To consider a report by County Councillor Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and Property.
Minutes:
Before presenting the report the Portfolio Holder for Education and Property apologised to Julie Price for mistakenly including her name in the minutes of the consultation meeting with Ysgol Bro Hyddgen governors in the report recently considered by Cabinet.
The Portfolio Holder for Education and Property presented the report seeking approval to commence informal engagement with stakeholders on the preferred way forward for Ysgol Calon Cymru. He thanked the Chair of Governors and County Councillor Jeremy Pugh for raising with him the figure of the projected overspend in the report. He advised that the deficit of £173,450 as of 31 March 2021 quoted in paragraph 3.2 of the report was correct. The projected deficit as of 31 March 2022 had been correct at the time the report had been written but was now projected to be £480,909. The work of the Governing Body and the school to reduce the deficit was greatly appreciated but the position was not sustainable.
The Strategic Outline Case (SOC) considered by Cabinet in September 2020 had identified a ‘preferred way forward’:
· A new 11-18 English-medium campus in Llandrindod Wells; plus
· A new/remodelled 4-18 Welsh-medium all-through campus in Builth Wells.
Officers explained the rationale for recommending an informal engagement exercise in September and October. They felt that given the scale of investment required to improve facilities and the complexity of the strategic plans, the best way forward was to give all stakeholders an opportunity to contribute to the development of the strategic vision for transforming education in the area and to inform the development of proposals that would then be subject to formal consultation. The implementation plan in the report was a draft and it was stressed that it did not prejudice any decisions that the Cabinet may make in the future around the organisation of schools in the area. It was also stressed that what was being proposed was not a formal consultation and that things could fundamentally change as a result of the engagement. Cabinet was also advised that the engagement exercise would cover Welsh medium provision for the middle and south of the county and not just the Calon Cymru catchment.
County Councillor Pete Roberts speaking as a local member welcomed the recommendation to go out to informal engagement but expressed disappointment that by putting the primary sector into a second phase, the impact on the primary sector if an all through Welsh medium school was established in Builth Wells would not be tested in the engagement. He was also disappointed that the Cabinet would not have the benefit of the Internal Audit report into the previous reorganisation which was not yet complete.
Officers confirmed that there was no intention to exclude primary schools from the engagement about the preferred way forward and stressed that no decisions had been made – the wider primary reorganisation would be considered in Phase 2 of the Programme. At the same time, it was important not to delay everything until the engagement had taken place and therefore HoWPS had been engaged to carry out to develop concept designs for the Llandrindod campus. This work would be developed in parallel with the community engagement and if it was decided not to proceed this would be a risk to the revenue budget. Members of the Cabinet welcomed informal engagement as a good way forward and the Portfolio Holder encouraged all stakeholders to get involved.
RESOLVED that Cabinet approves the commencement of a period of informal engagement on the preferred way forward for Ysgol Calon Cymru
· A new 11-18 English-medium campus in Llandrindod Wells; plus
· A new/remodelled 4-18 Welsh-medium all-through campus in Builth Wells.
The informal engagement will take place in September and October 2021, and an engagement report would then be produced for the consideration of Cabinet towards the end of the year and, if approved, formal consultation would then proceed.
Supporting documents: