Venue: By Zoom
Contact: Katharine Flanagan-Jones
Media
Items
No. |
Item |
1. |
Apologies
To receive apologies for absence.
Minutes:
Apologies for absence were received from
County Councillor Danny Bebb
Lynette Lovell – Director of Education
and Children Services
Georgie Bevan – Head of Schools
Service
Sarah Quibell – Service Manager for
Education Support Service
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2. |
Disclosures of interest
To receive any disclosures of interest by
Members relating to items to be considered at the meeting.
Minutes:
There were no declarations of interest from
Members relating to items for consideration on the agenda.
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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:
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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4. |
Schools Transformation - Newtown Schools Review PDF 202 KB
To receive and consider the reports on Schools
Transformation for the Newtown Schools Review.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Background:
In
September 2021 to Council merged Ladywell Green Infants and Hafren
Junior schools to form Ysgol Calon y Dderwen. A Strategic Outline
Plan (SOP) has been developed submitted to Cabinet and WG to build
a new 300 or 300+ place primary school on the site in conjunction
with the North Powys Well-being Hub campus. There has since been an
informal engagement exercise with the Treowen and Maesyrhandir
schools and Ysgol Calon y Dderwen.
In
conclusion following the engagement exercise and the options
appraisal recommendation to Cabinet was that: -
Approval given to commence the formal statutory process on the
following proposal.
o
To close Treowen CP School from
31.08.2025
o
To extend Ysgol Calon y Dderwen to include the
former Treowen CP School site from 01.09.2025 and run as a 2-site
school until new build completed.
The second phase
would be for
o
Ysgol Calon y Dderwen to move to a new building,
located on the existing site during 2026/27
o
Treowen site would close.
Points raised by the Panel:
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Responses received from Officers or Cabinet Members.
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The Committee requested a plan
for the whole of the Newtown schools area as concern raised of
possible multiple future changes causing disruption to and
impacting on our learners.
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There are 7 Primary schools within a 2–3-mile
radius in Newtown.
Transformation reviewed the Newtown area a number of
years ago and progressed with the Hafren and Ladywell Green
merger.
Since then, Maesyrhandir and Treowen numbers have
significantly decreased which is predicted to continue.
The wider plan for Newtown, due to the lack of
available land to build or transform, would have to happen on a
phased basis.
There is a mix of different types of schools within
the town, Welsh medium, English Medium, and the only Catholic
school in the County.
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Concern also raised in terms of
whether the funding had been secured for the North Powys Wellbeing.
What risk was there to the plans for Calon Y Dderwen if the rest of
the development did not go ahead, how confident is the Authority
that the project can be capital funded.
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In terms of the Wellbeing campus, the Authority
continues to work in partnership with PTHB on a cohesive critical
path for an integrated master plan.
Capital funding for the school element, as increased
in size, cost inevitably increase. There would have to be a revised
SOC (Strategic Outline Case) submitted to WG incorporating a
different scope of school and a different level of
funding.
If the funding within the current BAND B programme
was not available, the project would have to be submitted into the
rolling 9-year Sustainable Communities for Learning programme prior
to March 2024.
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The Council has been in talks
with WG for 7-8 years, for the development to be progressed, firm
answers are required as blighting the development for schools in
Newtown.
Maesyrhandir has 95 pupils, the
buildings condition is not great, the pupils deserve equitable
facilities for their education. If the current plan are progressed
what would ...
view the full minutes text for item 4.
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5. |
Schools Transformation - Irfon Valley CP School PDF 206 KB
To receive and consider the reports on Schools
Transformation for Irfon Valley
Community Primary School.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Background
The
Governing Body contacted the Schools Services with concerns
relating to a recent drop in pupil numbers and the impact on the
financial stability. It was explained that a review process would
be undertaken. It was stated that the Governing Body were not part
of the review process nor part of the recommendation before
Scrutiny Committee today.
There has been a sudden decline in pupil numbers with the main
reason cited as being no afterschool provision.
Recommendation to be made to Cabinet:
To
proceed to formal consultation to close Irfon Valley CP School as
of the 31st August 2024 and for pupils to transfer to
their nearest alternative schools.
Points raised by the Panel:
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Responses received from Officers or Cabinet Members.
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It would appear that local
transferring in schools are either at capacity or near to, limiting
the choice of schools for those pupils of Irfon Valley to transfer
to, what would be the distance that pupils from Newbridge would
have to travel to Builth or Dolafon.
|
Do not have actual distances to
hand but in terms of admissions if the pupils were closest to
Newbridge, application for a place could be submitted if
availability, they would be allocated a place, with home to school
transport provided if the closest school.
Currently more than half of the
pupils at Irfon Valley are closest to Dolafon but would have to
wait until parents have made their decision.
Currently there are 44 spaces
in Builth Wells CP School available across the Welsh and English
mediums.
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2 pupils are closest to
Newbridge which is currently oversubscribed, would the Admissions
Team be flexible in their approach, or would there be the
expectation that those 2 pupils would be transported
elsewhere.
What were the expected
additional costs of school transport for those pupils who have
already left Irfon Valley CP School and could be in receipt of that
entitlement in the future, notwithstanding that pupils could be
transported in possibly 3 different directions.
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Estimated transport costs based on pupils
transferring to their closest schools.
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Does the £46k for school
transport take into consideration those children that have already
left Irfon Vally CP School who could become eligible for free Home
to School transport, but who are not currently eligible.
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When the transport costs were modelled it would have been on the
number of learners in the school at that time. Will confirm to
Committee when the modelling took place and numbers of children
involved. Confirm this is the case – number of pupils at the
school in September 2023
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Free School Meals (FSM)
currently is at 17.6% has this figure increased significantly since
half of the pupils have transferred elsewhere.
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The reason for the increase was due to there being
less pupils within the school. Pupils who did not have FSM have
transferred leaving those pupils in receipt of FSM.
The reduction in numbers was due to parental choice
rather than deprivation in any way.
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Confirmation sought that the
Safeguarding recommendations made by ...
view the full minutes text for item 5.
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6. |
Work Programme PDF 77 KB
To note that future meetings of the Committee
are scheduled as follows:
Minutes:
Post 16 Education to be brought forward from
June 2024.
Schools causing Concern December 2023 under
Estyn Reports.
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