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 the report be noted.
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted, subject to the following additions: (a) Cost of Supply Teachers and Sick Pay (b) Milford Haven Secondary School be added to the list for the School Scrutiny Panel to Visit
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
Councillor Huw Murphy declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Governor for Ysgol Bro Ingli. Councillor Maureen Bowen declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that her partner worked at Ysgol Harri Tudur. Councillor Alistair Cameron declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Governor for Greenhill School, Tenby VC School and a non-voting Governor for Stepaside School. Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that she was a Governor for Greenhill School. The following declarations of interest were made in respect of Agenda Item No No. 9 – Cost of Spare / Surplus School Places: Councillor Marc Tierney declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Local Government appointed School Governor of Narberth CP School. Councillor Anji Tinley declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that she was a Governor for Fenton School. Councillor Aled Thomas declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Local Government appointed Governor for Johnston School and Ysgol Caer Elen. Councillor David Howlett declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Local Government appointed Governor for St. Aiden’s School.
Councillor Maureen Bowen Moved that the Minutes of the Meeting held on the 8 February 2024 be approved as a correct record; Seconded by Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 8 February 2024 be approved as a correct record.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Head of Democratic Services on the Follow Up Actions. The Democratic Services and Scrutiny Officer outlined the key points of the report and welcomed questions from Members. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Alistair Cameron; Seconded by Councillor Anji TInley. The votes, undertaken by way of a show of hands, were carried. RESOLVED That the report be noted.
There was no public correspondence.
The Chair invited Ms Sandra Bayes to address the Committee in support of her petition which had reached the threshold for a debate at Committee. The petition called for Pembrokeshire County Council to not close Newport Youth Club because of the service it provided to young people in the area and surrounding areas. In addressing the Committee, Ms Bayes acknowledged that the Youth Club was not set for closure yet but she wished to highlight its importance for the area. Over 200 signatures signed the petition and it was the only indoor space for all teenagers in the area to attend because there was no secondary school. It was well attended and youth workers informed Ms Bayes on how important it was for the young people. Ms Sandra Bayes noted that the space was important for young people in winter when it was cold and summer when they felt pushed out by tourists at outdoor facilities. Planet Youth worked with the Youth Club to increase civil awareness and democratic participation. It was a known county-wide issue that there were not enough places for young people to hang out and Ms Bayes recounted that they could try new things without being judged or assessed like they were at school. With regards to socialising, Ms Bayes said that some young people did not have friends before the Youth Club and it helped home-schooled pupils socialise with other young people. Refreshments were often taken home by the young people for their siblings but some could not afford them. Ms Bayes requested that the Council worked with the Centre to have these refreshments free for all. Regarding demographics, Ms Bayes noted that there was a lot of poverty in Newport and there were many more old people then young. She acknowledged that the Newport Community Forum could do more to meet with young people and assess their needs and provide more with the help of the Council. Ms Bayes noted that the Council staff who worked at the Youth Club were committed to doing their best for the young people there. Volunteering Matters were being worked with to find volunteers and Ms Bayes was trying to get a musician to teach the young people on how to sue simple instruments. A retired teacher had already taught them how to play chess. £250 was raised by Newport Community Shop for the Youth Centre which Ms Bayes stated that the young people really appreciated. When asked, they stated that they would not know what to do if the Youth Club closed. young people feel not enough places to hang out, at club children join in and have made friends there, place important for home school children, is observed and divisive, Newport seen as affluent but does have poverty, has been preference for older people, forum should work more, PCC staff committed for young people at club, new community shop young people appreciate what given The Chair concurred with the comments made by Ms Bayes. The Chief Officer for Youth and Community Education noted that Newport Youth Club was one of four clubs at risk for closure due to budget constraints. He confirmed it would not close this year but a discussion needed to be had on the viability of the Youth Clubs in terms of funding. The service was 80% grant funded and this covered the activities; Some rural youth clubs had already closed cross-county. He concluded that 35 children attend Newport Youth Club and this costed the Council £7000, £6458 was spent on staffing and £544 on hiring Newport Memorial Hall, where the club was held. It was confirmed that Newport Youth Club was original labelled as a cost saving measure. The Committee thanked Ms Bayes for her presentation. Councillor Thomas requested a breakdown of funding. The Chief Officer for Youth and Community Education confirmed that the Youth Club was wholly funded by the Council. £6458 was spent on staffing and £544 was spent on hall rental. In response to a question from the Chair on total costs for youth clubs, the Chief Officer for Youth and Community Education stated that to run the four youth clubs that were proposed as cost saving measures, it costed £27,000 but it was expected to rise to £37,000 with an additional youth worker. Funding youth services was a countywide issue, Councillor Cameron also noted that he had been trying to get additional resources for Kilgetty as it was needed there. He questioned how resources were allocated amongst the youth clubs. The Chief Officer Youth & Community Education stated that all youth clubs were part of an ‘annual order’ which showed how many young people attended youth clubs and how often. Rural youth clubs had about 35 children who attended but Fishguard had 150 children attending sue to its larger catchment area. He continued that funding was primarily done on a population level but 10 years ago they followed a ‘priority town model’ to target resources. Saundersfoot’s Youth Club was managed by trained volunteers and it was co-funded by the Community Council. Other youth clubs e.g. Solva closed because there were no young people. He concluded that some Council buildings were given to youth clubs so they could run without building rental costs e.g. Neyland and Hubberston. In other circumstances, Councillor Rhys Sinnett (Cabinet Member with the responsibility for Resident Services) stated that they would not look to close youth clubs. These clubs may need to be reconsidered for closure in the future, depending on the financial circumstances of the Council. He concluded that the Council had a good working relationship with the Third Sector and they would work with the local community to review available options for youth clubs. Ms Bayes request that local rural communities be worked with imminently. The Chair thanked Ms Bayes for attending the meeting.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted, subject to the following additions: (a) Cost of Supply Teachers and Sick Pay (b) Milford Haven Secondary School be added to the list for the School Scrutiny Panel to Visit
The Chair noted that there would be two School Scrutiny Panel Reports at June’s meeting which will involve the Head Teachers. In a recent conversation he had with Estyn, the Chair said that they expressed their surprise that the schools attended the committee meeting where the report was presented. Councillor Howlett requested that the cost of supply teachers and sick pay be brought to a future meetings. Councillor Cameron requested that Milford Haven Secondary School be added to the list of schools for the School Scrutiny Panel to visit. Moved by Councillor Aled Thomas; Seconded by Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall. The vote, undertaken by way of a hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted, subject to the following additions: (a) Cost of Supply Teachers and Sick Pay (b) Milford Haven Secondary School be added to the list for the School Scrutiny Panel to Visit
It was agreed to change the order of business as follows to enable Councillor Phil Kidney to speak on Manorbier School.
Following the Committee’s request to receive regular progress updates in relation to Manorbier Primary School, the Director of Education advised that the Council had been trying to get work done with the Diocese but this took longer than planned. In terms of the ‘gable-end’ work, the Director of Education confirmed that this finished in January 2024 and officers were able to go on site to carry out the clear up work. A company called Gleeds was appointed to carry out the costing work; this information will be available in May 2024 for the full business case. Some areas of the school were not fire damaged, however, the Director of Education noted that there were some electrical issues. Gleeds will be carrying out this work too and they will also assess for damp. The Director of Education noted that the school’s business case would follow the Council’s Capital Strategy. If the school would cost £300,000 or less to reinstate, the Corporate Asset Management Board and approved by the Section 151 Officer. If reinstatement would cost more than £300,000 then it would go through the three-stage governance framework of the strategic outline case, an outline business case and a final business case. This would be presented to the Sustainable Communities for Learning Strategic Programme Board and Cabinet for a final decision. Councillor Phil Kidney thanked the Director of Education for his work with the school. He continued that the school had an Estyn inspection in December 2023 with the report being published in February 2024. The report was very complimentary and acknowledged the difficulty the school had with not having its own building. The report said that the pupils felt safe and happy in the school which had a good environment. The staff were effective role models and children were being taught Welsh, French and Czech as second languages. The report also stated that that the school had a strong ethos of care and compassion. Councillor Kidney continued that the children transitioned well into Greenhill School when they left and the report stated that the governing body provided a suitable level of challenge. A nearby housing development should provide accommodation for children to live in who will then attend the school. He concluded that the Village Hall were happy to accommodate the school but there was a desire for the school to have its own building. In response to a question from Councillor Kidney on insurance claims, the Director of Education clarified that the insurance claim would be in excess of £200,000 and the insurance company was being worked with to ensure that they recovered as many costs as they could. The Chair praised the work of the Director of Education. He noted that the children at the school spoke Welsh very well. In response to a question from Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall on the morale at the school, Councillor Kidney, praised how hard the Head Teacher worked but the school wanted things to progress quicker. However, they were aware that this was practically impossible. Following a question from the Chair on when the school could move back into the building, the Director of Education clarified that they would have this information after Gleeds’ assessment. The building would need to be deemed safe first. It was confirmed that updates to the Governing Body were provided every half-term. An update on the insurance claim was requested by Councillor Thomas as the relevant Cabinet Member confirmed that this was being sought. The Director of Education agreed to get an update on this from the Legal Team. Councillor Maureen Bowen quarried how many students attended the school and what its capacity would be when it is reinstated. Regarding students enrolled, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance stated that there were nine students in the Key Stage 2 class, the Foundation Phase had 10 students, and there were three Year 6 pupils. There were no children enrolled in the nursery. The school had a capacity of 86 pupils which meant there were 77.9% surplus places at the time of the meeting. In terms of a full rebuild, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance confirmed that they would not plan to change the capacity number but the viability and sustainability would need to be considered as part of the business case. In response to a question from Councillor Cameron on the housing development and the school’s future, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance said that once they knew what the accommodation was for the new development, they would undertake a calculation for the pupil yield. This would become part of the business case. Some pupils already in the catchment area went to schools outside it. Councillor Kidney acknowledged that some pupils left the school due to the uncertainty. Following a question from Councillor Thomas on the business case, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance clarified that Cabinet considered this in March 2023 who agreed that the Council would proceed with a preferred reinstatement of the school but it would go through a business case process in line with the Capital Strategy. Gleeds’ assessment would be presented as part of the business case. Councillor Kidney confirmed that there was a commitment to build but not rebuild.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education and Head of Education Improvement on the Curriculum Update. 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: Councillor Howlett recalled a report he read from the Institute of Fiscal Studies on educational standards in Wales. It was a very critical report as it stated that the new Welsh curriculum, which was ‘general skill based’, as it did not develop new skills. The new curriculum would include more assessment, more subjects and remove the triple science option. Councillor Howlett continued that the report stated that this would create more inequality, increase teacher workload, and limit future educational opportunities. He noted that the Committee expressed concerns with teacher’s mental health in the past and queried if anything could be done to mitigate the impact of the new curriculum. With regards to the report, the Director of Education concurred that its contents were concerning for the education team. Measures were being looked at to reduce teacher workload in Pembrokeshire and there was a dedicated workgroup that did this; however, the extra examinations will increase the teacher workload. They will also look at the challenges Pembrokeshire might face in terms of the implementation of the assessment system. It was known that there were significant gaps in mathematics and science by the time students take their GCSEs. Therefore in addition to work done through the regional consortia, the Director of Education stated that they continued with the programme supporting schools with evidence-based approaches to improve mathematics and science skills for more disadvantaged students. He continued that nothing drastic should be done yet and now most school inspections in Pembrokeshire were positive with reducing literacy and numeracy recommendations. However, there were still recommendations around writing. The Director of Education concluded that it was senior officer’s responsibility to get schools up to the levels they should be. Councillor Howlett noted that it was important to do everything possible to ensure that Pembrokeshire students could compete with others on a worldwide market. With regards to triple science, Councillor Viv Stoddart expressed her concern that only one secondary school deemed science a core subject. In response, the Director of Education clarified that all secondary schools taught science but different school would prioritise it based on what suited the school best. At the time of the meeting, all secondary schools offered triple science as a subject and many of them, if not all, made representation when the decision was made through Qualifications Wales to reduce science in the next iteration of GCSE to a double award. He concluded that officers received reassurance that students taking the double award would not be hindered in a future science career. In response to a question from Cameron of support given to the pupil referral units (PRUs), the Head of Education Improvement said that School Improvement Team worked with the PRUs and they are involved in all the professional learning opportunities. With regards to the Estyn evaluation, it was noted that the secondary school level struggled more with the curriculum reform. He noted that this lead to secondary schools going down a thematic approach which did not work well; they would revert back to subject specific work. Councillor Thomas expressed his concern with the new curriculum for Wales because children would not have the skillset to be prepared for future. He had heard that some schools were teaching off topic and queried if schools in Pembrokeshire were being properly assessed externally. There was no comment in the report on the curriculums impact on the Welsh language. With regards to schools possibly teaching off topic, the Head of Education Improvement clarified that the Education Improvement Team checked in with schools to ensure that subjects were taught appropriately. ‘Off topic’ subjects often covered multiple subjects under an umbrella theme. He concurred that there was no data to assess schools at a pre-GCSE level and a lot of work was being done locally to improved Welsh language provision, especially within PRUs. Councillor Thomas noted that there would likely be staff redundancies within the Council when this curriculum was being implemented; this would mean more work for teachers who were already undertaking a lot of work. The approach undertaken by the Council was evidence-informed with helping the schools take on the new curriculum. The Head of Education Improvement continued that the Council was implementing strategies in schools which reduced the workload for teachers e.g. less marking. A curriculum expert was brought in to work with cluster schools which also reduced teacher workload. Councillor Thomas highlighted that political statements in the new curriculum should not be taught in schools. Political statements made by students in lessons likely came from a source finding lesson i.e. reviewing primary and secondary sources of information. The Director of Education continued that the old curriculum focused more on pupils being told things by teachers instead of doing their own research. They did know if the current curriculum was coherent across Wales because it was context led and driven; they would only know what is taught in Pembrokeshire. He said that cluster schools had been asked to work together to ensure they covered the new curriculum on a regular basis. Regarding disadvantaged learners, Councillor Thomas stated that he had heard of disadvantaged learners doing the same subject multiple times. The Chair noted that the Council was inspected by Estyn in Autumn 2022 and it was removed from ‘causing significant concern’. He queried if teacher unions had commented on the future increase of workloads. Councillor Marc Tierney highlighted that the new curriculum had a focus on promoting wellbeing and encouraging civic engagement. Challenging misinformation and religious intolerance was an important issue. He said that schools worked hard with the freedoms they had but constant test examinations for children at school is not beneficial. The importance of outdoor education and forest schools was emphasised by the Chair. The Director of Education stated that schools had engaged well with the Council on support for the new curriculum. The curriculum expert did counteract some head teacher thoughts but it showed how the new curriculum was being developed with a set of biases. He continued that a lot of work had been done with schools around monitoring their curriculum and opportunities to evaluate with other schools, including those out of county. He concluded that they needed to continue to make sure teachers were supported in terms of the workload and developing things that they could use in their schools, and help them develop this practice so curriculum design becomes an interaction between a teacher and a learner. They needed to do this and improve outcomes in literacy, numeracy and science for learners. Councillor Tierney suggested that parents be involved in the curriculum too, especially after Covid-19. In response to a question from Councillor Bowen on partnerships with teacher unions, the Director of Education confirmed that they had monthly meetings with the unions on issues, especially workloads. They would also go through independent cases that arose at schools too to look at solutions. 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 report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education on the Cost of Spare / Surplus School Places. The Chair welcomed the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance 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 queried the accuracy of the figures because the report stated that St Aiden’s capacity was 122 students but after January 2023, there was a new pre-school group that moved into the school building which was a feeder into the school. The number of pupils at St. Aiden’s School was increasing. He noted that travel time needed to be considered when parents wanted to move their children to a specific language or faith school. An annual capacity review was carried out by schools every autumn and the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance stated that this included a room usage change. This was then acted on accordingly. Generally speaking, they were confident that the capacity figures were accurate. The Chair said that the surplus places notionally costed £2.7 million and it was known that the number of school pupils was reducing in Pembrokeshire. The condition of schools also needed to be monitored. It was unknown how many children moved to state schools following the closure of Castle School. Councillor Michael Stoddart queried what the surplus percentages cost each i.e. how much did a school with a 20% surplus rate cost the Council compared to higher rates. Based on each student providing a £620 income to the school they attend, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance confirmed that they would be able to assess surplus costs for each school. In response to a question from Councillor Cameron on decision making with this information, the Director of Education said that 2.65% of their allocated Council budget went towards surplus school places. Every local authority must review the impact of surplus school places and a report would be brought to Full Council on this to determine next steps. He continued that good engagement would be needed with all stakeholders and not just officers to discuss the school estate in Pembrokeshire. If a school was closed this would bring in £50-70,000 because students needed to be catered for, especially with transport as each student costed £1436 to take to school. The Chair said that it was inevitable that schools would need to be closed due to declining student numbers in Pembrokeshire. On a recent school visit, Councillor Cameron noted that teachers expressed their concern that the amount of funding needed to cater for ALN students was not enough. ALN funding came through a formula set by Welsh Government but the Director of Education said that this will change in 2024. Internal formulas around ALN funding needed to be reviewed too. In response to a question from Mr James Parkin on the rising school places, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance noted that the pupil population in Pembrokeshire had been declining since 2000 and around 40 schools had closed since then. The amount of surplus places was the highest it had ever been. Councillor Tierney queried if there was any noticeable difference for surplus school places for 2024 and whether schools with a bigger surplus had a bigger disadvantage. With regards to 2024 figures, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance sated that the early 2024 figures were being assessed but it did show a further decline of 200 pupils since 2023. A lot of school had a significant surplus for five to six years; they were mostly in the Tenby and Preseli area. Councillor Tierney said that they needed the county to be an attractive place for young people to move to. With regards to the pupil reduction numbers since 2023, Councillor Thomas queried if it was known how many of these pupils moved into home education. He questioned if some schools had oversubscribed year groups. While there was not detail on specific classes, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance confirmed that four to five schools were oversubscribed. The Director of Education said that it was important to have the right numbers of schools for different locations and surplus places depending on the location in the area. For example, in Haverfordwest there was a surplus of 12.5% but this was good because of the housing development in Slade Lane. The Chair clarified that officers could only advise on school closures and it was the members who made the decisions. 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 report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education and Head of Education Improvement on the Exam Results for 2022-2023. 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 Cameron noted the improvements needed in maths and science. He queried the impact that child poverty had on exam results. [Councillor Iwan Ward re-joined the meeting at this juncture at 12:37] The Head of Education Improvement confirmed that results in line with deprivation outcomes was lower in Pembrokeshire than the national average. The more deprived areas of Wales did worse academically than the deprived areas of England. To improve performance areas, the Head of Education Improvement said that they needed a strong focus on what happens in classroom, improve teacher’s wellbeing and improve the mind set so pupils could learn if they were taught well enough. The decline in Wales’ exam results was noted by Councillor Howlett. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development stated that every other nation in the UK performed better than the international average as Wales preformed 3% below the national average. He queried if PISA assessed any students in Pembrokeshire to obtain exam result averages. The Head of Education Improvement stated that it was unknown if any schools in Pembrokeshire were involved as this was between PISA and the schools. 2,568 Year 11 pupils across Wales from 89 schools take part in this. Councillor Tierney stated that it was impossible to compare countries exam results due to different curriculums. The Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on daily learning as well as the increasing prevalence of poverty. A deeper more targeted impact would be needed to resolve. From 2011 to 2019, the Education Policy Institute carried out a report that showed the education attainment gaps increased in this period and Pembrokeshire had the sixth biggest gap in Wales. The Head of Education Improvement continued that pupils needed to be kept motivated at school so they would keep learning. Working groups were held with head teachers, language teachers and maths teachers and there were now strategies to support schools with their development, especially with maths. He concluded that maths webinars had been invested in and schools were being supported with this ongoing work. Councillor Bowen queried if students were being taught by specialist subject teachers e.g. maths and science teachers as this would impact results. Teacher illness in school was noted by the Head of Education Improvement. HR had been asked to look at the cost of supply teachers and this was being monitored. Councillor Thomas queried if the PISA assessments would continue with the new curriculum and what the calculation was for free school meals. For those eligible for free school meals, the Director of Education stated that this was done based on who was on universal credit. The Director of Education expected exam results to improve with maximising outcomes for learners. This fitted in with the approved strategy for schools and learners. Improving outcomes in literacy, maths and science was their main aim. There was no assessment data for students aged 3-16 and there was only GCSE data from PISA so it was difficult to monitor student progress. He continued that national tests were done up to Year 9 and this was reported to parents. If there was an issue across a school cluster, then they would need to see if there was an issue learning schemes or teacher quality. He concluded that the WJC provided every school with diagnostic feedback against their outcomes so schools could use this information to see where their gaps were. Councillor Michael Stoddart said that the falling results had been a long running issue that preceeded poverty and the pandemic and the Committee should be demanding improvement. The Chair concurred with this. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Huw Murphy; Seconded by Councillor Anji Tinley. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the report be noted.
It was agreed to change the order of business as follows to accommodate officer availability time.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Personal Support Development Officer, Team Lead Primary Mental Health/School in Reach Project CAMHS and Senior Educational Psychologist on the Counselling Service and the Schools in-Reach Service in Schools. The Chair welcomed the Principal Educational Psychologist and the Personal Support Development Officer 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: Historically, it was difficult for emotional wellbeing to be a recognised need. Councillor Anji Tinley queried how many counsellors the service had. She praised the work done by the team. The Personal Support Development Officer confirmed that there were eight counsellors who worked part time and worked within the BCAP guidelines. The guideline stated that should not do more than 20 hours weekly and they were supported. It was confirmed that 60-70% of referrals for the service came from teachers. Councillor Tinley stated that this implied that most referrals were due to emotional concerns or behavioural challenges. 36% of referrals from teachers for the service were around family issues. The Personal Support Development Officer continued that 33% of referrals were due to concerns with anxiety concerns; anxiety had increased nationally after the pandemic. The third biggest referral was peer relationship concerns. At her counselling service, Councillor Tinley noted that young people wanted to talk over quick fix issues. Therefore, sessions were shorter than an hour. The Personal Support Development Officer stated that the length of session was dictated by client but they were normally 45 minutes. In response to a question from Councillor Cameron, the Personal Support Development Officer clarified that the school counselling service was a voluntary by pupils but young people are referred to CAMHS with an identified mental health issue. For the future, the Personal Support Development Officer said that more support needed to be provided to families to improve relationships. This should also be easier for families to access. The Principal Educational Psychologist added that staff can get anxious if they do not know how to support young people with mental health issues. With the trauma informed school approach, this meant that at least one staff member per school was trained at a diploma level on how to help young people at school with mental health issues. This had a positive impact on schools as it was important for staff to have an understanding if a student was anxious for a specific reason or generally. For home educated students, the Principal Educational Psychologist confirmed that parents could speak to the Council agencies or voluntary ones for help. It was difficult to help home educated students though as they were not often seen and there had been an increase of 100% with students being home educated. Mr James Parkin queried why males were not accessing the services as much as women. He suggested that charities could be worked with to improve this. The Personal Support Development Officer stated that this was an historic issue as males were less likely to open up with talking therapy; work was being done to improve this. Self-referral for boys into the service was lower and referrals by teachers was lower for boys too. Therefore, work would be done with teachers to improve referrals and to try and get boys to want to use the service more. The Principal Educational Psychologist added that there was a stigma around boys/men accessing mental health help. Sport programmes and youth centres were good places for young males to share mental health issues. The funding for this service was provided by Welsh Government but Councillor Sinnett noted that the pressures of the services could increase over time. Young people’s wellbeing would have an impact on their learning outcomes so they needed to ensure that they had a counselling service in place to help students. In response to a question from Councillor Tierney on maintaining the service and the educational outcomes on children being supported, the Personal Support Development Officer stated that they will be given the same amount of funding from Welsh Government to provide the service and a bit extra to increase service provision. Most funding went towards CPD. The Principal Educational Psychologist added that during the pandemic, they quickly moved all counsellor training online and counsellors were allowed to work flexibly so their services could support people who needed it. There was regular peer support and regular clinical supervision. In terms of ‘in school issues’, Councillor Tierney questioned how schools could be pressured to act on concerning peer relationships at school. The Principal Educational Psychologist noted that school staff did express concerns with being able to help ALN students with mental health issues. It was important to apply this knowledge and help ALN students focus on their wellbeing. The highest users of the service have been girls in Year 9 and Councillor Tinley noted that this was an historic fact and there would be multiple reasons why they would self-refer including relationships and mental health issues. She queried if girls should be educated in Year 7 to teach them on how to have healthy relationships, including friendships. Young people who used the service was not asked if they had free school meals. In response to a question from the Chair on a seasonal correlation with the service, the Principal Educational Psychologist acknowledged that there were more staff consultations in January. Depression within the rural community, especially with men, was highlighted by the Chair and they should be able to talk about it. The Principal Educational Psychologist concurred that mental health concerns should be brought up earlier with young people to encourage them, especially men, to talk about it and get counselling if needed. Men should feel able to talk through their problems and feel better after sharing their issues. Councillor Iwan Ward said that he had received counselling in the last 12 months due to his work in the fire service. He concurred that more needed to be done to get males to talk about mental health issues and suggested a boy’s only assembly to show that is ok to talk. Mental health issues should be talked about regardless of age. Young people were more likely to share their mental health concerns with peers instead of parents. The Principal Educational Psychologist added that it was at youth groups where young men were more likely to talk. She thanked him for sharing his story. [Councillor Vivien Stoddart left the meeting at this juncture at 13:44] Councillor Sinnett highlighted that sports club did work on physical as well as mental health issues. Therefore, they could look at engaging with them more. 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 report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education on the Catering Arrangements and the implementation of Universal Free Primary School Meals. 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 said that his husband was the Head Cook at St Marks. Councillor Skyrme-Blackhall thanked all the officers who provided this service. In response to a question from Councillor Tinley on providing the service during a power outage, the County Catering Operations Manager clarified that the two trailers had their own gas and electricity supply so they would provide the catering service for residential homes if there was a power cut. They will also go into schools for different events to help the in school catering company. The County Catering Operations Manager continued that the Phase Two Development focused on making food more accessible for students in poverty. They planned to see if students would prefer street food of ‘grab and go’ options; this plan was for school kitchens. [Councillors Maureen Bowen and Michael Stoddart left the meeting at this juncture at 13:58] In response to a question from Councillor Cameron on healthy food options, the County Catering Operations Manager said that secondary schools did not let students out at lunch so they could not buy unhealthy foods but the students were listened to, to see what choices they wanted. Following a question from Councillor Tierney on local food procurement, the County Catering Operations Manager stated that the procurement process was done from Caerphilly. They got food from a butcher in Narberth, Totally Welsh supplied the milk, Castle Howard for groceries and produce from Fishguard. The majority of suppliers were Pembrokeshire based. With regards to menu choices, they needed to follow Welsh Government guidelines for recipes. New guidelines were due to be released regarding food for secondary schools. Councillor Tierney noted that lunch provision needed to be affordable for families. The County Catering Operations Manager suggested a discounted daily special but she will ask students for their ideas too. With regards to portion sizes, Councillor Tinley noted that students felt they were not getting enough food at lunch. The Chair stated that he was informed by Estyn that this was a national issue. Welsh Government portion sizes for free school meals stated that 11 year olds should get the same amount of food as primary school students. The County Catering Operations Manager said that they had raised this issue with Welsh Government. Councillor Thomas noted that universal free school meals for all primary school students was a challenge, He added that allegedly in South Pembrokeshire, English medium schools were receiving better quality food than Welsh medium schools. The Director of Education confirmed that they were going to meet with the Welsh medium school who was allegedly getting poor quality food compared to other schools. It was confirmed that children aged 10 or 11 could get second helpings of food if they asked for it. In response to a question from the Chair on school debt caused by parents not paying for their children’s food, the County Catering Operations Manager said that the debt levels had reduced due to primary school meals now being free. They were working to get the money already owed from parents. The Chair requested the debt statistics. Following a question from Councillor Ward on food pricing, the County Catering Operations Manager clarified that food prices were displayed differently at schools but they should all advertise how much each food item was before the student reached the till. Price points had been displayed on counters to help with this. Councillor Ward noted that paying for lunch helped basic numeracy skills but some schools allowed students to get food with no money. With regards to staff shortages, the Chair had been told of children not having enough time to eat as there was not enough lunch time staff. The County Catering Operations Manager concurred that some schools had staff shortages and they would try to redistribute staff to help with this. Some places could only give staff 30 minutes to serve all the students. The Chair concluded that the stigma around free school meals needed to be removed. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Huw Murphy; Seconded by Councillor Anji Tinley. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the report be noted.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education on the Pupil Development Grant. 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: Attendance in Pembrokeshire had not improved since the pandemic but the Chair noted that in 2021/22 Pembrokeshire had the lowest exclusion rates in Wales. 33% of the PDG was allocated to ELSA (emotional literacy support assistance) which targeted literacy and numeracy. Councillor Cameron stated that schools needed to make the most use out of the money. He requested that there be a future report showing the outcomes of these payments and for this to include case studies and areas of improvement. Councillor Tierney praised the work done with this and it showed how it helped the students in poverty. The Director of Education suggested that the School Scrutiny Panel ask questions around PDG on school visits. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Huw Murphy; Seconded by Councillor Marc Tierney. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the report be noted.
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.