Welcome to September’s edition of Engage from Delib.
As children around the world head back to classrooms, we thought it would be a good time to reflect on what public engagement is achieving in the world of education and childcare.
From changing how children get to school, to what they learn when they get there, to their activities when they’re done for the day – this month, there’s been a bit of everything.
Customer insights and inspiration:
Below are just a few examples of how customers are using Citizen Space to improve education and child safety this month.
Racing ahead with 20mph zones
20mph zones are becoming increasingly common across the UK. In fact, lowering speed limits has become an important issue in many countries around the world.
Evidence has shown that there is a clear link between reducing speed limits to 20mph and reducing road casualties. For example, when the national 20mph limit was introduced on restricted roads in Wales, casualties fell by 24%. There are also significant potential benefits of reducing noise and air pollution, and encouraging alternative and more environmentally friendly forms of travel.
As Sadiq Khan wrote last month on the topic of extending 20mph zones in London, “Roads where 20mph speed limits apply aren’t just safer; they are quieter, too, encouraging more people to walk or cycle.”
Leicester City Council has now proposed several new 20mph zones around the city, particularly in areas close to schools or that have a heavy footfall of pedestrians. This is following several streets that have already been introduced following numerous consultations along 38 different roads across the city. More than 1,800 citizens have been consulted to date, and over 70% of respondents have agreed with the measures so far. 20mph is speeding ahead!
UK governments consults on out-of-school safeguarding
The average child spends 32.5 hours a week in school, slightly less than the average work week of 36.5 hours. So what do children do for the other 135.5 hours of the week?
Chances are they spend a lot of that time sleeping, spending time with family, playing with friends, and doing their homework. Alongside all that, around 80% of children regularly attend at least one activity in the out-of-school sector.
The out-of-school sector comprises a diverse range of activities. From attending membership organisations like Scouts, to weekly sports clubs, to tuition centres, to faith-based settings. A child in the UK is far more likely than not to do at least one.
That’s why getting safeguarding practices in this sector right is absolutely essential. Since May, the Department of Education has been consulting on existing safeguarding practices in all OOSS settings, and exploring ways to strengthen that safeguarding.
The consultation will inform future policy development in the sector. It has a wide remit, covering everything from how parents assure themselves of good safeguarding to what further support might be needed to improve safety in OOSS settings.
The consultation has recently been extended to 21 September 2025, in order to give more people time to share their views. If you’re a parent or carer, work with children or within an OOSS setting, you can take part in the call for evidence here.
Shaping Scotland’s care system
Over 1.2% of all children in Scotland are known to the care system in some way. Care-leavers across the UK experience unique barriers and difficulties, particularly upon “ageing out” of the care system. This can lead to care-leavers experiencing mental health issues, struggling to access education and work, and sometimes even becoming homeless.
The Scottish government therefore consulted on the experiences of children in care and those who have been children in care, and other interested parties like foster carers and advocacy groups.
The Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill was first introduced to the Scottish parliament in June, and is currently in stage 1. The lead committee handling the bill – the Education, Children and Young People Committee – sought views on the changes the Bill will make to those who are currently or have previously had experience of the care system in Scotland.
The consultation closed on 15th August, and the committee will now scrutinise the evidence. How this evidence will inform the Bill going forward will be reported on the Citizen Space platform in due course.
Equipped to learn in East Sussex
SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities) provision within schools has been in the news quite a bit over the last month. With discussions about the growing number of children classified as SEND ongoing, it is an issue many councils across the UK are having to reckon with.
It is against this background that several councils are running consultations on their SEND provision, primarily aimed at the parents of children with SEND needs and teachers. In East Sussex, the council is currently consulting on the impact of rising equipment costs and changes to funding thresholds. Elsewhere, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is consulting on their new SEND local offer.
With over 1.7 million children in the UK identified as having SEND needs, it is essential that the Government and local councils get any changes to provision right. This can be particularly challenging when rising costs and budget restrictions mean some elements may need to be prioritised over others. Effective consultation helps decision-makers make informed choices and ensures that no child falls through the cracks.
Industry and legislative news:
Engaging stakeholders via consultation – whether that’s parents, teachers, or the learners themselves – is an essential part of improving education and childcare provision.
The following updates from the education and childcare sector demonstrates just that:
Compulsory education in Northern Ireland: Results published
While England has had compulsory education to age 18 for some time, that is not the case within the other nations of the United Kingdom. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, school leaving age remains at age 16. However, there is a growing movement within these nations to change that.
Education Minister Paul Givan has published the findings of a public consultation on extending compulsory participation in education (or educational training, such as apprenticeships) to age 18 in Northern Ireland. Having run from April to July of this year, the consultation demonstrated that a significant majority of participants backed the proposed change. The policy proposals follow a recommendation from an independent review of education across the nation. The review called for modernising the existing system in order to tackle inequalities in post-16 provision.
Talking about the next steps, the minister said: “The new law will create a minimum offer for all young people, ensuring equality of opportunity and a structured pathway of support and guidance…This legislation will improve life chances for all young people, especially the most vulnerable.”
The proposals form part of the wider TransformED programme, which aimed to reform the curriculum and educational attainment within Northern Ireland.
Free childcare extended to 30 hours a week for working parents
Last week, Education secretary Bridget Phillipson announced the expansion of funded childcare hours for working parents. She said:
“Giving every child the best start in life is my number one priority, which is why we are delivering on our commitment to provide hundreds of thousands of children with 30 hours of government-funded early education.”
The change, which will see millions of children gain access to 30 hours of funded childcare (up from the previous 15 hours of entitlement) has been received well by parents.
The long-awaited expansion, which will bring the amount of funded childcare hours closer to the number of hours most parents spend at work, has been a long time in the making. In fact, the Department of Education first consulted on these proposed changes in 2017, under a previous government.
The consultation, which took place on Citizen Space, had a wide scope to explore the difficulties faced by parents in accessing childcare. The new policy takes several elements flagged by this original consultation into account, such as providing flexibility to use hours outside of school term-time.
What’s coming up this month?
Public Service Data.AI (18th September, London UK)
Hosted by HM Government and organised by the Global Government Forum, this is the UK’s flagship annual event for civil servants on harnessing data and AI to improve public services.
Free for UK and international public servants, the event will bring together digital leaders, policymakers, data specialists and service designers to explore how data and AI can deliver smarter, fairer and more responsive services.
You can register for the event here.