Minutes:
1) Mr Love reported details of the 2022 GCSE and A Level results in Kent.
Out of 17,254 Kent pupils completing GCSEs in 2022, the average attainment 8 score (the government metric which factors in English, Maths and English Baccalaureate subjects) was 49.8. This put Kent in line with the national average, but ahead of neighbouring counties such as East Sussex and Essex.
There was still a notable gender divide. 71.1% of Kent’s girls achieved a standard or strong pass in both English and Maths compared with 66.1% of Kent's boys; a difference of 5%. However, this was a reduction of the gap in 2019 which was 8.7%, so the gender gap had shrunk.
Out of 7,089 Kent students getting their A-level results in 2022, 86.2% achieved 2 or more passes. This was slightly below the national average of 88%. However, Kent was in line with the national average when it came to achieving 3 or more A* and A grades, with both coming in at 21.3%. Gender differences were more of a mixed picture at A-level, with Kent’s girls more likely to achieve 3 or more A* and A grades, but boys more likely to achieve AAB or better. The national picture showed boys outperforming girls in both of these metrics, in stark contrast to the outcomes found at GCSE level.
376 Kent students also completed T Level qualifications in 2022, with average results being within half a percentage point of the national average. This was the first cohort of students to complete the two-year long courses which were introduced in September 2020, and include a mixture of practical, knowledge and on-the-job based learning via an industry placement. It was hoped that the take-up of T Levels would continue to grow and help ensure businesses had the skilled workforce they needed for success.
It was confirmed that the Department of Education had announced that 8 schools within Kent (excluding Medway) had been successful in their bids under the School Rebuilding Programme. The successful schools were a mix of both primary and secondary and the funding was to ensure they had premises which were fit for the future, whilst opening up opportunities for expansion.
On Tuesday, 10 January, Mr Love visited Simon Langton Girls’ School to see the Biojoyversity programme in action. This started out as a Royal Society funded project carried out by the sixth form students at Simon Langton Girls’ School. It involved an experiment to find out of being amongst nature affected pupil's wellbeing, and it was discovered that self-reported happiness was significantly higher after walking through an area with high biodiversity. This was when the term Biojoyversity was coined.
Going forward, the biojoyversity programme were to collaborate with a number of schools across the county to help improve student wellbeing, whilst also focusing on issues such as tackling waste, recycling and carbon reduction. A range of competitions, activities and events were taking place as part of this.
Mr Love had met with Alison White and Vicky Evans from Kent PACT and was looking forward to working with further with Kent PACT.
2) It was agreed due to time constraints, that Mrs Chandler’s update (detailed below) be sent out to Member by email:
1) UASC Update
I can now confirm the final UASC referral figures for 2022, which came in at 1,378. This is significantly higher than the previous record of 917 back in 2015. I’d like to pay tribute to all the staff who have been dealing with UASC referrals during what has been an extremely challenging year.
As of 13th January, there have been 35 UASC referrals since the start of the month.
KCC is now up to the threshold of 0.1% of its total child population as UASC under the National Transfer Scheme, with this quota having been increased from 0.07% back in August. We know there are many local authorities yet to reach the 0.1% level, so we very much hope the government will continue to ensure that allocations are spread evenly across the country to avoid a disproportionate pressure on Kent.
2) Retention of Social Workers
Retaining qualified social workers is a challenge that KCC and many other local authorities face. Social work is an extremely rewarding career we know there are a range of internal and external pressures which affect retention. Government figures have shown that there has been a 16% increase in those leaving the profession in the past year, the highest number in the last five years.
To help us better understand the landscape we are facing in social work, I'm pleased to announce that Kent County Council has agreed to be part of a research project run by The University of Kent. This will reflect on the experiences of those who qualified as social workers in the last three to five years (2017 to 2019). The goal is to understand what keeps them working at the local authority and what might be a reason for them to leave. Social work staff across Kent who had joined the authority between 2017 and 2019 have been invited to take part in a short 30-minute interview on an anonymous basis as part of the study.
The project will provide initial findings in March 2023 and we will be paying close attention to the outcomes to see what measures we can put in place to ensure continuous improvement.
3) Christmas Appeal
I’d like to give a huge thank you to all the individuals and organisations across Kent who donated to this year’s Corporate Parenting Christmas Appeal.
We set out with a goal of raising £20,000 in order to provide every care leaver in Kent with a £10 gift voucher. I’m pleased to say that following a late flurry of donations, we ended up raising almost £37,000, almost double our original target.
I know just how much these gestures would have meant to care leavers so it’s really great that we were able to accomplish so much, even in times where many are experiencing economic hardship.
4) YLF Volunteering
This appeal was made possible with the support of the The Young Lives Foundation, an organisation which I know many of you here today will be familiar with. The YLF are currently looking for volunteers who can act as positive role models for children and young people across the county.
If you or anyone you know would be interested in volunteering time to help with areas such as mentoring, befriending, custody support or helping out at events, I would strongly encourage visiting the YLF website for more information at www.ylf.org.uk.