Issue - meetings

(a)       That Flintshire’s priorities and objectives within the GwE Business Plan be noted;

(b)       That the Committee receives an update on the work to improve Level 2+ outcomes for leaners at Key Stage 4 (5 GSCE’s A* - C including English/Welsh and Mathematics) in the summer of 2016; and

(c)        That the Committee receives an update on the successful development and delivery of GwE’s two integrated core programmes:-

The Chair introduced and welcomed Ashley Jones, Chief Officer,  Regional School Effectiveness and Improvement Service (GwE), to the meeting and invited him to give a presentation on the Regional School Effectiveness and Improvement Service for North Wales.   The main points of the presentation were:

·         2015-16 Developments

·         the vision

·         delivering the vision

·         challenge and support programme

·         development programmes

Mr. Jones advised that the overall priority of the GwE service was to secure improved outcomes for learners across the region from Foundation Phase, Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. 

The Chair thanked Mr. Jones for his presentation and invited the Committee to raise questions.

Councillor David Healey commented on the need to improve the achievement of children who received free school meals.  The Chief Officer (Education and Youth) responded to the concerns raised and referred to the commitment to making a difference in terms of the anti poverty strategy and individual learners on Free School Meals.  He commented on the research which had been undertaken and the progress made by schools through the sharing of good practice and the ongoing work with individual learners and learners from low income families.  Ashley Jones also commented on the targeting of resources and specific interventions being put in place by schools to narrow the ‘gap’ in performance between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils.  He said  that he would make a paper that was presented to GwE on good areas of practice, available to Members of the Committee.

            Councillor Nancy Matthews expressed concern that children who received free school meals were not made to feel different to those that did not.  The Chief Officer said that no individual child should be identified for a specific characteristic and that whenever a child needed support it was provided at that point in time.   He suggested that the Committee receive a report on ‘Child Centred Planning’ and also that the school leaders piloting the scheme be invited to a future meeting of the Committee to share the planning, pioneering, and good practice in education. 

In response to the further question which had been raised by Councillor Matthews on school improvement and how intervention by GwE was measured. The Chief Officer referred to the data included on learner outcomes and self evaluation within the annual work programme which had previously been presented to the Committee.  Referring to the Authority’s Improvement Plan which contained some activities from GwE the Chief Officer said that additional detail could be included in the Plan in terms of performance indicators for the successful performance of school and the education system.  The Chief Officer also suggested that information/analysis on Value for Money in relation to services provided by GwE be included in the next update report.

            Councillor David Mackie referred to the Development Programmes, detailed within the presentation, and asked whether information on the take-up of training by Headteachers and teachers could be provided.  The Chief Officer  agreed to provide this information which could also include feedback from those who  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11