Agenda item

To allow members of the Joint Committee to make informed decisions about the future of school improvement in North Wales.

·       To note the content of the report and consider risk implications for 2024-25 and beyond.

·       That the Management Board submit a report at the meeting of the Joint Committee in May on the way forward that will deal with a timetable and governance matters as well as budgetary implications.

·       For the voting members of the Joint Committee to agree to submit a list of questions to be presented to the Education Minister in the meeting that has been arranged for April.

 

GwE's Managing Director presented the report, noting that substantial change was underway to what had been a regional service. It was expressed that this period was the hardest period that he had experienced in almost 40 years of working in Education and that one of the main challenges was coping with the uncertainty.

 

Reference was made to the timetable since 18^⁠ December and the recommendations received following Dylan Jones' review. It was noted that there would be a new model of schools’ improvement service and there would be a need to look at the capacity within that system; there was no detailed plan about the new system at the moment. It was mentioned that the Local Authorities were facing challenges, and this was highlighted in part 3.2 of the report. The general risks and financial implications were explained.

 

It was noted that there would be a period of change before the new model came into being and that the impact of a change to grants would have an immediate effect. It was explained that the service would stop being a service shared across north Wales. This meant that there would be a major change from 1^⁠ April where the schools’ improvement service would become a commission service from different individual Local Authorities. It was highlighted that there was a need for an intensive discussion about the role of the Joint Committee for the future and the role of the Management Board, and that this was an area of governance that would need to be looked at when moving forward.

 

Reference was made to the possibility that there would be a new Minister for Education following announcing the new First Minister today and that this could lead to a delay. It was noted that the timetable given was April 2025 to have a new schools’ improvement model in place. Concern was expressed that the timetable of April 2025 could be challenging to Local Authorities.

 

Sympathy was expressed with the Host Authority's services, as it would mean additional work for Cyngor Gwynedd's Finance, Legal and Human Resources services, as well as additional costs for everyone, such as closure costs and possible redundancies. In the next meeting of the Joint Committee in May, it was noted that there was a need to look at the team's configuration, considering how the budgets would be by the end of March 2025. There would also be a need to consider which posts could be released at the moment.

 

It was explained that the budget was tight on every level and that the funding allocated to improve schools would be reduced substantially. It was emphasised that clarity was needed regarding the national professional learning model. Reference was made to staff's low morale due to all the uncertainty and the inability to inform staff of their current options. 

 

To conclude, it was acknowledged that everyone would like more detail and more information, highlighting that Phase 2 of Dylan Jones' inquiry was currently being conducted.

 

The Chair noted that a meeting had been arranged with the Minister for Education in April. Members of the Joint Committee were given an opportunity to express any specific concerns or questions so that the Chair could convey them in the meeting in April. It was agreed that GwE would collate questions for the Chair.

 

The members submitted the following observations:

-        It was acknowledged that the situation had been difficult especially for GwE staff, and thanks were expressed to them.

-        It was noted that the situation had been poorly managed and there was some uncertainty on the way forward.

-        The importance of retaining the focus and standards in order to continue to support schools across the region and offer the best education for pupils was emphasised.

-        It was reported that there had been meetings among the Chief Officers to try and work through the implications of the changes to the grant funding and the terms and conditions.

-        It was noted that the Joint Committee faced a challenge on three levels:

o   It was noted that the priority was the learners and the schools and that it was important that the best support continued to be offered. It was expressed that it was essential not to destabilise the schools' current performances.

o   It was noted that there was planning work to be done for the new National Model and that there was a lack of clarity regarding the national focus. It was reiterated that a series of meetings had been arranged. These would include a National Directors Group with many representative directors and colleagues from the Welsh Government to discuss the detail. The first meeting would be held on Friday.

o   It was noted that the current model would come to an end at the end of March 2025. Additional resources would be needed then and there would be implications in terms of staff redundancies and closure of the service. There would also be costs to establish new partnerships between the Authorities. It was believed that there were limited resources to deal with this.

 

Headteachers who represented the schools on the Joint Committee were given an opportunity to make observations. Amongst the observations, reference was made to the disappointment and the uncertainty, noting that it was difficult for schools to prioritise when they did not know what they were facing. It was added that the schools had received the best support during the last seven years as a result of the Supporting Improvement Advisers who provided a valuable service. Concerns were expressed about the service for the future. Sympathy was expressed towards GwE staff, reiterating that the staff's attitude and professionalism was to be commended.

 

It was proposed to add two sentences to the recommendation and it was agreed to add them as (b) and (c) in the Resolution.

 

Gratitude was expressed to the members for a useful discussion and it was emphasised that collaboration would continue in the hope that more information would be received from the Welsh Government to put a plan in place.

 

GwE's Managing Director was asked to pass on the Joint Committee's gratitude and appreciation to GwE staff for their professionalism under difficult circumstances.

 

To conclude, GwE's Managing Director expressed his thanks for the observations, reiterating that any new model would have to be better than what previously existed. He expressed that there was a need to consider where the additional value of any new structure was. It was reiterated that it was important for schools to be aware that the level of support would be significantly reduced from April and over the next financial year because of the cuts to the budget and the grants' implications. This would be communicated more effectively and in more detail with the schools after Easter.

 

RESOLVED

a)     To note the content of the report and consider risk implications for 2024-25 and beyond.

b)     That the Management Board submit a report at the meeting of the Joint Committee in May on the way forward which will deal with a timetable and governance matters as well as budgetary implications.

c)     For the voting members of the Joint Committee to agree to submit a list of questions to be presented to the Minister for Education in the meeting that has been arranged for April.