Latest news with #OverviewandScrutinyCommittee
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Huge rise in home schooling in one part of Merseyside
The number of children moving to home education in Sefton has increased by more than 128% since the covid-19 pandemic and continues to rise year-on-year. Dozens of councils in England have seen a sharp rise in the number of children being removed from school to be home educated over the same period. During an Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) for Children's Services at Bootle Town Hall on Tuesday night (June 3), elected member were asked to review Sefton Council's April performance for its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision. As part of the assessment, the chamber heard details around the borough's Elective Home Education (EHE) statistics for the current academic year 2024/25. READ MORE: What Merseyside is getting from this week's £600bn Spending Review READ MORE: B&M's £3.99 product left my hair feeling so soft and smells great The local authority report showed 'significant and increasing' numbers of pupils being deregistered from schools and reflects a national pattern which suggests a 50% increase in numbers over a 5-year period. For example, (in 2020-2021, Sefton had a maximum figure of 197 EHE pupils within the academic year and currently have 449 - a 128% increase. The report shows more families have opted to formally remove their children from school due to a number of complex reasons, adding: "We have seen an increase of children coming out of schools due to anxiety and other mental health related reasons. This upward trend has been experienced across local authorities within the Northwest region." EHE is a term used to describe a choice by parents to provide education for their children at home instead of sending them to school full-time. While there is no specific requirement for home schooled children to follow the National Curriculum, they must receive a suitable education that is appropriate for their age, ability, and aptitude. Local authorities play a role in monitoring and supporting home education, but there is no statutory requirement for parents to register their children for home education. Data also shows parents are choosing EHE for various reasons, including concerns about their child's mental health, dissatisfaction with SEND provision, or general dissatisfaction with the school system. The Centre for Young Lives (TCYL) published analysis late last year which estimates that about three-quarters of families who home educate pull their children out of mainstream school because they feel they aren't getting the support they need. TCYL also said this often the case when a child has special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or serious mental health issues. The OSC presentation identified a number of factors impacting on pupil attendance at schools including emotional based school avoidance and the capacity of schools to support mental health needs. Furthermore, increasingly parents report that children are not able to cope with the emotional demands placed on them as they progress through school, including the rigour of a KS4 curriculum and GCSE study. The council said there is also a lack of understanding about the availability of SEN provision once parents assume responsibility for the child`s education. As a result, there is a need to build parental awareness of 'graduated approach to emotional health and well being' and the awareness of the support offered by Mental Health Teams. To address the 'challenges' of growing EHE pupils, Sefton Council have committed to monitor the new Fair Access change to see if it is reducing the rate of pupils becoming EHE. Pupils will routinely go back to the school that they came out of. EHE officers have also been hired to offer Early Help support (FAST) at the point of pupils moving to a School Attendance Order pathway (SAO). In addition, the council plan to hold an EHE marker place event at Pinefield Centre during the summer term and will include multi-agency partners looking to establish best practice. A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: 'We work hard to maintain good relationships and frequent, timely contact with families who have an elective home educated child and work with them to assess the suitability of education being provided at home to ensure the child is supported and many home educated children can have a positive, enriching learning experience. "Our priority is to ensure every child receives a suitable education, they are safe and supported and that families feel supported in making informed decisions. 'We understand these are complex decisions for parents and we are working to provide support and information, particularly around SEN provision and emotional wellbeing services to help families and alleviate some of the pressures that can lead to a child being out of school. 'Our elective home education officers and the wider team recently received a gold award from 'Education Otherwise' in recognition of our good relationships with home educating families and we have invested in additional resources to be able to host market place events offering support and advice regarding curriculum subjects, careers, post 16 pathways and mental health support to broaden our offer to EHE families.'
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Three options put forward for future of community forums
Dudley's community forum meetings could be in line for a shake-up with smaller meetings and digital technology. A review of Your Home Your Forums, where members of the public are invited to share their concerns with councillors and other organisations including local police, was shared at a meeting of Dudley Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee on April 30. A report was presented to the committee for members to have their say on three options for the future of the forums. Cllr James Clinton, Dudley cabinet member for public health, said: 'There are 72 members of the council and outside bodies, if we are going to change this it needs to be everybody's choice. It's down to the council, not one person.' The current format was adopted in 2022 when the number of community forums was reduced to five, covering Brierley Hill, Dudley, Dudley North, Halesowen and Stourbridge. Community grant panels were introduced to make recommendations on applications for funding for community projects via the forums. Following a survey of councillors, council staff and representatives from West Midlands Police which began in 2023, three options have been proposed; scrapping the forums, keeping them the same or doing something different. Cllr Adam Davies, who represents Brierley Hill, said: 'The current groups are too big, it doesn't work. 'For a starting point we should aim for ward level, it would give residents a better chance to speak with their own representatives.' Cllr Davies' view was echoed by several other committee members along with possibly using technology to allow residents to take part remotely. Committee chairperson, Cllr Shaun Keasey, said: 'I'm going to recommend a more bespoke package of forums, which may mean there is more but they will be more representative. 'Also increasing that digital interaction and the ability of people to take part via their digital facilities.' He acknowledged equipment for digital interaction proved to be 'too expensive'. The committee agreed several recommendations which will be considered by the authority, in the meantime it was confirmed the forum meetings scheduled for June would go-ahead as planned.
