Issue - meetings

(a)       That the report on the work undertaken by the School Performance Monitoring Group be noted; and

(b)       That the Committee endorse the School Performance Monitoring Group to continue to work in the same way with targeted schools in 2016-17.

The Senior Manager, School Improvement introduced the annual update on the work of the School Performance Monitoring Group (SPMG) which sought to challenge underperforming schools and ensure that they received the necessary support from the Council and GwE to progress and improve learner outcomes.

The Senior Manager provided an overview of the criteria for monitoring schools and the approach taken by the SPMG.  Feedback from school representatives and panel members reflected positively on outcomes from the process in seeking improvements and developing a greater understanding of the challenges facing schools.  Whilst the work of the SPMG had contributed to improvements in primary school outcomes, there would be a greater focus on secondary schools in future.

Councillor Chris Bithell thanked Members of the Committee for their involvement on the SPMG in working with officers to provide the necessary challenge and support to schools.

Following comments by the Chairman about schools targeted by the Welsh Government (WG) Schools Challenge Cymru programme, the Chief Officer said that changes were due to be announced by WG.

Councillor David Healey referred to the need to improve outcomes for learners in receipt of free school meals across the UK and welcomed the positive contributions made by Flintshire schools including that of Flint High School and the Connah’s Quay consortium.  The Senior Manager reported that schools were adapting positively to using the Pupil Deprivation Grant funding to support this cohort of pupils.  In particular, at Key Stage 2 in primary schools and in the Foundation Phase, there was evidence that performance was levelling out between pupils from deprived backgrounds and those who were not.  The Chief Officer advised that the Cabinet Secretary for Education had given an ongoing commitment to Pupil Deprivation Grant funding in recognition of the impact on learners.

Members praised the support from the Senior Manager and the team in relation to the tracking process.

As a panellist on the SPMG, Councillor Nancy Matthews had found the process to be interesting and particularly welcomed the informal nature of the discussions.  Councillor Dave Mackie praised the level of detail within the report and commented that issues were sometimes outside the control of the school.  Councillor Marion Bateman described the process on the panel as a two-way experience and encouraged more Members to participate.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report on the work undertaken by the School Performance Monitoring Group be noted; and

(b)       That the Committee endorse the School Performance Monitoring Group to continue to work in the same way with targeted schools in 2016-17.