The Education and Children's Services Committee met on Thursday 26 March 2026 to discuss a range of important issues concerning the borough's children and young people. Key decisions included the approval of Achieving for Children's (AfC) budget for 2026/27, its Treasury Plan, and its updated five-year Strategic Plan. The committee also noted the strong educational outcomes achieved by pupils in Richmond upon Thames schools in the 2024-25 academic year and endorsed the assessment that the post-16 education and training offer is suitable and sufficient.

Educational Outcomes for Richmond upon Thames Pupils

The committee received a report detailing the strong educational outcomes achieved by pupils across Richmond upon Thames in the 2024-25 academic year. Overall attainment and achievement remain robust, exceeding national averages across all key stages. Notably, Richmond ranked first nationwide for the phonics screening test and for Key Stage 2 expected standards in reading, writing, and mathematics.

However, a persistent challenge remains the achievement gap for disadvantaged pupils. While disadvantaged pupils in Richmond schools performed better than their national disadvantaged peers, they still lagged behind their non-disadvantaged peers locally. This gap was attributed, in part, to the disproportionately higher number of disadvantaged pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The report highlighted ongoing work by the school improvement team to reduce this gap through targeted interventions, including the Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) Lead Network meetings and bespoke support from the Lead School Improvement Adviser for Educational Disadvantage. The committee noted the upcoming Best Start in Life strategy, which aims to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

Post-16 Education Offer

The committee reviewed the post-16 education and training offer for young people aged 16 to 18, and up to 25 for those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The report indicated a high rate of sustained education, training, and employment for 16 and 17-year-olds in the borough, exceeding the national rate. The local offer includes eight school sixth-forms and Richmond upon Thames College, providing a broad range of A-level subjects and an expanding vocational education offer.

There has been significant growth in the number of students attending school sixth-forms, with 77.5% of students being Richmond residents in 2025. While the majority of young people pursue academic A-level routes, there is a growing vocational offer, including BTEC and T-Level qualifications. For young people with SEND, specialist provision is expanding, including supported learning at Richmond upon Thames College and a supported internship programme. The Catalyst programme and GCSE re-take packages are in place to support students who need to improve their functional skills or GCSE grades. The committee endorsed the assessment that the current post-16 offer is suitable and sufficient to meet the local authority's statutory responsibilities.

Achieving for Children (AfC) Reserved Matters Ownership Decisions

The committee considered and approved several key reserved matters concerning Achieving for Children (AfC), the organisation responsible for delivering children's services across Richmond, Kingston, and Windsor and Maidenhead. These included:

• 2026/27 Budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy: The committee approved AfC's net revenue operating budget of £242.4 million for 2026/27, with Richmond's element being £95.5 million. The Medium Term Financial Strategy continues to focus on financial sustainability amidst escalating pressures, with principles of delivering value for money, maximising resources for frontline services, and shared budget responsibility.
• Treasury Plan: The committee approved AfC's Treasury Plan for 2026/27, outlining its permitted borrowing and investment arrangements for cash flow management.
• Strategic Plan: The committee approved AfC's updated five-year Strategic Plan, which sets out four strategic priorities: Safe and Healthy, Positive Futures, Stronger Families, and Dynamic Organisation. The plan also outlines four working principles: Collaborative, Sustainable, Value for Money, and Inclusive.

Committee Work Programme

The committee noted the upcoming items on its work programme, including reports on National SEND Reforms, the Annual Report of the Virtual School, and School Organisation in response to falling pupil rolls. Councillor Zoe McLeod raised the issue of schools' resilience to climate impacts, which was noted for consideration. Councillor Rob O'Carroll suggested a briefing on SEND reforms ahead of government announcements, which was endorsed. Several members of the committee were thanked for their dedicated service as they are stepping down.