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“Good attendance at school plays a vital role in children’s development, however councils lack the powers to ensure children who are missing school don’t slip through the net, such as directing academies to accept pupils."

“The number of children in need of support from councils is now at its highest level since before the pandemic."

“The LGA has been warning of the risk from RAAC in schools since 2018. The Government should urgently establish a taskforce, including with the LGA and councils to ensure the safety of both pupils and staff in the long term."

Schools that remain within their council have continued to outshine those that converted to academies, according to new research commissioned by the Local Government Association. 

We remain concerned that additional funding for children’s social care reform is significantly lower than that recommended by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.

Nearly nine in 10 councils fear that nursery closures this year will undermine capacity ahead of the rollout of the Government’s extension of the 30 hours free childcare scheme, new research by the Local Government Association reveals today. 

“Access to childcare is vital for all families, especially for those on the lowest incomes, the most disadvantaged children, women and single-parent families."

"We have long raised with government that councils lack the powers to ensure that children who are missing school don’t slip through the net."

“The treatment suffered by children in settings operated by the Hesley Group is both unacceptable and deeply distressing."

Tougher powers are needed for councils to oversee and regulate out-of-school settings (OOSS) – including being able to shut down illegal schools – after an independent report commissioned by the Government uncovered major safeguarding concerns. The Department for Education funded a pilot in 16 council areas over an 18-month period into the oversight of OOSS, examining safeguarding risks and existing legal powers available to councils. OOSS is a wide range of provision including uniformed organisations, sports and leisure clubs, supplementary schools, faith-based organisations and arts clubs