At the 2 March 2023 meeting it was proposed and agreed that as a result of work undertaken in partnership with the Local Government Association the Committee adopt a hybrid model moving forward.
This would be based on the assumption that meetings will last no more than three hours, with two hours focused on the theme and the remaining time on general matters that need to be reviewed by the Committee as existing ongoing business.
Following consultation with the Director of People and Deputy Chief Executive it was agreed that this meeting would be Education Themed with the Annual Report on School Performance for the Academic Year 2023 to 2024.
Minutes:
Discussion:
The Committee received the report which summarised Medway’s schools’ performance for the academic year 2023-24.
Members then raised several questions and comments:
Early years - it was asked what the contributing factors to decline in performance outcomes for pupils in Early Years and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The Committee was informed that whilst there had been a decline in Early Years, this was a slight reduction and did not presently cause significant concern as it could be due to changes in analysis of individual settings. In SEND, whilst the detailed analysis was not currently present, it was felt that this was due to challenges of placements and accessibility to provision.
A comment was made that the decline in Early Years outcome may be due to the fact that this cohort were the babies of the Covid Pandemic, there was a break in their socialisation and delays to development of fine motor skills and achievement of key milestones had been affected.
Concern was raised regarding Early Years cohort and it was commented that it was vital to keep a pertinent eye to ensure that this decline does not continue throughout the other key stages.
Provision for children with SEND - it was commented that concern had previously been raised regarding changes to provision for SEND pupils due to pressures of the safety valve, and assurance has been provided at the time that there would be no decrease in attainment outcomes. It was asked to what degree the new measures had affected attainment outcomes. Members were advised that the pressures in SEND do have an impact on outcomes but in terms of the safety valve measures which was a financial management programme, increasing support was being provided to pupils with SEND. Improvements had been made to services and a direct correlation could not be made between the safety valve measures and the decline in performance outcomes. Additionally, £1.1 million had been invested in outreach work, 70 out of 80 schools has signed up and were involved in trauma informed training and attendance had increased. The resources in mainstream schools and specialist schools in terms of net funding had increased and individual support funding was still available to pupils with SEND as well as the whole school funding.
Data - members asked how the data collated was utilised and how were schools’ explanations validated as some of the trends were concerning. The Committee was informed that the information was disseminated to headteachers of schools and discussions around the data presented took place at headteacher forums. There were robust systems in place on accountability as headteachers held each other to account, Ofsted, Schools Trust as well as the Council also took responsibility of holding schools to account. The Portfolio Holder for Education and Schools also received and reviewed the data and as a result an education symposium had been arranged to take place on 3 March 2025 to discuss in greater detail the changes that needed to be made and actions to be taken.
Attendance - concerns were highlighted regarding attendance figures of pupils and that Medway appeared to be consistently playing catchup to the national average figures. Officers agreed that there were still issues with absence figures but that the information presented with was lagged and there had been some improvement to persistent absence rates whilst unauthorised, authorised, and severe absence remained above national averages. The whole education system needed to be more ambitious, and these were the issues that would be discussed at the upcoming education symposium.
It was further asked what learning could be derived from other schools and trusts, to manage issues with attendance. Officers said that there were ongoing conversations between schools on tackling absenteeism and it was important to note that we all had a statutory duty to promoting education excellence and recognising wider responsibilities to achieving best outcomes for young people in Medway.
Exclusions - members of the Committee highlighted the increase in permanent exclusion of pupils, enquired as to whether there were any reasons identified for increase in exclusions and also asked what the analysis and correlation if any, with high suspension rates and SEND pupils. Officers acknowledged the increase and informed the Committee that the department regularly challenged schools on their exclusion rates. Members were reminded that they were also able to challenge schools, that they sat on governing bodies and trusts of, regarding the information presented. It was important to note that permanent exclusion was a last resort for schools and the decision to exclude was not taken lightly as schools were fully aware of the impact to pupils and their families. In Medway, exclusion rates for SEND pupils were lower than their peers. In the last year, there were some schools where pupils displayed high level of disruption and persistent obstructive behaviours which resulted in suspensions and permanent exclusions.
It was asked why Medway was slightly above national average on provision for SEND support but slightly below on Education Health Care Plans (EHCP), officers said that there were more children with EHCP’s than several years ago. Medway had a large proportion on SEN(K). EHCP numbers had now stabilised in line with the national average.
Children in Care - it was commented that there was a notable difference in performance of Children in Care in Medway against the national average and what measures were being taken to address issues. Officers acknowledged the disparity and informed Members that this was an area of priority for the Corporate Parenting Board and the Virtual School’s Partnership. The Virtual School was undertaking more robust tracking, looking at outcomes of children placed within and outside of Medway and also utilising pupil premium to address outcomes.
Decision:
a) The Committee noted the Annual Schools’ Performance Report, as set out at Appendix 1 to the report.