Agenda item

(To receive a report from Mary Meredith, Children's Service Manager – Inclusion, which provides the Committee with the opportunity to consier the outcomes from the Pupil Exclusions Working Group)

A report by Mary Meredith (Children's Services Manager – Inclusion) was considered, which presented the Pupil Exclusions Working Group's recommendations.

The Committee was reminded that the Inclusive Lincolnshire Strategy had been reviewed by the Pupil Exclusions Working Group, which had been established at the Committee's meeting on 9 March 2018.  The Working Group had consisted of Councillors A P Maughan (Chairman); M D Boles; R J Kendrick; S R Parkin; and R Wootten and had met three times between May to July 2018.

The Executive Director of Children's Services, along with the Children's Services Manager – Inclusion and the Chief Officer for Education presented the report to the Committee.

The Chairman of the Working Group took the opportunity to the Councillors and officers who were involved.  The Chairman also advised that the Working Group's recommendations were detailed on pages 16 and 17 of the Committee's report.

Members were provided with an opportunity to ask questions, where the following points were noted: -

·       The Committee was advised that in Lincolnshire, the rate of permanent exclusion of Looked after Children was at zero.  Page 23 of the report included a graph which detailed Lincolnshire's exclusion rate for Looked after Children compared to its statistical neighbours.  A Councillor commented that if zero exclusions could be avoided with this vulnerable cohort, then this could be rolled out across other areas;

·       It was advised that when schools had embraced the Inclusive Lincolnshire Strategy within schools, the rate of permanent exclusions had reduced.  In schools, where the rate of permanent exclusion was high, the schools were in very challenging circumstances.  However engagement in the Inclusive Lincolnshire Strategy was improving;

·       Further to this above, it was queried whether it would be appropriate for the local member of each school to engage with the head teacher to try and encourage engagement with the Strategy.  The Committee and supporting officers did not support this suggestion, as it could undermine the work of the County Council on the relationship with those academies.  Instead, Councillors were encouraged to liaise with the Children's Services Manager – Inclusion should they have any specific concerns regarding a school;

·       The importance of stability in education at key stage 4 was highlighted and supported by the Committee;

·       The Committee commended the report and the work of the working group;

·       The Committee was advised that there was a Caring to Learn project, which was aimed at improving learning for Looked after Children.  Foster Carers were advised of the project, as part of the Foster Carer Induction and encouraged to express an interest in being an education champion;

·       Concerns were raised over the amount of pressure that teachers were under as part of their role.  Furthermore, it was advised that outside of London, Lincolnshire had the highest rate of teachers leaving the role.  Work was being undertaken to address this issue and as part of this, the County Council was engaging with the Bishop Grosseteste University;

·       It was clarified that the exclusions of pupils from the SEND cohort, as outlined in the report, were excluded from mainstream schooling and not special schools;

·       With regards to recommendation 1 – That Councillors are provided with data on school exclusions in their division through regular reporting to Scrutiny, it was stressed that the anonymity of pupils should be protected.  The way in which this data could be presented would have to be considered further by officers to ensure anonymity.

RESOLVED

(1)  That the five recommendations of the Pupil Exclusions Working Group, as detailed on pages 17 and 18 of the report, be supported.

(2)  That officers be requested to consider how the anonymity of pupils would be protected with regards to recommendation 1 – That Councillors are provided with data on school exclusions in their division through regular reporting to Scrutiny.