Wrthi'n llwytho
Y penderfyniadau fel y mae cofnodion y cyngor yn eu cofnodi. Bydd crynodeb mewn iaith glir yn dilyn pan fydd wedi'i ysgrifennu.
RESOLVED That School Finances be added to the work programme.
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted, subject to the following additions: 1. School Finances 2. Section 175 Annual Report 3. School Place Vacancy Costs
RESOLVED 1. To note the high standards of educational attainment and progress as well as the quiet and orderly learning environment at the school. 2. To note that as school numbers grow the school will face the challenge of a more diverse range of pupils with more learning needs and recommend that the Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee considers in its Forward Work Programme how it can have an overview of future progress. 3. To note that the school had an effective policy of not allowing mobile phones during school hours and this should be considered by other schools. 4. To note that the school had a sensory deprivation room which should be considered by other schools. 5. To invite members of the School Senedd to make a presentation to the Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee. [Rev. John Cecil left the meeting at this juncture at 11:52]
RESOLVED That the Committee notes the information provided and accepts that schools have effective arrangements in place to cover staff absences.
RESOLVED That the findings from Estyn’s school inspection visits since June 2022 be noted.
RESOLVED That the contents of the report and its comments be noted.
RESOLVED That the Committee’s views are inputted into the consultation so that the views of the Authority are represented; and that the Director for Education be authorised to send a response for the Authority by the closure of the consultation on the 12th February 2024.
RESOLVED That the Committee notes the revisions to the Memorandum of Understanding that reflect the changing nature of collaboration between Schools, the Local Authority and Pembrokeshire College, prior to endorsement by Council and Cabinet.
Councillor David Howlett declared a personal interest in respect of Agenda Item No. 10 – Estyn School Inspection Reports by virtue of the fact that he is a Local Government appointed School Governor of St Aiden’s School. Councillor Bethan Price declared a personal interest in respect of Agenda Item No. 6 – School Scrutiny Panel Visit - Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi by virtue of the fact that she was a Governor of the school. The following declarations of interest were made in respect of Agenda Item No. 13 - The revised Memorandum of Understanding for the delivery of Post-16 Education in Pembrokeshire: Councillor Alistair Cameron declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he is a Governor for Greenhill School. Councillor Vivien Stoddart declared a personal and prejudicial interest by virtue of the fact that her daughter worked at Pembrokeshire College and advised that she had a dispensation to speak on the matter. Councillor Mike Stoddart declared a personal and prejudicial interest by virtue of the fact that his daughter worked at Pembrokeshire College and advised that he had a dispensation to speak on the matter. The following declarations of interest were made in respect of Agenda Item No. 5 Committee Referral – Ysgol Harri Tudur Financial Review: Mrs Alison Kavanagh declared a personal and prejudicial interest by virtue of the fact that she was a Governor of the school and that she would excuse herself for the item. Councillor Maureen Bowen declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that her partner worked at the school. The following declarations of interest were made in respect of Agenda Item No. 12 Proposed Holiday Term Changes by Welsh Government: Councillor Bethan Price declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that she owned a tourism business and Holiday Term Changes could affect her business. Councillor Alistair Cameron declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he owned a holiday home and Holiday Term Changes could affect his business.
Councillor Howlett Moved that the Minutes of the Meeting held on the 23rd November 2023 be approved as a correct record; Seconded by Councillor Marc Tierney. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Minutes of the Meetings held on 23 November 2023 be approved as a correct record. In response to Councillor Michael Stoddart, the Director of Education agreed to provide a list of the costs for vacant school places. This list was not ready for this meeting.
There was no public correspondence.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That School Finances be added to the work programme.
The Committee considered a report by the Head of Democratic Services on the current position on the referral from Governance and Audit Committee on Ysgol Harri Tudur Financial Review. The Chair welcomed the Director of Education to the meeting, who outlined the key points of the report and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: The Director of Education stated that nine schools in Pembrokeshire were in financial deficit and Ysgol Harri Tudur would not get out of deficit within the financial year but they would following a three year financial plan. He concluded that the School Scrutiny Panel would visit the school in March 2023. Councillor Howlett suggested that before the school visit, members of the Panel should get a briefing note on the financial situation. Councillor Stoddart noted that the Committee previously received a report stating that Harri Tudur was running A Level classes where the average class size was eight pupils and this was not financially viable. Each A Level pupil costed £1000 and the school was running 50 different A Levels. He queried what the deficit level was. The Director of Education stated that the school was in excess of £500,000 and the breakdown would be provided to the Committee. Councillor Tierney suggested that the Committee looked at all the schools who were in deficit financially so they could be compared. Moved by Councillor Marc Tierney; Seconded by Councillor Alistair Cameron. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That School Finances be added to the work programme.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted, subject to the following additions: 1. School Finances 2. Section 175 Annual Report 3. School Place Vacancy Costs
The Chair confirmed that the report on Exam Results going to March’s meeting would include the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) results. Moved by Councillor David Howlett; Seconded by Councillor Rhys Jordan. RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted, subject to the following additions: 1. School Finances 2. Section 175 Annual Report 3. School Place Vacancy Costs
The Committee considered a report by the School Scrutiny Panel on the visit to Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi. The Chair welcomed Mrs Rachel Thomas, the Head Teacher of Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi to the meeting, who presented a PowerPoint on the school’s mobile phone policy and welcomed questions from Members. Mrs Rachel Thomas highlighted that the mobile phone policy was introduced in September 2023 when it was noted how distracted children were by their mobile phones and social media and the amount of time teachers had to resolve issues caused by them. They initially tried a ‘phones remain in bags’ policy but this was impossible for staff to enforce. Before the new policy was enforced, a consultation period was held with staff members, governors and parents/guardians. In order to enforce the new mobile phone policy, they needed to change the school day so pupils would be in the same place at the start of the day as the end of the day. For example, there was now only one lesson in the afternoon compared to two before; this had helped pupils concentrate in the lesson more. Phones were handed in during the morning wellbeing check and handed back during form time in the afternoon. Mrs Rachel Thomas continued that they needed to ensure they could keep phones safe and they had bought cases to keep these in that were form and name labelled. These cases were kept in a locked room. They will get new cases that were stronger. There were teething issues with pupils leaving for fixtures i.e. pupils needing to leave early and the school location added to this. Therefore, they were looking at moving these lockers to the form rooms. A review was held during October half-term in 2023 with staff and parents. They found that there had been an improvement in safeguarding, pupils were engaging in lessons more and there had been an improvement in attendance and punctuality. The Senior Leadership Team had more time to do inclusion work and they noted an overall behavioural improvement in pupils. There had been a decrease in children getting excluded too as mobile phones was the biggest cause of exclusions. However, they still had to deal with mobile phone issues that happened outside of school within school. A survey was carried out with 240 parents responding who had children in the secondary school, this was over 50% of parents who had children in the secondary school. 37 of the 38 members of staff who taught at the secondary school campus praised the new policy. The policy itself was targeted at pupil in Years 9-11. Some parents who took the survey did not like the new policy because they said their child needed to keep their phone on them for anxiety or phobia related reasons. Parents could still use the school number to contact their children and vice-versa. However most parents were happy with the policy. Pupils were also using school equipment better than before e.g. scientific calculators and encyclopaedias. Mrs Rachel Thomas concluded that children from the middle school campus who were transitioning to the secondary school campus would have their phones taken off them when on site to help them transition. The Committee praised the mobile phone policy. In response to Councillor Jordan’s question on the cost of implementing the policy, Mrs Rachel Thomas stated that some students did just leave their phones at home because of the policy. The cost of the policy was minimal but it took a long time to implement due to the consultations and rollout. The new phone cases would cost more. She concluded that Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi was the first school in Pembrokeshire doing this scheme and there were a few others in Wales doing it. Councillor Tierney queried the amount of time it took to rollout the policy and how the impact of the policy was assessed. Mrs Rachel Thomas stated that first they needed to get permission from the Council to change the school day and this was sought at the beginning of the Summer Term in 2023. The consultation before the policy was implemented was carried out in mid-June 2023. Parents were notified of the new policy before the new term started in September. The impact was assessed in relative terms and from staff members. Anecdotally more children were spending lunchtimes at clubs because they did not have their phone. Children were given nearly an hour for lunch to do these activities and to make it more accessible because 60% of the pupils arrived via bus. Councillor Cameron noted that mobile phones took a lot of time away from lessons and that a lot of time was wasted dealing with mobile phone issues when he was a teacher. Mrs Rachel Thomas noted that it was difficult to get children out of school to attend some meetings because of the impact this would have with education. However the school Senedd did meet with St David’s City Council to express their concerns and visited the Senedd in Cardiff Mr Dafydd Hughes (Head Teacher of Ysgol Caer Elen) concurred with this and the Senedd at his school had previously met with the Welsh Minister for Education & Welsh Language. Councillor Cameron concluded that he would like school Senedd’s to visit the Council to encourage local democracy. Councillor Price added that the pupils at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi had lessons on local democracy and were engaged with the community. On St David’s Day they would go to Cardiff via Carmarthen reading messages of being prosperous with neighbours. In response to Councillor Bowen’s question on uniform checks helping the mobile policy enforcement, Mrs Rachel Thomas confirmed that school uniforms helped inclusivity amongst pupils and they would feel comfortable in it. There was a uniform recycling scheme and other measures in place to help families buy school uniforms if they could not afford it. Councillor V Stoddart queried if the Committee could committee do anything to encourage other schools in Pembrokeshire to implement similar policies for mobile phones. The Director of Education suggested that the Committee make a recommendation to the Executive to support schools who want to follow a similar policy. He noted that PISA reported that schools who allowed mobile phones in schools lead to poorer exam results. Councillor V Stoddart Proposed the following addition to the report’s recommendations: “The Committee recommends that Pembrokeshire’s schools take note of the success of the mobile phone policy at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi and research the means to make it a county wide policy.” This was Seconded by Councillor Huw Murphy. The Chair noted that during the school visit Mrs Rachel Thomas said that teachers often lived far away from the school because house prices were expensive in St David’s and he queried if this had improved. Mrs Rachel Thomas said that staff members normally wated to stay at the school once recruited but difficulty with hiring teachers was a national issue. Social housing was needed in the area as house prices were expensive. The school would be eligible for S106 money when 50% of the nearby housing development was occupied. A lot children came to the school out of the catchment area so the school needed to put transport on so their pupils could come to the school too. Councillor Jordan noted that the Panel was concurred with the small portions for free school meals and queried if this improved. He noted that smart phones with access to social media was the biggest distraction for pupils. Mrs Rachel Thomas said that the meals costed roughly £2.72 each and there was not enough funding to provide the amount of food needed. Children eligible for free school meals were fed at break and when they came in for breakfast. Free school meals were eligible for children aged up to Year 6 but the older children needed more food. If a child eligible for free school meals brought their own food in one day or missed a free school meal they were not allowed to carry this over. Issues around free school meals needed to be addressed nationally. Regarding the smart phone distraction, Mrs Rachel Thomas said that some older children did not like the policy and would try and hide their phones from teachers but the policy was needed to manage the situation. Councillor Jordan said that schools that centred on discipline and respect were the best preforming. Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall praised the school’s atmosphere and the work that was done for students with ALN (additional learning needs). One pupil with ALN she spoke to said how included he felt at the school. Pupils she spoke to about the mobile phone policy said they were happy that distractions had been removed. The cathedral was a big asset to the school too. Councillor Anji Tinley noted that she had similar issues with mobile phones with her youth project. Her staff tried reverse psychology by pretending they were too busy on their phones to give the children attention, This in turn lead to the young people using their phones less and engaging more as they saw the phones as a problem. The mobile phones had caused an issue with online bullying before and the young people would hand their phones in willingly so ‘they could be charged’. She concluded that they had little rules that young people could break for push back and the big rules were maintained so young people felt safe. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Vivien Stoddart; Seconded by Councillor Huw Murphy. The vote, undertaken by way of a roll-call, was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For – Huw Murphy, David Howlett, Rhys Jordan, Bethan Price, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, Alistair Cameron, Anji Tinley, Maureen Bowen, Mike Stoddart, Viv Stoddart, Marc Tierney, Rev. John Cecil and Alison Kavanagh [12] There were no votes against or abstentions. 1. That the committee notes the contents of the report and makes any recommendations that the school should consider taking 2. That the staff at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi are thanked for hosting the Panel and accommodating their visit 3. The Committee recommends that Pembrokeshire’s schools take note of the success of the mobile phone policy at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi and research the means to make it a county wide policy.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED 1. To note the high standards of educational attainment and progress as well as the quiet and orderly learning environment at the school. 2. To note that as school numbers grow the school will face the challenge of a more diverse range of pupils with more learning needs and recommend that the Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee considers in its Forward Work Programme how it can have an overview of future progress. 3. To note that the school had an effective policy of not allowing mobile phones during school hours and this should be considered by other schools. 4. To note that the school had a sensory deprivation room which should be considered by other schools. 5. To invite members of the School Senedd to make a presentation to the Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee. [Rev. John Cecil left the meeting at this juncture at 11:52]
The Committee considered a report by the School Scrutiny Panel on the visit to Ysgol Caer Elen. The Chair welcomed the Mr Dafydd Hughes and Mr Tegren Jones (Chair of Governors of Ysgol Caer Elen) to the meeting, who outlined the key points of the report and welcomed questions from Members. Mr Dafydd Hughes noted the support he received from senior education officers in the Council and thanked the Panel for visiting the school. He stated that the school had done very well to increase Welsh speakers in South Pembrokeshire. The school had 389 students when the school opened in 2018 and over 900 by the time of the Panel’s visit. The Chair praised the school and noted that it was impressive that 94% of pupils come from English speaking homes and spoke Welsh fluently. Councillor Howlett queried what challenges there were when pupils joined the school following an education career solely in English. He noted that there was success with this due to the language emersion centre. Mr Dafydd Hughes stated that roughly 100 pupils had transferred from English medium schools to his school up to Year 6. They would have an intense immersion programme over a three day period being taught Welsh. This would be followed by two days in the classroom and this would repeat until they were ready to be in the classes full time. The teacher at the language centre would determine when they were ready. 95% of children who started at the school in nursery would be fluent by the Christmas term in reception. He concluded that the older a child was transferring to the school then the more difficult is was to be immersed. In response to a question from Councillor Cameron regarding staff recruitment, Mr Dafydd Hughes stated that they had managed to maintain their core staff but recruiting Welsh medium teachers was a national issue. Some staff members would travel in each day from Swansea to work at the school. Successful Estyn inspections and teachers being invited to address conferences has attracted skilled teachers but this was not sustainable for them or other Welsh medium schools. Councillor Cameron noted that 13% of students at the school had ALN and this would increase with the more pupils it took in. Mr Dafydd Hughes noted that there was a need for more ALN provision in South Pembrokeshire especially in Welsh medium schools. Financially providing more ALN provision was difficult but discussions were ongoing to improve the school’s capacity with this for the future. Mr Tegryn Jones informed the Committee that he had been a governor of the school since it opened and it had been successful with its first GCSE results and Estyn inspections. He stated that the school had financial challenges but it provided a high quality education in Welsh. The secondary school had been expanding and that Ysgol Caer Elen had a deficit since it opened due to the changing of catchment areas without warning. The Governors were concerned by a lack of choices at GCSE level but this should not be a problem in a few years’ time. He praised the work done by Mr Dafydd Hughes and the staff at the school. The Chair concurred that the school’s success did incur financial challenges. The Director of Education stated that school budgets were distributed primarily on how many students were at the school (70%). Transitional funding was a new pot of money the Council had to provide to schools that pupils were moving to. Mr Tegryn Jones said that he would like the funding model to change in time for new Welsh medium schools and that lessons were learnt from Ysgol Caer Elen. Councillor Tierney queried if the cost of living crises had caused more families to book holidays during term time. Mobile phone policy? Mr Dafydd Hughes stated that attendance had not recovered since Covid-19, where attendance was 96.4%, but it was at 92/93%. Being an all age school meant that parental views were different across the school e.g. parents with children in nursey/reception taking their children on holiday in term time as they were not doing exams. However, this caused issues if the parents also had a child in a higher year and they took their child on holiday in term time too. Losing learning time was an issue. The mobile phone policy was respected by the pupils but he was interested in making it more robust like at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi. He concluded that some students dropped their mobile phones off at the office at the beginning of the days. Councillor Jordan noted that before the cost of living crises, parents would take their children on holiday during term time. He concluded that since Covid-19, attitudes to education had changed and it was difficult to change back. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Alistair Cameron; Seconded by Councillor Anji Tinley. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED 1. To note the high standards of educational attainment and progress as well as the quiet and orderly learning environment at the school. 2. To note that as school numbers grow the school will face the challenge of a more diverse range of pupils with more learning needs and recommend that the Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee considers in its Forward Work Programme how it can have an overview of future progress. 3. To note that the school had an effective policy of not allowing mobile phones during school hours and this should be considered by other schools. 4. To note that the school had a sensory deprivation room which should be considered by other schools. 5. To invite members of the School Senedd to make a presentation to the Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee. [Rev. John Cecil left the meeting at this juncture at 11:52]
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Committee notes the information provided and accepts that schools have effective arrangements in place to cover staff absences.
[The Meeting reconvened at 12:09] The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education on School Staff Sickness Absence and Supply Teacher Arrangements. The Chair welcomed the Senior HR/OD Business Partner to the meeting, who outlined the key points of the report and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: Councillor Jordan queried the amount of cover supervisors there were in school and the amount of hours they did. The Director of Education agreed to get this data but they would not be able to get information on why this cover was needed. He confirmed that cover supervisors were not qualified teachers and were normally teaching assistants at level three or four. Councillor Cameron noted that staff absences impacted students who were motivated to learn. He queried what the Council could do about staff absences. The Director of Education noted that some staff absences caused issues, especially as there was a shortage of cover teachers for maths, English, Welsh and some sciences at GCSE and A Level grades. Schools were expected to provide lesson plans for covered lessons. The Senior HR/OD Business Partner – Education Services – stated that the service level agreement that the Council had with schools meant that the Council needed to provide Occupational Health services. These services supported and provided guidance for Head Teachers. Head Teachers were sent trigger reports so they knew when their staff were about to trigger the short-term or long-term absence procedure. Some Head Teacher’s would carry out their own work with this but others required more support. Councillor Bowen queried how long a cover supervisor could cover a class for and she noted that schools could now ‘book’ teachers. The Director of Education clarified that cover supervisors covered short term absences only. The Senior HR/OD Business Partner – Education Services added that cover supervisors should only cover four days of teaching at maximum, any longer then the school should seek a fully qualified teacher. It was added that Teacher Booker was a new Welsh Government system so schools could book teachers to cover lessons more effectively. However, there were quite a few logistical issues with the system and it was not ready to be used yet. Councillor Howlett queried if supply teachers were paid enough, otherwise they would not want to teach. The Director of Education said that the supply teacher agency for Wales was New Horizons. Teacher Booker should create pay consistency with supply teachers but it was unknown how many teachers would sign up to it. The Council decided against having a local pool for supply teachers as it was not cost effective. Councillor Howlett said more teachers would sign up for Teacher Booker than New Horizons if they paid more. He noted that the report stated that the cost of hiring supply teachers had increased by 30% but staff sickness had decreased by 40% at secondary schools. The Director of education clarified that supply teachers were not only needed if a teacher was ill and they were needed if the normal teacher away on courses. Costs of all agency services were increasing. The Senior HR/OD Business Partner – Education Services added that for any schools that needed supply teachers for illness reasons, and who were part of the Council’s mutual scheme would receive some reimbursement to offset the costs. In response to Councillor Howlett, the Senior HR/OD Business Partner – Education Services agreed that the data should be unpicked more. For example they could see if supply costs in 2021/22 were covered by Covid-19 grants. Councillor Jordan noted that the highest cause for staff absence was mental health related and queried how Pembrokeshire stood nationally and whether too much was being asked of school staff. The Senior HR/OD Business Partner – Education Services stated that mental health absences had been consistent for two years and personal related stress was the main cause of mental health absences. Nationally there had been a slight increase in absences caused by mental health issues, especially teachers, which could have been caused by pandemic pressures. She continued that employers needed to legally provide a safe working environment both physically and mentally. The Council’s Occupational Health Team provide help to schools on this. Health and wellbeing plans were done with schools and there was a working group with several schools. Mental health champions had been trained in schools for peer support and there were websites that signposted information too. Counselling was available for teachers as well as Maximus which was a mental health resources teachers could use. The Director of Education acknowledged that a lot was expected of teaching staff but schools did well to support them. The National Academy of Education was doing work around the wellbeing of school staff but staff wellbeing will need to continually monitored. Councillor Jordan said that teachers needed to be able to stay at schools teaching so their mental health needed to be prioritised. Councillor M Stoddart requested that supply cover costs came back to a future meeting of the Committee because of the increased costs the Council was paying for supply teachers despite the drop in teachers being off ill. Councillor Skyrme-Blackhall queried whether enough was being done for teachers who were off ill and that it should be monitored which interventions worked. She noted that it would be good to look at this on the Council’s scale too as social care workers had similar pressures to teachers. Councillor Bowen queried who monitored the Welsh framework for supply teacher arrangements to ensure that they were up to date with teaching techniques. The Director of Education stated that it was the Council’s responsibility to support newly qualified teachers, including supply, through their induction but it was the agencies responsibility to ensure that their teaching was up to date. The school had the power to dismiss teachers who they felt were not up to the framework’s standards. The Senior HR/OD Business Partner – Education Services added that the National Procurement Service was responsible for auctioning the framework and schools fed into it through the Council. Councillor Tierney queried whether there was a supply teacher shortage. He noted that there was not detail on the money spent to train teachers on the new curriculum. He concluded that they needed to be sure that enough resources would be available for teachers to teach without this affecting their mental health as cuts would most likely need to be made to the school budget for the 2024/25 Financial Year. The Director of Education stated that Teacher Booker was a very new system and rollout was imminent. Some supply teacher going into new schools may struggle to transition into how that school worked and this could cause them to leave. They would need to check with the finance team on how the funding would be split to cover teachers for different things e.g. cover for sickness or cover for a training course. They would not want to pass any additional burdens onto schools. He continued that some staff members were reluctant to say if work was causing them mental health issues in case this had repercussions. The Director of Education concluded that it was most difficult to get cover for Welsh medium schools. Some teachers in Pembrokeshire would commute daily from Cardiff so this would take a physical and mental toll on them. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Alistair Cameron; Seconded by Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee notes the information provided and accepts that schools have effective arrangements in place to cover staff absences.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the findings from Estyn’s school inspection visits since June 2022 be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Head of Education Improvement on Estyn School Inspections. The Chair welcomed the Head of Education Improvement to the meeting, who outlined the key points of the report and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: Councillor Howlett noted that the Head Teacher of Milford Haven Primary School was appointed a week before the Estyn inspection and queried its progress. Councillor Guy Woodham, the relevant Cabinet Member for Education & Welsh Language, praised the work done by the new Head Teacher who had been working hard to resolve the issues highlighted by Estyn. He concluded that he was happy with its progress and will improve. The Director of Education added that Estyn revisited the school a few weeks ago and they were also happy with the improvement progress. Literacy, numeracy, teaching and leadership had improved at the school. Estyn will not move them out of special measures until these improvements have a bigger impact. He concluded that Estyn allowed the school to hire three newly qualified teachers because of their improvements and because the new teachers were having a positive impact too. Councillor Cameron praised the work done by the Council’s education team and added that it would be bad if cuts made to the education budget affected school Estyn inspection results. In response to a question from Councillor Tierney on monitoring states, the Director of Education said that schools would be in ‘Estyn Review’ for a year and they would be reviewed after to see if they improved enough. If they had then they would be in ‘Significant Improvement’ for a year and a term but a lot of work was needed to progress schools from ‘Significant Improvement’. If schools did not improve then they would go into ‘Special Measures’ for roughly two years. He concluded that schools improved most when gentle pressure to improve was constantly applied. Councillor Tierney queried if schools had enough resources available to improve. The Director of Education clarified that Fenton School was in ‘Estyn Review’ then ‘Special Measures’ for a total of 49 months. Milford Haven Primary School would have four monitoring visits from Estyn in 2024. He noted that in 2019, Pembrokeshire was ‘causing significant concerns’ as 50% of the schools were not good because there were no resources available to improve them. It costed the Council £1 million annually to improve the schools so if cuts were done there would not be the resources to improve them. Councillor Jordan queried if Cabinet and officers were happy with the school improvements and what measures were in place to stop the stress of Estyn inspections being too much for teachers. Councillor Woodham noted that Estyn had changed how they inspected schools to try and make it less stressful for teachers. There was a good working relationship between Council officers and school teachers and support was provided where needed. Councillor Woodham noted that since his appointment to the Cabinet role in 2019 he had been working to improve schools to get them out of ‘Special Measures’ or ‘Significant Improvement’. He expressed his concerns on the pressures to schools budget cuts would have on them. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Rhys Jordan; Seconded by Councillor Alistair Cameron. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the findings from Estyn’s school inspection visits since June 2022 be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the contents of the report and its comments be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community on Trauma Informed Schools Outcomes. The Chair welcomed the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community to the meeting, who outlined the key points of the report and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: Councillor Jordan noted that outdoor lessons boosted the mental health of students more and that not every school had a safe route for children to walk there. The Senior Educational Psychologist stated that the highways team was looking into this and if children could walk to schools with friends this this helped their wellbeing too. In response to a question from Councillor Cameron regarding possible cuts to learning assistants, the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community concurred that school cuts meant that teaching assistants would always be made redundant over teachers. He suggested that instead of cutting roles, school governors merge year groups together so their role would not be lost. Schools could also reduce leadership teams or drop subjects instead of losing teaching assistant roles. Councillor Jordan stated that no member would be in favour of cuts to the education budget. He queried if smaller schools could be merged and it was up to director’s how they spent their budget. The Director of Education added that it was up to schools on how they spent their allocated budget. The Chair noted that the report stated that alcohol and substance abuse was higher in Pembrokeshire than the Welsh average. Therefore, the Council needed to do what it could to make children happier in school. Councillor Tierney stated that RSE being part of the new curriculum should support the emotional wellbeing of students. Cuts to youth services had affected the wellbeing of young people inside and outside of schools. He concluded that wellness was needed outside school for young people and was needed within homes and peer groups too. [Councillor Skyrme-Blackhall left the meeting at this juncture at 13:29] The Senior Educational Psychologist noted that the new curriculum emphasised wellbeing and trauma informed schools had gone out to wider agencies. Teachers were being trained understanding and the impact of trauma on young people and this would inform PSHE lessons. The Head of Engagement, Performance & Community added that youth services had undergone trauma training over the last 18 months. Youth work was done more informally than formal education but they were qualified. Councillor V Stoddart noted that young people in Wales and the UK were less happy compared to other nations deemed poorer than the UK. The Head of Engagement, Performance & Community stated that there was more economic divide in the UK compared to other countries and it was not as affluent as perceived. The Senior Educational Psychologist added that young people would be aware of what their peers had and what they did not so this could affect their wellbeing. It was important that wellbeing support was available to all young people. Councillor Tierney highlighted that they needed to monitor how services were delivered to people. The Head of Engagement, Performance & Community stated that the School Health Research Network reviewed their data every two years and it was tracked. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Alistair Cameron; Seconded by Councillor Marc Tierney. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the contents of the report and its comments be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Committee’s views are inputted into the consultation so that the views of the Authority are represented; and that the Director for Education be authorised to send a response for the Authority by the closure of the consultation on the 12th February 2024.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education on the Proposed Holiday Term Changes by Welsh Government. The Chair welcomed the Director of Education, Ms Michele Thomas, Head Teacher of Pembroke Dock Community School and Ms Jane Harris, Head Teacher of Haverfordwest High School to the meeting, who outlined the key points of the report and welcomed questions from Members. The Committee debated the contents of the report and the key points were highlighted as follows: Ms Michele Thomas noted that the autumn term was too long for pupils and staff and at her school attendance was at its worst in September for staff and pupils. The autumn term was normally 76 days long compared to 50 in the spring and summer term. She continued that some pupils struggled in the summer terms as they did not have access to free school meals and there was a dip in learning. Some pupils and families could not afford to go on holiday over the long break so a shorter summer break was preferred by her senior leadership team. She stated that she would like fixed a Easter break and was in favour of a shorter autumn term, as were the year six classes that were consulted. Pupils stated that they would prefer the summer break in May or June instead of August because the weather was nicer. Pupils were happy with the Christmas break. She concluded that holiday requests in term times was driven by costs out of term time, with 127 requests being made for holidays within term time and 991 absences. Mrs Alison Kavanagh concurred with Ms Michele Thomas’ comments and parents had stated that they would prefer the terms to be evenly spread out. [Councillors M and V Stoddart left the meeting at this juncture at 13:48] Councillor Jordan stated that the tourist operators in his ward were against the change as was the Royal Welsh Show and some teacher unions. Councillor Bowen queried how a fixed Easter holiday would incorporate the bank holiday. The Chair concurred with this. Ms Jane Harris stated that secondary schools KPIs were based on GCSE and A-Level results. Most secondary school teachers were in favour of the change but were concerned that there would not be enough time to teach the subjects at a graded level. This was especially has over the previous years, exams had been brought forward. She continued that the trialled two week half term in October after the pandemic was well received and secondary schools were in favour of that but a summer break that was less than five week would be detrimental for them. It would be worse for schools with sixth forms as this would mean there would only be a three week break because of exam results and needed to finalise school timetables. No pupils or staff consulted with were in favour of a four week summer break. The Chair expressed concern whether the changes would turn English teachers off from teaching in Wales and how the changes would affect pupils and staff who crossed the border to go to school. Councillor Tierney praised the work done at Pembroke Dock Community School and queried if the dip in learning after the summer break recovered in September. Ms Michele Thomas noted that some countries had children who went to summer camps so this mitigated the dip in learning. [Mrs Alison Kavanagh left the meeting at this juncture at 14:01] In response to a question from Councillor Tierney on the Council’s response to the consultation, the Director of Education stated that individuals should respond to the consultation themselves. If he was to respond on behalf of the Committee he would say the Council was varied in views, this would be based on the discussion in the meeting. Councillor Tierney stated that everyone seemed in favour of the two week October break so this could be noted. Councillor Bowen concurred with this. Councillor Jordan agreed with the two week break in October and suggested other options be looked at to mitigate this, if the six week holiday was kept, like longer school days. The Chair stated that different sectors like tourism and agriculture benefitted from the six week holiday. He added that he was in favour of teachers acting independently with school term holidays. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Rhys Jordan; Seconded by Councillor Marc Tierney. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee’s views are inputted into the consultation so that the views of the Authority are represented; and that the Director for Education be authorised to send a response for the Authority by the closure of the consultation on the 12th February 2024.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Committee notes the revisions to the Memorandum of Understanding that reflect the changing nature of collaboration between Schools, the Local Authority and Pembrokeshire College, prior to endorsement by Council and Cabinet.
The Committee considered a report by the Education Improvement & Commissioning Advisor on the Revised Memorandum of Understanding for the delivery of Post-16 Education in Pembrokeshire. The Chair welcomed the Education Improvement & Commissioning Advisor to the meeting, who outlined the key points of the report and welcomed questions from Members. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Rhys Jordan; Seconded by Councillor Huw Murphy. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Committee notes the revisions to the Memorandum of Understanding that reflect the changing nature of collaboration between Schools, the Local Authority and Pembrokeshire College, prior to endorsement by Council and Cabinet.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.