The Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee met to discuss a report on persistent absence in secondary schools, upcoming central government policy changes, and a scrutiny initiation document on play spaces and services. The committee noted the scrutiny report, discussed the implications of the government's reforms to children's services, and agreed to provide comments on the scrutiny initiation document by September. The committee also agreed to move their April 2026 meeting to an earlier date.

Persistent Absence in Secondary Schools

The committee noted the report on persistent absence in secondary schools during 2024-25, which summarised the committee's work and recommendations to the council.

Councillor Gulcin Ozdemir, Chair of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee, thanked officers for their work in collating the report, and praised the quality of the evidence gathering. Councillor Vanessa Nestor said that the report was strong, and highlighted that the report included evidence gathered directly from young people, with a survey that spoke to around 3,000 young people. Councillor Oka requested to see the evidence from the 3,000 young people surveyed. Officers said that they were working on collating and presenting the data, and would present it back to the committee when it was ready.

John Abbey, Director of Children's Services, welcomed the report, describing the recommendations as appropriate and challenging. He noted that the recommendations would need to be costed, and that this would help the council to prioritise funding.

Central Government Policy and Reforms

The committee received an introduction to central government policy and reforms, including those related to elective home education. Tanya, an officer, highlighted the vast scope of the reforms, noting that some aspects were still under development and lacked statutory guidance. She asked the committee to consider how they could hold the council to account in implementing the reforms, particularly in relation to safeguarding, resource allocation, and community engagement.

Tanya explained that the reforms spanned various government departments and would require local coordination. She highlighted key aspects of the government's Best Start in Life strategy, including the establishment of family hubs¹ in all local authority areas. She noted that Islington already had three family hubs as part of the legacy programme, and was awaiting further details on the next phase of the programme. Tanya also discussed the Children and Wellbeing Bill, which would create a compulsory register for children who are electively home educated, and allow local authorities to intervene in cases where a vulnerable child is being home educated. She also touched on reforms to education, including requiring academies to follow the national curriculum, and giving councils more power to open new community schools.

In terms of support for parents, carers and families, Tanya outlined the government's intention to create a seamless system of support, from universal early support to multi-agency child protection teams. She explained that families with multiple needs would be assigned a family help lead practitioner to coordinate their assessment and support. She clarified that while family help and support teams would not be statutory, multi-agency child protection teams would be.

Tanya also provided an overview of upcoming special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, which are expected to be published in the autumn. These reforms may include changes to Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and aim to make mainstream schools more inclusive.

Councillor Ozdemir asked how prepared the council was for the upcoming changes, particularly in relation to academies and admissions. Tanya said that the council would have to wait for the bill to pass and for statutory guidance to be issued before making detailed preparations. John Abbey added that the council was already in conversation with the Department for Education.

Councillor Ilkay Cinko-Oner asked about the potential scrapping of EHCPs and what would happen to the 1,800 children currently waiting for them. Tanya said that it was difficult to say without more information about the government's proposals. She added that the government had allocated a substantial amount of money to support the SEND reforms, and that the council was good at mobilising and adjusting to change.

Councillor Cinko-Oner asked whether the council would be engaging with parents, carers and children during the transition. Tanya responded by challenging the committee to ensure that engagement was part of the changes.

Councillor Claire Zammit asked about the impact of the reforms on Islington residents who work in academies. John Abbey said that terms and conditions varied in academies, and that there may be different roles and jobs as academies adapt to changing circumstances.

Councillor Zammit also asked how housing would be involved in the multi-disciplinary family help teams. Tanya said that some pathfinder projects had already started to bring together housing workers, youth workers, and family help lead practitioners. She added that the council would need to consider its local context when deciding who should be part of the teams.

Councillor Micheline Safi-Ngongo said that housing casework was often complex, and that closer working with housing would improve outcomes for children. Deborah, an officer, added that the reforms were based on research and evidence from case reviews, which showed that inter-agency work and information sharing were crucial for safeguarding children.

Councillor Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong asked whether the council had done any outreach to parents of electively home educated children to inform them about the upcoming changes. Tanya said that the council could communicate with parents once it knew more about the changes.

Councillor Jegorovas-Armstrong also asked whether the council was ready for the possibility of EHCPs being scrapped. Tanya said that it was difficult to say without more information.

Councillor Anestas Sigoura-Samstrong asked whether the council was aware of all the homeschooled children in the borough. Councillor Saiqa Pandor asked about the impact of devolution² on the council's responsibilities. Tanya said that the current devolution bill did not affect London local authorities much, but that there were opportunities to build on neighbourhood governance and locality networks. Councillor James Potts asked whether the council had school places ready for homeschooled children who might return to school. John Abbey said that the council had lots of vacancies across the borough, and could welcome those children.

Councillor Potts asked whether the council had done a capacity check on its SEND department, given that many electively home educated children have SEND. John Abbey said that he could not answer that question yet, as he did not know what the SEND reform would look like.

Scrutiny Initiation Document

The committee discussed the scrutiny initiation document for their upcoming review of play spaces and services in Islington. Councillor Ozdemir thanked officers for drafting the document, and invited members to contribute their comments and amendments by September.

Councillor Pandor suggested adding more emphasis on mental health, as play is very supportive of it. Councillor Zammit was interested in seeing what the curriculum looks like in council-maintained nurseries in terms of active play, and suggested visiting a few nurseries to gather evidence. She also suggested looking at evidence-based research from Scandinavian countries on outdoor play.

Councillor Safi-Ngongo noted that the council was working hard to reach hard-to-reach parents and encourage them to let their children play outside. Councillor Zammit suggested that the committee members should engage in play themselves to experience what children and young people experience.

Work Programme

The committee agreed to move their April 2026 meeting from the 28th to the 23rd, due to elections. They also agreed to schedule a briefing from the Head of Youth Progression on post-16 progression to the January 2026 meeting, alongside the item on progression into adult services. The committee also requested an additional update on child friendly Islington and potentially on making children visible.

Councillor Potts asked for a brief discussion on alternative provision³ as part of the SEND section. Officers agreed, noting that the SEND reform item would cover whatever was proposed in the bill, including alternative provision.