Issue - meetings

          The Board received the performance management report for Quarter 2 for 2025-26.

          The key priorities for development or improvement in 2023/24 were agreed by Members and included in the Business Plan, for the various functional areas reporting to the Board as detailed below:

· Education, Inclusion, Provision Services

· Children and Families Services

          The report detailed the progress made against objectives and milestones and performance targets and provided information relating to key developments and emerging issues that had arisen during the period.

          Highlights included increased attendance in the Family Engagement Hub and the Edge of Care Service successfully reducing residential placements. There had been an increase of children being placed in care which was at 384 at the time of the meeting but this included care leavers. EHCP timeliness was above the national average and timeliness had improved with EHCP annual reviews; following funding being granted by the Department for Education (DfE), officers intend to keep improving timeliness.

          The new Ofsted framework had been launched, and secondary school standings had increased above 71% for good or outstanding Ofsted grading. There had been a significant drop in exclusions and suspensions, and these were all scrutinised by officers. Even though there had been a drop in attendance at schools, attendance at the PRU (pupil referral unit) had improved and work will continue to improve this.

          164 staff members had received training through the Social Work Academy. There had been a reduction in using agency staff due to successful recruitment of agency workers by the Council. There had been an increase in permanent staff off long-term sick.

          The Council still struggled to recruit foster carers, but this was a national problem. To mitigate this, a new App had been launched called ‘Tell A Friend’ which had some success but it would not cover sufficiency needs.

          Schools were contacted to see if they would be interested in expanding their resource provision for SEND pupils and at least six schools expressed an interest in this. Consultations will be had with these schools, their communities and the DfE around this. Ashley High School will have four new classrooms built on site for their pupils by September 2026 and Brookfields School was also looking to expand their provision. Officers wanted to focus on SEND provision being expanded in secondary school as this was where the demand was.

          Prior to the meeting, several members of the Board received a presentation on the Youth Trailblazer Project for care leavers and NEET (not in education, employment or training) young people. The project’s purpose was to help young people access employment or education and it utilised money from the combined authority.

          For the future, officers will focus on reducing care demand, stabilise fostering provision, and helping create a care home with non-for-profit organisations.

          It was noted that the PRU was not in the most suitable location, however there was no alternative building and there were no funds available to build a new PRU.  This was a priority for the Council’s Strategic Asset Plan.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25