Accessibility links

1
Language selection

Agenda item

Strategic Approaches to the Support of Vulnerable Children

Minutes:

The Corporate Director Education and Family Support gave a report, which both updated and informed Committee on the support being delivered to improve the educational performance of vulnerable children in Bridgend.

 

The Group Manager School Improvement by way of background, advised Members that it was recognised that the gap in performance between vulnerable groups and more advantaged peers puts them at increased risk of exclusion, poor attendance, behavioural problems, as well as social emotional issues. This could lead to these children leaving education without the skills or qualifications required to become independent adults.

 

She then confirmed that across Bridgend, there was an improving trend in GCSE performance at grades A* - G for looked after children, and in 2014/15 no looked after children left education at the age of 16 without a qualification, and referred to various data included in the report that substantiated this, including at the different levels of Key Stage pupils.

 

The Group Manager School Improvement also advised however, that the performance of pupils eligible for free school meals was generally improving in every key stage (with a drop at Key Stage 4 in 2014, followed strong performance in 2015). She explained that this was similar to the national trends in which there were improvements in every key stage.

 

She also advised that it was encouraging to note, that 3 pupils from Year 13 Cohort had progressed by going on to University.

 

The Group Manager School Improvement then confirmed that the strategic approaches detailed in the report, were not targeted solely at Looked After Children but also young people on the edge of care.

 

Paragraph 3.5 of the report, detailed information on how Children’s Services were maintaining and building upon improvements made to date, and the Group Manager School Improvement added that the Vulnerable Groups Strategy raised awareness in certain key areas, as well as looking at more innovative ways by which to hopefully close the gap in terms of learning between groups of children that were deemed vulnerable in comparison to those which are not, in order to maximise their levels of achievement, and to this end, there had been a multi-level strategic approach to supporting and targeting the educational performance of these children.

 

The next part of the report referred to Exclusions and the Fair Access Strategy, and the Group Manager School Improvement confirmed, that following the pattern of a high number of fixed-term and permanent exclusions, A Fair Access Strategy Group was formed and an Action Plan devised for 2015-16 and details of this were included in Appendix D to the report.

 

With regard to the report’s financial implications, the Group Manager School Improvement highlighted that there weren’t any, as the initiatives described throughout the report were being met through a combination of Pupil Deprivation Grant for Looked After Children and existing resources.

 

The Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care and Health and Wellbeing, referred to the Fair Access Action Plan, which identified the need to have robust tracking, in order to analyse the data and provide targeted early prevention and intervention to meet the needs of children and young people, (Appendix C to the report referred). He welcomed this approach. He noted that Maesteg Comprehensive School was one of the highest schools in the County when it came to free school meals for pupils, and with regard to this, he asked if the formula for tracking was consistent and applied the same for all such schools situate within the County Borough.

 

The Group Manager School Improvement confirmed that the tracking applied was the same in terms of consistently being applied across all BCB’s secondary schools. The database used for this was known as SIM’s, and this accounted for the support of children who were recognised as vulnerable or with other needs.  

 

RESOLVED:                    That the Corporate Parenting Cabinet Committee considered and noted the report.

Supporting documents:

 

A to Z Search

  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D
  5. E
  6. F
  7. G
  8. H
  9. I
  10. J
  11. K
  12. L
  13. M
  14. N
  15. O
  16. P
  17. Q
  18. R
  19. S
  20. T
  21. U
  22. V
  23. W
  24. X
  25. Y
  26. Z