Venue: By Zoom. View directions
Contact: Wyn Richards, Scrutiny Manager and Head of Democratic Services
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Apologies To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: There were no apologies for absence.
The Chair reported the resignation of Councillor I McIntosh as a member of the Committee due to work commitments. |
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Disclosures of interest To receive any disclosures of interest by Members relating to items to be considered at the meeting. Minutes: The Committee received the following declarations of interest from Members:
Item 7 – Crickhowell Area Review – County Councillor M Beecham – Personal and Prejudicial Interest as a parent of a pupil attending Llanbedr Church in Wales School. |
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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: The Committee did not receive any 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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To authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the following meeting(s) as a correct record: 29-06-2022 15-07-2022 28-09-2022
Additional documents:
Minutes: The Chair was authorised to sign the minutes of the following meetings as correct records: 29-06-2022 15-07-2022 28-09-2022
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Quarter 2 / 2022-23 - Performance, Finance and Risk |
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Performance Report Q2 PDF 73 KB Minutes: Documents Considered: · Quarter 2, 2022-23 Performance Report and Pro-Forma.
Issues Discussed: · The Service had met with the Cabinet Member to demonstrate progress in the key performance indicators. A robust challenge process was also undertaken with the Service Management Team prior to the report being presented to Members. · Objectives · Chweched Powys / Powys Sixth (Amber) – This was launched this year in terms of the Powys Sixth Form and vocational offers are being included in the offers for the first time this year. This is amber as it was not included in the first year but now included for the second year. · Measures · Reduction in the Number of Primary Schools by 20 within the timelines (Red). · ALN (Amber) – It is not possible to achieve the target of 14 as one member of staff is no longer on the programme. The other 13 staff have completed the programme. · Number of pupils educated through the Medium of Welsh in year will increase (Amber). The WESP (Welsh in Education Strategic Plan) has been approved and the Council has appointed a Welsh Medium Lead Officer and whilst improvements have been made they were not completed by the end of the year. Work is continuing with schools regarding the Welsh Medium provision. · Increase the number of new school builds by March 2025 in condition A and B by 8 schools (Amber). There were no new school builds in 2021-22 and this links to the schools transformation programme.
Questions:
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To receive and consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation. Additional documents: Minutes: Documents Considered: Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation.
Issues Discussed: · Significant savings have been made in year by using grants as efficiently and effectively as possible. Additional grants have been received and some could be carried forward which has significantly reduced the Service’s spend in the past quarter.
Questions:
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To receive and consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation. Additional documents:
Minutes: Documents Considered: Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Transformation.
Issues Discussed: · The main risk related to property maintenance. The Service worked closely with Property Service to manage the risks. · Fortnightly compliance meetings have been established with the Property Service so that the Service is aware of challenges as arise. · Property costs are the main risk including increased utility bills. Some schools have contacted the Service about green options but these cannot be achieved quickly.
Questions:
Outcomes: · Noted
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Llanfihangel Rhydithon - Welsh Medium Provision PDF 209 KB To receive and consider the report of the Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys. Additional documents:
Minutes: Documents Considered: Report of the Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys.
Issues Discussed: · This is the subsequent report following the Cabinet decision in July. · An engagement exercise was undertaken. · This is the outcome of the work undertaken as to whether a Welsh Medium school could be established at Dolau. A questionnaire was sent to schools to distribute to parents, early years providers. The target audience was parents and prospective parents to see if there was a demand for a Welsh Medium school at Dolau. Schools also targeted within the catchment as well as the Llandrindod Wells catchment. · Over 200 responses were received. 98 people supported a Welsh Medium School at Dolau, a lesser number not in support. · There was a variety of comments arising from the engagement both in support but also raising concerns. · An options appraisal was undertaken considering three options initially. These options were assessed against the critical success factors as well as a financial analysis and then conclusions were drawn. · The conclusion was that it was not viable to establish a Welsh Medium school at Dolau: · The reasons were that it did not meet the aspirations in the Council’s WESP (Welsh Education Strategic Plan) to develop Welsh Medium provision in Powys’ main centres of population in order to stimulate demand. This was also the view of the Welsh Medium Education Forum, which felt that local authorities should be focussing the development of new Welsh Medium provision in strategic locations where there is a critical mass to stimulate growth. · There was concern about the capacity of the current building which meant that a new school would still be a small school and no ability to increase numbers without additional capital investment. To expand the school there would be a need for capital investment. · The two options proposed would mean an additional cost to the Council of between £1m to £1.3m over 8 years by compared to the status quo. · Another concern was that the school would have small pupil numbers, high budget share per pupil and teaching would continue in combined aged classes due to low pupil numbers. · Attracting staff with proficiency to teach in Welsh could be difficult based on evidence from other schools in the county. · High quality Welsh Medium provision is available locally at Llandrindod and Rhayader with places available at both schools. Transport would be provided for pupils wishing to pursue Welsh Medium provision in accordance with the Council’s home to school transport policy. · The recommendation was that the Council should not proceed with establishing a Welsh Medium provision at Dolau which would mean that Llanfihangel Rhydithon school would close on 31st August 2023. · The Chair referred to representations made to the Committee from interested parties prior to the meeting.
Questions:
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Crickhowell Area Review PDF 200 KB To receive and consider the report of the Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys.
Additional documents:
Minutes: Documents Considered: Report of the Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys.
Issues Discussed: · The Cabinet Member advised that the report was different to reports received previously as this did not consider a single school but reviewed the catchment as a whole and whether there was a possibility to introduce an all through school model which is an ambition in Wave 2 of the Transformation Programme. · There are some complexities in relation to this issue referred to by the Cabinet Member. The original proposals for Llanbedr Church in Wales (CiW) School had been the subject of a judicial review which had been concluded. The engagement for the catchment review was open to the whole catchment including Llanbedr. No new or alternative proposals to those considered previously were received in relation to Llanbedr and therefore, the case for change for Llanbedr remained the same. Had new proposals come forward in relation to Llanbedr it might have led to a different options appraisal being proposed. It was highlighted that circumstances have not changed since the decision of the former Cabinet in relation to Llanbedr. Within the process for school transformation there are additional steps which need to be undertaken in respect of a CiW school. A CiW school (the governing body, the diocese or both) can refer a decision to Welsh Government Ministers but this option was not pursued. There had also been discussion about federation and merger previously and during the judicial review which were dismissed by the court in its findings as the Council was found to have followed due process and therefore the court found in the Council’s favour. This is the reason why Llanbedr was not included in the options appraisal. · An engagement exercise was undertaken. Two engagement meetings were undertaken with school staff and governors. A questionnaire was circulated to schools for distribution to parents, staff, pupils and governors as well as made publicly available. The questionnaire focussed on what people thought were the strengths and weaknesses of current education model in the catchment and what future provision could look like as well as all age model and the need for Welsh Medium provision in the area. An options appraisal was undertaken starting with nine options then reduced to two. The cost implications were then considered and then conclusions determined. · The conclusion of the exercise was that the preferred option was to retain primary provision in the current schools and retain the secondary provision. As no new information had come forward in respect of Llanbedr the conclusion was that the previous decision to close the school be implemented. · During the engagement exercise it became apparent that there was a strong collaboration between schools within the cluster and suggestions on how to strengthen this collaboration, sharing resources between schools. It has been suggested that schools explore this further in partnership with the Council. There are benefits to establishing all age schools but there are costs to establish this model in Crickhowell with no savings. It was being ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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To note the Forward Work Programme for the Committee. Minutes: The Committee noted the work programme as detailed in the agenda pack.
The Committee considered that the following items be added for possible inclusion on the work programme:
· Schools budgets. · School transportation · Quality of education, pressures on staff, Estyn reports (what is the quality of education across the County and are there any gaps). · Briefing on all through schools to Members. Also federation of schools. · Development of ALN and how the development has progressed during the first year. · Update on WESP. Can this be provided earlier than May. What are the plans to move schools along the language spectrum.
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