Agenda and draft minutes

To be notified of the appointment of any Substitute Members.

Pursuant to the Council’s Constitution the following substitution was reported:

Councillor John O’Shea for Councillor Ian Grayson.

You are invited to declare any registerable and/or non-registerable interests in the matter appearing on the agenda, and the nature of that interest.

You are also invited to disclose any dispensation in relation to any registerable and/or non-registerable interests that have been granted to you in respect of any matters appearing on the agenda.

Please complete the Declarations of Interests card available at the meeting and return it to the Democratic Services Officer before leaving the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest received.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 21 March 2024.

RESOLVED –         that the minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 21 March 2024 be approved as a correct record.

This report is to intoduce the Partnership’s refreshed Children and Young People Plan 2024-2025, which set out shared priorities and how they will be deliver over the next 18 months.  This is for Family Friendly Sub-Committee to note and consider any suggestions for revisions or amendments to the Plan.

The Sub-committee received a report and presentation to provide an update on the refreshed Children and Young People Plan 2024-2025. 

All Local Authorities have to have a Children and Young People Plan and the current plan for North Tyneside is 2021-2025.  However, since Covid a lot has changed and as a partnership work has been undertaken to develop a plan to run to the end of 2025.  The Action Plan has also been developed, this will sit with the Children and Young People Plan and will be monitored to make sure actions are delivered.

This plan has previously been presented to the Sub Committee prior to Cabinet. It has been co-produced with Northumbria Police, Health Partners and Children and Young People working alongside Council officers.

As Our North Tyneside Plan runs to the end of 2025.  A new plan will be developed from 2025 reflecting council priorities.

The Plan reflects two of the key priorities of the Equally Well Strategy: A healthier, fairer future for North Tyneside (Our joint health and wellbeing strategy). The two key priorities are a

·       Best Start in Life and,

·       Maximising Capabilities.

The Committee were advised that our Multi-agency Safeguarding Arrangements (MASA) Executive Group sets out our partnership’s safeguarding priorities for keeping our children and young people safe.  The Children and Young People Partnership Board is responsible for governing the delivery of those safeguarding arrangements.

The Vision for the Plan has not changed:

All children and young people to be safe, happy, healthy and be able to achieve in North Tyneside.

Previously there were five outcome statements this has changed to four key priorities, and The Action Plan describes how we will deliver on what are now our those four key priorities.

The Plan Children’s voices should be embedded in all that we do. We have been listening to children and to what the data is saying.  Over the past year, we have taken a number of opportunities to hear the voice of children & young people. We have drawn on themes about what young people are telling us.

They are telling us they want a safe life, a happy life, healthy life and to achieve in life. All of the data starts to shape up our outcome measures.

In order to achieve our vision we have developed a plan on a page.

There are three priorities listed under each of the ambitions as reflected in the plan:

A Safe Life

·       To be protected from harm,

·       Live in safe communities, and

·       Be supported and cared for within families and wider networks.

A Happy Life

·       Empowered to be resilient.

·       Be happy in Schools and settings,

·       Thrive with strong support networks, connected to communities.

A Healthy life

·       Improved emotional health and wellbeing, to include neuro-comfortable inclusive communities

·       Children, young people and their families benefit from the best start in life

·       Children, young people and families experience reduced health outcomes

Achieving in Life

·       Children are ready for school,

·       Children are safer in education, supported by strong attendance.

·       Children experience a  ...  view the full minutes text for item F4/24

The Family Friendly Sub-Committee is provided with an update on the positions with regards to Structural Issues in some of our schools in North Tyneside.  The Sub-Committee will also be provided with an update on the plans and proposals from September 2024.

The Sub-Committee received an update on the current position with structural issues in some of North Tyneside’s schools and the plans which are being put in place.

It was noted that just before Christmas, the Council became aware of an issue at Fordley Primary School that occurred over night. The two-storey building showed clear signs of structural damage and this section of the building was closed to all pupils. The identified construction method is known as ‘Pot and Beam concrete’ or ‘Block and Beam concrete’. 

The decision was taken to proactively inspect schools in the borough that were built with the same method around the same time period of the 1960s and 1970s. Four schools, including Fordley Primary School, fit the initial profile.  Visual inspections and structural inspections of each school to look for signs of damage have been completed The damage found includes cracks through the concrete and some missing blocks and beams.  

The issues have now been escalated to the Department for Education’s complex projects team. From early inspections we have had guidance from both the Council and the DfE’s structural engineers that where there are signs of damage it is not safe for children or staff to return to these areas.  

The Committee were advised that this issue is not related to RAAC and would not have been looked for during RAAC inspections.  

The Council continues to work daily to deal with the situation impacting four schools (three maintained) in the Borough.

The sub-committee were advised of current situation at the following schools:? 

? 

·       Fordley Primary School – Modular units have successfully been installed on the school site. From Monday 3 June all pupils moved back onto the Fordley site, and the school is no longer using space in Greenfields Primary School.  

·       Churchill Community College – Year 7 Pupils have been temporarily based in Cobalt Business Exchange in a space made suitable for teaching while exams took place at Monkseaton High School. The pupils will return to Monkseaton following the exam period. Half of Year 8 have been based at Norham High School and they will be returning to the Churchill site following exams. The remainder of pupils (Y8-Y13) are in the non-affected areas of the school building and modified areas including the former staff room and the sports hall. All pupils have access to a hot lunch option, except Year 7 where cold lunches are being provided for the six or so weeks they are at Cobalt. 

? 

·       Hazlewood Primary School –All pupils are receiving face to face education in the vicinity of Hazlewood Primary School. This includes the use of a temporary, heated and lit marquee, the Wideopen Library building and the local Air Cadets building. As the school has no access to toilets, modular toilets are located on site.  

? 

·       Grasmere Academy – All pupilsare accommodated in the non-affected areas.?? 

? 

The Sub-Committee were advised that where pupils are attending school, they are located in areas of the building that are safe. The issue does not  ...  view the full minutes text for item F5/24

The report attached is to provide the Family Friendly Sub-Committee with an update and overview on the Department for Education’s (DfE) Safety Valve intervention programme, entered into in April 2023.  The report sets out the Authority's progress made during the programme in 2023-24, in delivering on our ambitions for children, young people and their families.

The Sub-Committee received a report to provide the background and an update on the current position and progress made during the programme 2023-2024.  In July 2022, the Authority was invited by the DfE (Department for Education) to take part in the safety valve intervention programme.  The aim of the programme was to bring the High Needs Block overspend under control.  The High Needs Block fund the SEND system in North Tyneside and is one block of the Dedicated School Grant (DSG).

The programme required the Authority to develop a DSG Management Plan which described how we would reform our high needs system, with support and challenge from the DfE.  Where the authority could demonstrate sufficiently that the DSG Management Plan created lasting sustainability and was effective for children and young people, including reaching an in-year balance on the High Needs Block by 2027-28, the DfE would enter into an agreement with the Authority.

The Authority’s submission was successful, and as a result joined the safety valve intervention programme in April 2023.  Subject to full compliance, the DfE agreed to pay the Authority a total of £19.5m to eliminate the cumulative deficit on the High Needs Block, this included £7.8m in 2022-23, £1.95m in 2023-27 and a final payment of £3.9m in 2027-28.

In June 2023, the Authority also received £4.681 capital funding to support the implementation of the DSG Management Plan, this included:

·       £3.216m to support the expansion of Additional Resourced Provision in primary and secondary schools

·       £0.990m to support strengthened inclusion in our schools

·       £0.474m to establish an Early Years Inclusion Service

The sub-committee were advised that the Authority received the full payment for 2022-23 and 2023-24, the DSG Management Plan forecast a 2023-24 yead-end pressure of £10.474m on the High Needs Block.  The Authority’s outturn position for year-end 2023-24 was £10.494m.  Set within the context of a £33.306m High Needs Block funding allocation, it was reported that the High Needs Block deficit is within £0.020m of the initial forecast set out in the DSG Management Plan.

The Authority harnessed the opportunity when submitting the DSG Management Plan to further strengthen and build on existing prevention and early intervention, recognising that where funding is redirected to meet children and young peoples’ needs earlier in their lives it is creating the possibility to reduce spend on statutory more costs services later on. The DSG Management Plan set out a number of strategic priorities in addition to the existing SEND Improvement Plan which would meet children and young people’s needs earlier enabling the ability to achieve an in-year balance in 2027-28.

The Sub-Committee were advised that the SEND Partnership have committed to work collaboratively to co-produce our graduated approach in North Tyneside.  This would describe what children, young people and their families can expect to see from a universal, targeted and statutory offer in the borough.  It is hoped that as a result we will see more children and young people without an EHCP educated successfully in their mainstream school or  ...  view the full minutes text for item F6/24

To consider and determine an outline work programme for 2024/25.  A menu of suggested topics for the Family Friendly Sub-Committee to consider is attached.

The sub-committee received a report on the proposed approach for work planning for the municipal year 2024-2025.  The Chair advised that some suggested work topics were listed in the report and if members had any other topics, they wished to raise they could do so by providing an email to the Chair.

RESOLVED         (i)     that the remit of the scrutiny sub-committee be noted.

                            (ii)    that the information set out in the report regarding Scrutiny work planning and in relation to setting of clear objectives be noted.

                            (iii)    that the link Cabinet Member and Lead Senior Leadership Team member who have been identified to support the work and information needs of the sub-committee be noted

                            (iv)   that the menu of potential work topics the sub-committee may wish to consider be noted

                            (v)    that it was noted that work planning will be included as a standard agenda item for the remainder of the year but that it will be flexible as necessary.