Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Deputy Chief Executive (People)

The Scrutiny Board considered a briefing note of the Deputy Chief Executive (People) which provided an overview of:

·  The number of permanent exclusions that had been implemented by Coventry schools over the last three academic years; 

·  The post exclusion process, leading to either an alternative school offer or alternative provision.  This included recent service developments which were implemented in September 2017, as an outcome of the Education re-design process;

·  The numbers of families who had made a decision to educate their children at home, Elective Home Education (EHE) and the reasons, highlighting those that had chosen that route to avoid a permanent exclusion.

The briefing note explained that the vast majority of primary age pupils excluded from school were offered an alternative mainstream primary school. The specialist teaching support and advice service to schools for social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH Team) delivered a nationally accredited de-escalation behaviour management intervention and other support.  There was not a Pupil Referral Unit for Primary but an intensive programme known as KEYS, targeted at children at risk of exclusion, individual needs were assessed and then a programme of support established prior to re-integration into school.  Woodfield School was a special school for primary age pupils with SEMH, at which children could be placed.

Secondary schools invested in a variety of internal behaviour support interventions and have managed move arrangements as part of their fair access protocol, there was also SEMH provisions.  The Local Authority maintained a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) (Coventry Extended Learning Centre) to secure an appropriate education for students who had been permanently excluded from school. The Work Related Learning Team, work on behalf of schools to commission, coordinate and quality assure, off-site work-related learning provision for 13-19 year-old learners, particularly those who were most at risk of becoming disengaged from learning and ‘not in education employment or training’ (NEET).  A pupil referral unit for pupils admitted to the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) provided education for pupils aged 4-16 on three paediatric wards (Wards 14-16), who were well enough to access learning.

The briefing noted the legal position with regard to Elected Home Education (EHE) was Section 436A of the Education Act 1996, imposed a duty on the local authority to establish (so far as it is possible to do so) the identities of children of compulsory school age in the authority's area; who were not registered at a school and were not receiving suitable education otherwise than at school.  Local Authorities had no statutory duties in relation to monitoring the quality of home education and did not have the power to meet with or directly speak to the child.  However, if the Council believed a child was not receiving a suitable education or was at risk, separate powers were invoked to enable an appropriate intervention.

It should be noted that parents were not required to register their child for EHE, or to seek the local authority’s permission or approval.  Consequently, it was recognised nationally, that LA EHE registers did not include the whole EHE population.  The briefing provided analysis of the register, categorised reasons parents chose to EHE and key issues in relation to EHE.

Headteacher representatives had been invited to the meeting to contribute to the discussion.

Officers and Headteachers discussed the following with the Board:

·  National context

·  Safeguarding

·  Relationships with the community

·  Access visits

·  Pathways

·  Partnerships

·  Managed moves

·  Signs that more challenging behaviour is being displayed by children at a younger age

·  KEYS provision

The Board questioned officers and Headteachers on the following:

·  Data

·  Managing transfers

·  Excusions

·  Safeguarding EHE

·  Mental Health

·  Alternative Provision PRU request

·  Pathways back into mainstream education

·  Behaviour support pre-school

·  Financial implications of EHE

·  Reasons for disruptive behaviour

·  The category of philosophical/religious/cultural reasons parents chose to elect for Home Education

Officers agreed to circulate further information about the category philosophical/religious/cultural reasons parents chose to elect for Home Education.

The Board thanked the Headteachers for contributing to the discussion.

RESOLVED that the Scrutiny Board requested the following:

1)  a report at the end of the academic year regarding changes to the Coventry Extended Learning Centre (CELC) be considered by Scrutiny

2)  a Task and Finish Group to consider Mental Health from an educational perspective be arranged