Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

Councillor Roberts introduced the report and explained that the council undertook an annual self-evaluation of its education services.  Normally it was written against the framework for the inspections of Local Government Education Services published by Estyn but as the framework for the inspections of Local Government Education Services published by Estyn was suspended as a result of Covid-19, the report was presented in a different format with each service area focusing on its work over the last 12 months and how it had responded and adapted to the ongoing health emergency. 

            The Chief Officer (Education and Youth) explained that each section of the report provided an overview of the service area, how it had adapted and its ongoing development priorities which would be reflected in the Council Plan and the Portfolio Business Plan for 2021/22.  Where progress had been possible against the Estyn recommendations following the 2019 inspection of Education Services in Flintshire, those were reflected in each service report.

            Estyn had maintained regular contact with schools and education officers despite all formal inspection frameworks for schools and local authority education services remaining suspended.  Welsh Government (WG) commissioned Estyn to undertake a review of the work of local authorities in supporting their learning communities in schools and pupil referral units (PRUs) during the period March to October 2020.  The feedback report was based on virtual meetings with Education Officers, the Cabinet Member for Education, the Chair of Education, Youth and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee and a sample of headteachers in schools and PRUs.

            The feedback report was appended to the Cabinet report and outlined the swift and effective response of the Council to support children and schools from the outset of the pandemic.  It acknowledged the strong leadership from the Council’s Emergency Response Team and the Education Portfolio.  It highlighted the strength of the shared collaborative approach across the Council and with external partners, e.g. GwE, to effectively adapt services to meet the needs of children, young people and their families during the national emergency.  It also noted the thorough review of the Council’s response through the work of the Education, Youth and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

            The report was very positive and did not identify any recommendations for further improvement.

            Councillor Roberts thanked the Chief Officer and her team, and the Integrated Transport Unit, for the work that had been undertaken over the past year against the significant challenges they had been faced with.  All Members echoed those comments, and also paid tribute to the teaching and support staff who had continued to provide face to face education for vulnerable children and children of key workers.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the content of the self-evaluation report be noted; and

(b)       That the positive thematic report undertaken by Estyn on the work of the education services in Flintshire to support children and young people during the pandemic be noted.