30 January 2026 weekly update

Dear Colleagues,

Key meetings attended 

I was really pleased to meet with the three FE college Chief Executives, Simon Cook (Mid Kent College), David Gleed (North Kent College) and Lucy McLeod (East Kent College), along with other LA colleagues to discuss more joined up working in the post 16 sector. North Kent College led a successful partnership bid for a Construction Technical Excellence College to operate in Kent, more information on FE week. This is a tremendous achievement and we look forward to finding out more as the college prepares to be up and running by Easter. The post-16 transformation programme Pathways for All Board also took place this week.

Cabinet met on Thursday 29 January to discuss:

• Revenue and Capital Budget Forecast Outturn Report - quarter three (pages 23 to 94)
• Draft Capital Programme 2026-36, Revenue Budget 2026-27 and Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2026-29 (pages 95 to 228).

And the report pack can be seen online

Some resources for parents and pupils on mobile devices

The use of mobile devices continues to be in the news. Here are some recommended resources

• 'What I wish my parents or carers knew…' - a guide for parents and carers on managing children’s digital lives - Children's Commissioner for England
• Keeping children safe online - NSPCC
• Keeping children safe online - Barnardo's
• Support for parents and carers to keep children safe online - GOV.UK

And finally...

I’m delighted to share that EKC Schools Trust has become the first multi-academy trust in the country -  and the first in Parentkind’s history - to achieve the Parentkind Parent‑Friendly Schools Silver Award across all its schools. Parentkind, the UK’s largest parent charity, launched its Parent‑Friendly Schools framework nationally in April 2025. It offers a rigorous, evidence-based assessment of how effectively schools build positive, inclusive, and meaningful partnerships with families. Against this comprehensive national framework, EKC Schools Trust schools achieved an average score of 75%, compared with a national benchmark of around 55%.

Parentkind described the Trust as a “pioneer in school leadership”, noting particularly:

• the consistency of practice across 12 diverse school communities
• the depth of care shown to families, from practical support to daily communication
• the Trust’s strong civic commitment and inclusive ethos
• the openness of parents to engage, contributing to the success of the work.

Please find a copy of the Celebration letter for information.

Congratulations to the EKC team for a fantastic achievement!

Best wishes

Christine McInnes
Interim Corporate Director, Children, Young People and Education