Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Education provided details of the outcome of the recent Estyn Monitoring visit on Local Authority Education Services for Children and Young People.  The monitoring visit took place from 4-8 February 2013 and the full letter recording the outcomes was attached as Appendix 1.

In the letter, Estyn’s Assistant Director had commented that the Council’s Administration had prioritised the need for change and improvement.  He wrote that elected Members and senior officers were “committed to taking difficult decisions to improve provision and make effective use of resources” and that Members “understood well the priorities for improvement in the Council and supported officers in addressing the recommendations from the previous inspection.”

The monitoring visit also found that the Council “had improved its arrangements to support and challenge schools.”  Estyn also commended the Council for its progress on developing a revised funding formula for schools, reducing school exclusions, improving school attendance and developing work with young people with additional learning needs who were at risk of needing “Out of County” school placements.

Estyn concluded that the local authority had made good progress towards addressing the recommendations in the inspection report since publication and therefore concluded that the authority should be removed from Estyn monitoring

RESOLVED:

That the Estyn monitoring visit letter be received and the conclusions about the local authority’s progress against the recommendations be considered.