The Children's Education Scrutiny Subcommittee met on Tuesday 9 September 2025 to discuss the Youth Strategy Overview, an update on the Planning for School Pupil Places 2023-2027, and the Family Services Quarterly Update. Key decisions included noting the progress on delivering school places and agreeing to the recommendations from the Elective Home Education Task and Finish Group.

Youth Strategy Overview

Donna Swanberg, Interim Assistant Director for Prevention and Family Support, presented an overview of Barnet's approach to developing a coordinated and inclusive youth offer. The council has a statutory duty to provide sufficient youth services for young people aged 13-19, and up to 25 for those with SEND. Initial feedback from a youth needs assessment indicated that while parks and sports facilities are widely used and appreciated, young people do not always associate these spaces with being supportive or safe. The council is undertaking extensive engagement with young people, schools, and voluntary sector partners to inform a new youth strategy, with a draft expected in Spring 2026.

Robin Moss, Chief Executive of UNITAS Youth Zone, presented an update on the organisation's work. UNITAS provides services to 3,200 young people weekly, offering a range of activities and hot meals for a nominal fee. Moss highlighted that UNITAS reaches young people who are often hardest to reach, including those with disabilities, receiving free school meals, or who are care-experienced. He outlined UNITAS's vision for expansion, including more work with schools, detached youth work on the streets, and enhanced provision for SEND young people. Moss also discussed the financial pressures on the youth sector and the importance of diverse funding streams, noting that while Barnet Council provided significant capital funding for the youth zone's construction, ongoing operational costs are met through philanthropic support.

Planning for School Pupil Places 2023-2027 Update

Neil Marlow, Chief Executive of Barnet Education and Learning Service (BELS), provided an update on the School Places Plan. He explained the council's statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places, noting the complexity of forecasting demand due to factors like birth rates, migration, and parental preference. Barnet has created over 12,000 additional mainstream school places in the last decade. However, a London-wide fall in birth rates has led to a surplus of primary school places in some areas, while demand for SEND places continues to rise.

The report detailed demographic shifts, including population growth in regeneration areas like Colindale and Cricklewood, and an increase in arrivals from Hong Kong and Ukraine. It also highlighted Barnet's significant Jewish population and the impact of government policy changes on independent Jewish schools. The report noted that while overall primary school rolls are falling, there is a projected upward trend in the four-year-old population, and a slight increase in Year 7 projections.

The subcommittee discussed the vacancy rates in primary schools by religious character, noting that Jewish schools have the lowest vacancy rate. The report also detailed a proposed restructure of Barnet's primary planning areas to better reflect current demographics and school usage. For secondary schools, while overall demand is projected to decline, there is rising demand for places in state-funded Jewish secondary schools due to various factors. The council is exploring options to address this, including integrating Jewish studies into the curriculum of an undersubscribed non-faith school.

Family Services Quarterly Update

Chris Spencer, Interim Executive Director for Children's Services, presented the Family Services Quarterly Update. The report highlighted an increase in contacts to the MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub), which is in line with seasonal trends and potentially reflects growing demand and accessibility. Despite this, referral numbers to social care have decreased, suggesting that Early Help systems are effectively managing cases. The report also detailed improvements in the timeliness of social care assessments and Initial Child Protection Conferences, although further work is needed to meet regional benchmarks.

The number of looked-after children has dropped, but there has been a slight increase in unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The report noted a slight decrease in foster placements, potentially related to the cohort of children in care. For care leavers, education, training, and employment figures have increased, though NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) rates remain a challenge. The council is working with regional partners to improve data capture and training opportunities for care leavers.

The report also touched upon the national social care reforms, which aim for a whole-system, child-centred approach, and the government's Best Start in Life strategy, focusing on early intervention and integrated services. Barnet is reviewing its governance structures and operational models to implement these reforms.

Task and Finish Group Updates

Updates were provided on several Task and Finish Groups. The Elective Home Education group's recommendations have been partially accepted by Cabinet, with progress being made on updating the EHE website and exploring lobbying efforts for exam centre funding. The Fostering group will hold its first meeting in September 2025, and the Food Security group is nearing the end of its evidence gathering.

Cabinet Forward Plan and Work Programme

The committee noted the Cabinet Forward Plan for 2025-2026 and the Children and Education Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee Work Programme for 2025-2026. The work programme includes a focus on SEND, with a plan to gather data by faith, and proposals for school visits and visits to frontline services.

Decisions Made

• The minutes of the previous meeting held on 09 September 2025 were agreed as an accurate record.
• The committee noted the progress in delivering sufficient primary, secondary, and special school places to date.
• The committee agreed the recommendations in the report on the Youth Strategy Overview.
• The committee agreed the recommendations in the report on the Planning for School Pupil Places 2023-2027 Update.
• The committee agreed the recommendations in the report on the Family Services Quarterly Update.
• The committee noted the progress of the Task and Finish Groups.
• The committee noted the Cabinet Forward Plan.
• The committee noted the Children and Education Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee Work Programme.