Agenda and decisions

To receive any apologies for absence.

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chair for consideration.

The Chair shall propose that the minutes of the previous meetings of this committee held on 18/06/26 and 14/07/26 be signed as a true record.

The item has been included on the scrutiny work programme following the committees' previous consideration in January 2026 and as part of the need to scrutinise the progress of the Response Plan.

DECISION

·       To ask the cabinet member to contact the Welsh Government to state concern and disappointment that the new national procedures and guidelines for Part 5 did not reflect or fully address the changes recommended in the OBBJ report and recommended that they amend it.

·       Add a response to the Welsh Government's schools governance reorganisation consultation to the committee's forward work programme when timely.

·       Subject to receiving a seal of approval and resources from the Scrutiny Forum and assurance that it did not disrupt or duplicate the Welsh Government's work on the subject, declare support to establish a task and finish group to look at the current schools governance procedure, to facilitate the committee to respond to the proposed consultation on schools governance reorganisation based on data and evidence.   

Scrutiny of the draft strategy will be an opportunity for the Committee to give its input prior to the adoption of the Strategy.

DECISION

·       To accept the report and note the observations, asking the service to map where the social clubs provision for young people (from any body/partner, e.g. football clubs) was available within schools' catchment areas.

Pre-scrutiny of the Plan prior to its adoption will be an opportunity for the committee to recommend matters that should be considered.

DECISION

·       To accept the report and note the observations made, noting an appreciation that the Department had agreed to implement the following points:

o   Consider revisiting the wording of the vision to include a specific reference to the Welsh Language, wording the vision to note an ambition/aim

o   Request for the service to report on data that compares the outward migration in similar areas (such as the Lake District) to compare with Gwynedd's situation to see whether this culture anchors people to the County.

To adopt an amended work programme for 2026/27.

DECISION

·       To adopt the amended work programme for 2026/27.

To nominate representatives to attend performance challenge meetings.

DECISION

·       To elect Councillors Beth Lawton and Geraint Parry as the committee's representatives to attend the performance challenge meetings of the Education Department.

·       To elect Councillor Cai Larsen as a reserve if the councillors above were unable to be present.