Venue: By Teams. View directions
Contact: Wyn Richards, Scrutiny Manager and Head of Democratic Services
Items
No. |
Item |
1. |
Apologies
To receive apologies for absence.
Minutes:
An apology for absence was received from
County Councillor D Jones and from E Palmer (Head of Transformation
and Communications) and M Evans (Senior Manager - Education
Services).
|
2. |
Declarations of interest
To receive declarations of interest from
Members.
Minutes:
There were no declarations of interest from
Members relating to items to be considered on the agenda.
|
3. |
Declarations of Party Whip
To
receive disclosures of prohibited party whips which a Member has
been given in relation to the meeting in accordance with Section
78(3) of the Local Government Measure 2011.
(NB: Members are reminded that under Section 78 Members having
been given a prohibited party whip cannot vote on a matter before
the Committee.)
Minutes:
There were no disclosures of prohibited party whips which a
Member has been given in relation to the meeting in accordance with
Section 78(3) of the Local Government Measure 2011.
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4. |
The future of ALN / SEN provision in Powys - draft discussion paper PDF 306 KB
To scrutinise the draft discussion paper for
the future of ALN / SEN provision in Powys and make observations /
recommendations to the Cabinet.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Documents
Considered:
·
The Future of ALN / SEN Provision in Powys –
Draft discussion Paper
Issues
Discussed:
·
The engagement process needs to take place with
parents and all stakeholders and will run from the end of June to
the end of July.
·
Different options are included for discussion rather
than a single model.
·
One of the key elements is fulfilling the new ALN
Act and there will be a need to work with mainstream provision as
well as early years settings.
·
Questions:
How can the engagement exercise
be as widely accessible as possible especially to include pre
school and 19 – 25 age groups
|
The Service will work with the
Communications Groups that have already been established to
consider various aspects of ALN / SEN. In addition, other groups
such as SNAP Cymru, Autism Cymru can be engaged as well as school
governing bodies.
|
There are a
large number of pupils outside school age, how will this
group be engaged
|
Organisations such as
Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin and
other pre school groups can be involved as well as partner agencies
who the Service currently works with.
|
Is there sufficient resource in
the service to deal with this.
|
There are 4 streams in the
transformation programme with a programme manager for each.
Therefore there is enough resource for
the engagement process. The challenge will be implementing the
changes and funding will be required for pupils with complex
needs.
|
This is not about funding but
also sufficient staffing resources.
|
A management of change process
is being undertaken and a document prepared. This will need to be
reviewed by the HR Service and a decision taken as to when it can
be implemented.
|
Training and qualifications and
the upskilling of staff. Where will people go for their training,
including postgraduate courses and who pays for the cover required
for staff whilst they are training. Account also need to be taken
of those staff with knowledge and experience as they
should not be lost to the Service.
|
Birmingham is the best place
for postgraduate courses, which is undertaken as a distance
learning course. Courses are paid for by the Council. There would
be no disadvantage to existing staff if they commit to undertaking
the qualification which would then mean they could work with pupils
with more complex needs.
|
Upskilling of Teaching
Assistants, will this training be in schools or elsewhere in
Powys
|
The Council can provide
training provided by a central team. National leadership programmes
can also deliver leadership training. There is a budget to provide
targeted training for schools, including teaching
assistants.
|
Is this package of training
outside of and training offered to a school identified as requiring
assistance
|
Regardless of categorisation
all schools are entitled to join leadership programmes and the
training available.
|
Training Assistants (page 17)
– who is undertaking the review and what criteria is being
used
|
The new restructured team will
undertake this as well as some headteachers. The aim is to find out
how well teaching assistants are being ...
view the full minutes text for item 4.
|
|
5. |
Work Programme
The
next meeting of the Committee will be on:
22
June 2020
|
1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m.
|
Item: Briefing on School Transformation
|
Further meetings will be held on:
6
July 2020
|
1.00 p.m. – 2.00 p.m.
|
Item: Schools Service – Financial Out-turn
|
20
July 2020
|
1.00 p.m. – 2.00 p.m.
|
Item: School Budgets 2020-21
|
Minutes:
The
Committee noted that the next meetings will be on:
22
June 2020
|
1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m.
|
Item: Briefing on School Transformation
|
Further meetings will be held on:
6
July 2020
|
1.00 p.m. – 2.00 p.m.
|
Item: Schools Service – Financial Out-turn
|
20
July 2020
|
1.00 p.m. – 2.00 p.m.
|
Item: School Budgets 2020-21
|
The Committee noted that an
electronic scrutiny of the PIAP had started and the Scrutiny
Manager would draw together Members' comments once
completed.
A revised Admissions Policy
would also be circulated to Members for electronic scrutiny at the
end of July.
The Chair has requested that the options paper
for the reopening of schools be provided to the Committee for
information and the experience of the reopening of schools could be
reviewed after they had been open for a month.
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