Agenda item

To scrutinise the draft Schools Strategy 2026-2036.

DECISION

1.     To welcome the strategy and accept the report noting the comments.

2.     That the Scrutiny Committee recommends to the Cabinet Member for Education that further information on safeguarding, poverty, social equity, faith schools, access to parents' voice, inclusion, the Welsh language, staff well-being and governance needs to be included in the Schools’ Strategy.

3.     That information about the Schools Support Service be distributed to members.

4.     Ask the Education Department to ensure that safeguarding is integrated into the department's planning.

5.     That the Cabinet is aware of the importance of staff well-being to attract and retain staff and does all that is possible to promote well-being and favourable conditions.

6.     Ask the Education Department to give full consideration to the Welsh Government's new recommendations regarding governance when these are received.

 

The Cabinet Member for Education presented the report, stating that the draft document before them covered the education department's vision on behalf of schools over the next few years. It was noted that the previous strategy was now dated and ended in 2025, and there was a need for it to be updated due to significant changes over the period. It was explained that the document tried to reflect the fact that the challenges facing the county had changed and had intensified, noting that the strategy referred to the impact of cuts, recruitment challenges and the far-reaching threat of demographic changes across the county.

During the discussion, the following observations were made: -

The member was thanked for the presentation. More details were requested regarding how the challenges of children who are vulnerable to poverty would be considered within the strategy, emphasising the importance that this cohort had a voice within the strategy. In response, it was noted: -

-        That an audit had been carried out to try and get cost-friendly schools.

-        That data has been collected on this issue and would be shared with schools within the month to enable them to respond and meet the challenges, and to escalate the issue to the top of the priority list.

-        That the department recognised that the experiences of children from disadvantaged backgrounds were far worse if they were not supported through the schools.

-        That there was room to put a specific heading in relation to children who are vulnerable to poverty, and to give attention to how the needs of children from disadvantaged backgrounds should be addressed, to what extent the current arrangements addressed this and how changing the arrangements would improve the situation.

-        Many grants were given to schools to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds, but under the current arrangements headteachers and governing bodies were required to use additional grant monies to support everyone, not necessarily targeting individuals, as the situation was generally difficult.

Pride was expressed that the issue of safeguarding was addressed within the strategy. A view was expressed that safeguarding should be higher within the strategy than heading four, given the importance of safeguarding. It was asked how the 'Our Bravery Brought Justice’  report had shaped the strategy. In response, it was agreed that safeguarding was an extremely important issue. It was noted that the list did not reflect any order of priority. It was acknowledged that there was room to change the order of the strategy to place safeguarding at the top of the list.

It was confirmed that this draft of the Schools Strategy had been produced prior to the publication of the 'Our Bravery Brought Justice' report. In relation to learning from the Children's Practice Review, emphasis was placed on the need for the authority and the safeguarding and well-being team to provide more support to schools. The challenge that existed for the department to support 94 schools of all sizes was further emphasised. It was noted that many schools fall into smaller sized categories, resulting in fewer resources and budget. It was stressed that more resources were needed to improve support for schools. It was noted that, following the publication of the report, it was possible to look at the Schools Strategy again through the lens of the report to enrich the strategy.

It was emphasised that this ten-year Schools Strategy would play a major role in restoring the confidence of the county's parents in the safety of their children in schools.

Questions were asked about the recruitment and retention of teachers, particularly in rural areas and in specialist subjects. It was asked whether there was a specific strategy or plan in place for the recruitment of teachers. In response, it was noted: -

-        That the recruitment and retention of education staff was a national challenge and broader than Wales alone, the situation was therefore not unique to the county.

-        It was difficult to fully quantify the impact of the shortage of teachers on learning and teaching standards across the county, but it was recognised that the shortage was impacting on learners' experience and on the ability of schools to maintain continuity.

-        That some teachers, particularly in the secondary sector, face situations where more than one subject would need to be taught beyond their expertise and this could be a barrier to teacher recruitment and retention.

-        Concern was expressed about leadership and that a shortage of leaders, deputy headteachers, headteachers and subject leaders in the next generation posed a risk to the resilience of schools.

-        That the shortage of heads of departments in the secondary sector was particularly challenging and that the departure of a strong leader could quickly lead to a decline in standards.

-        A recruitment challenge in some geographical areas was highlighted, and it was noted that a particular difficulty arose in filling short-term gaps when staff were absent due to illness.

-        That arrangements existed in some areas such as Meirionnydd to consider staff who were not fluent in Welsh (but committed to learning) in order to fill gaps. It was noted that this was a concern for the department.

-        There was a need to ensure continuous teaching for pupils and that plans were in place to support teachers' language and promote the use of Welsh as part of the response to the challenge.

Concern was expressed about safeguarding and anti-social behaviour, and it was asked what the procedure was when serious incidents occur on school premises, including incidents where there was a risk to safety. In response, it was noted: -

-        That school communities generally were facing increasingly challenging behaviour.

-        That clear arrangements were in place when there was a safety concern and that the natural step included ensuring immediate safety on school premises.

-        That the police were contacted where necessary and this was part of the response when the situation demanded.

-        That further action was followed by schools in accordance with arrangements and that support was available through support officers, safeguarding and well-being teams, health and safety teams, and relevant officers within the service.

-        Challenging behaviour and incidents were often a reflection of wider social and community issues and work was needed with families and communities alongside the schools' work.

The need to protect teachers within the strategy was emphasised, noting that they were the backbone of our schools. It was noted that the strategy did not place sufficient emphasis on teachers' health and well-being, and that more support needed to be given to teachers within the strategy. The administrative burden was highlighted, and it was noted that workload, preparation, assessment and marking remained a significant issue across sectors. It was asked whether this administrative burden could be reduced to [LE1] teachers. It was noted that a strategy needed to be looked at to attract more students from universities to become teachers, by ensuring that teachers received fair pay and that their working environment was welcoming and effective. It was questioned whether information could be used to monitor and see if there was an emerging pattern in teacher health in some schools, and whether that information could help target support. In response, the Head of Education noted: -

-        That the well-being of teachers and assistants was a core theme of the strategy. ⁠ ⁠

-        That the strategy sought to improve the situation within schools overall, and this would consequently improve teachers' well-being.

-        Workload challenges varied significantly between schools and expertise due to different circumstances.

-        That the pressure of paperwork was mainly created by governing bodies and headteachers and the education department tried not to put extra work pressure on teachers.

-        That a headteachers' well-being forum existed, which worked on creating strategies to reduce work pressure for headteachers.

The Cabinet Member for Education stated:

-        That teachers and school staff were the backbone of education.

-        That Plaid Cymru intended to fill the gap between what was offered to teachers in England and Wales if they were elected to the Senedd.

-        That conversations were being held about the salaries of assistants, specifically those who were not paid during the holiday period, but it was stressed that this was a national issue.

They were asked about school governance and why there was no section in the strategy on the role of governors, particularly the role they can play in situations where a problem arises regarding headteachers or senior management. It was asked what the vision for the role of governors over the next decade was. In response, it was noted: -

-        There was no intention to exclude governance from the strategy and that a review of school governance arrangements would take place in the next six months by the Welsh Government.

-        That the recruitment of governors was a significant challenge as it was a voluntary role that created a huge burden in terms of time and responsibility.

-        That governors' support arrangements needed to be empowered and that work was underway to fulfil this.

-        That actions were to be taken to add support capacity, including the appointment of an additional School Support Officer.

-        Governors often found it difficult to deal with human resource issues, fiscal aspects and safeguarding issues.

-        That the value of the role of governors remained clear with the voices of parents and the local community contributing to the development of the curriculum and the direction of schools.

-        That there was a willingness to add a specific section on governance to the strategy as it was fine-tuned, outlining the intention to develop the arrangements over the coming months and years.

-        That national support was key to ensuring a more robust and less burdensome procedure for governors.

Mobile phones, cyberbullying and digital security were referred to as practical safeguarding issues, and examples of situations were identified where the police had to be involved in a school's response due to serious incidents relating to this area. It was noted that cases were mentioned where some children had to stay at home due to the impact of cyberbullying that started at school, and it was noted that the nature of cyberbullying meant that the impact continued beyond school hours. It was questioned whether the authority could support a county-wide arrangement to ban mobile phones in schools. It was asked whether influencing should be considered at a national level. In response, it was noted: -

-        The Authority did not have the power to ban mobile phones across schools, and it was noted that the implementation of such a policy was the decision of individual governing bodies.

-        Support and advice would be available to any school who chose to implement a policy to restrict or ban mobile phones.

-        There was no intention from the Welsh Government to introduce a national policy to ban the use of mobile phones in schools, and it was emphasised that responsible use was an essential part of the solution as phones were an integral part of everyday life.

-        Banning mobile phones may seem simple but did not practically solve all problems, and examples had been identified of arrangements in other countries where locked pouches were used to store phones throughout the day, with some pupils responding by bringing more than one phone to school.

-        There was a need to ensure that children and young people understand the impact of their actions on others and to be responsible when using mobile phones.

-        It was recognised that the harm could be significant and often occurred regularly.

The document's demographic data was cited as an important basis for the discussion, and it was noted that the data portrayed the impact of depopulation and the consequences on schools. In response, it was noted that there was a 14.7% decrease in the population aged 16-24 in the county between 2011 and 2021. It was emphasised that the trend had a long-term impact on the ability to recruit within the education sector. It was noted that several young people were leaving to study and choosing not to return to work in the county.

The relationship between this strategy and the Language Education Policy work was questioned. It was questioned whether the recruitment situation was jeopardising the ability to realise the ambition of Welsh-medium education provision. The funding of the immersion system and the associated costs were questioned. It was asked whether more resources were needed for specific elements of the strategy to achieve the ambition. An opinion was expressed that the committee should scrutinise the teacher recruitment strategy soon as the challenge was enormous. In response, it was noted: -

-        Grants were available to attract individuals to teach through the medium of Welsh, but it was noted that this did not necessarily give the county a unique financial advantage compared to other areas.

-        That a greater proportion of the training provision and a means to attract Welsh-medium teachers was needed.

-        The recruitment challenge was significant, particularly in some areas.

-        That the draft Education Language Policy was a separate document and was about to progress through the decision-making processes.

-        That concerns about immersion funding were shared and that there was a desire to see the system funded based on the actual cost.

-        Many areas within education and the Council called for more funding, such as transport, and noted that there were significant limitations on the ability to operate without additional resources.

-        That correspondence had been sent to the Welsh Government's Education Secretary inviting him to Gwynedd to see the immersion centres.

It was noted that a great deal of work was expected from governing bodies which was a great deal of work for volunteers to handle, especially in secondary schools. It had been noted that there was a great deal of pressure on governors' time and, to some extent, training added to this.

Views were expressed that the Schools Strategy was very commendable, but that there was some distance between the objectives and the reality of the situation in schools, in particular secondary schools. It was recognised that this reality was recognised within the strategy. Transport funding challenges were identified as a significant challenge to health and well-being objectives. It was requested that the impact of transport cuts on pupils going to school in terms of equality and inclusion was revisited, as this had a more significant impact on children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The view was expressed that there was a need to focus within the strategy on literacy as it was an important element to enable young people to succeed in the future.

It was noted that a shortcoming existed in terms of teacher retention. Data from the Education Workforce Council was cited showing that of the cohort of newly qualified teachers in 2015, 40% had left the education profession. It was expressed that hybrid jobs were much more attractive than stricter jobs. It was stressed that the challenge was not just money, but that the way education staff work also needed to be looked at, to attract and retain more teachers.

It was asked about the main advisory groups for the strategy, noting that Estyn should be added to this list. It was questioned why parents had not engaged in any formal way or through the questionnaire. Opinions were expressed that the input of the parents' voice in the school strategy, was not beyond the governing body. In response, it was noted that the strategy was in draft form and engagement was ongoing and schools were encouraged to complete questionnaires and submit responses. It was noted that regular communication had taken place with the schools to encourage involvement and there was a willingness to involve parents more directly in moving forward. It was agreed that the voice of parents was important for the direction of the work and there would be no barriers to involving parents in the next stage of fine-tuning.

An enquiry was made about the arrangements of the School Support Service following regional changes. For clarity, it was asked who was doing what, the capacity of the teams, and the implications of moving to a new system. It was noted that schools felt there was a gap after the end of the School Efficiency Service (GwE) in terms of challenging schools, supporting staff, developing leaders and providing relevant and quality training for teachers and assistants. In response, it was noted: -

-        That it was the Welsh Government's decision to end the GwE regional service.

-        A period of uncertainty had persisted while waiting for a new national framework to improve and support schools.

-        That the new framework had been promised for weeks and was expected to be received before Christmas.

-        That the direction of the system would change significantly.

-       That the new system would move to a model where schools would be facilitated to support each other. This posed practical challenges given the shortage of leaders, the challenge of recruitment, and the time and resource constraints of school staff.

-        It was felt that the new system would not be entirely suitable for Gwynedd and therefore that a team of support officers existed locally, but capacity remained a challenge due to a high number of schools and geographical dispersion.

-        The situation in the secondary sector was more challenging due to the difficulty of appointing additional officers.

-        Skills officers were available for areas such as literacy, numeracy and digital skills, and it was noted that this arrangement had been adopted to safeguard expertise and meet schools' demand for subject-specific support.

-        Uncertainty remained about whether the capacity was sufficient to support all schools in the long term.

-        That a briefing note be prepared for Members to explain the arrangements and roles, and it was noted that this responded to the need for practical clarity.

Opinions were expressed that the principles within the strategy were too vague. It was questioned whether this was intentional given the numbers of pupils, and that there was no reference to the number of ages teachers should teach within a single class.

It was agreed that too many responsibilities were placed on the shoulders of governors and this hampered the authority to plan strategically across the county, particularly in relation to headteacher appointments. It was suggested that there was room for a working group level conversation about the experiences of governors.

The need to include faith schools in the discussion was highlighted and their perspectives were relevant to complete the strategy. In response, it was noted that discussions were already taking place with faith school leaders and their views would be included in moving forward.

Views were expressed that the strategy should be more specific identifying measures of success and measuring what had been achieved. In response, it was accepted that there was a lack of certainty and integrity regarding how this would be achieved within certain periods as school situations were dynamic. It was noted that there was an intention to review the school estate as indicators were reviewed and compared every January.

Views were expressed that elements of the strategy would transform how education was delivered to many young people. It was anticipated that the strategy would have a positive impact on the levels of children who de register, particularly within working-class families. Learners with additional learning needs were highlighted and it was noted that the voice of this cohort, and of their parents or advocates, needed to be ensured and was a robust part of the strategy. In response, it was noted: -

-        Engagement with children and young people was already happening through a children and young people's forum.

-        That it was intended to ensure that a wide range of children from different backgrounds and challenges could contribute.

-        That the Children's Commissioner was satisfied with the actions the department was taking to ensure that the child's voice was central.

-        That the number of engagement officers needs to be increased.

-        That a challenge existed regarding the receipt of adequate additional learning needs resources.

-        That the numbers of pupils with additional learning needs were increasing nationally.

An appeal was made for a more prominent space in the Welsh language strategy, noting that it was at the bottom of the values page, it had not been included in the vision on page six, there were no measures of success for the language, and there was no mention of the Welsh language under the sector principles.

It was noted that all the data within the strategy was based on population trends up to the year 2026, but that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website showed some progress in the trend in 2032 and 2042. It was noted that wider links exist between housing, the economy and the numbers of children, and it was noted that significant developments were needed to reverse the decline. Views were expressed that there was a need to look towards the future in terms of the population data. The need to protect small rural schools who are in trouble, because of the demographic decline, from being closed was emphasised. In response, it was noted: -

-        That the demographic trend was stable, and therefore it was necessary to plan according to the reality of the situation.

-        It was acknowledged that there was room to strengthen attention to the Welsh language, but it was emphasised that the Language Education Strategy was a separate and an extremely ambitious document.

-        More and more schools were falling into the protection policy.

-        There was a feeling of unfairness from the perspective of some larger schools compared to the circumstances of smaller schools, as part of their budget funds schools within the protection policy. It was stressed that the strategy sought to address those sentiments through a fair planning approach and principles.

-        That the demographic context made the discussion difficult but necessary.

It was asked about the possibility of having a Pupil Referral Unit in south Gwynedd. In response, it was noted that there was a plan in the pipeline for an additional location in south Gwynedd.

It was noted that the use of digital systems to identify safeguarding concerns was excellent practice in the majority of schools in the county, and it was confirmed that this was expected to be the case across all schools by March 2026. It was questioned whether the education department would fund these. In response, it was confirmed that the Education Service would fund these digital systems.

RESOLVED

1.     To welcome the strategy and accept the report noting the comments.

2.     That the Scrutiny Committee recommended to the Cabinet Member for Education that further information on safeguarding, poverty, social equity, faith schools, access to parents' voice, inclusion, the Welsh language, staff well-being and governance needed to be included in the Schools' Strategy.

3.     That information about the Schools Support Service would be distributed to members.

4.     Request that the Education Department ensured that safeguarding was integrated into the department's planning.

5.     That the Cabinet was aware of the importance of staff well-being to attract and retain staff and should do all that is possible to promote well-being and favourable conditions.

6.     To ask the Education Department to give full consideration to the Welsh Government's new recommendations regarding governance when they are received.