Agenda item

That the update be noted.

The Chief Officer (Education and Youth) provided a verbal report on progress and developments concerning school organisation and modernisation.   He advised that all Band A projects which had been approved by the Welsh Government and were progressing on time and in accordance with budget. 

The Chief Officer referred to the meeting of the Committee held on 24 August 20215 due to the call-in of the decision of the Cabinet from its meeting held on 6 August 2015.  Having considered the decision the Committee was still concerned about it and referred it back to Cabinet for reconsideration.  At the meeting of Cabinet held on 15 September 2015, the Cabinet had reaffirmed their commitment to reviewing in detail options for home to school transport.  Cabinet had also directed the officer and head teacher planning group to plan in detail for transition taking into account the feedback of the Committee and had reaffirmed its previous decision to refer the proposal of closure of the Sixth Form at John Summers High School from 31 August 2016 and closure of the School from 31 August 2017 to the Welsh Government.  Cabinet had stated a commitment to continue to work closely with the local community and to engage in a full public consultation exercise on the future use of the site, should the school be closed.

The Chief Officer outlined the procedure in terms of the next steps and the issuing of statutory notices and explained that the target timetable for adjudication was 16 weeks, however, the process often took far longer.  The Chief Officer commented on the period of uncertainty and anxiety which lay ahead for pupils, staff and the local community and gave an assurance that full co-operation and support would be provided by the Authority to give assistance throughout the process.  

The Chief Officer advised that other School Organisation reviews were at a much earlier stage in the consultation process.  He also reported that the Authority was in the process of commencing work on the consultation arrangements with primary schools under review.

Councillor David Healey commented on the transition arrangements and expressed concerns specifically around the examination groups.  He suggested that the Committee may wish to track progress on pupils who were taking their examinations, particularly in Year 10.  The Chief Officer responded to the concerns raised by Councillor Healey and advised that the approach taken on John Summers High School followed best practice.  He emphasised the importance of having transition plans in place which were meaningful and supportive for every learner.  The Chef Officer also explained that  following any school reorganisation or closure a formal  evaluation process was undertaken and gave an assurance that this information would provide feedback on the impact of the transition on learners. 

During discussion the Chief Officer responded to the further comments and questions raised by members around school modernisation.  He confirmed that no review of any school was undertaken until the Authority was in a position to commission a review and said that a verbal update on School Modernisation would be placed on all future agendas.

RESOLVED:

That the update be noted.