The Cabinet Member for Schools and Education, Councillor Eleanor Stringer, introduced the report, drawing members’ attention to the impact that the pre-existing housing crisis had on families’ ability to cope during the pandemic. Councillor Stringer said that staff in the council’s Children Schools and Families department had worked hard to adapt and to implement new ways of working in order to protect services and that staff sickness levels had been lower that initially anticipated. Youth services were adapted to provide remote and outdoor provision. Home learning opportunities have been provided throughout and the number of children in schools has been increasing and reached over 4,500 this week.

Councillor Stringer said that her main concerns now were an expected increase in the number of children eligible for free school meals and the consequent impact on educational outcomes; an expected increase in safeguarding referrals and the need to continue to deliver planned savings. She said that she was confident that the resilience of staff, partners and children and young people would enable them to rise to these challenges.

Councillor Stringer and the Director of Children, Schools and Families, Rachael Wardell, provided additional information in response to questions:

·         Approximately 2,500 children are classed as vulnerable under the government’s definition during the pandemic. Staff have made contact with each family to discuss the appropriateness of those children returning to school – many of those with Education Health and Care Plans have chosen to stay at home due to health concerns. Social workers have made home visits to those at high risk and have made virtual contact with others.

·         There is a significant variation in the home environment that will impact on children and young people being able to access home learning. As children return to school the first priority will be to help them to settle in and to feel safe and ready to learn. Teachers will then assess and address pupils’ learning needs. Teachers are used to providing differentiated learning within the classroom but this is likely to be more complex post-Covid.

·         Once the detail of funding available from the National Tutoring programme is known, the council will support schools to access this  fund and any other funding opportunities and to use these to the best possible effect.

·         The council has been providing advice and guidance to assist all schools to open to as many pupils as possible by thinking imaginatively about how to use available space. Government regulations prevent schools from using other community buildings.

·         Youth centres are still not permitted to provide face to face services so services have been redesigned around the detached youth worker model. Zoom and other software has been used for meetings of the Youth Parliament and other groups. The council will be reaching out to existing external funders to encourage them to continue supporting youth services.

·         Around 300 school staff are self isolating or shielding, the vast majority of whom are working from home.

·         Although there is not currently a shortage of foster carers in Merton, the council is always looking to recruit more and has used this period of time as an opportunity for a fresh campaign to encourage community-minded people to consider this as an option

·         Prior to the introduction of the national voucher scheme for pupils on free school meals, schools took a variety of approaches. The national scheme proved difficult to access at first and some families experience difficulty in obtaining and using the vouchers. Although the scheme will continue to fund families during the summer holiday period, the system is due to finish operation at the end of July so applications to cover the summer holidays must be made prior to that date.

·         Other provision in the borough, such as the community fridge, has been extremely effective in providing food to families in need.

·         Parents have been reluctant to take children to medical appointments due to the fear of catching Covid 19 and there are concerns that this will have an impact on children’s health in the immediate and longer term. Communication to address this has been channelled through schools and other organisations.

·         The council is undertaking a corporate piece of work to look at the disproportionate impact that Covid 19 has had on Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities and how to mitigate this.

In response to a question about what support is provided to young people who were previously homeless and are now in temporary accommodation, Rachael Wardell undertook to contact the lead officer in the Communities and Housing Department to find out how many young people are affected and what the arrangements are. ACTION: Director of Children Schools and Families and Head of Democracy Services