Setting

Ms Ann Baxter Director of Children, Schools and Families London Borough of Camden Crowndale Centre 218-220 Eversholt Street London NW1 1BD

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2008

This letter summarises the findings of the 2008 annual performance assessment (APA) for your council. The evaluations and judgements in the letter draw on a range of data and information which covers the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. As you know, the APA is not based on an inspection of your services and, therefore, can only provide a snapshot based on the evidence considered. As such, I am grateful to you for assuring the quality of the data provided. 1

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2008

Performance is judged on a four point scale as detailed in the handbook. I should emphasise that the grades awarded are based on an overall ‘best fit’ model. For instance, an outstanding judgement of Grade 4 reflects that overall most aspects, but not necessarily all, of the services in the area are working very well. We know that one of the features of outstanding provision is the drive for greater improvement and no council would suggest, and nor would Ofsted, that a judgement of outstanding indicates that everything is perfect. Similarly within a judgement of inadequate overall, Grade 1, there could be some aspects of the overall service that are adequate or even good. Judgements are made in a rounded way, balancing all of the evidence and giving due consideration to outcomes, local and national contexts, priorities and decision-making.

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2008

1 Data yet to be confirmed Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 40 40 40 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0117 945 6293 Direct F 0117 945 6554 South_apa@ofsted.gov.uk The following table sets out the grades awarded for performance in 2008.

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Assessment judgement area APA grade

Overall effectiveness of children’s services 4 Being healthy 4 Staying safe 4 Enjoying and achieving 4 Making a positive contribution 4 Achieving economic well-being 3 Capacity to improve, including the management of services for children and young people

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Assessment judgement area APA grade

Inspectors make judgements based on the following scale 4: outstanding/excellent; 3: good; 2: adequate; 1: inadequate

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Overall effectiveness of children’s services Grade 4

The London Borough of Camden makes an outstanding contribution to improving outcomes for children and young people. It delivers services which are consistently above minimum requirements and has sustained strong performance in most of the outcome areas for children and young people.

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Overall effectiveness of children’s services Grade 4

The council is proactive, innovative and ambitious in supporting children and young people to overcome the social and economic challenges they face. Outstanding partnership work ensures that children and young people are healthy. Safeguarding arrangements with an excellent range of very high quality preventative services appear to keep children safe. There are good improvements in attainment for pupils at all key stages. Excellent support is provided for children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and for looked after children. These groups make very good progress. In the round, this picture represents an outstanding contribution to improving the educational achievement of children and young people. However, in achieving economic well-being, although good progress has been maintained in most areas, and the pace of development for the 14–19 strategy has quickened, it is too early to judge the impact of these recent developments.

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Overall effectiveness of children’s services Grade 4

Additionally, the participation of some young people from minority ethnic groups and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in education, employment or training (EET) is low compared to similar councils.

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Overall effectiveness of children’s services Grade 4

The council is making good progress in responding to the recommendations of the joint area review report, published in January 2008, which judged local services for safeguarding and for looked after children to be outstanding.

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Being healthy Grade 4

The contribution of services to improving outcomes for children and young people in this aspect is outstanding. The council’s analysis of its strengths and areas for development for this outcome area is consistent with the evidence.

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Major strengths

ƒ Outstanding partnership work of local services in securing the health of young people, with clear priorities, well targeted services and effective, innovative multi-agency work. ƒ Excellent health outcomes for children. ƒ Outstanding support for vulnerable groups in particular; looked after children, children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and children who use child and adolescent mental health services.

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Staying safe Grade 4

The contribution of services to improving outcomes for children and young people in this aspect is outstanding. The council’s analysis of its strengths and areas for development for this outcome area is consistent with the evidence.

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Major strengths

ƒ Outstanding safeguarding arrangements, together with an excellent range of very high quality preventative services and timely, highly effective multi-agency action for vulnerable groups. ƒ Well established Local Safeguarding Children Board, providing effective leadership with strong performance management and excellent prioritisation. ƒ Excellent multi-agency support for vulnerable groups, in particular looked after children, runaway children, children at risk of being bullied and those at risk of sexual abuse.

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Enjoying and achieving Grade 4

The contribution of services to improving outcomes for children and young people in this aspect is outstanding. The council’s analysis of its strengths and areas for development for this outcome area is consistent with the evidence.

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Major strengths

ƒ Good improvements in attainment at all key stages, in particular, outstanding support for, and very good progress made by, children and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in early years, special schools, hospital schools and pupil referral units. ƒ Very good school improvement service resulting in no schools being in an Ofsted category of concern. ƒ Outstanding support for looked after children which results in good achievement. There is very good support for care leavers.

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Important weaknesses and areas for development

ƒ Attainment of some minority ethnic pupils, particularly at Key Stage 4.

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Making a positive contribution Grade 4

The contribution of services to improving outcomes for children and young people in this aspect is outstanding. The council’s analysis of its strengths and areas for development for this outcome area is consistent with the evidence.

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Major strengths

ƒ Outstanding impact of local services in helping children and young people and their families to contribute to society, with extensive and regular consultation and the view of service users significantly influencing strategy and provision. ƒ Very good involvement and engagement of vulnerable groups, in particular looked after children and children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. ƒ Excellent inter-agency work to prevent anti-social behaviour, bullying and crime, and to support victims.

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Important weaknesses and areas for development

ƒ The impact of youth offending targets and priorities between partner agencies on increased levels of first time entrants to the youth justice system.

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Achieving economic well-being Grade 3

The contribution of services to improving outcomes for children and young people in this aspect is good. The council’s analysis of its strengths and areas for development in this outcome area underestimate a number of important weaknesses and overvalues the areas where progress has been made. The table below sets out the evidence for the grade awarded.

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Major strengths

ƒ All looked after children and care leavers save pathway plans, some of which are excellent. Very effective action ensures that significantly higher levels of looked after young people are in EET post-16 than in similar councils and nationally. All care leavers live in suitable accommodation. ƒ The proportion of young people completing Year 11 who continue in learning is steadily increasing and is in line with similar councils and nationally. In particular, the numbers of looked after young people entering university has increased significantly, from three in 2005 to 13 in 2007. ƒ The proportion of young people achieving Level 2 and Level 3 by age 19 remains above similar councils and nationally.

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Important weaknesses and areas for development

ƒ The council recognises the need to develop the 14–19 strategy across all institutions in order to provide learners with clear pathways to a wide curriculum, including vocational education. The pace of development has quickened, however the impact of these recent developments is not yet evident. ƒ Success rates amongst work-based learners from minority ethnic backgrounds are lower than for White British learners and much lower than the national average for this group. ƒ The proportion of young people from some minority ethnic backgrounds who are not in education, employment or training, although declining, remains above the average of statistical neighbours. ƒ There is a decline in the numbers of young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in EET. The council figure is below that of central London and London averages.

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children’s services Grade 4

The council’s capacity to improve its services for children and young people is outstanding and its management of these services is also outstanding. The council is ambitious and continues to set high standards across all areas of service delivery. Senior leaders are highly effective and set ambitious yet realistic targets which are shared by staff. The council has a sustained focus on equality and diversity and has clear ambition for all children and young people. The council has established excellent relationships with all partners. The council continues to develop detailed knowledge of its population which enables precise targeting of resources. Significant funding is invested in children’s services and delivering value for money is a priority.

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children’s services Grade 4

The CYPP is comprehensive and clear, and informed by excellent data, needs analysis and extensive consultation, in particular with young people who are supported to influence and develop the services which will really make a difference and meet their needs. Priorities dovetail with other corporate plans and strategies and interrelate with the Primary Care Trust’s top priorities.

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Major strengths

ƒ Political and corporate commitment to children’s services is strong, as is the leadership and management of children’s services. ƒ Council and its partners have developed an excellent understanding of the social, economic and environmental challenges faced by their communities and of the range of needs of those communities, including the most vulnerable and at risk of disadvantage. ƒ Financial management is excellent and budgets have been aligned to the commissioning intentions of the CYPP.

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Important weaknesses and areas for development

The children’s services grade is the performance rating for the purpose of section 138 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. It will also provide the score for the children and young people service block in the comprehensive performance assessment to be published by the Audit Commission. We are grateful for the information you provided to support this process and for the time given by you and your colleagues during the assessment.

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Important weaknesses and areas for development

Juliet Winstanley Divisional Manager, Local Services Inspection

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