Agenda and minutes

1.1  Apologies for absence were received from:

-  Greg Condon, Mental Health Programme Manager, City & Hackney CCG

-  Laura Smith, Clinical Lead, Children’s Social Care, Hackney Learning Trust

1.2    Apologies for lateness were received from:

  - Cllr Humaira Garasia

2.1   There were no new or urgent items and the agenda was as published.

·  Cllr Chauhan was a teacher at secondary school in another London borough and a member of the NEU.

·  Cllr Peters was a governor at the Garden School.

·  Cllr Adejare was a governor at Tyssen School, a trainee teacher and a member of the NSWT.

·  Jo Macleod was a governor of a local primary school.

4.1 As part of its work programme for 2018/19, the Commission agreed to assess the support provided to LGBT+ students at schools in Hackney.  Through a range of internal and external contributors, it was hoped that this item would:

·  Outline any statutory duties and establish current service provision;

·  Provide an overview of the needs of LGBT+ young people;

·  Identify examples of good practice in schools;

·  Contribute to the identification of strategic priorities and approach for this work.

Hackney Learning Trust (HLT)

4.2 The Chair introduced Helena Burke from HLT to present the attached report. The report described some of the local work undertaken by the HLT to ensure that local schools demonstrated an accepting and supportive approach to young LGBT+ students and how this work linked with other initiatives to curb bullying and harassment.  It was noted that there was a significant amount of guidance and advice in this area, and that the HLT supported schools to help them meet these requirements.

4.3 The Equality Act 2010 required schools to pay attention to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) to ensure that they did not unlawfully discriminate against pupils because of their age, sex, race, disability, religion, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity, marriage or civil partnership or sexual orientation.  These were known collectively as the protected characteristics.  It was noted that the Equality Act aims to prevent discrimination and not about providing positive support for these groups.

4.4 The Commission noted that the Ofsted inspection framework also expected schools to tackle inequalities and disadvantage in all aspects of school life, which would incorporate LGBT+ issues among other equality groups.

4.5 New guidance for compulsory relationship and health education in all schools by 2020 was published in July 2019.  This guidance, which was still being consulted upon, would require all schools to teach health education and sex education in secondary school and provide the ‘building blocks for positive and safe relationships of all kinds’.  This was welcomed by the HLT and a Council wide response was provided to the consultation via Public Health.  The Commission noted that the Government response to the consultation would be published imminently.

Action: That the Government response to the ‘Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education’ to be circulated to the Commission once published.

4.6 The HLT also helped develop good practice in the delivery of PSHE curriculum across schools by providing support to the PSHE school coordinators network across Hackney. 

4.7 Nationally, the Equalities Office had published an LGBT Action Plan which set out a number of ambitions to improve support for LGBT children and young people at school, these included:

-  To develop and deliver and anti-homophobic, Biphobic and Transphobic bullying programme for 1,200 schools;

-  For the Crown Prosecution Service to update of LGBT Hate crime guidance for schools;

-  To update Sex and Relationship guidance for schools (as in 4.5);

-  To update guidance of the application of the Equalities Act 2010 to support LGBT students in school;

-  Provide support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.1 In February 2018, the Commission held round table discussion with a number of providers within the CAMHS alliance to discuss how the mental health needs of young people were being addressed in Hackney.  Subsequent to that meeting, the Commission agreed to receive an update on the work of the WAMHS project which aimed to develop the wellbeing and mental health support to schoolchildren in Hackney.

5.2 The Chair welcomed to the meeting Sophie McElroy (CAMHS Alliance Project Manager), Helena Burke (Leadership & Management Adviser at HLT) and Waveney Patel (Consultant Clinical Psychologist from Specialist CAMHS, East London Foundation Trust) to present on the WAHMS item.  The Chair also welcomed Victoria Simmons (Deputy Head Teacher from Baden Powell School) and Peter McEvoy (Assistant Head, Cardinal Pole School) who would present two case studies (primary and secondary) from the project.  Ruth Kossoff (Joint Head of Service, First Steps and CAMHS Disability, Homerton Hospital) and Amy Wilkinson (Integrated Commissioning Workstream Director, Children, Young People and Maternity Services) were also in attendance for this item.

  5.3 The Commission understood that schools (and teachers) play an important role in the early identification of mental health issues among young people and in referring them on for more specialist advice and support.  The objective of the WAHMS project was to ensure that young people had access to high quality mental health and wellbeing support which was linked to their school and college. The project commenced in September 2018.

5.4 Initial work for the project had identified a number of issues that schools and teachers had faced in supporting the mental health needs of young people. The most important problem that school had encountered was that it had been difficult to navigate the complex CAMHS system given that there were 5 main providers in Hackney and there were multiple referral routes.

5.5 The commission understood that one of the primary aims of WAMHS was to develop access to mental health support services for children and young people; it was noted that at present only 25% of young people with a mental health disorder had contact with a mental health specialist.  It was hoped that the operation of WAMHS would help to increase the proportion of young people that access specialist mental health support to 35%. 

5.6 The Commission also understood that there were a number of intended primary outcomes for the WAMHS project, which were as set out below:

-  To increase in the number and proportion of appropriate referrals to CAMHS services from WAMHS participating schools;

-  To support improvement in the approach of schools to early identification and development of positive health and wellbeing policies and procedures (model policies to be developed);

-  To improve the confidence of school staff to effectively identify and support students with mental health problems;

-  To improve pupil and parent perceptions and satisfaction of schools approach to mental wellbeing and the support available in school.

5.7 In addition, there were a number of secondary outcomes for the WAMHS  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.1 The Commission has undertaken a range of site visits and focus groups to support its review of the outcomes of children excluded from school. A number of site visits to alternative providers have been undertaken which have included:

-  New Regents College

-  The Garden School

-  Hackney City Farm

-  The Boxing Academy

-  Inspire

6.2 Members of the Commission reported back on some key observations or conclusions which has been reached thus far through this visits.  These are summarised below

-  There will always be a need to commission alternative education provision given the breadth of the needs of children who cannot be taught in a mainstream setting or at a singular alternative provider;

-  All alternative providers visited noted how it was important it was to work with parents in supporting excluded children, though it was not always clear how much support was available for parents locally, especially independent advice and advocacy;

-  When a child is excluded from school, it is often difficult for the next education provider (AP or NRC) to obtain import information about the needs of that child from the excluding school which makes it difficult to provide appropriate support;

-  A number of providers suggested that a significant number of children entering alternative provision had an undiagnosed educational or healthcare need, and often had not had been assessed for and EHC Plan, which again made it difficult to support that child;

-  Whilst a high proportion of children were noted to go in to further education or training after they leave AP, it was suggested that the drop-out rate for those children entering college was high.  This has lead the Commission to question what transitional support is provided from AP to college settings?

-  Whilst there is clearly lots of good practice that is happening locally, for example, the development of the Positive Behaviour System at The Garden School, it is not clear what processes there are to support replication across schools and the AP sector;

-  The issue of staff qualifications was also raised, particularly where it was noted that in those AP settings where children needs were greatest there were fewer qualified teachers.

6.3 The Commission have also undertaken a number of focus groups with young people to assess the impact of school exclusion and what support they have received to help them reintegrate back to mainstream education or with an AP.  A summary of the key emerging issues to emerge from data collection thus far is provided below:

-  In AP, children work in smaller groups which was found to be more supportive and better enabled them to focus on their studies;

-  Where this was provided, mentoring was noted to have a very positive effect on young people, as this provided space to reflect on their behaviour and to make positive changes;

-  Whilst some children liked the discipline and order of local behaviour policies, others found these challenging to operate within;

-  Some young people found  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.1 The Commission noted and agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 14^th January 2019.

8.1 The Commission noted and agreed the work programme for the Commission for the remainder of the 2018/19.

9.1 There was no other business.

  The meeting closed at 9.55pm.