Venue: GwE Offices, Bryn Eirias, Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, LL29 8BF
Contact: Sioned Williams 01286 679729
No. | Item |
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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: Councillor Garffild
Lewis, Diane Chisholm (Primary Schools representative), Mair Herbert (Secondary
Schools representative), Alison Fisher (Governors representative), Dr Lowri
Brown (Conwy County Borough Council), Dafydd L. Edwards (Host Authority Head of
Finance - Gwynedd Council), Steve Vincent (Welsh Government), Rhys Howard
Hughes (GwE Assistant Director), Delyth Molyneux (Isle of Anglesey County
Council). |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: No declaration of personal interest was received from any members
present. |
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URGENT ITEMS To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration. Minutes: (a)
Secondary
Teachers Regional Conference Following media
comments on the cost of inviting guest speakers to the GwE Secondary Teachers
Regional Conference in July, GwE Managing Director was given an opportunity to
respond to a number of questions from Councillors on the Joint Committee, and
to put the issue into context. At the
request of members, it was noted that any conference arrangements in the future
be put to the Joint Committee in order to discuss cost and ensure value for
money. (b) Re-structure
of New Curriculum in Wales The Curriculum for
Wales Senior Lead gave an update on the work undertaken by GwE to develop the
new curriculum in Wales. |
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MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING PDF 196 KB (copy enclosed) Minutes: The Chair signed
the minutes of the meeting held on 4 October 2017 as a true and accurate
record. |
|
Additional documents: Minutes: GwE Managing
Director thanked all GwE partners for their dedication and contribution to the
success of the inspection, and it was noted that the team takes great pride in
the report. There was reference
to the main messages in each of the recommendations as well as those elements
that require attention, namely, the Foundation Phase and Key Stage 4, which are
already addressed in business plans. During the
subsequent discussion, the following points were highlighted: §
Thanks
were given to the Managing Director and to GwE staff for achieving an excellent
result in a short period of time. §
The
strength of the collaboration between GwE partners was praised, and the
importance of maintaining this at this high level was emphasised. §
It
was noted there has been a significant change in culture. Now, there is a culture of acknowledging each
other's contributions, and the time is right for further development. |
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LEVEL 1 BUSINESS PLAN MONITORING QUARTER TWO REPORT PDF 242 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Managing
Director presented the quarter 2 monitoring report for the Level 1 Business
Plan. Challenges and improvements required in the Foundation Phase and Key
Stage 4 were highlighted. IS WAS DECIDED TO: accept the
report. |
|
GwE BUDGET 2017-18 - SECOND QUARTER REVIEW PDF 364 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Host Authority Finance Manager presented a report. It was noted there are no significant changes
in the Quarter 2 Review. IT WAS DECIDED
TO: accept the report. |
|
GwE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGY 2017-20 - SECONDARY, PRIMARY AND CURRICULUM FOR WALES PDF 340 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: GwE Assistant Director presented a report on GwE Improvement Strategies,
which are aligned with the Welsh Government document ‘Education in Wales: Our national mission’, setting a direction
for the next three years. Attention was
drawn to the secondary strategy and the impact of action to improve the
region's inspections profile. During the subsequent discussion, the
following points were highlighted: § The problem of
recruiting headteachers to the profession needs to be
addressed. § It was asked
whether it is possible to integrate leaders' skills for the primary and the
secondary when planning for the new curriculum. IT WAS DECIDED TO: accept the report. |
|
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PLAN TO SUPPORT THE WELSH LANGUAGE IN EDUCATION PDF 362 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Welsh Sub-group
presented a report on the 'Developing the Workforce to Support Welsh in
Education' plan. It was reported
that Welsh Government is about to launch the plan, with the aim of there being
a million Welsh speakers by 2050. It was
noted that the region has received a grant allocation of £557,051 in order to
develop the workforce to support Welsh in education. The Welsh Sub-group has already been
established, which includes representation from each local authority in the
region, and intends to function as a Project Board for the work. The following
points were highlighted: §
Flintshire
County Council interim Head of Education noted that efficient teams already
exist, which are responsible for workforce development programmes. It was expressed that organisations such as Yr Urdd play a key role in
breaking down barriers and changing attitudes towards the Welsh language in
English-speaking areas, making the language more accessible and inclusive. It is important that the plan does not focus
on education alone, and that it is extended beyond Welsh-medium schools. §
It
was asked whether the plan will belong to schools or to the Council. It was noted that it would be difficult to
influence school plans. IT
WAS DECIDED TO: accept and approve the project brief. |