PRU Mentoring Support Programme Addition

Executive Summary:  

This Decision requests the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime further approves the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) Mentoring Support Programme funding award from September 2022 to August 2024 for the Pan-London delivery of the mentoring programme (option to extend for one more year).   

A total number of 21 boroughs have taken up the funding to deliver academic mentoring, family, resilience and Transition mentoring across Key Stages 3 and 4.   

Contracts will require further uplifts in the third year of delivery 2024-2025 to allow for the overall PRU and AP submissions increasing the total number of boroughs from 21 to 22. An additional uplift in funding is therefore required.   

Recommendation: 

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve:  

• The allocation of £2,177,500 for years 22-25 through a direct award to the PRU Mentoring Support Programme. (PCD 1078) representing an increase of £9,500 from the original approval of £2,168,000.   

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background 

1.1 The VRU’s core objectives include commitments to prioritise wellbeing and  achievement in school; to support individuals to be more resilient; and to make London a more compassionate and safer city. Since the start in 2018, the VRU have undertaken a range of analysis and stakeholder engagement activities to understand how we can best work with the education sector to achieve these objectives. Building on this knowledge, and on learnings from 2.5 years of commissioned programmes to support children and young people in education PCD 1078 was approved to deliver a 3-year Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) Mentoring programme between 2022 and 2025, to build upon the initial PRU Mentoring pilot, to support PRUs and Alternative Provision settings to set up, expand or strengthen existing mentoring provision for children and young people at risk of truancy and violence. 

1.2 There is evidence to suggest that children who have a history of either suspension or exclusion from school are more likely to become victims or perpetrators of violence. A report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons found that in 2017/18, nearly 90 per cent of young people in detention had been excluded from mainstream education. An Ofsted report from 2019 also found that children who are excluded from school are twice as likely to carry a knife. Evidence from Serious Case Reviews shows over-representation of children who have been excluded in cases of weapon-carrying and being victims of homicide by offensive weapons.  Evidence also highlights that socio-economic disadvantage increases the risk of being excluded from school, with pupils eligible for free school meals more than four times more likely to be excluded, while looked-after children are five times more likely to be suspended. 

1.3 Croydon’s Vulnerable Adolescent Review from 2019 found that exclusion from school was a common factor in the lives of the most vulnerable young people in the borough. All of those excluded from primary school went on to be involved in the criminal justice system. 

1.4 PRUs serve pupils who have been excluded from mainstream education; a cohort of children and young people who are disproportionately vulnerable. A 2017 IPPR report found that fewer than 2% of excluded learners get a good pass in English and maths, 1 in 2 is immediately unemployed and out of education at age 16, and half the prison population are estimated to have been excluded from school. The VRU wants to reduce the likelihood of poor life outcomes associated with being excluded by investing in a mentoring programme to keep pupils in PRUs engaged in their education, motivated and supported to achieve their goals.  

1.5  Following a successful funding round boroughs across London have submitted applications for the delivery and extension of the PRU Mentoring Support Programme (PCD 1078) from September 2022 to August 2024 with a one year option to extend.  Approval is sought for an uplift of £9,500 to meet the delivery of 22 boroughs in the third year, 2024-2025.   

2. Issues for consideration 

2.1 The allocation of £2,177,500 over financial years 22-25 (PCD 1078) to be awarded through a direct award through a budgetary increase of £9,500.  If we were unable to increase the funding from £2,168,000 to £2,177,500 we would have to reduce the annual fee from £33,500 to £33,000 per borough. 

2.2 The breakdown of budget for each financial year should be amended from that stated in PCD 1078 as follows: 

FY 2022/23 should be amended from 508,000 to 703,500 (33,500 x 21 boroughs)  

FY 2023/24 should be amended from 830,000 to 737,000 (33,500 x 22 boroughs) 

FY 2024/25 should be amended from 830,000 to 737,000 (33,500 x 22 boroughs) 

Total: 2,177,500   

2.3 Approval is requested for an additional £9,500 to uplift the total budget to £2,177,500. We have brought forward £33,500 from the budget for 2024/25 and allocated it to 2023/24. This would allow LB Croydon to begin delivery in FY 23/24. The issue we have is that including LB Croydon increases the total boroughs to 22, and if they all wanted to extend into 2024/25, we would only be able to allocate them each £33k (rather than the usual £33.5k per financial year).  The uplift of £9.5k will allow us to maintain the budget of £33,500 to all boroughs entering into year 3. 

3. Financial Comments 

3.1 DMPC Decision paper PCD 1078 approved the PRU Mentoring Programme cost of £2,168,000 over the next three financial years. As stated in the recommendation section in this decision paper an additional £9,500 is required, taking the total funding requirement to £2,177,500 which will be funded from the VRU’s approved Mayoral core funding with the updated spend profile as follows:     

• 2022/23 £703,500 

• 2023/24 £737,000 

• 2024/25 £737,000  

4. Legal Comments 

1. MOPAC’s general powers are set out in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). Section 3(6) of the 2011 Act provides that MOPAC must “secure the maintenance of the metropolitan police service and secure that the metropolitan police service is efficient and effective.” This is a broad power and the initiatives appear to be part of a number of proposals which are aimed at supporting victims of crime to enable the efficiency and effectiveness of the police service. In addition, under Schedule 3, paragraph 7 MOPAC has wide incidental powers to “do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office.” Paragraph 7(2) (a) provides that this includes entering into contracts and other agreements. 

2. Section 143 (1) (b) of the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides an express power for MOPAC, as a local policing body, to provide or commission services “intended by the local policing body to help victims or witnesses of, or other persons affected by, offences and anti-social behaviour.” Section 143(3) specifically allows MOPAC to make grants in connection with such arrangements and any grant may be made subject to any conditions that MOPAC thinks appropriate. 

5. Commercial Issues  

1. Regulation 72 of The Procurement Contract Regulations 2015 provides the conditions that must be met in order to modify a contract, based on the following justifications both variations meet all the requirements:  

2. The original contract term included an end date of March 2023 the extension allows time for a procurement process to be carried out through an open procedure  

3. The overall nature of the contracts has not changed. The Supplier will be delivering similar services during the extension period.  

4. The increase in price does not exceed 50% of the value of the original contracts.  

5.2 The allocation of a further £9,500 to this budget based on (PCD 1078)  would increase the funding from £2,168,000 to £2,177,500. 

6. Public Health Approach  

1. This piece of work has been informed by discussions and feedback from stakeholders including the use of data to take evidence informed approach to investment. 
    

7. GDPR and Data Privacy  

1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities. Suppliers will be asked to provide a Data Protection Impact Assessment. 

8. Equality Comments 

1.  Under s.149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Equality Act), as a public authority the Deputy Mayor/MOPAC must have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and any conduct that is prohibited by or under this Act; and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. Protected characteristics under the Equality Act are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status (the duty in respect of this last characteristic is to eliminate unlawful discrimination only). 

2. The VRU are committed to promoting equality and participation in all their activities, whether this is related to the work we do with our external stakeholders or whether this is related to our responsibilities as an employer. As public authorities we are also required to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations when making decisions and developing policies. To do this, it is necessary to understand the potential impacts of the range of internal and external activities on different groups of people.