Issue - meetings

Councillor Cheryl Barnard, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, Kathryn Bouchlaghem, Early Years Manager, Katherine Crossley, Early Years Project Officer and Nicholas Lee, Director of Education Services attended the meeting to outline the Council’s response and progress to address the recommendation arising from a Local Government Association Peer Challenge carried out with Nottingham City Council in 2019 to develop a collaboratively produced citywide Early Years Strategy, with a particular focus on speech, language and communication.  They highlighted the following information:

a)  The Council is working with partners to develop a workable Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) Strategy for the city. This has involved establishing and understanding what interventions are being used across the city.

b)  It has been clearly identified (pre pandemic) that some of Nottingham’s children are not developing their speech and language skills to the best of their ability.  This can impact on all of a child’s life skills, including attachment, attainment, offending, good mental health, wellbeing, employment opportunities etc. The pandemic has impacted on the ability to engage with some young children, but the Early Year’s Foundation sector has been open throughout and available for parents to use.

c)  Partnership working with other cities (Derby and Leicester) has enabled Nottingham to learn from others, for example the Council aspires to extend its age range for SLC work from 0-5 to 25, as Leicester has done. 

d)  It is hoped to replicate across the city, at low cost or no cost, the work with Small Steps Big Changes (National Lottery funded programme of activities designed to give children the best start in life) in Aspley, Bulwell, Hyson Green, Arboretum and St Ann’s.

e)  The Peer Reviewers are due to return in the summer this year, by which time the SLC strategy will at least be in draft form if not further progressed.  The Health and Wellbeing Board is responsible for overseeing the work to develop the strategy.

f)  There are lots of really positive programmes of work across the city in schools, community settings etc, which support SLC.  Going back to basics, eg using the first 100 words, is considered key in how to move forward to a workable citywide partnership strategy.

g)  Early Years colleagues are working with Derby and Leicester to centralise SLC resources for the city and to support parents, carers and professionals to navigate what is available, so that they can help children to develop their SLC skills.  Information has been centralised in one place, called the Balanced System pathway, providing clear guidance and support.  The Committee was shown a short video which introduces the Balanced System pathway and the range of resources on offer. This tool is being widely shared.

h)  Work is ongoing with partners from birth onwards to encourage parents and provide them with the confidence to take up a free childcare early education place to enable SLC work to begin as early as possible.

In response to questions from the Committee and in the subsequent discussion the following points  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33