Agenda item

To seek approval for Cabinet’s response to the recommendations included in the Children, Education and Skills sub-group report into Children’s Readiness for school.

Cabinet considered a report which sought approval to the proposed responses to the recommendations included in the Children, Education and Skills Sub-group report into children’s readiness for school in North Tyneside.

The sub-group report and recommendations had been presented to Cabinet at its meeting on 22 February 2021 (Previous Minute CAB209/21).

In accordance with Section 21B of the Local Government Act 2000, Cabinet was required to provide a response to the recommendations contained in the report of the Children, Education and Skills Sub-group of the Overview, Scrutiny and Policy and Development Committee within two months of the receipt of the recommendations by Cabinet.  In providing its response Cabinet was required to indicate what action, if any, it proposed to take in relation to each of the recommendations made by the Sub-group.

The Sub-group had made six recommendations, of which all were proposed to be accepted by Cabinet.

The six recommendations from the sub-group were that:

1.    Cabinet requests that the Director of Children's and Adult Services considers improving communication between the Authority, schools, and private nurseries in relation to early help and being ready for school.

2.    Cabinet requests the Director of Children’s and Adult Services to consider simplifying the early help assessment process, so it is less time consuming and bureaucratic for schools and private nurseries or provides adequate help to schools and private nurseries in completing the early help assessment process.

3.    Cabinet requests that the Director of Children's and Adult Services provides more help to schools and private nurseries for toilet training, including for children without special needs.

4.    Cabinet requests that the Director of Children's and Adult Services provides more help and encouragement for parents and carers in accessing early help information and services, including help for toilet training, language development, and accessing online educational material for children.

5.    Cabinet requests that the Director of Children's and Adult Services consults with parents, schools, and private nurseries about early help and being ready for school, including a focus on the size and distribution of any problems in North Tyneside. The findings of this consultation are to be shared with Cabinet and all Elected Members.

6.    Cabinet requests that the Elected Mayor writes to the Secretary of State for Education asking for more funding and resources for local government for early help to ensure all children are ready for school.

Cabinet’s response to the Children, Education and Skills Sub-group recommendations and action plan were attached at Appendix 1 to the report.  The Report on Children’s Readiness for School in North Tyneside (November 2020) was attached at Appendix 2.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning, thanked the Children, Education and Skills Sub-Committee for establishing a sub-group to review the Authority’s approach to supporting children’s readiness for school.  He commented that Cabinet was fully committed, as was clear in the Our North Tyneside Plan, to doing everything it could to support all children to be ready for school.  Therefore, he was grateful to the sub-group for the work they had undertaken and the recommendations made, which he was confident would further strengthen the great work the Authority did, together with partners, to support all children in North Tyneside.

The Elected Mayor thanked the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning and all those involved in the review.

Cabinet considered the following decision options: to accept the recommendations set out in paragraph 1.2 of the report; or alternatively, to not accept the recommendations and provides an alternative response to the report at the meeting.

Resolved that all six recommendations of the Children, Education and Skills Sub-group be accepted and the action plan set out in Appendix 1 to the report be approved.

(Reason for decision: In order to improve and further develop the Early Help offer to support Children’s Readiness for school by the Authority.)