Agenda item

Report of the Scrutiny Manager recommending that the Panel consider the provisional key stage results and supplementary information, as detailed in the appendices, and discuss with the Cabinet Member for Children and Learning, and invited officers, educational attainment in Southampton.

The Panel considered the report of the Scrutiny Manager recommending that the Panel consider the provisional key stage results and supplementary information, as detailed in the appendices, and discuss with the Cabinet Member for Children and Learning, and invited officers, educational attainment in Southampton.

Councillor Winning – Cabinet Member for Children and Learning, Derek Wiles – SCC Divisional Head of Education and Learning, Kerica Hunt – SCC Service Manager for the Education Welfare Service, Bryn Roberts – SCC Service Manager for Inclusion and Clodagh Freeston – SCC Service Manager for Education Strategy, Planning and Improvement were in attendance and, with the consent of the Chair, addressed the meeting.

The Panel discussed a number of points including:

·  The impact of Covid and deprivation on Key Stage exam results in Southampton, and concerns that the attainment gap between Southampton and the national average is increasing.

·  The rise in the number of children entitled to free school meals in Southampton.

·  The links between attainment and attendance and the efforts to reduce absence levels across schools in the city.

·  The rise in the number of children being home educated nationally, and in Southampton, and the actions being undertaken by the Council to engage with this cohort and monitor risk.

·  Trends relating to NEET levels in Southampton and the focus on supporting looked after children into education, employment or training.

·  The reliance placed on partners who are struggling to access funding.

·   Concerns relating to the adequacy of staffing resources to enable the Council to adopt a proactive approach to reducing NEETs, absence and the number of children being educated at home in the city. 

RESOLVED that

1.  That the school absence spreadsheet, detailing absence levels for each secondary school in the City, is circulated to the Panel.

2.  That free school meals trend data, broken down by secondary school, is circulated to the Panel.

3.  That information detailing the link between school absence and the Elective Home Education cohort in Southampton is provided to the Panel.

4.  That the NEET level for Southampton’s Looked After Children cohort is provided to the Panel.

5.  That, to help develop Panel Members understanding of the school system in the City, the Panel are provided with a table classifying Southampton schools by type e.g. whether it was an Academy, Trusts, or a Maintained establishment.