Agenda item

Cabinet Member:   Councillor Gareth Thomas

 

To consider the Education Cabinet Member’s report on the above.

 

(Copy enclosed)

Submitted - the Education Service's annual report by the Education Cabinet Member, drawing attention to the following main points:

 

 

                (i) Performance

·         Significant increase in the TL2+ indicator

·         Improvement in the performance of Free School Meals pupils and the gap had reduced between pupils receiving FSM / not receiving FSM

·         The performance of learners at the end of key stage 3, especially in the core subject indicator

·         Increase in learner attendance in secondary and primary

 

In terms of performance development, it was noted that it was necessary to:

·         Give immediate attention to the Foundation Phase

·         Improve performance in the Welsh language at every key stage

·         Improve performance of Free School Meals learners

·         Improve performance of post-16 learners in specific courses

 

(i)            Education Provision

·         Promote the well-being and safety of pupils

·         Support leaders and managers

·         Leadership models that would offer conditions to remove the enormous pressure placed on Headteachers

·         Profile of surveys had highlighted an improvement with no schools in a statutory category

·         Submit a Modernising Education programme at good pace

·         The County's Language Policy - ensure resources to extend the Language Charter into the secondary sector

·         Further improve ICT infrastructure

·         Performance Data - tracking was all important in identifying pupils who were falling behind

·         Support governors to be effective

 

The recommendations regarding ensuring the highest possible standards at every key stage were referred to, and attention was drawn to what GwE was required to do on behalf of the education authority with regard to the education provision, additional learning needs and inclusion strategy and school leadership and management.

During the ensuing discussion, the following points were made by individual Members:

 

(i)            From recent experience by Elected Members shadowing GwE Challenge Advisers, evidence was seen that schools received much assistance and support from GwE. It was further noted that the experiences had been very beneficial to Members and in maximising their understanding of the work and arrangements of GwE

(ii)           By avoiding using the word "challenge", it was seen that schools were willing to collaborate and the importance of continuing to improve the relationship between GwE and the schools was noted

(iii)          That the county's teachers were to be congratulated for the high standards.

 

Clarification was requested for on some of the points below, which also needed further attention, and the Head of Education responded to them:

 

(iv)         The comprehensive report was welcomed and the progress made was praised, but there was concern that some schools were in the red category and an enquiry was made about the steps taken to support these schools.

 

 

·                     That the report's culture identified strengths and also identified room for improvement in terms of the process, so that the development work could address these matters that need improvement. Findings were seen here that would form the specification for a business plan between the authority and GwE for the coming year

 

·                     That the report identified the Service's strengths and set a firm foundation to work as a team and in partnership. It was further noted that Members of this Scrutiny Committee had added value by challenging and scrutinising effectively.  

 

·                     Whatever the procedure would be, there would always be good schools, and schools that needed additional support and it was noted that the authority and GwE's procedures had worked well to this end. However, the achievement was to develop middle managers to be good leaders. 

 

(v)          There was concern about the role of the governors in light of the changes and demands placed on them for the Future.

 

It was recognised that the role of governors was challenging as it was, and that there was a need to highlight the elements needed to support them, not only locally but regionally. It was noted that the existing consultation for the governors' duties and arrangements created concern that not enough attention was given to the rural element, and should the element of local democracy be waived, this would leave a gap.    

 

(vi)         What plans were in the pipeline by the Education Department to improve the Foundation Phase?

 

There was concern regarding the performance of the Foundation Phase regionally and a number of elements were noted in terms of responding to what could be achieved, such as:

 

·         Regularly assessing children

·         Assessing the standards

·         Leadership

 

It was further noted that there were examples of excellence in the Foundation Phase with the performance being consistent in the highest quartiles and that it would be an idea to investigate excellence beyond the county.

 

(vii)        Importance of responding to pupils' behaviours, especially following the loss of the Brynffynnon Centre provision, where benefit was seen from the centre's function

 

It was trusted that the concern could be addressed soon regarding the behaviours' support. 

 

(viii)       Whilst acknowledging that School to School collaboration happened, the situation must be faced that schools competed against each other for pupils

 

In the context of budgets, the Cabinet had approved a temporary bridging scheme to assist the secondary sector.   

 

(ix)         In the recent Gwynedd Schools' Governors' Federation, it was noted that post-16 learners from the Meirion/Dwyfor area had to pay £100 per term for transport to the educational organisations and that learners from the Arfon area received free transport. 

 

(x)          Gwynedd had too many policies within the County which, consequently, made it difficult for scrutinisers to be able to scrutinise effectively, e.g. one school within the Meirion/Dwyfor area offered sixth form provision and the rest did not.

 

Policies across the County were quite consistent but that the infrastructure was different in terms of sixth form and further discussions would be required in terms of post-16 education quality in the new Council.  

 

(xi)         Welsh Language - it was noted in the report that Ysgol Bro Idris would be an all-through catchment school for 3 - 16 years old, but in the Berwyn catchment area, it was noted that the school would play a key part in promoting the Welsh language. It was asked why the circumstances had changed?

 

It was agreed that the Welsh Language was a corporate matter. It was further noted that clarity was needed nationally regarding the role of education to promote the Welsh language, and a discussion was needed about who was taking ownership. It must be completely clear that the Welsh Language was financially part of the corporate strategy.

 

(xii)        The Welsh Language Charter - it was noted that one of the Charter's successes was that the Council and the Government had taken ownership from the beginning, and that the money for appointing other officers should not come from the education budget.   

 

(xiii)       In light of changes to the new GCSE specifications, it was asked how confident the Education Service was that the schools had sufficiently planned for the amended specifications and that the results would be as good as last summer's results.

 

There was concern that discussions were not taking place widely with Heads of Education regarding the specifications. 

 

·                     The Head of Education was of the opinion that the level TL2+ threshold was going to continue to carry weight and power. However, when introducing any new procedure, it was very difficult to anticipate and see what the pattern would be. From the preparatory viewpoint for the amendments to the specifications, it was understood that teachers had been running both specifications. The Head of Education highlighted concern about the changes in the context of the proposal that would be available for vulnerable learners and learners with the least ability and that the specifications summarised a series of qualifications towards children with average ability and higher ability. It was anticipated that the specifications did not offer appropriate suitable qualifications for young people who played an important part in the communities, and there was a possibility that the changes made schools very difficult places to attend.

 

·                     In terms of training for teachers regarding the change to the specifications, it was ensured that discussions were ongoing between the consultants and heads of school departments regarding examination paper tiers but that it was difficult at the moment until specifications were seen, and another set of results would need to be able to be analysed in order to see the exact detailed preparatory elements. 

 

(xiv)      The ICT network needed to be improved in the secondary sector. It was understood that the supply of computers for pupils in the primary sector was very good but there was no follow-up when they moved to the secondary sector.   

 

The infrastructure of the ICT network must be considered corporately and the Committee was reminded that the Scrutiny Investigation - Education Support Services was investigating the CYNNAL provision and that a wider investment was possibly needed for the infrastructure, and whether the provision / systems were sufficiently up-to-date to be able to provide the relevant skills for young people for the future. 

 

(xv)       There was no reference to able and talented children in the report. The importance of keeping schools from slipping was noted, but at the same time, an ambition should be reached for, and improvement sought.

 

It was noted that this was the service's challenge and to strengthen the A* and A performance, and to prepare schools to be the best.

 

(xvi)      The importance of looking forward to the future, and the challenge for Members was cuts to school budgets along with a lack of teachers across North Wales. If this was not addressed, it was anticipated that more schools would be in the red category in 4 / 5 years.

 

·         It was recognised that there were a lack of teachers, and it was ensured that discussions were ongoing with Bangor University and Glyndwr University to attract prospective teachers.

·         In addition, it was noted that 22 authorities in Wales had launched a website as a method of attracting more teachers into the system. 

·         It was suggested that a model that would "accumulate staff" where they could bridge between more than one school needed to be considered and looked at.

·         The challenge was to attempt to get schools not to look internally, and to collaborate in partnership.   

 

(xvii)      There was concern about the size of classes, and an example was referred to by a Member locally, where there were 37 children in one class, and this was not sustainable.

 

In response, it was noted that the above was part of a local discussion, and it was recognised that budgets were tight and once classes reached a specific figure, it was difficult for teachers and it meant that, in some circumstances, there was another group of pupils within a class. It was added that the empty spaces policy had received national attention. 

 

(xviii)     It was welcomed that the Foundation Phase was going to receive further attention, and the need to provide structural opportunities.

 

(xix)       In response to a question regarding pupils leaving school with no qualifications, it was noted that the forecasts for this year were significantly lower. 

 

(xx)       The importance of the definition of the Immersion Centre being completely clear and that this type of Centre was extremely important for Bangor

 

(xxi)       From the viewpoint of home schooling, the report referred to children who could not attend school, and children with physical / medical illnesses. In the context of the cohort of children who were not able to attend school, it was noted that a discussion was needed between the Health Service in order to change the wording of the statements. 

 

(xxii)      Children with additional learning needs should not be deprived of the opportunity to be bilingual and reduce the opportunities for them within communities. 

 

Resolved:       To accept, and express thanks to the Education Service's annual report that noted strengths in the education provision, along with areas to develop further.

 

The Cabinet Member took the opportunity to sincerely thank the Head of Education for his commitment and commendable work on behalf of the Education Service over the past two and a half years, and from the comprehensive report that was submitted, it was obvious that the Service had moved on, with the Head having built a strong team within the Service and schools.  He was wished every success in his new post with GwE.