Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member – Councillor Beca Brown

To submit a report on the above.

To accept the report and note the observations.

          Submitted – the report of the Cabinet Member for Education detailing the journey of the Post-16 Education Project in Arfon over the past five years and she invited observations from the scrutineers.

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and offer observations. 

Disappointment was expressed about the report on the grounds:-

·         That there was no mention of reconciling post-16 education across Gwynedd.

·         Although the report referred to the academic side, there was no reference to the vocational side and it was believed that separating the two cohorts of children when they were 16 years old was a huge mistake.

·         That the advantage of a tertiary college was that it kept learners together until they were 18 years old and it was sad that children in Arfon did not get the same opportunity as children in Dwyfor and Meirionnydd.

In response, it was noted that it was currently possible for pupils in Arfon to study academic and vocational subjects through the sixth form in schools.

Further information was requested regarding the Iaith Cyf company which had been commissioned to carry out research in the field on behalf of the Education Department.  In response, it was noted that the Iaith Cyf company was an external company with several decades of experience in linguistic planning and also experience in the field of education and training.

RESOLVED to accept the report and to note the observations.