Redbridge Council's Children and Young People Committee has set out its key priorities for the upcoming municipal year, with a strong emphasis on improving educational outcomes and enhancing youth engagement.

The committee met on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, to finalise its work plan for 2026-27. Two core areas were identified for in-depth review, aiming to provide focused scrutiny and avoid duplication with other council committees. The committee aims to add value by focusing on issues where the committee can add value and influence outcomes, and to make recommendations to Cabinet and/or relevant Executive Members.

The first priority, Education Outcomes, Standards and Attainment, will examine how the council can improve educational results for all learners, with a specific focus on vulnerable groups and closing attainment gaps. This will include looking at school effectiveness and the progress of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), those in care, and young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

Concrete actions are planned to address these areas. For children with SEND, the council is redesigning the education, health, and care system to be more preventative and integrated, with provisional plans submitted to the Department for Education. The local authority is also engaged in SEND improvement work, receiving encouraging feedback, and preparing for a monitoring visit from Ofsted and CQC. The committee's scrutiny is expected to build upon this by examining progress and identifying areas needing further attention.

For children in care and care leavers, the council is developing a Care Leaver Covenant to engage local businesses and community support for employment and apprenticeships. The committee has a significant role as corporate parents in exercising these duties.

Regarding NEET young people, their rate is noted as low nationally, but those who are NEET are generally the most vulnerable. This area will be explored further, potentially under well-being and mental health.

The committee also aims to add tremendous value to school effectiveness by engaging with strong head teachers and systems leaders. For vulnerable children who are still aren't getting what they need, the committee could add value by examining their specific needs.

The second priority, Engagement with Children, Young People, Schools and Stakeholders, will explore how the council can better involve young residents, educational institutions, and other stakeholders. This area will also consider the implications of Redbridge's accreditation as the first UNICEF Child Friendly Borough in England.

The committee aims to ensure effective engagement by focusing on how do we make sure and evidence that we really consider children's voices in the work that we do and the policies that we set. This will involve co-production work and continually working with young people to spearhead the work that goes forward.

The UNICEF Child Friendly Borough accreditation is a significant achievement, involving substantial input from young people, families, and practitioners. The committee will explore this accreditation to put children and young people at the forefront of our thinking, in our innovation, and how we make sure that we are child friendly all the time in the concepts of the new work that we do. This accreditation is viewed as a continuous process, driving future initiatives through ongoing collaboration with young people.

Discussions during the meeting also touched upon the ongoing SEND improvement work, with initial feedback from the Department for Education and NHSE indicating very good progress. The committee's role in relation to this is noted as a potential area of interest, complementing the work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor S. Ferdause Pasha, Chair of the committee, will work with officers to finalise the detailed work plan for the upcoming meetings, which can be found in the Public reports pack for the Agenda frontsheet.