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 to approve the minutes of the 10th December 2024 and 29th January 2025 as an accurate reflection of the meeting subject to the amending of a number of typographical errors, which would be addressed outside of the meeting. In relation to the minutes of the 10th December 2024, a Member noted that they had not received a response in relation to a question on the Meithrin in Cilfynydd, as well as noting that the Committee had not received the WG feedback and, asked if this could be circulated. The Member, in relation to the report on the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) – Annual Plan Update and the recommendation ‘that the Summary of WESP Outcomes (Appendix 2) page 127 and RAG ratings, are provided at the start of future reports’, sought further clarification. The Chair provided clarification and acknowledged that amendments were to be made to future reports, in line with Members recommendations. The Director of Education and Inclusion Services advised that the feedback from WG would be circulated following the meeting, and the Service Director for 21st Century Schools and Transformation would pick up the point around the Meithrin. In relation to the minutes of the 29th January 2025, a Member noted they had asked a question in relation to Ysgol Afon Taf with regards to the use of the community room and noted that they hadn’t received a response. The Service Director for 21st Century Schools and Transformation noted that the information was being complied and would be circulated as soon as possible.
RESOLVED to: • Scrutinise the Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Welsh Language in respect of matters considered and agreed by Cabinet, and any key decisions taken, during the period 15 October 2024 – 6 March 2025. • Identify any areas arising from those matters determined within this period which Committee wish to further scrutinise, as part of revisions to the committees published work programme, in relation to Education and Inclusion and Welsh Language.
RESOLVED to: • Scrutinise and comment on the information contained within this report.
RESOLVED to: 1. Consider responding upon the proposals detailed below in paragraph 4. 2. Consider as a committee, to provide further comments, observations or recommendations in respect of these proposals prior to Cabinet consideration. 3. Request the Service Director for Democratic Services & Communications to provide Cabinet with the feedback of the Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee.
Apologies of absence were received from County Borough Councillor J Smith and Co-opted Members Mr M Thomas and Mrs J O’Sullivan.
In accordance with the code of conduct, the following declarations were made in relation to: Ø County Borough Councillor J Brencher – Personal Interest – “Ysgol Bro Taf is referenced in item 4, and I am a governor of that school.” Ø County Borough Councillor M Maohoub – Personal Interest – “I am a Governor of Aberdare Community School mentioned in item 3 and item 4.” Ø County Borough Councillor M Ashford – Personal Interest – “I am a governor of Pontyclun Primary School which is mentioned in item 4, appendix 1a.” Ø County Borough Councillor P Binning – Personal Interest – “I am a governor and parent of Ysgol Llanhari, which is mentioned in item 4.” Ø County Borough Councillor C Lisles – Personal Interest – “I am a governor of Ysgol Afon Wen which is mentioned in item 4, Transition.” Ø County Borough Councillor S Hickman – Personal Interest – “I am parent and a governor at Porth Community School, mentioned in item 4.” Ø County Borough Councillor S Evans – Personal Interest – “My employer is named in the minutes of one of the previous meetings and at item 4, my sons school is mentioned on page 42, and I also declare that Meinir Thomas is also known to me, as a previous NQT mentor.” Ø County Borough Councillor C Preedy – Personal Interest – “Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School is mentioned through-out the agenda, and I am a governor there and on item 4, School Transition, I am a governor of Gwauncelyn Primary School.” Ø County Borough Councillor M Powell – Personal Interest – item 3 - “I am a governor at Trallwng Infants School, Coedpenmaen Primary School and a parent at Ysgol Bro Taf.”
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 10th December 2024 and 29th January 2025 as an accurate reflection of the meeting subject to the amending of a number of typographical errors, which would be addressed outside of the meeting. In relation to the minutes of the 10th December 2024, a Member noted that they had not received a response in relation to a question on the Meithrin in Cilfynydd, as well as noting that the Committee had not received the WG feedback and, asked if this could be circulated. The Member, in relation to the report on the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) – Annual Plan Update and the recommendation ‘that the Summary of WESP Outcomes (Appendix 2) page 127 and RAG ratings, are provided at the start of future reports’, sought further clarification. The Chair provided clarification and acknowledged that amendments were to be made to future reports, in line with Members recommendations. The Director of Education and Inclusion Services advised that the feedback from WG would be circulated following the meeting, and the Service Director for 21st Century Schools and Transformation would pick up the point around the Meithrin. In relation to the minutes of the 29th January 2025, a Member noted they had asked a question in relation to Ysgol Afon Taf with regards to the use of the community room and noted that they hadn’t received a response. The Service Director for 21st Century Schools and Transformation noted that the information was being complied and would be circulated as soon as possible.
It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 10th December 2024 and 29th January 2025 as an accurate reflection of the meeting subject to the amending of a number of typographical errors, which would be addressed outside of the meeting. In relation to the minutes of the 10th December 2024, a Member noted that they had not received a response in relation to a question on the Meithrin in Cilfynydd, as well as noting that the Committee had not received the WG feedback and, asked if this could be circulated. The Member, in relation to the report on the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) – Annual Plan Update and the recommendation ‘that the Summary of WESP Outcomes (Appendix 2) page 127 and RAG ratings, are provided at the start of future reports’, sought further clarification. The Chair provided clarification and acknowledged that amendments were to be made to future reports, in line with Members recommendations. The Director of Education and Inclusion Services advised that the feedback from WG would be circulated following the meeting, and the Service Director for 21st Century Schools and Transformation would pick up the point around the Meithrin. In relation to the minutes of the 29th January 2025, a Member noted they had asked a question in relation to Ysgol Afon Taf with regards to the use of the community room and noted that they hadn’t received a response. The Service Director for 21st Century Schools and Transformation noted that the information was being complied and would be circulated as soon as possible.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to: • Scrutinise the Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Welsh Language in respect of matters considered and agreed by Cabinet, and any key decisions taken, during the period 15 October 2024 – 6 March 2025. • Identify any areas arising from those matters determined within this period which Committee wish to further scrutinise, as part of revisions to the committees published work programme, in relation to Education and Inclusion and Welsh Language.
The Chair welcomed the Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Welsh Language and reminded Members that their questions and comments should be focused on the specific elements named in the report, within the time period noted, and that anything outside of those areas should be taken up directly with the Cabinet Member. A Member, in relation to the wrap around breakfast clubs and the decision not to proceed, acknowledged the reasons why, noting that unions felt that the guidelines could not be extended to the childcare element, and asked the Cabinet Member if he was aware if the Welsh Government (WG) were planning to update the guidelines and if this was done, whether the Council would think about bringing back a consultation on this. The Cabinet Member providing context, and acknowledged that he was not aware of revised guidelines from the WG with regards to breakfast clubs. He explained in regard to the decision to rescind the original decision, the decision was taken following conversations with schools, senior leadership teams, the unions and catering service. This was a good example of where the Council does consult, and ultimately it came to the decision this wasn’t the right policy to proceed with and hence why it was rescinded. A Member noted the success of the Eisteddfod and asked the Cabinet Member if he could provide an update on Welsh Education Strategic Plan (WESP) targets and Welsh Language settings. The Cabinet Member providing a context, acknowledged the huge success of the Eisteddfod and provided a comprehensive response in relation to the information collated on the legacies moving forward, and explained that overall the initial evidence from the Eisteddfod seemed positive in relation to schools and the WESP whilst recognising that it was a long term target, but the signs were good thus far. A Member sought clarification in relation to references made to an appointment process in Coedpenmaen PS within consultation documents in relation to the closure of Trallwng Infant School. It was considered that these contained some disparaging remarks, and the Member sought further clarification around why those remarks were published. The Member referring to the Cabinet Meeting on 16/12, questioned the figures which had been incorrectly published as part of the consultation process, and asked if this invalidated the consultation process. The Member questioned how the Headteacher of Trallwng Infant School knew that the school was not going to close, prior to the decision by Cabinet. With regards to the disparaging remarks that the Member had mentioned, the Cabinet Member explained that he was not familiar with the remarks themselves and asked if these could be supplied after the meeting. With regards to the consultation process, this was set out in statute and had to be followed but the Cabinet Member would take advice from the Director of Education and Inclusion Services, following the meeting, and provide a response. With regards to the figures that were referenced in respect of the condition reports of the two schools, the Cabinet Member noted this was a matter of public record, in terms of information provided to Cabinet, which was incorrect and acknowledged that the Cabinet would want to make decisions on evidence, which was correct, hence when the report came back, this was one of the reasons, amongst others, why Cabinet had not proceeded with the closures. With regard to the information that the Member thought was in the public domain, before the meeting, the Cabinet Member acknowledged that he could not explain why that would be the case, and whilst not doubting what the Member was saying, was sceptical in terms of any suggestion any member of staff in Trallwng IS or Coedpenmaen PS were briefed before the meeting and confirmed that would not be the case. In terms of the greater numbers attending from Trallwng IS, the Cabinet advised that he had no real answer for that. The Cabinet Member confirmed that he would seek some further information, post meeting, on the questions raised and if any of the points were relevant, he would respond. The Director of Education and Inclusion Services explained, with regard to the record in the minutes which was included in the consultation outcomes bundle, there was a statutory requirement to be very transparent in points that are raised during the consultation process, explaining that a statement was read out during a consultation meeting and that was recorded, to capture all the consultation feedback. She also confirmed that no information would have been shared with the school by Education Officers, prior to the Cabinet meeting. A Member in respect of the Welsh language promotion strategy, asked if there were any early findings since the implementation of the Welsh language guaranteed interview scheme. The Cabinet Member provided context around the implementation of the Welsh language guaranteed interview scheme, noting this was a pioneering move by the LA. He advised that Officers were continuing to monitor the implementation of the scheme with initial feedback in the first sixth months, extremely positive, with Officers running a social media campaign, to raise awareness. The scheme had also received praise from the Welsh Language Commissioner A Member noting Cabinet’s recent approval to increase its learning support provision by 4 classes, asked for an update on the Council’s ability to meet its ALN requirements across the County. The Cabinet Member provided a comprehensive response and noted overall that as a Local Authority it was something that was recognised as a pressure area and were seeking to maximise the funding available to put into those services because it was recognised how important they were for many young people across RCT. A Member with regards to the proposal to close Mountain Ash Community School (MACS) sixth form asked if the Cabinet Member could assure Members that in consultation with Officers, discussions were taking place with WG around the curriculum offer at Post 16, to ensure it met the needs of all learners. The Member referring to the Welsh Language Promotion strategy felt there should be coordination with the WESP and asked if there was an intention to add specific targets as part of this Action Plan progress report, to ensure consistency and in terms of the Eisteddfod Legacy, as it was scant on KPIs to measure progress. The Cabinet Member providing a comprehensive response, advised in respect of the curriculum offer at Post 16, whilst the LA was seeking to have that consistency across the County Borough, it was recognised that there was a mixed offer across the County Borough and learners had a choice. With regards to the MACS proposals, and the decision made, it was recognised that approximately 70% percent were already accessing provision in other settings. The Cabinet Member reassured Members that Officers were in regular meetings with WG about providing more of a consistent approach to that. With regards to the WESP and targets, the Cabinet Member provided a comprehensive response and highlighted the Year 1 learner target of 10% growth. In terms of the legacy of the Eisteddfod, this would be felt for many years. The WESP also dealt with Welsh in the community, as well as access to training and upskilling. The Cabinet Member explained this was something he could take back to Officers, in terms of targets and would provide the Member with a further note moving forward. The Director of Education and Inclusion provided further clarification and noted that the specific responsibility for the Welsh Language Promotion Strategy didn’t sit within the Education Directorate. The Member clarified that it was around that alignment, acknowledging the documents sat separately, but where there were Education commonalities, these should be explicitly referenced to the WESP, whilst ensuring clear targets. A Member, in relation to the decisions on Trallwng IS and Tref-Y-Rhyg PS, with regards to the condition reports and any data, figures or accuracy in the consultation documents, asked moving forward for future consultations, how the department responsible was going to ensure that the situation where a whole new consultation needed to take place was not going to happen again. The Cabinet Member reiterated with regards to the condition reports that it was regrettable and disappointing to some extent and hoped evidence provided to Cabinet was robust on which to make those decisions. In terms of reassurance moving forward, the necessary conversations had been had between Cabinet and Senior Officers with regards to conditions surveys to ensure in future decisions, all the updated and correct information was provided to make those decisions. A Member referencing the legacies of the Eisteddfod and discussion in Cabinet, asked if the Cabinet Member could respond to the letter she had sent directly, and whether, referencing the closure report, it might be prudent to bring another report in the future to include costs. The Cabinet Member agreed in terms of the legacies being a long term measure. In terms of costings, this has been covered by Cabinet, but he would ask Officers to provide some further detail on that for the Member. In terms of the report, the Cabinet Member would expect to have further reports in terms of the legacy, including measures and metrics on the impact of the Eisteddfod, and there would be an opportunity for the Committee to scrutinise those. It was RESOLVED to: • Scrutinise the Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Welsh Language in respect of matters considered and agreed by Cabinet, and any key decisions taken, during the period 15 October 2024 – 6 March 2025. • Identify any areas arising from those matters determined within this period which Committee wish to further scrutinise, as part of revisions to the committees published work programme, in relation to Education and Inclusion and Welsh Language.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to: • Scrutinise and comment on the information contained within this report.
The Head of Achievement and Wellbeing for secondary and through schools in RCT advised that the purpose of the report was to provide Members with an overview on the legal expectations of schools on transition between years 6 and years 7, in line with the expectations of the Curriculum for Wales (CfW), before taking Members through the background at section 3, the current position at section 4 and the conclusion at section 11. The Headteacher of Ysgol Llanhari provided Members with a PowerPoint presentation on the Llanhari cluster of schools, followed by Members hearing from the Headteacher and Assistant Headteacher of Mountain Ash Comprehensive School (MACS) who provided a PowerPoint presentation on the Mountain Ash cluster of schools. The Chair thanked the Headteachers and Assistant Headteacher for their presentations, which included their transition activities, and acknowledged it was great to hear pupil voice, before handing over to Members for questions. A Member sought clarification around standardised tests carried out at MACS and whether Officers had access to that data more widely and whether other schools were doing the same, as part of transition. The Member also asked, in relation to ALN, how it was ensured that all teachers had the profile of the child with those specific needs. The Head of Achievement and Wellbeing for secondary and through schools advised with regards to the data, that this was an individual school decision, whether they engaged with the cognitive testing, with more than half engaging. The Officer, in regard to the pupil profile, explained there was a statutory obligation with any children with ALN or any other aspects, which needed to be shared widely with schools. The Head of Achievement RCT – primary sector added that the national assessments were purely for schools, for diagnostic purposes and were not shared with the Local Authority (LA). The Headteacher of MACS then provided comprehensive clarification around making sure staff are aware of the ALN needs of the children. The Member asked whether the data could be anonymised to inform the LA’s planning. The Director of Education and Inclusion Services provided a comprehensive response acknowledging that the difficulty of gathering consistent data across the 111 schools, as schools have their own data sets based on a range of differing assessment tools. Therefore there were difficulties in ensuring consistent approaches to gathering comparable data across all schools and acknowledged this was a national issue. Where concerns existed in relation to specific skills, these were considered and addressed e.g., through Improvement Partners (IPs). She acknowledged that this was something that Education Directors would continue to raise with WG. A Member asked how it was ensured that transition was consistent across the board, particularly for children with ALN. The Member also sought clarification if it was felt that in relation to transition if some schools were better than others, acknowledging that whilst children would enjoy a sports day as part of transition, others would not. The Director of Education and Inclusion Services explained that the key thing for children with ALN was that all would have a statutory plan, with bespoke approaches adopted for children with ALN. It was acknowledged that the approaches adopted would differ from setting to setting. In addition, colleagues in Access and Inclusion Services worked closely with ALNCOs to try and support transition for the most vulnerable groups of learners. The Director of Education and Inclusion Services explained that with regards to transition, she was not sure it was possible to evaluate the provision across all 17 schools, but it was about ensuring that schools were being sensitive to the individual needs of children. The Headteacher of Ysgol Llanhari provided further clarification acknowledging that there was something to suit every pupil. A Member noting the Table at 4.2.5 in respect of the destinations of students asked if any efforts were made to locate the children, who had not responded to the survey and those known not to be in Education, Training or Employment, to see where they were going. The 14-19 Future Pathways Officer, providing a comprehensive response advising that colleagues in YEPS would follow up with all of the young people with individual door knocking that takes place, with a lot of background work done to support them. A Member stated how impressed they were with transition now, and hoped this work would continue, as it was serving pupils very well. The Chair echoed the Members’ comments. A Member noted that what had been seen this evening, was sector leading examples, and acknowledging a Member’s comment around consistency and ensuring best practice was shared asked, how often were the Headteacher of Ysgol Llanhari and the Headteacher and Assistant Headteacher of MACS, invited across clusters to share their work, acknowledging their concern that they didn’t have that reassurance, in terms of consistency, from a recent governor link visit. The Member, also referring to the recent link visit in terms of Curriculum for Wales (CfW) standards and moderation, acknowledged they were happy to see it happening before year 6, but sought clarification around quality. The Member noted at 4.2.6 that the same number of examination subjects were on offer in Year 13, as at 4.19, in terms of GCSEs and, sought clarification. The Member noted at 4.2.4 that there was £6k funding from WG to support transition activities for learners in year 11 and asked if primary transition was expected to be funded out of individual school budgets and felt there was a need to fight for that funding at primary transition. The Head of Achievement and Wellbeing for secondary and through schools in RCT explained with regards to sharing best practice, that in terms of consistency it was the school IP’s role, from a regional perspective, and provided further clarification around that consistency across schools. The Officer provided a comprehensive response in terms of the quality around CfW, but acknowledged there was a gap in the system currently. The Officer confirmed that the figures in 4.2.6 and 4.19 were pure coincidence and provided further clarification to Members. The Officer confirmed that in terms of year 6 into year 7, it was the school’s responsibility at this point in time, to fund this, but acknowledged the Member made a fair point, and felt it was something that could be fed back to WG. The 14-19 Future Pathways Officer then provided further clarification around the £6k funding from WG, acknowledging that since the move over to Medr (Commission for Tertiary Education and Research), there has been a change of focus, on how that money could be spent and was only provided to schools with a sixth form, and provided further details. The Head of Achievement RCT – primary sector, picking up on the point around curriculum alignment, provided further clarification. The Chair referring to 4.2.2 the Medr funding, asked if next year’s report on Post 16 provision could incorporate a Members’ briefing, as part of the report, on the Medr funding and how it is allocated. The Head of Achievement and Wellbeing for secondary and through schools in RCT acknowledged that this was noted, and this would be delved into more, in the future. The Chair concluded by referring to the appendices and the transition examples and stated she looked forward to when the report comes back in future to be able to see examples that have shown the development and growth. It was RESOLVED to: • Scrutinise and comment on the information contained within this report.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to: 1. Consider responding upon the proposals detailed below in paragraph 4. 2. Consider as a committee, to provide further comments, observations or recommendations in respect of these proposals prior to Cabinet consideration. 3. Request the Service Director for Democratic Services & Communications to provide Cabinet with the feedback of the Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee.
The Chairperson of the meeting, being of the opinion that the item was to be considered urgently in accordance with the provision of section 100(b)4(B) of the Local Government Act 1972, as a matter of urgency by reason of special circumstance i.e. to the need to pre-scrutinise the proposed School Improvement Services report ahead of its consideration at Cabinet on the 19th March 2025. The Director of Education and Inclusion Services advised that the purpose of the report was to provide scrutiny with the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes to be presented to Cabinet on the 19th March with regard to the reconfiguration of School Improvement Services within Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) following the previous report which was presented to Cabinet in November 2024. The Director took Members through the background at section 4, the proposals for Local School Improvement Services at section 5, the proposals for a Regional Professional Learning and Curriculum Support Service at section 6, the New Regional Service – Governance Proposal at section 8, the Financial Implications at section 13 before taking Members through the conclusion at section 17. Following comprehensive responses received by the Director of Education and Inclusion and Officers, to Members questions, in summary, the following points were discussed in relation to the Proposed School Improvement Services in Rhondda Cynon Taf:- · A Member noted that the report mentioned there had been concern for some time about the delivery of the services and sought clarification of when that feeling of concern started, as they felt the report cited little evidence for the changes for those reasons and queried why such concerns had not been identified as a risk more explicitly previously. The Director of Education reported that this reference in the report related to the outcomes of the Middle Tier Review which involved schools and local authorities across Wales. · A Member was supportive of the proposal going forward on the basis that it was reported that the majority of Headteachers supported the change. · A Member noted that the report stated there would be a saving of just under £500k and sought clarification around what would happen to those monies and whether that saving would affect future grant funding streams. To note, the Director of HR confirmed that the saving would be more in the region of £100k once funding changes were taken into account. Members were keen to see any further savings achieved reinvested in education improvement, noting the wider Medium Term Financial Plan of the local authority. · A Member raised concern that it felt like the Local Authority was making a decision because of the funding constraint and was concerned about any further changes to the service. Members noted the potential impact of job losses and that this approach was returning to a model of school improvement which was previously identified as failing professional and academic improvement. A Member sought clarification in respect of RCT as the Lead LA, and what this meant in practice. A Member noted that RCT was the Lead Authority and asked if any money would be made from the support services it would provide. · A Member sought clarification, that this meant in essence with a local arrangement, that those staff would come in-house to the relevant LA. · A Member sought clarification around the £845k, and whether this included specialist intervention e.g. when a school goes into Estyn monitoring and any additional support and if so, how had that been estimated. · Committee Members were keen to see this Scrutiny Committee included as part of any future governance model, in terms of monitoring performance and outputs. A Member acknowledged that as part of the Committee’s Work Programme, the work of the CSC was usually scrutinised on an annual basis, and sought reassurance that Committee would continue to scrutinise the implementation and delivery, whether through business as usual reports or whether a specific agenda item was needed on the school improvement element, to ensure that the Committee did not lose sight of the work. · A Member felt positive about the proposal but raised concern about the school-to-school improvement system and the potential workload for schools, including the addition of further meetings. The Chair of the Committee re-emphasised the keenness of the Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee to be able to challenge and scrutinise the implementation of the model determined, very much as a ‘critical friend’ but also to ensure the aspirations for adopting this model are achieved. It was RESOLVED to: 1. Consider responding upon the proposals detailed below in paragraph 4. 2. Consider as a committee, to provide further comments, observations or recommendations in respect of these proposals prior to Cabinet consideration. 3. Request the Service Director for Democratic Services & Communications to provide Cabinet with the feedback of the Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee.
The Chair thanked Members and Officers for their attendance and input and reminded Members that the next meeting of the Committee was on Wednesday 9th April 2025. The Chair concluded by putting her thanks on record, on behalf of herself and the Committee, to the Service Director, Legal Services who was retiring.
None.
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.