Minutes for Children & Young People Scrutiny Commission meeting, Dec 7 2009, 7.00PM official page

Cllr Bell, Cllr Landau and Cllr Plouviez.

There were no urgent items and the order is as laid out.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the 2^nd November meeting were AGREED as an accurate account according to the following changes:

• Ralph Bergmann asked that his apologies be added to the list for the meeting on 2^nd November. 

• Point 11.7, the suggestion by Cllr Taylor should be changed to:

Cllr Taylor suggested that the pilot project should be different from traditional careers advice; it should be to give inspiration to young people about their future plans.

AGREED

The minutes from 2^nd November were agreed.

Matters Arising

The Chair asked Commission members to note the further information provided by the Learning Trust about the Aim Higher programme and careers information support for parents in Hackney.

The Chair also asked Members to note the further information provided by the Learning Trust about the changes to commissioning and funding of post-16 provision in Hackney provided by the Learning Trust, as requested at the November meeting.

There were no updates.

Presentation from the Learning Trust updating the Commission on the achievement of Turkish Speaking and Caribbean-heritage pupils.

The Chair welcomed Yvonne Servante, Christine Townley, and Catherine Wensley from the Learning Trust to provide an update on the achievement of Turkish speaking and Caribbean-heritage students. 

The Chair told Members that the Commission carried out scrutiny reviews on the underachievement of pupils of Caribbean heritage, and the underachievement of Turkish speaking boys in 2003.  The Commission last received an update regarding these reviews in December 2007 and it was agreed at this meeting that the two reviews should be signed off.

However, Cllr Unleur requested an update from the Learning Trust on these reviews during the October 2009 Commission meeting as there is concern about current levels of attainment amongst these groups.

The Chair stated that the Commission would have appreciated a written report as well as a presentation at the meeting.  This would have allowed Commission members to properly examine the figures and prepare relevant questions before the meeting. 

Ms Servantes offered her apologies and said she would take these views back to the Learning Trust.

Ms Servantes introduced the presentation and stated that it would focus on two main stages: primary and secondary outcomes for the student groups concerned. 

She also stated that whenever the handouts referred to Turkish and Kurdish students, this should be corrected to include Cypriot students.  She apologised for this oversight.  

Ms Servantes said that when looking at the figures included in the presentation, it is important to recognise that cohorts differ in size year to year, and therefore this can greatly impact the percentage figures for attainment. 

It should also be noted that Key Stage 3 tests have been abolished since the original scrutiny reviews were carried out in 2003, so the presentation focused on exam results at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 (the outcomes at the end of Year 6 and Year 11).

Christine Townley introduced herselt as the Strategic Lead for Underachieveing Cohorts at the Learning Trust. 

She told the Commission that 2009 was the first year that English and Maths results were considered together, therefore a student must achieve the required level in both exams to be included in the figures.  Before, these subjects were considered separately. 

Regarding Turkish, Kurdish and Cypriot students, Ms Townley explained the gap at Key Stage 2 is closing, and results are improving year by year for both boys and girls. 

She also added that Turkish, Kurdish and Cypriot students are beginning to overtake average attainment levels for white students in Hackney, in line with some other BME groups. 

Ms Townley stated that it is a different picture for Caribbean-heritage students at Key Stage 2, and the gap between their attainment levels and the Hackney average has widened.  Attainment levels for Caribbean-heritage girls and boys in Hackney rose in 2008, but dropped for both groups in 2009.  She said this is an area for concern and is currently under investigation.  The early stages of this investigation appear to show that now that English and Maths results are considered together, the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

A presentation about the research Community Links carried out in collaboration with Hackney Youth Parliament about young people’s aspirations in Hackney.

The Chair welcomed Aaron Barbour from Community Links and members of Hackney Youth Parliament to talk to the Commission about their research into young people’s aspirations in Hackney.

Mr Barbour explained that the research looked at three main areas:  the aspirations of young people in Hackney, the barriers they may face, and the solutions to help them overcome these barriers. 

Community Links worked with Hackney Youth Parliament (HYP) to develop the research ideas and questionnaires to be used for the interviews with young people and parents/carers.  Community Links trained the HYP members in participative research techniques and supported them to collect information.  Community Links worked with the HYP members to design workshops and participative activities around the subject of young people’s aspirations.  Two workshops were held – one at the Crib youth centre, and one at Hackney Free and Parochial School. 

Commission members were also invited to help with the research by distributing and collecting questionnaires from Hackney parents/carers. 

Community Links’ team then collated, analysed and wrote up the information, in consultation with HYP members.

The research found that young people in Hackney have diverse and ambitious aspirations: some are job or career oriented, some regarding family and relationships, and some aspire to wealth and gaining material goods. 

The Commission heard that the parents questioned about very similar aspirations for their children, and that hard work was recognised by both groups as necessary to achieve their aspirations. 

The research looked at what might be needed to expand young people’s horizons, and found that all but one young person interviewed was involved in after-school activities.  They did find however when questioning the parents, that 23% answered that they were struggling to pay for these additional activities. 

Two workshops were held as part of the research – one at the Crib youth centre and one at Hackney Free and Parochial School.  Each young person involved drew an aspirations map including how their goals, how they would reach them, the barriers they may face and the support they thought they needed to reach their goals. 

The Commission heard that the research highlighted the importance of family and friends in supporting young people to reach their aspirations. 

The young people involved in the research showed an awareness of the obstacles they may face in trying to fulfil their aspirations, citing money, criticism, health, distractions, influences, confidence, and family problems as potential obstacles. 

The research also showed that the young people had a good understanding of how to overcome these barriers, including friends, personal qualities of ambition and hard work, encouragement, education and training, and gaining experience.

The Hackney Youth Parliament members said that the research did show that young people might not be aware of all of the options available to them, and they felt the careers advice provided was too narrow – for example if you showed an interest in English, it might be suggested to you that you should consider publishing, journalism and teaching, and not be encouraged to consider other  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

A presentation from the Connexions service in Hackney about the services they provide and the young people that access these services.

The Chair welcomed Kola Gbadebo, Operations Manger for Prospects Services to talk to the Commission about the Connexions service in Hackney.

Mr Gbadebo told the Commission that Prospects, a limited liability careers company, took over the delivery of the universal aspects of Connexions services to young people in Hackney from April 1^st 2008 and have a 3 year contract.

Prospects is a not for profit company delivering careers and related education service throughout the country and has the largest spread in London. We deliver Connexions in boroughs including: Bexley, Havering, City, Kensington & Chelsea, Southwark, Wandsworth, Brent and Greenwich.

Connexions is based in the flagship centre at 65 Dalston Lane where a range of services can be directly accessed by young people. These include Careers guidance, drug advice, apprenticeship recruitment, positive activities, teenage parent advice, sexual health advice, referrals to Jobcentre Plus as well as several workshops and meetings.

The centre is open 6 days a week Monday to Saturday and has 8 spacious and fully accessible interview rooms.

Young people and their parents/carers can either book an appointment to see a specific adviser or just call in and see the duty adviser.

Advisers also work in all community schools, the colleges, partner organisations such as YOT, LAC and other centres within the community. The community outreach plan is being expanded in line with the borough Youth workers strategy.

The team is managed by me as the Operations Manager leading a team of 3 Team managers and 29 qualified staff, including a part time employed Young Persons Representative.  There are 3 broad teams: Education, Special Needs and Community team.

The Education Team is linked to schools and colleges delivering group sessions, Assembly talks, Parents events and individual confidential guidance. They also offer specialist support on GCSE and A’ Level results day.

The community team is responsible for young people outside education including the NEET. They work with training providers and employers to secure jobs and training. This includes everything from Job search, CV preparation, Job interview preparation, work placement follow up to tracking young people who have not been in contact. This team has 2 specialists linked in to the YOT and the LAC services.

There are generic tracking activities carried out throughout the year that involves all teams. These include:

• The Annual Destination survey. When we track and record the progress and destination of every young person leaving mainstream education.
• The September Guarantee. When we record the offer of learning for every young person in Year 11 and 12.

Mr Gbadebo explained that all the staff are either fully qualified to a minimum NVQ4 and above in Guidance or are being trained to that level.  All staff are CRB checked and undergo 2 management quality observations a year. The whole team also undergoes Safeguarding training and they are linked to the Borough Safeguarding team.

Mr Gbadebo told the Commission that the total present post 16-18 cohort in Hackney is approximately 4423 young people.  Of these, 3365 are  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Discussion about the Commission’s pilot project around inspiring careers ideas at City Academy on 7^th December.

The Chair told the Commission that as suggested by Cllr Taylor at the November meeting, a pilot project had been organised around inspiring young people to think about different career pathways.

City Academy agreed to help with the pilot project and the session was held earlier that day, the 7^th December. 

The Chair asked Cllr Taylor, who was present at the session, to briefly tell the Commission about how the pilot project went. 

Cllr Taylor told the Commission that two speakers were invited to address a class of Year 7 students at City Academy, both of whom had been educated in Hackney then gone on to university and successful professional careers: Gulten Kaya, a lawyer, and Hasan Icoz, a structural engineer.  The guests introduced themselves and each talked to the class for 5 to 10 minutes about what they do, how they got into the profession, what they contribute to society and what satisfaction it gives them.

Following these introductions, the students then asked the two speakers questions for the remainder of the session.  This covered a range of topics, including questions about their educational background and qualifications, their experiences at school in Hackney, and their current jobs. 

Cllr Taylor said that overall the pilot session had been very successful, although there were improvements that could be made for future sessions. 

Cllr Taylor stated that the responses from the students and teachers appeared to reinforce the idea that young people wanted to see examples of successful people who had been educated and grown up in Hackney.

Questions and Comments

The Chair thanked Cllr Taylor and opened the floor for questions. 

The Chair asked if the teachers at City Academy found the session valuable.

Cllr Taylor replied that the principal and the teacher that had helped organise the session, Mr Ali, were both keen on working on raising the aspirations of their students and participating in sessions such as the pilot one. 

Saleh Ahmed asked why City Academy was chosen for the pilot project.

Cllr Taylor replied that he had links with City Academy and thought they would be keen on the idea.

Gareth Wall, the Acting Head of Overview and Scrutiny, explained to the Commission that if the pilot session was deemed a success, then the Commission could recommend continuing and extending such a scheme. 

Deborah Ennis, the Overview and ScrutinyOfficer, told the Commission that a full report of the pilot project would be included in next month’s papers, including feedback from the students. 

A summary of the Tower Hamlets Child Poverty Beacon Open Day on 25^th November 2009that Commission members attended.

The Chair told the Commission that herself, Cllr Icoz, Cllr Siddique and the Overview and Scrutiny Officer, Deborah Ennis, attended the Tower Hamlets Child Poverty Beacon Open Day on 25^th November.  The London Borough of Tower Hamlets was awarded Beacon status for Preventing and Tackling Child Poverty in 2009-10. 

The Open Day featured a variety of speakers including the Lead Member for Children, Schools and Families, the Chief Executive of Tower Hamlets, the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, speakers from the government’s Child Poverty Unit, and staff working to tackle child poverty within Tower Hamlets. 

The day also included workshops exploring the different approaches Tower Hamlets has taken to tackling child poverty in more depth.

The Chair emphasised that Tower Hamlets had not eradicated Child Poverty, they still had a lot of work to do but they had received a Beacon Award for the approach they were taking and the central focus of the council on tackling the issue. 

The Chair told the Commission that further information about the Open Day could be found in the summary included in the meeting papers. 

A written report of the site visit to the Fairbridge Centre on 29^th October 2009.

The Chair reminded the Commission that they had heard about the site visit to the Fairbridge Centre from Cllr Taylor at the last meeting, and the summary was included for their information. 

Cllr Taylor highlighted the SPLAT diagram that was mentioned in the summary of the site visit and told Members that copies were distributed at the start of the meeting for their information. 

Information about the REACH programme which aims to raise the aspirations of Black boys and young Black men.

The Chair informed the Commission that the REACH Progress Report which included an update on the REACH report which aimed to raise the aspirations and attainment of Black boys and young Black men had been included for their information.

Discussion amongst Commission members about the findings of the Raising Aspirations review and possible recommendations. 

The Chair asked members to discuss the findings of the Raising Aspirations review and their ideas for review recommendations. 

The Chair reminded members that the October meeting focussed on the national perspective, the November meeting focussed on the local perspective, and this meeting focussed on involving young people in the review and hearing their views through the primary research with Hackney Youth Parliament and through the pilot project at City Academy.  She encouraged members to think about the evidence heard at all of the meetings. 

Cllr Icoz commented that it was very interesting to hear from the Hackney Youth Parliament members about the problems of young people with caring responsibilities as this had not been raised by any of the other evidence heard during the meetings.

Edith Akinnawonu suggested there needs to be more awareness of the respite services available to families and more awareness generally of the support available. 

The Chair asked if enough mentoring opportunities are available to young people in Hackney.

Lisa Neidichreplied that there does not appear to be a real feeling of how much is going on in terms of mentoring within the borough.  She suggested that there appears to be not enough co-ordination of the various schemes. 

Mary Ludlow commented that she thought it was the responsibility of the Learning Trust to provide ‘focussed leadership’ around the issue of mentoring.

Cllr Taylor said that the review had highlighted the critical importance of the family in supporting young people and their aspirations.  He thought that more support needs to be given to parents to allow them to do this effectively. 

Cllr Taylor also suggested that the pilot project held at City Academy should be extended, and young professionals should be brought back into Hackney schools to talk to young people to show them examples of successful local people. 

Lisa Neidichremarked that the parenting programmes in Hackney are mainly aimed at the parents of young children, and more is needed to support the parents of teenagers. 

Cllr Taylor said the parenting programmes in Tower Hamlets sounded very interesting. 

Cllr Icoz commented on the information she heard at the Tower Hamlets Open Day and thought that more use should be made of Children’s Centres to raise the aspirations of the parents, for themselves and their children. 

Saleh Ahmed said it was important there is a broad spectrum of professionals going into schools to show young people the wide range of options available to them.  He also asked what age Commission members think careers advice should be provided to students.

The Chair reminded Commission members about the research by the Family and Parenting Institute that emphasised the age that really need and want support is 13-14 year olds, and adequate support is often not provided at this age. 

Cllr Taylor highlighted that the pilot project was not about providing careers advice to young people, but it was about inspiring them to think about the future and possible ideas for the future. 

Edith Akinnawonu commented on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

There was no other business.