This meeting of the Salford City Council Children's Scrutiny Panel was scheduled to include a discussion of a report on education outcomes for children in the city and an update on developments in the Priority Education Investment Area. The Panel was also scheduled to receive a finance update.

Education Outcomes Annual Report

This report was scheduled to provide an overview of the educational achievements of children in Salford in 2024. The most recent figures on early years, phonics, and Key Stage 2 outcomes were scheduled to be presented.

The report pack includes the following quote about the reading attainment of disadvantaged pupils at Key Stage 2:

In Salford, 63.1% of pupils with disadvantage achieved the expected standard in reading at year 6, compared to 78.4% non-disadvantaged (15.3% gap).
(Page 16)

Attendance and Priority Education Investment Area developments

This item was scheduled to provide an update on the council's strategy for improving school attendance. The report pack contained an update on the progress that has been made by the Salford Family Help in Schools programme that was implemented as part of the Priority Education Investment Area initiative. This included details of the number of schools and pupils that are receiving support from the programme and how many families had engaged with the service.

The report pack included the following quote about the Family Help in Schools project:

The Family Help in Schools model takes a whole family approach to improve school attendance and attainment alongside wider family outcomes.
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Finance Update - Q3 and draft 2025/26 budget

A report on the third quarter finances of the Children's Services department was scheduled to be discussed by the panel. The report was scheduled to include a forecast for the department's year-end position on its core revenue budget and Dedicated Schools Grant. It contained details of an expected overspend on high needs education and the safety valve process. The report pack included an update on the department's capital programme, which included details of investment in a new children's home and progress on the construction of a new Pupil Referral Unit.

The report pack included the following quote about the Early Years block of the Dedicated Schools Grant:

The Early Years block is forecast to underspend by £0.507m. This relates to the retained contingency funding from under twos, two-year-old, and three and four-year-old funding.
(Page 7)