The meeting of Gateshead Schools Forum on Thursday 12 December 2024 was scheduled to consider the minutes of the previous meeting, and to hear proposals for the de-delegation of funding for a range of services. Most of the topics discussed relate to the provisions made by Gateshead Council for pupils with special educational needs.

De-Delegation HINT SEMH Intervention Service

The Forum received a report on the HINT SEMH service, which provides advice, guidance, support and intervention for pupils in Gateshead schools with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

The report describes the increase in referrals to the service in recent years. In the 2023-2024 academic year 101 pupils were referred to the service by primary schools, representing an increase of 84% in two years, and a further 28 pupils were referred by secondary schools.

The report asks the forum to consider a proposal to continue funding the HLTA intervention element of the service through de-delegation. It describes the service's success:

Over 90 per cent of pupils referred remained in their mainstream schools in the last academic year. This has cemented a three-year trend of increasing numbers of pupils remaining in their home school following support and intervention.

The report proposed a new basis for calculating the level of de-delegation provided by each school.

Primary Fair Access Educational Psychologist

The forum received a report on the work of the Primary Fair Access Educational Psychologist, which is funded through de-delegation. The report asks the forum to approve the continued de-delegation of funding for the role.

The report describes the role of the Fair Access Protocol, which:

ensures that, outside the normal admissions round, unplaced children/young people, especially the most vulnerable, are found and offered a place as quickly as possible to minimise the time they are kept out of school.

It goes on to describe the role of the Educational Psychologist in supporting children who have been placed in schools through the Fair Access Protocol, many of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The report summarises the work of the educational psychologist in the 2023-2024 academic year, and provides a breakdown of the number of referrals received, the age groups of the pupils referred, and the outcomes of the referrals.

The report concludes that:

schools continue to value the PFAP EP role, with the individual casework and training undertaken by the PFAP EP being evaluated as high quality and leading to increased identification of the needs of pupils and the support they require to ultimately improve their outcomes.

De-Delegation Ethnic Minority and Traveler Achievement Service (EMTAS)

The forum received a report asking them to consider de-delegating funding to the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS). The report describes the service provided by EMTAS, which includes:

Assessment of language skills for pupils with English as an additional language.

The report provides a breakdown of the ethnic and linguistic makeup of schools in Gateshead, and describes some of the work done by EMTAS in the 2023-2024 academic year, such as supporting pupils who are asylum seekers.

Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) Learning Mentors

The forum considered a report on the Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) Learning Mentor service, which provides support for pupils who find it difficult to attend school because of emotional or mental health difficulties.

The report describes the service as:

focused on those pupils that: Still attending school but attendance is a concern and there is compelling evidence that this is due to emotionally based school avoidance. Not attending school and there is compelling evidence that this is due to emotionally based school avoidance supported by appropriate evidence. In receipt of home and hospital tuition and transitioning back into their educational provision if it felt this would be in their best interests.

The report lists the number of referrals to the service in the 2023-2024 academic year, broken down by year group. It also breaks down the outcomes of the 87 cases closed during that year.

De-Delegation Trade Union Facility Time and Maternity Credits

The forum received a report on the de-delegation of Trade Union Facility Time and Maternity Credits.

The report describes Trade Union Facility Time as funding that:

facilitate the recognised trade union reps undertaking the following duties on behalf of all schools and individual members as required:- • Attendance at LA meetings and briefings re policy decisions • Attending school based meetings to resolve staffing issues, facilitate return to work interviews, capability meetings and disciplinary meetings.

It argues that:

Having a central Trade Union resource will benefit all schools as it will negate the need for additional training for staff in every school, ensure a consistent approach and bring economies of scale savings.

The report proposes that the forum maintains its current levels of de-delegation for both Trade Union Facility Time and Maternity Credits.