Agenda, decisions and minutes

Purpose: To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

Councillor Paul Shotton declared a declaration of interest in the following item as a School Governor of Connah’s Quay High School.

 Councillor Nancy Matthews also declared a declaration of interest as a School Governor of Nercwys Primary School.  

Councillor David Williams declared a declaration of interest as a school governor of Penyffordd School. 

Rev. John Thelwell declared a declaration of interest as a representative of St. Asaph Diocese.

            Item 5 – School Modernisation update

Purpose: To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on

13 October 2016.

That subject to the above amendments the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. 

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 13 October 2016 had been circulated to Members with the agenda.

Accuracy

Mr. David Hytch referred to the last sentence of the 3^rd paragraph on page 5 and said that the date should be amended from 5^th November 2016 to 10^th November 2016.  He confirmed that the federation had formally commenced from this date.

Mr. Hytch also referred to page 6, first paragraph, and explained that he wanted an assurance that all young people had equal access to achieve higher grades at GCSE or A Level.

Matters arising

Councillor Ian Roberts referred to the information circulated regarding the Flintshire Schools Post 16 Data and asked that the Flint Post 16 Consortium be contacted again to obtain the relevant information.

            RESOLVED:

That subject to the above amendments the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. 

That Members promote the use of Person Centred Planning through their links with schools and the portfolio pupil referral units.

The Chief Officer (Education and Youth) introduced the report and advised that the Welsh Government was undergoing a period of transformation with regard to the education of children and young people with additional learning needs.  It was understood that Person Centred Planning (PCP) would form an integral part of the reforms.   He invited the Senior Manager – Inclusion and Progression to provide an overview of the process and an update on the training offered to prepare schools and pupil referral units in Flintshire.

                        The Senior Manager – Inclusion and Progression reported on the main considerations as detailed in the report.   She advised that the information captured through the use of PCP would be used to identify an individual’s needs and support the agencies involved to design effective and bespoke interventions in partnership with the child and family.  The detail from the process would be recorded in an Individual Development Plan which would replace Statements of Special Educational Need. 

            The Senior Manager – Inclusion and Progression introduced Mrs. Rachel Molyneux, Headteacher St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School,and Christine Wineyard, Teacher in Charge of the Learning Centre (Pupil Referral Unit)and invited Mrs Molyneux to give an overview of how PCP was applied in the classroom.  Mrs. Molyneux explained that person-centred planning (PCP) was an holistic approach which provided a way of helping children and young people and their families think about what was important to and for them now and in the future.  It was also a continual process of listening and learning and provided a collection of tools based on shared values that could be used to plan with a child or young person not for them.  She detailed the benefits of the system and circulated examples of pupils work.   

The Senior Manager – Inclusion and Progression advised that to support a national understanding of PCP the Welsh Government had proved funding to each local authority for the last two financial years.  In Flintshire this had had been used to provide access for two staff from each school and Pupil Referral Unit to attend a two-day training programme.  The second phase of the training has been to identify and support Beacon schools who have embraced PCP and are developing and are developing extensive expertise which could be shared with other establishments.

The Chair thanked Mrs. Molyneux for her presentation.  Members expressed their support for the initiative and the work being undertaken in schools.  In response to the question raised by Councillor Nancy Matthews around more able and talented children, Mrs. Molyneux explained that PCP was a whole class approach and no child was excluded. 

Mrs. Rebecca Stark asked how the reforms would be managed in schools.  The Senior Manager – Inclusion and Progression explained that each school would adapt the PCP framework to its pupils own needs.

Councillor David Williams queried whether the personal profile forms were updated as the child progressed through the education system.  Mrs. Molyneux gave an assurance that profile forms were continually updated and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

Purpose:  To inform the Committee of progress of the School Modernisation Programme.

That progress of the School Modernisation Programme be noted.

The Chief Officer introduced a report to give an update on progress of the School Modernisation Programme.  He provided background information and advised that the former Holywell High School building had been demolished and that the project remained on time and within budget.  The Chief Officer reported that at the meeting of Cabinet held on 18 October 2016, approval had been given for the development of the school capital project at Connah’s Quay High School to design development, tender and full business case submission to the Welsh Government (WG) in line with programme criteria.  At the same meeting Cabinet had also approved the capital project at Penyffordd to design development, tender, and full business case submission to the WG.  The Chief Officer advised that the remaining funding from 21^st Century Schools Band A programme would be used on Queensferry Campus to support the modernisation of inclusion provision in the area.

The Chief Officer reported that at its meeting on 18 October 2016, Cabinet had also agreed to allow more time for the Governors and Diocesan Authority to work through strategic options for collaboration and sustainability of the Diocesan school estate.  He explained that a report to Cabinet on Nercwys VA School Review was appended to the report. 

The Chief Officer commented on the recent Ministerial announcement concerning a small frontline grant which was available for schools.  He also referred to the work to be undertaken regarding the national approach to federation and the need for any small and rural schools which may face closure in the future to consider this option, having tried all other possible solutions beforehand.    

The Chairman invited Members to raise questions.

Referring to the capital project at Connah’s Quay High School, Councillor Paul Shotton asked if the contractor had been named.  The Senior Manager School Planning and Provision advised that a submission of interest had been received and evaluated and the contractor would be identified next week.   In response to the comments made by Councillor Shotton, the Senior Manager School Planning and Provision agreed to provide the Committee with information on who pays for the bus service for out-of-county pupils and in-county pupils attending Deeside 6^th.

Mr. David Hytch commented on the need to ensure all young people had access to 6^th form education and raised concerns around the admissions policy for Deeside 6^th.  Mr. Hytch asked that a breakdown of the information circulated at the last meeting on which secondary schools pupils at the Deeside 6^th had attended be circulated to the Committee.

The Chief Officer referred to the performance profile across Flintshire and commented that too many learners were not achieving the grades they should be.  Further work was needed to improve the advice and guidance given to young people to ensure that all information was as informed as it could be on the pathways available to them.  He confirmed that the admission policy at Deeside 6^th mirrored that of school sixth forms across Flintshire.     

Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

(a)       That the work undertaken by the Welsh Advisory Service be noted; and

(b)       That the work of the Welsh Advisory Service in supporting schools to raise standards of Welsh in Flintshire schools be endorsed.

The Senior Manager School Improvement (Claire Homard) introduced the report to provide an overview of the work of the Welsh Advisory Service which provides support services to primary schools to raise standards in Welsh and Welsh as a second language. 

The Senior Manager School Improvement reported on the main considerations as detailed in the report.  She advised that there were 5 Welsh-Medium primary schools in the Authority and referred to assessment outcomes at the end of the Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2 in Flintshire’s Welsh-Medium schools in 2016. She also reported that there had been a strong upward trend in Welsh second language results, taught in English medium schools, at the end of Key Stage 2 over the last 5 years.   

The Senior Manager School Improvement commented on the Welsh Government’s new Welsh Language Strategy and its target of creating 1m welsh speakers by 2050.   She explained that training staff continued to be a priority for the Welsh Advisory Service and emphasised the need for the workforce within Flintshire’s boundaries to possess the necessary language skills and appropriate methodology to deliver age appropriate and sufficiently challenging schemes of work to pupils.  She commented on the difficulties being experienced in recruiting staff with Welsh language skills.

The Senior Manager School Improvement agreed to invite headteachers to give a presentation during consideration of the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan at the next meeting of the Committee on 15^th December.

RESOLVED

(a)       That the work undertaken by the Welsh Advisory Service be noted; and

(b)       That the work of the Welsh Advisory Service in supporting schools to raise standards of Welsh in Flintshire schools be endorsed.

(a)       That the Committee agreed not to establish a Task & Finish Group at this time; and

(b)       That the Committee await the outcome of the work being undertaken by the officer working group, with a report being presented to the Committee when this work has been completed.

The Chief Officer (Education and Youth) reported that at the meeting of the Committee held on 13 October 2016, it had been recommended that a report to enable the Committee to consider establishing a Task and Finish Group to review 14-19 education progression be presented to the next meeting.  The report enabled the Committee to consider if, at this time, if it would be beneficial to set up a Task & Finish Group.

RESOLVED

 (a)      That the Committee agreed not to establish a Task & Finish Group at this time; and

(b)       That the Committee await the outcome of the work being undertaken by the officer working group, with a report being presented to the Committee when this work has been completed.

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be approved; and

(b)       That the Education and Youth Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair and officers, be authorised to vary the work programme between meetings, as the need arises.

The Education and Youth Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator introduced the report to consider the Forward Work Programme for the Committee.  She drew attention to the proposed venue for the next meeting of the Committee which would be held on 15 December 2016 at Hawarden High School, and said a tour of the facility would commence at 1.00 pm.  Following a suggestion from the Chair,the Committee agreed that the school council be invited to give a presentation on the school meal service as part of the School Meal Service report at the meeting.  The Committee also agreed that Members be invited to have a school meal if they wanted before the start of the meeting.

Following concerns raised by Councillor Dave Mackie regarding the shortage of applicants for teaching vacancy posts, it was agreed that a report on skilled education workforce shortages be presented to the Committee at the meeting scheduled to be held on 2 February 2017.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Forward Work Programme be approved; and

(b)       That the Education and Youth Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair and officers, be authorised to vary the work programme between meetings, as the need arises.

There was one member of the press and no members of the public in attendance