Wrthi'n llwytho
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AGREED to note the current position.
AGREED to note the minutes for information.
AGREED (i) that the Committee was assured effective arrangements were in place should a critical incident occur in a school; (ii) that a report on the review of the policy be presented in 18mths to include feedback on its operation in schools; and placed on the Forward Work Programme accordingly. Clarification was sought on how the policy should be implemented as it would possibly be distressing for pupils; it was reported that it should be implemented similarly to the school’s procedure with Fire drills, as pupils would be familiar with this.
AGREED (i) note the current position; and (ii) that statistics of live births in other parts of Wales be sought, specifically Cardiff due to the influx of youngsters from Ceredigion, who possibly would have been parents if continuing to live in the City, this would be sent to the Chair to circulate to the Committee.
Councillor Euros Davies and Gareth Lewis apologised for their inability to attend the meeting.
None.
The Chair welcomed to the meeting Mr Gari Jones from Estyn who would be observing the meeting. Congratulations were extended to Mrs Elen James on being formally appointed to the position of Corporate Lead Officer: Schools, Lifelong Learning and Culture. Best of luck was expressed to all pupils who would be commencing their GCSE and A Levels exams this week.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED to note the current position.
Mr Duncan Hall, Corporate Lead Officer Finance & Procurement provided Members with an Oversight of in year Financial Matters. He reported that the latest quarterly financial position as reported to Cabinet (to include the latest BRAG status position on the 25/26 Budget Reductions). This would include both Revenue and Capital Financial Monitoring reports. This information would enable the Committee to scrutinise the financial matters pertinent to the areas of Service falling within its remit. At any point during the year, the Committee may choose to explore any area of the Budget within its remit via the Forward Work programme. Discussion evolved on out of County placements and the cost implications to the Authority, it was noted that once the new facility was opened in Felinfach once CSSIW approved, the financial burden would be reduced. It was AGREED to note the current position.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED to note the minutes for information.
Councillors Wyn Thomas (Cabinet Member for Schools, Lifelong Learning and Skills) presented the Ceredigion Youth Council Minutes 31.1.25 & 28.3.25. It was AGREED to note the minutes for information.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED (i) that the Committee was assured effective arrangements were in place should a critical incident occur in a school; (ii) that a report on the review of the policy be presented in 18mths to include feedback on its operation in schools; and placed on the Forward Work Programme accordingly. Clarification was sought on how the policy should be implemented as it would possibly be distressing for pupils; it was reported that it should be implemented similarly to the school’s procedure with Fire drills, as pupils would be familiar with this.
Councillors Wyn Thomas (Cabinet Member for Schools, Lifelong Learning and Skills) presented the report upon the Critical Incident Management in Schools report. Following the incident which took place in Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in April 2024 in which a pupil and two teachers were stabbed by a pupil, Council conducted a review of the advice and support offered to our schools in Ceredigion in the event of a critical incident. There were inconsistent approaches to such an event and as a result a commitment was made to develop comprehensive guidance to be distributed to all schools. In June 2024, training was rolled out to headteachers and key officers which was provided by security industry specialists and covered general site and building security, critical incident management, and lockdown procedures. Critical Incident Management A suite of four documents was created to provide guidance to schools on developing their own critical incident management plan and response. Each school would have unique features and therefore it was important they develop their own plan which meets the requirements for their site. Given the nature of the documents, it was not appropriate to share these widely but the following provides an overview of each of the four documents: Document 1 – Developing a School’s Critical Incident Management Plan This document provides advice and guidance for the development of a School Critical Incident Management Plan and includes a template which each school; would need to adapt to suit their own particular circumstances. The document explains that a critical incident was defined as “an emergency affecting pupils, personnel, or property, requiring immediate responsive action beyond that which could be reasonably expected from the school's own management team during the day to day running of the school”. A critical incident may involve: • a serious and significant incident or accident involving children and/or school personnel on or off the premises • extensive damage to school premises • the death of a child, staff member or governor • school fire, flood, or explosion • the effects of disasters in the wider community • incidents on educational visits • epidemics • the release of hazardous substances near or on the school site • IT Systems being compromised as a result of a cyber-attack or significant information security breach. • a violent intrusion onto school premises (e.g. an armed intruder or a bomb threat) which requires the school to go into Lockdown. The document guides school through the planning process, the emergency contact details and support available from the local authority the roles of key personnel during and after a critical incident, communication plans, evacuation and shelter procedures, actions to be taken is an emergency occurred during an education visit, post-incident care and support for pupils, staff and parents/carers, the importance of log keeping, stand down procedures and post-incident recovery. Document 2 – Developing School Lockdown Procedures This document was focussed on the development of procedures where there was a need to quickly restrict access and egress to a school site or building in either a full or partial lockdown. Examples of situations that may trigger a full or partial lockdown include: • A reported incident/civil disturbance in the local community • An intruder on the school site • An intruder in the school building • A warning being received regarding a risk locally, of air pollution (smoke plume, gas cloud etc.) or chemical, biological or radiological contaminants • A major fire in the vicinity of the school • A bomb threat received regarding school premises • Extreme weather conditions e.g. Met Office Red “Risk to Life” warning issued • Instruction issued by the police or other emergency services In addition to a template document, guidance is given on developing a school action plan based on key considerations such as the alert to staff, immediate action in the event of a partial or full lockdown, the agreed lines of communication (both internal and external) including the emergency services, training arrangements and post-incident debrief. Document 3 – Post-incident Management Guidance and Template Correspondence This document focusses on the immediate and longer-term post-incident period with the aim of: • Helping staff deal with the initial shock of a critical incident • Supporting the school senior management team with the re-establishment of normal routines by helping school to communicate appropriately with pupils, staff, parents, the public and where necessary the media; normalising grief and other responses; advising on what to expect at an emotional level and on how pupils and staff may react • Help the school identify vulnerable individuals (staff, children and young people) and provide advice in this regard • Providing information about other support services and suggest appropriate resources • Ensuring that children and their families are reassured that the incident is being competently managed by the school. The document provided practical advice for communicating with staff, pupils, parents and the wider school community and includes template correspondence for a range of events which may have occurred. There were a number of resources provided for school senior managers, teachers and non-teaching staff which recognises the importance these roles had in dealing with the outcome of an incident, including the death of a pupil or staff member. Document 4 – Schools, Lifelong Learning and Culture Service Critical Incident Protocol Whilst each school would develop its own critical incident management plan and lockdown procedure, this document sets out the response and support provided by the Council, coordinated through the Schools, Lifelong Learning and Culture Service, should a critical incident occur within a school. The document provided guidance on the immediate action following notification of an incident, key contacts and their contact details, the setting up of a Service Critical Incident Team and identifies core members, establishing an action log to record key events and rationale for the action taken, and the liaison with other Council services to provide support and/or expertise as required. Templates were provided for critical incident activation, standard agenda areas, and action logs. The suite of documents was distributed to all schools at the end of the Christmas term with the requirement for each to develop their own plans and schedule training drills before the end of the school year. During the third term a full training drill would be conducted covering both school element and Schools, Lifelong Learning and Culture Service element to test the effectiveness of the documents and guidance. The findings from this exercise would be reviewed and, if necessary, amendments made to the guidance. Monitoring Schools were required to review their plan at least annually and sooner if there are changes to key staff or contact details. A central register would be held of the arrangements in each school, the date of critical incident training drills and the date the action plan were reviewed. Advice and guidance would be provided by officers in the Schools, Lifelong Learning and Culture Service and from the Health and Safety Team in People and Organisation Service. Following questions from the floor, it was AGREED (i) that the Committee was assured effective arrangements were in place should a critical incident occur in a school; (ii) that a report on the review of the policy be presented in 18mths to include feedback on its operation in schools; and placed on the Forward Work Programme accordingly. Clarification was sought on how the policy should be implemented as it would possibly be distressing for pupils; it was reported that it should be implemented similarly to the school’s procedure with Fire drills, as pupils would be familiar with this.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED (i) note the current position; and (ii) that statistics of live births in other parts of Wales be sought, specifically Cardiff due to the influx of youngsters from Ceredigion, who possibly would have been parents if continuing to live in the City, this would be sent to the Chair to circulate to the Committee.
Councillor Wyn Thomas (Cabinet Member for Schools, Lifelong Learning and Skills) presented the report upon the Pupil Projections Model. It was reported that the Ceredigion pupil projections model was a linked Excel file that uses calculations and formulae to predict pupil numbers within Ceredigion schools over the next 5 years. It has been designed to consider annual PLASC data as well as live data from schools, to ensure that projections were as accurate as they could be at any given time. These projections had been included in recent proposal papers within the Council, and Members were keen to understand more about the methods and data used within the model. Welsh Government require an annual update on each LA’s pupil projections within their schools. This is usually requested in October each year. Currently, the last set of pupil projections was sent to WG in October 2024. The latest available data at that time would have been PLASC 2024 data (school snapshots as at January 2024). Since a new school year had started in September 2024, live data from that time was also used to ensure the model was adjusted to reflect the current situation. The projected numbers requested by WG exclude Nursery pupils, those pupils joining the Reception Year in January and April, and also pupils within official ALN Units. The projections model therefore includes an extra uplift calculation to project total pupil numbers as well. The model had been proven to be very accurate when projecting the following year’s figures. The latest official figures showed that the Ceredigion model predicted that there would be 4421 primary aged pupils in our schools in PLASC 2024, whereas the actual number was 4476, giving an overall model accuracy of 98.8%. The secondary age model was 98.7% accurate. The 4 main presumptions to note within the model were: • For each NC Year, the pupils were presumed to roll forward to next year, e.g. if there were 10 pupils in Y1 this year, it’s expected that 10 pupils would be in Y2 the following year. • Historical retention rates were used to predict how many pupils return to Y12 andY13 in the 6 schools that have a 6th form. • Historical data on destinations of Y6 pupils were used to predict how many Y6pupils from each school move to Ceredigion’s middle/secondary schools for Y7. • Official live birth rates for Ceredigion were used and projected forward to predict future numbers starting in Reception at each school. Live births data are what drives the Reception projections, and this had been decreasing steadily for a number of years (not only in Ceredigion but also in neighbouring LAs). Due to this, pupil number were projected to decrease further in the near future – there were 474 live births in Ceredigion in 2022, which would only be seen within projections from 2027. A table detailing the birth rate since 2011 in the Hywel Dda region was also presented together with a power point presentation by the Corporate Manager, Accountability & Progression on the data collated. Following questions from the floor, it was AGREED (i) note the current position; and (ii) that statistics of live births in other parts of Wales be sought, specifically Cardiff due to the influx of youngsters from Ceredigion, who possibly would have been parents if continuing to live in the City, this would be sent to the Chair to circulate to the Committee.
Councillor Catrin M S Davies,(Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Customer Services) presented an Overview of the Arts, Culture and Welsh Language Department. She reported that the Arts, Culture and Welsh Language Department sits within the Schools and Lifelong Learning Service and includes 5 main areas of work: ➢ Music Service ➢ Theatr Felinfach ➢ CERED – Menter Iaith Ceredigion Welsh Language Initiative ➢ Amgueddfa Ceredigion Museum ➢ Welsh Language in the County Council The Department employs over 50 members of staff The Department’s main aim was to promote and provide a variety of cultural opportunities and activities for all ages across the County along with promoting the use of the Welsh language within the County Council and in communities across Ceredigion. The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act recognises the importance of cultural well-being in improving the lives of people. One of the central goals of the Act is to create A Wales of Vibrant Culture and Thriving Welsh Language. A recent statement in the National Culture Strategy consultation document notes: “The cultural well-being of Wales is indivisible from our society, our environment and our economy and strategic collaboration is vital to enhance the role it plays in improving people’s lives.” Despite a decline in the number of people attending or participating in arts, culture or heritage activities in Ceredigion (66% in 2019-20) the Well-being Survey demonstrates that people value the role that arts and culture plays in their lives. 62% of Ceredigion residents agree or strongly agree that it was important to promote and protect the Welsh language in Ceredigion. The Department implements plans that achieve its main aim whilst also contributing to a number of county and national strategies: • Ceredigion County Council Corporate Strategy • Ceredigion Wellbeing Plan • Ceredigion County Council Economic Strategy • Ceredigion Welsh Language Promotion Strategy • Cymraeg 2050: Miliwn o Siaradwyr– Welsh Government’s Welsh Language Strategy • National Music Plan • Arts Council of Wales Strategy 2024-2034 There were obvious opportunities for the Department to collaborate and work closely with a number of the Council's Services including Schools, to increase cultural opportunities and to highlight and promote the use of the Welsh language. The Department receives core funding from the Council: Music Service £379,833 Theatr Felinfach and Campus £329,377 CERED £86,880 Amgueddfa £217,604 Welsh Language Policy Officer £53,554 The Department also receives external annual grant funding including: ➢ Music Service – National Music Plan Grant - Welsh Government £86,595 ➢ Theatr Felinfach - Portfolio Revenue Grant - Arts Council of Wales £59,258 ➢ CERED – Promotion of the Welsh Language Grant – Welsh Government £120,626 In addition, applications were made for additional grant funding from other sources to implement specific projects for example: ➢ Arfor Grant– Llwyddo’n Lleol – Trainee Technician - Theatr Felinfach ➢ Cynnal y Cardi Grant – Lego Club Project – CERED ➢ Federation of Museums - Feasibility Reports– Museum The structure of the Department was provided together with the list of activities for 2024-25 was summarised as follows:- · Music Service - 803 pupils receiving Music lessons & 550 pupils taking part in performances · Theatr Felinfach- 544 creative sessions, 44 performances & 15,000 participants and attendees · CERED: 408 activities, 7,966 participants · Amgueddfa Ceredigion:98 activities 4,900 participants · Welsh Language- 95% of Council staff have some Welsh language skills The Department would continue to provide a wide-ranging programme of cultural activities with a number of specific projects including the following:- Culture Strategy The new National Culture Strategy was expected to be published in the coming months. Following its publication the Department would work with other cultural partners across the county to create an Action Plan for Ceredigion which would align with the National Strategy priorities. Dependent on receipt of grant funding the work would include an enhanced study of the contribution made by Culture to the Council’s economy and the well being of its citizens. Dinas Llen The Department would continue to work with others and support plans in relation to the application for UNESCO City of Literature status. Music Service Continue to develop a new “Gwerin” project with Theatr Felinfach and CERED - a project which aims to highlight the folk traditions of Ceredigion in the form of workshops for schools and the wider community. Theatr Felinfach The Theatr had recently completed a Feasibility Study based on the creation of a new Theatre and Creative Centre in Dyffryn Aeron. The intention is to move on to the next stage which is to create definite plans for a new building as a basis for further discussions with the Welsh Government and the Arts Council regarding the possibility of a capital grant for the work. CERED CERED continue to provide a full programme of activities launching new schemes such as the Young Reporters Scheme for Women and new Clubs targeting 20-30 year olds. Museum Significant work to the roof would take place at the Museum over the coming months. It was anticipated that the Collections would be closed to the public during which time a programme of workshop activities was planned which would take the collections out into the community. The Museum would also continue to investigate options in terms of future Governance structures. Strategy for Promoting the Welsh Language They would continue to implement the new Strategy Action Plan facilitating the meetings of Fforwm Dyfodol Dwyieithog - the Bilingual Futures Forum and the 4 new thematic Sub-Committees. Following a power point presentation by the Corporate Manager - Arts Culture & The Welsh Language and questions from the floor, it was agreed to note the current position. It was also agreed to request the Language Committee consider a format to share information on the Ceredigion County Council Social media platforms in relation events etc bilingually rather than posting in two different languages/ two social pages.
It was agreed to note the content of the Forward Work Programme, subject to the following:- · that an update on the Critical Incident Management in Schools policy be presented to the Committee in 18 months · that the School Liaison Officer from Dyfed Powys Police be requested to attend a meeting to provide a presentation on her work
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