Councillor Laing (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, Culture and Communications) introduced the report and highlighted the following key points:

a)    The Achieving Excellence strategy was developed following the Ofsted inspection of Children’s Services in January 2024, with wide engagement from staff, children and young people. Scrutiny had received its first update on progress against the ten agreed priorities in July 2025, when children and young people had held officers to account for their progress and ambition to create an equal, kind and safe city;

b)    Good progress continued to be noted, including improved arrangements for children with SEND and children in care, and an effective approach now in place to implement the Families First Partnership reforms. There however continued to be challenges, particularly high demand in some high-cost areas such as short breaks, children’s placements, and the proportion of care leavers not yet in education, employment or training. The plan was being refocused to ensure the right activity was in place to respond to current pressures;

c)    The strategy was a three-year plan built from the Ofsted inspection, with extensive consultation across Children’s Services and the Council. The ten strategic priorities remained constant throughout the plan and were underpinned by annual milestones. There was strengthened governance arrangements and progress in key areas such as SEND improvements, capital programme delivery, and partnership working;

d)    Key achievements in Quarter 1 and Quarter 2, included:

                      i.        Extension of family hubs and satellite sites, providing more early help and support for families;

                     ii.        Development of a more inclusive approach for SEND, including the Plymouth Graduated Approach and targeted funding supporting 380 children across the city;

                    iii.        Significant impact from targeted funding, reducing suspensions in secondary schools by 38% and improving attendance, sense of belonging and attainment;

                    iv.        Launch of the Belonging Framework with headteachers to improve attendance, noting Plymouth’s overall attendance had improved by 0.8%, bucking national trends;

                     v.        Creative approaches to engaging priority groups of young people in education, employment or training, while acknowledging challenges for care leavers;

                    vi.        Issuing 200% more Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) than 2024, achieving 100% timeliness for six-week targets;

                  vii.        Delivery of 523 SEND places, including targeted funding placements;

                 viii.        Improved transition experiences for children moving between educational phases, with Plymouth’s model attracting regional interest;

                   ix.        Progress on recommissioning alternative provision and participation in the national attendance campaign, with Plymouth chosen as one of four local authorities nationally;

e)    The success of the Mockingbird fostering model was highlighted, with three constellations supporting 40 children and no placement breakdowns reported within them. The model provided additional support for foster carers and stability for children;

f)     There was significant progress in developing the Families First front door, enabling earlier intervention and more appropriate responses for families. The commitment to family-led decision-making, including the use of Family Group Conferences and mediation to prevent escalation into care proceedings was noted and they were having a positive impact which would be expanded further;

g)     Councillor Cresswell (Cabinet Member for Education, Apprenticeships and Skills) shared feedback from a recent school visit, where staff praised the targeted funding model for its impact on children’s confidence and engagement, describing a “ripple effect” across the school community;

h)    There were ongoing challenges, including sustaining improvements in attendance for vulnerable groups and increasing engagement for care leavers in education, employment or training.

Actions:

1. Officers to continue monitoring progress against the ten strategic priorities and report back at the next scheduled update.

2. Officers to maintain focus on attendance improvement and care leaver engagement as priority areas.

Recommendations:

The Panel agreed to:

1. Note the key strengths, challenges and next steps identified in the report;

2. Endorse the continued implementation of the Achieving Excellence strategy and its alignment with the Families First reforms.