Agenda and minutes

Mr E A Britten - Church Representative (Catholic)

CO-OPTED MEMBERS (NON-VOTING)

Mr N Tones – School Staff Representative

Ms L Whittaker – Young Live Leeds

Ms J Ward

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 25* of the Access to Information Procedure Rules (in the event of an Appeal the press and public will be excluded).

(* In accordance with Procedure Rule 25, notice of an appeal must be received in writing by the Head of Governance Services at least 24 hours before the meeting).

There were no appeals.

1.  To highlight reports or appendices which officers have identified as containing exempt information, and where officers consider that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons outlined in the report.

2.  To consider whether or not to accept the officers recommendation in respect of the above information.

3.  If so, to formally pass the following resolution:-

RESOLVED – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following parts of the agenda designated as containing exempt information on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information, as follows:

No exempt items have been identified.

There were no exempt items.

To identify items which have been admitted to the agenda by the Chair for consideration.

(The special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes.)

There were no formal late items.

To disclose or draw attention to any interests in accordance with Leeds City Council’s ‘Councillor Code of Conduct’.

No interests were raised.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

Apologies were received on behalf of Councillors Downes, Gruen, Martin, Senior and Smith. Councillor Dowson attended in place of Councillor Martin and Councillor Tudor attended in place of Councillor Gruen. Councillor S Arif further submitted her apologies.

Apologies were also received Co-Opted Members Andrew Graham, Helen Bellamy and Kate Blacker.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 7 June 2023

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the previous meeting held 7^th June 23, be approved as an accurate record.

To consider a report from the Head of Democratic Services that provides a summary briefing on the impacts of vaping on children and young people and asks Board members to determine what, if any, further scrutiny actions will follow.

The report of the Head of Democratic Services presented an item regarding a summary briefing from the Public Health service setting out the possible impacts of increased vaping on children and young people in Leeds (Appendix 1) and to consider what, if any, scrutiny actions could follow.

The Principal Scrutiny Adviser set out the basis for the item coming forward at the Board meeting, following discussions from the meeting held on 7^th June 2023. Prior to the meeting Board members suggested that a working group be established to look into the item further and in conjunction with the Adults, Health and Active Lifestyles Scrutiny Board chaired by Councillor Scopes.

The following were in attendance for this item:

• Julie Longworth, Director of Children and Families
• Kathryn Ingold, Chief Officer Public Health
• Heather Thomson, Head of Public Health
• Councillor Pryor, Economy, Culture and Education
• Councillor Venner, Executive Member for Children Social Care and Health Partnerships
• Councillor Lay, Otley and Yeadon Ward
• Councillor Scopes, Chair Adults, Health, and Active Lifestyles
• Rob Clayton, Principal Scrutiny Adviser

The Chief Officer (Public Health) introduced the item and thanked the Board for highlighted the importance of the issues associated with young people vaping. The following was highlighted:

• There is a clear role for vapes to assist smokers quit smoking, but not non-smoking children using them.
• Vapes contain nicotine that can be highly addictive and there is evidence of unregulated vape products with higher nicotine concentrations being sold.
• It is reported that the proportion of children experimenting with vapes has increased by 50% nationally; in Leeds the data position is similar based on data from the ‘My Health My School’ survey.
• The primary reason for young people trying them are experimental and whilst the vaping harm is significantly less than smoking, it is not risk-free and the long-term health impacts on young people are un-known.
• There are concerns with the sale and regulation of vaping products. There are no restrictions on shop displays and the industry is clever at marketing vaping products.
• Action is underway in terms of producing educational materials, presentations to key partners and working alongside West Yorkshire Trading Standards.

Councillor Lay, as one of the elected members that raised concerns about the impact of vaping on children and young people, shared his concerns with the Board, explaining that there are a number of issues in relation to marketing, production, and distribution of vapes and the impact this has on young children in terms of the health implications and the uncertainty of the side effects that they cause. Councillor Lay explained that everybody should be doing their upmost to protect children from harm and highlighted a route that Australia has taken in terms of making sure that vapes are only accessible via prescription. Councillor Lay set out a number of suggestions in terms of:

·  National legislative changes.

·  Taxing disposable vapes.

·  Education and awareness, including prevention programmes in the school curriculum and drawing emphasis on the importance of making healthy choices.

·  Providing accurate information on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

To consider a report from the Head of Democratic Services that presents draft inquiry terms of reference for the Board to discuss and amend as appropriate in advance of further consideration of the provision of EHCP support during the 2023/24 municipal year.

The report of the Head of Democratic Services presented a report setting out the draft Terms of Reference for the scrutiny inquiry into the provision of EHCP support in Leeds.

The following were in attendance for this item:

·  Julie Longworth, Director of Children and Families

·  Ben Allchin, Statutory Assessment and Provision Culture and Education

·  Farrah Khan, Chief Officer Family Help

·  Councillor Pryor, Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education

The Scrutiny Adviser to the Board set out some background context in terms of the inquiry and set out some direction for the Board in terms of taking the inquiry forward. The Board suggested this form part of a working group, and it was confirmed that this will provisionally commence in September.

The Director of Children and Families explained how nationally this is a significant issue and challenging for all schools across the region. The rise in demand is reported at 118% since 2016, and it is acknowledged that more work needs to be done to meet the needs of young people and families in Leeds.

The Chair highlighted a concern in terms of the timeliness with annual reviews and suggested that work be looked at in terms of exploring digital options. It was confirmed that there is an issue nationally with recruitment and retaining colleagues. The team are looking at digitalisation and bureaucracy whilst still providing quality services for children and families.

Members suggested an alteration to the Terms of Reference regarding witnesses, and highlighted the importance of school staff, Leeds Parent Carer Forum, and Trade Union representation forming part of the inquiry. In particular, members highlighted the importance of hearing from school staff, the Leeds Parent Carer Forum and potentially staff representation from those working on the frontline. Further to this, officers explained that Health should be included in the conversation as part of the inquiry.

The Chair also referenced the need to specifically include the SENSAP Team more broadly in the terms of reference document.

The Chair thanked those in attendance and heightened the importance of progressing on the inquiry to improve the lives for young people with additional needs in the city.

RESOLVED –

a)  To note the contents of the report and note that a revised draft Terms of Reference will form part of the Board’s agenda in September 2023 including the comments as set out above.

b)  That a Working Group is set up to consider the planned directorate report on EHCPs later in September and the outcome of that be reported to the October meeting of the Board.

To consider a report from the Director of Children and Families that presents Scrutiny with performance data for pupils in Leeds in 2022 that has been externally validated following the statutory assessments and examinations which took place in 2022.

The report of the Director of Children and Families presented a report on performance data for pupils in Leeds in 2022 that has been externally validated following the statutory assessments and examinations which took place in 2022. The data reviews outcomes from early years to Post 16 and outcomes in Leeds are compared with national figures.

The following were in attendance for this item:

·  Councillor Pryor, Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education

·  Councillor Venner, Executive Member for Children Social Care and Health Partnerships

·  Julie Longworth, Director of Children and Families

·  Dave Clarke, Chief Officer Learning Improvement

·  Erica Hiorns, Leadership and Management Lead

·  Sam Golia, Area Lead Primary Learning Improvement

·  Jayne Ford, Early Years Foundations Stage Improvement

The Director of Children and Families presented the report and explained that the data is from 2022 due to data being validated throughout the year. The report reviews actions taken by the Learning Improvement team throughout the year to respond to emerging issues and what further actions are planned to address them. The following information was highlighted:

·  Attainment was impacted as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and results were generally lower than in 2019 when assessments and examinations were taken, However, the fall in attainment in Leeds has been generally less than those seen nationally and, as a result, results are now broadly in line with national.

·  The work of the Learning Improvement Team was also highlighted in terms of the continuing positives they bring to school performance in the city.

·  The percentage of children in early years attaining a good level of development is lower than national. Colleagues recognise that this may primarily be due to a number of residents in Leeds having English as a second language and those children may not be around English speakers in the first years of their life during Covid, impacting on their English language development.

·  There are a number of positive outcomes in terms of the data for Leeds, those being, the percentage of children achieving the required standard in the Phonics Screening Check at the end of Year 1is now in line with national; attainment at the end of KS2 is much closer to national than it was previously; Y4 pupils multiplication performed better in this check than pupils nationally.

·  Progress data at the end of primary school and secondary school places Leeds in band A (the top of 4 bands).

·  It was acknowledged that whilst good progress has been made, there is still work to do in terms of closing some gaps. An example being the percentage of pupils in KS2 meeting the expected standard for reading, writing and maths is lower than pupils nationally.

·  There is a clear focus to support children who are particularly vulnerable and identified as needing additional support.

The Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education set out some positive highlights in the submitted report in terms of children achieving higher than the national data and explained this is due to a joint effort with headteachers, teachers  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

To consider a report from the Director of Children and Families that sets out the priorities for SACRE over the last year and the progress made on them; the main areas of discussions at SACRE meetings; work to review RE provision in secondary schools in Leeds; the Welcoming Schools initiative; results in RE in external exams; production of a Sensitivity to Faiths document and details of the professional support and training offered by SACRE consultants.

The report of the Director of Children and Families presented a report that set out the priorities for SACRE over the last year and the progress made; the main areas of discussions at SACRE meetings; work to review RE provision in secondary schools in Leeds; the Welcoming Schools initiative; results in RE in external exams; production of a Sensitivity to Faiths document and details of the professional support and training offered by SACRE consultants.

The following were in attendance for this item:

·  Councillor Venner, Executive Member for Children Social Care and Health Partnerships

·  Councillor Pryor, Executive Member for Economy, Culture and Education

·  Julie Longworth, Director of Children and Families

·  Dave Clark, Chief Officer Learning Improvement

·  Erica Hiorns, Leadership and Management Lead

The Leadership and Management Lead presented the report and highlighted some key points:

·  The Local Agreed Syllabus is followed by all maintained schools in Leeds. This is due to be updated in 2024 and the content will remain similar to the current syllabus.

·  Secondary schools were asked to complete a brief survey about RE provision and all schools received individual responses to their survey and targeted support was provided where needed.

·  Outcomes for Leeds in terms of RE examination results were positive and 3% higher than the national figure. Progress 8 performance was also positive.

·  Professional support continued through two consultants. They provided training, RE networks and regular newsletters. The consultants also provided two helpful documents, Sensitivity to Faiths and Voices and Viewpoints providing specific views on areas covered in the RSHE curriculum.

·  Leeds SACRE has been awarded a grant to support Religious Education. Two professionally produced films have beenproduced to introduce young people to a synagogue and gurdwara in Leeds.

The Board collectively thanked everybody on the SACRE committee and their important piece of work to help educate people on different faiths in the city. The positive impact on the delivery of the curriculum was also highlighted.

In responding to a question regarding the educational offer across the city, it was confirmed that there is a focus across all schools in the city on tolerance of faiths and religion; pupils are asked about their understanding of faiths during the inspection process and the LA agreed syllabus provides a broad sweep of religions.

RESOLVED – To note the context of the report and SACRE Annual Report 2021-22 as appended.

To consider the Scrutiny Board’s work schedule for the 2023/24 municipal year.

The report of the Head of Democratic Services presented a report setting out the Board’s work programme for the 2023/24 municipal year. Appended to the submitted report included a copy of the schedule and the Executive Board minutes from the meeting held Wednesday, 21^st June 2023.

The Principal Scrutiny Adviser informed the Board that working groups on the Impact of Vaping on Children and Young People and the Provision of EHCP Support will be scheduled and invites circulated to Board members.

RESOLVED – To note the contents of the report and work schedule for the 2023/24 municipal year.

The next meeting of Scrutiny Board (Children and Families will be on Wednesday 6^th September 2023, at 10.00am with a pre-meeting for Board Members at 9.30am.

RESOLVED – To note the date and time of the next meeting as Wednesday, 6^th September 2023 at 10am (with a pre-meeting for Board members at 9:30am)

The meeting concluded at 12.25.