, and issues surrounding young people's wellbeing and access to support, including delays in SEND assessments. The Chair confirmed that Cabinet Members and officers would explore support for the Youth Council and assist in facilitating access to schools for their research.