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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
Resolved: subject to the above comments and observations – (i) to acknowledge the progress made to date in delivering the action plans and improve standards across the school; and (ii) requested that a further progress report on the delivery of the Post Inspection Action Plan and the joint local authority and GwE school support action plan be submitted to the Committee at the end of the current academic year, in July 2024.
Resolved: subject to the above observations – (i) to acknowledge the work undertaken to date in implementing the Welsh Government’s statutory framework on ‘embedding a whole-school approach’ to emotional and mental well-being across the county’s schools; and (ii) to support the efforts of all partners involved in developing appropriate levels of support across all of the county’s schools.
Resolved: (i) whilst acknowledging the unforeseen obstacles experienced as a consequence of the pandemic, to support the planning and implementation work undertaken to date in Denbighshire with respect of securing the delivery of Welsh medium curricula and non-curricula provision across the county’s schools in accordance with the Welsh Government’s vision; and (ii) request that a further progress report on the delivery of the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) be presented to the Committee in 12 months’ time.
Resolved: - subject to the above observations to – (i) confirm it had read and understood the report, and acknowledged the progress made to date in delivering Denbighshire’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2021 to 2026; and (ii) continue monitoring the delivery of the Strategy’s Action Plan on an annual basis, unless significant risks or concerns regarding the Authority’s ability to deliver it came to light which required Scrutiny’s attention.
Resolved: subject to the inclusion of the progress reports agreed during the course of the discussions at the current meeting, to confirm the Committee’s Forward Work Programme as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.
Apologies for absence were received from the Chair, Councillor Hugh Irving, and Councillors Alan Hughes and Diane King. In the Chair’s absence the Vice-Chair chaired the proceedings. Members were informed that Councillor Chris Evans had resigned his seat on the Committee and that the Independent Group had appointed Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts to take up the vacant position.
The following members declared a personal interest in business items 5, 6 and 7: Councillor Ellie Chard – Local Education Authority Governor at Ysgol Tir Morfa Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts – Local Education Authority Governor at Ysgol Pen Barras Councillor Martyn Hogg- Parent Governor as St. Asaph VP School Councillor Carol Holliday – Governor at Ysgol Penmorfa Neil Roberts – Governor at Ysgol y Parc Gareth Sandilands – Local Education Authority Governor at Ysgol Clawdd Offa Councillor Andrea Tomlin as a grandparent of a pupil at Christ the Word School Councillor Andrea Tomlin also declared a personal interest in business item number 8 as the owner of a business who had dealings with the private rented sector in Denbighshire.
No items of an urgent nature had been raised with the Chair or the Scrutiny Coordinator prior to the commencement of the meeting.
The minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 20 July 2023 were submitted. It was: Resolved: that the minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 20 July 2023 be approved as a true, accurate and correct record of the proceedings. No matters were raised in relation to the contents of the minutes.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: subject to the above comments and observations – (i) to acknowledge the progress made to date in delivering the action plans and improve standards across the school; and (ii) requested that a further progress report on the delivery of the Post Inspection Action Plan and the joint local authority and GwE school support action plan be submitted to the Committee at the end of the current academic year, in July 2024.
The Chair reminded members of the reason for presenting the report stating the report outlined the progress achieved to date by Christ the Word Catholic School since the last report presented in January 2023 in relation to improving standards. The Lead Member for Education Councillor Gill German introduced the update report (previously circulated) to Members. The information was in addition to the previous information presented to the Committee. She informed members numerous multi- agency meetings had taken place at which she had been present. Members also heard two monitoring visits from Estyn had taken place. The Head of Education expanded on the Lead Member’s introduction stressing to the Committee that realising improvements at Christ the Word Catholic School was a priority for the school and the Education Service as a whole. He offered his thanks to all parties for their part in supporting the school. Work undertaken by officers, teaching staff and external partners was all aimed at addressing the recommendations set by Estyn. There had been extensive work completed at the school since the initial inspection and first update report presented to the Committee in January 2023. A high degree of scrutiny of the work had taken place, Estyn as the regulators regularly scrutinised the developments along with the multi-agency school approach with the Governing Body, the Diocese and GwE reviewing the progress made against the 5 recommendations. Further work was required against the 5 original recommendations. To date the improvements were in line with officers expectations. The Chair thanked all organisations in attendance for their support to secure improvements at the school along with their commitment to progressing the improvements further and sustaining them for the future. Following the introduction Members were invited to raise any concerns or questions and the following points were discussed in more detail: · Work to ensure support available was the right support at the right time. All stakeholders that supported the school were in agreement that the support accessed and provided needed to be timely, focused on the right areas and conducted in the right priority order. Discussions and support would be ongoing with the school as with all schools in Denbighshire. · As in any school the biggest and most important resource was the staff. Having all staff working together was essential for success as was securing their support for any changes and improvements. · The working party of staff started as a behaviour committee. School staff across the board and from all levels were included in the group. It was to discuss and review the behaviour of pupils in the school and what measurers required to be implemented to support improvement. The group naturally progressed from not only behavioural aspects but to lessons and how the tone could be set correctly in each lesson. Expectations were established for both staff and pupils for each lesson. The expectation for staff had been to follow a pattern to establish consistency through the whole school. Members were provided with some of the expectations of staff, such as treating all pupils with respect, meeting students at the door and providing clear instructions on all learning activities. Those expectations set the tone for each lesson and informed teaching staff of the procedure for each lesson and the expected outcome. To monitor those expectations, monitoring processes were established within the school. GwE attended the school and looked at this area when they conducted observations of lessons. Feedback was provided on how the interventions had been implemented. Every monitoring cycle the school had scheduled would look at the expectations and considered whether they were working effectively. · Members congratulated all involved with the hard work that had taken place at the school since the issues arose and from the initial report presented to the Committee. Concerns were raised that once the recommendations had been reached and completed the school would see a decline in the monitoring of the improvements and would fall back to previous ways of schooling. However, it was stressed that the school had to be open to receive any support or guidance from Denbighshire or external partners at any time, similar to all other schools. · A summary against each recommendation had been included for Members reference. It was made clear that attendance rates and behaviour had to be separated. Attendance had seen a considerable improvement at the school. Attendance was not an issue Christ the Word School had in isolation, it was a national issue following the pandemic. It was felt the school was suitably aspirational with regards to attendance. The school had accepted all the support from officers with regards to improving attendance at the school. · It was confirmed behaviour had not been included as part of the initial recommendations, it had been recognised by the school that behaviour had to be supported and understood in order to encourage pupils to learn. The behaviour issues identified were not unique to Christ the Word school, they were wide spread across Wales. When Estyn visited and communicated with staff, the majority of issues around behaviour were around pupils being off task or not focussing on the task in hand. To improve behaviour, along with the support group a dialogue with Denbighshire County Council officers to support staff to identify behaviours and offer suggestions on how to improve class behaviour. A day on trauma informed schools had taken place for all staff members to attend and to educate staff on understanding trauma and how to manage those situations if and when they arose. · The school through GwE were working with Bangor University on a piece of work entitled positive, readiness for learning behaviour project. Two behaviour analysts were currently working at the school on an analysis of behaviours and why children behave in certain ways, with a view to devising proactive measures to address behaviour challenges and getting the pupils to reengage with learning. · Members heard if a child had been permanently excluded from 2 schools, a third school would not have to accept that child. After one permanent exclusion any school would have to accept that child if the school had space. · It was stressed the staff at the school were 100% committed to making the improvements needed at the school and supporting the pupils during their education at the school. Staff morale was key; the importance of ensuring staff were happy was vital in then supporting pupils. Support provided by the Authority, GwE, Diocese and others for staff with any concerns had been greatly appreciated. · The biggest cost to Denbighshire County Council had been officer time. Officer time spent to support the school and staff had been essential in order to secure progress and improvement. No funding had been sought from other schools’ budgets. Budgets were delegated to schools for the Governing bodies to use to run and support their school. Additional support had been provided to the Governing Body in the way of external training which incurred a small charge. Officers stressed that no funding had been transferred from other schools to support Christ the Word school. The Lead Member highlighted the staffing and practical support received from surrounding schools in Rhyl. She offered her thanks to the other schools for the added support provided. · Governance in schools had changed over recent years. Schools were accountable to their governing bodies and were regulated by Estyn. Denbighshire County Council had followed the statutory process in appointing governors at the school and had appointed additional members with specialist skills to support the Governing Body. Officers of the Authority and GwE had attended numerous governing body meetings to support if required. Training events for governors were regularly offered. It was hoped that by the end of the term the governing body would be at its full capacity. · The new Chair of the Governing Body commended the support that he had received from the local education authority. He emphasised that the Governing Body was now nearing full complement, with members bringing an extensive range of competencies and experiences with them to the Governing Body that would be invaluable to it in its role of governing and supporting the school to move forward. · The next expected visit from Estyn would be at some stage prior to Christmas. Following an extensive and in-depth discussion the Committee: Resolved: subject to the above comments and observations – (i) to acknowledge the progress made to date in delivering the action plans and improve standards across the school; and (ii) requested that a further progress report on the delivery of the Post Inspection Action Plan and the joint local authority and GwE school support action plan be submitted to the Committee at the end of the current academic year, in July 2024.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: subject to the above observations – (i) to acknowledge the work undertaken to date in implementing the Welsh Government’s statutory framework on ‘embedding a whole-school approach’ to emotional and mental well-being across the county’s schools; and (ii) to support the efforts of all partners involved in developing appropriate levels of support across all of the county’s schools.
The Lead Member for Education, Children and Families introduced the report (previously circulated) on whole school approach to emotional and mental well-being. She stressed the importance of nurturing the well-being of pupils in Denbighshire. The approach had changed to include partners that work with children, and as a result a number of interventions and programmes had taken place in schools. The financial landscape did cause concern and worry, many of the interventions in schools were seen as additional facilities and may be affected by future funding decisions. The Head of Education stressed the importance of well-being, it was present in everything schools and education conducted on a daily basis. Members heard that a Whole School Approach Group met half termly with partners to develop specific training schools felt would be beneficial to staff and the school pupils. The importance of supporting the well-being of children was stressed following the pandemic it was critical the authority enabled and supported schools to pass that support on to pupils and to wider families. The multi-agency inspection that took place in February 2023 highlighted a lot of positive work that Denbighshire and partners currently did in supporting schools. The Head of Education introduced Rona Jones, Head Teacher of Ysgol Emmanuel, who provided the Committee with a school perspective of work being done to enhance support for pupils in schools. The Chair thanked all the officers and guests for attending the meeting. He opened the discussion and invited members to raise any concerns or questions they had. The following points were discussed in greater detail: · Partnership working was essential. Not all issues of well-being in society could be resolved in schools in isolation. Working together with Public Health Wales (PHW), Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Healthy Schools Scheme along with other partners was vital. The intention of the whole school approach was to encourage everyone to work together, on the same agenda to support all. The Whole School Approach Working Group involved all partners to make best use of the available resources and avoid duplication and silo working. · There was a counselling service currently for 4-18 year olds which delivered a service using a variety of different methods. They offered a face to face service or remotely if required. The majority of the young people they worked with were 11-18 years old as the provision of a counselling service for 11 – 18 year olds was a statutory requirement. About 12% of pupils were from primary school age, the counsellor offering the service to the young children were trained in therapeutic play. The service would like to expand more at the primary level but would rely on the availability of funding through the grants the Service received. · Members heard Ysgol Emmanuel had been the first school in Denbighshire to be awarded the Trauma Informed School accrediation. Rona Jones provided members with detail of the work that had been undertaken at the school to support children. A number of children at the school had needed the provision. The trauma informed approach was about protecting and regulating ensuring the children felt safe, putting interventions in place to support the emotions children express. Funding had allowed the school to employ additional teaching assistants trained in therapeutic services and a play therapist two days a week. Funding was a concern for the service to be able to continue as it was, let alone expand. As a result of the service the school had observed lower exclusion rates. Each member of the school staff had been on board from the start and had been instrumental in making the changes happen. · Identification of individuals need was key. Staff had to ensure the best value for money from the interventions in place. Members heard that staff undertook Pupils Attitude to Self and School (PASS) Surveys which provided information from the pupils. It allowed the collection of data and information to aid decisions on what was needed in schools. On occasions referrals were made to the school to help support children and families to offer support that was needed during the school day. Close working with partners and agencies to support children was beneficial. · Staff at schools would support children with or without any diagnosis. Staff were aware of waiting lists but continued to support families in ways that would aid the child’s needs. · It was hoped that the changes and interventions insitgated in schools would have a positive impact on society and the community in the coming years. Ensuring young people had the skills and mental strength to thrive in the future was one of the reasons for implementing the changes. · In the opinion of the Lead Member the health and wellbeing element of the curriculum for Wales was vital and essential. It would have a positive impact on pupils in schools and provide support for those that needed it. · Capacity to support and deliver the services was challenging. Funding, time and capacity was a concern. Staff were at times going above and beyond to support individuals during difficult times. It was stressed Education staff and schools did the best for young people in Denbighshire. · It was noted that emotional well-being support services were not at present statutory services, members asked if that was an area that could become statutory. The Lead Member stressed that any such decision lay with the Welsh Government, although local education authorities were regularly lobbying the Government on the value of this area of schooling and the differences it had made to individual pupils’ educational journeys. It was hoped that in the future more weight may be given to this area. The Chair thanked all present for their contribution to the discussion. The Committee registered their concerns about the potential impact of diminishing financial resources on the long-term sustainability and development of this extremely valuable non-statutory provision within the Council’s schools. At the conclusion of a comprehensive discussion members’: Resolved: subject to the above observations – (i) to acknowledge the work undertaken to date in implementing the Welsh Government’s statutory framework on ‘embedding a whole-school approach’ to emotional and mental well-being across the county’s schools; and (ii) to support the efforts of all partners involved in developing appropriate levels of support across all of the county’s schools.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: (i) whilst acknowledging the unforeseen obstacles experienced as a consequence of the pandemic, to support the planning and implementation work undertaken to date in Denbighshire with respect of securing the delivery of Welsh medium curricula and non-curricula provision across the county’s schools in accordance with the Welsh Government’s vision; and (ii) request that a further progress report on the delivery of the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) be presented to the Committee in 12 months’ time.
The Lead Member for Education, Children and Families introduced the report (previously circulated) on the delivery of the Welsh Medium Provision in schools in Denbighshire. The Head of Education guided Members through the report. The reason for the report followed a request made in 2022 after a report on the changes to the categorisation of schools. As a result of that report, a workshop had taken place recently on supporting scrutiny to support the Welsh language. The authority had a 10-year plan to increase the provision of the Welsh language in education. It was stressed the plan was ambitious, challenging and was live- changing regularly. Elected members served on the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan Steering Group whose role it was to monitor the development of the plan and challenge when required. The added challenge noted had been the reduction in the percentage of learners who received education in year 2 in 2022-23 through the medium of Welsh. This had reduced from the baseline in the plan of 28% in September 2020 to 26.4%. Details of the support provided had been included in the report, including a request to produce a business case to increase the Welsh provision in schools. A great deal of work was taking place across numerous services in the authority and with external partners in relation to this matter. The Chair thanked the Lead Members and officers for the introduction and opened the debate for members to ask questions. As part of the ensuing discussion, further detail was provided on the following: · Members raised concerns on the target of 40% of all seven-year-old pupils would attend Welsh Medium Education. Officers stressed the target had been set by Welsh Government based on the current position of each Local Authority. The target had originally been set in 2020, after which officers noted a reduction in the baseline. One of the reasons for the reduction had been following the Covid 19 pandemic, due to the closure of Welsh medium schools along with Welsh-medium nurseries. The 40% target would be a challenge for officers and schools to achieve. Conversations with Welsh Government with regards to the target continued. Education was one of the main partners in promoting the Welsh Language. It was emphasised that all schools in Denbighshire would have to contribute and work towards the target. · The action plan itself had been included in the Welsh Education Strategic Plan that had previously been agreed by County Council. · Pre-school and Mudiad Meithrin nurseries played an important role in setting the first steps to filter through children to Welsh medium primary schools. · Members heard that a Cylch Meithrin had recently been opened in the Oak Tree Centre in Rhyl. In addition, work was underway with a view to establishing an ‘immersion provision’ at Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Ruthin. · It was stressed the format of the report that had been attached as an appendix to the paper was the layout of the repot that was sent to Welsh Government. The language used in the report reflected the language used by Welsh Government. · It was confirmed the authority did have one category 2 school, which would be required to further develop its provision of the Welsh language. From September 2023 it provided the nursery provision, solely through the medium of Welsh. · Officers agreed with Members on parents’ concerns on sending children to a Welsh medium school if not spoken in the home. It was the stressed all information presented to parents was bilingual enabling Welsh and non-Welsh speakers to know and understand the school policies, curriculum and communication between staff and parents. Members heard there were systems in place for parents in improve their Welsh alongside children. Resources were continually improving to support parents through the time their children are at a Welsh Medium school. · It was stressed that the term Welsh medium teaching was being undertaken in English speaking schools. The predominately English medium schools were expected to deliver 20% of teaching through Welsh with the aim of supporting their pupils along the continuum. Support was given to staff to teach through the Welsh Language. Following detailed discussion, the Committee: Resolved: (i) whilst acknowledging the unforeseen obstacles experienced as a consequence of the pandemic, to support the planning and implementation work undertaken to date in Denbighshire with respect of securing the delivery of Welsh medium curricula and non-curricula provision across the county’s schools in accordance with the Welsh Government’s vision; and (ii) request that a further progress report on the delivery of the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) be presented to the Committee in 12 months’ time.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: - subject to the above observations to – (i) confirm it had read and understood the report, and acknowledged the progress made to date in delivering Denbighshire’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2021 to 2026; and (ii) continue monitoring the delivery of the Strategy’s Action Plan on an annual basis, unless significant risks or concerns regarding the Authority’s ability to deliver it came to light which required Scrutiny’s attention.
The Lead Member for Housing and Communities introduced the report (previously circulated) to the Committee. He stressed to the Committee a great deal of work had been undertaken within the service. He thanked officers for attending the meeting to answer any questions. The Strategic Planning and Housing Manager guided members through the report. She reminded members the Housing and Homelessness Strategy set out the aims for housing across the County for the period 2021-2026. It involved a number of areas within the Council. An action plan sat alongside the Strategy with the delivery of the action plan overseen by the Corporate Plan Housing Board. The group met quarterly, with actions reviewed prior to each meeting with an update to the action plan discussed at every meeting. The group had a key role in monitoring the development of the actions and any issues that arose. A copy of the action plan had been included in the agenda papers for members’ information. The report illustrated the kay areas of progress, in her opinion good progress had been made in delivering key elements of the strategy. The Chair thanked the Lead Member and Officers for the introduction and invited members to raise any questions. The following points were discussed in more detail: · In response to a question submitted by Councillor Chris Evans and read out by the Chair it was advised that housing management and tenancy management was not an action point highlighted in the Strategy’s Action Plan. Officers were happy to attend a further Scrutiny meeting to address members’ concerns on the management of tenancies. Officers had to prioritise work load and resources and the more serious issues often took priority over some issues. The team were productive and did conduct tenancy visits to all households on an annual basis. Officers would also take part in estate walkabouts with members if they requested. The Lead Member encouraged members to contact himself or officers with any concerns. · The private sector was an important part of the overall housing market, officers echoed the concerns of Members with regards to the changes to legislation. The reduction in private landlords was concerning, information had been included in the report which linked the reduction to homelessness figures. Work on monitoring the data would continue going forward. There were a number of reasons that had also impacted on the number of private rented accommodation available. · Officers confirmed they had noticed an impact on the homelessness sector due to the changes made to legislation governing private rented accommodation. It was stressed officers were managing to support individuals out of homelessness into rented accommodation. Since the Covid-19 pandemic the private sector had been challenging for officers due to rent increases. Members were reminded of the private rented leasing scheme, where possible officers made landlords aware of that scheme. · A well-attended private landlord forum had taken place and allowed officers and landlords to have discussions on concerns and raise any questions. The Lead Member stated it was very beneficial for all in attendance. · Officers reassured the Committee that under occupation was one of the priorities for officers. Progress had been slow in terms of the numbers. Officers continued to discuss with tenants about options the authority could offer. The delay in the new build properties had impacted on individuals or families moving to more suitable sized properties. Often another challenge faced was people not wanting to move out of their family home although it was now too large for them. · Members heard that unfortunately the contractor for construction of the Dell project in Prestatyn had gone into administration earlier in the year. The proposed plan was to begin with the creation of the access and demolition of the bungalow on site. Officers confirmed they would circulate further details once available. · Whilst there was a need for one and two bed properties for rent. Officers had to manage resources to accommodate as many individuals and families as possible. · There were currently three Denbighshire County Council onsite projects that would be completed by September 2024. An update on affordable housing would be presented to each Member Area Group (MAG) in the near future. · Officers confirmed there were no individuals registered with the homelessness service accommodated in caravans. · Early intervention and prevention was one of the key aspects of the homelessness guidance officers worked towards. It was often found that families and individuals did not contact the service until later in the process or they were soon to be evicted. A contract – My Home Denbighshire, had been awarded. This work centred around early intervention had been awarded to support individuals and prevent people becoming homeless. Since its implementation 231 referrals had been received, of which 206 had been accepted as relevant referrals. There was a wide variety of reasons for referral, officers focused on categories for the higher number of referrals. They were using the data collected to research solutions which could be instigated and implemented at earlier stages in future, with a view to proactively addressing issues and intervening in cases before they presented as homeless. · The My Home Denbighshire was a three-way partnership, led by Shelter Cymru. It cost in the region of £260,000 per annum. · Monthly monitoring of data to establish any areas for potential homelessness was key in order to proactively support those at risk. Officers implemented early intervention and established early communications in those targeted areas. · Officers confirmed the current Local Development Plan (LDP) policy was clear and did not allow Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO). The policy was currently under review as part of the new LDP. Officers confirmed that HMOs could potentially offer accommodation at affordable rates and served a purpose. The key would be to ensure good management and standard of living within HMOs, if any future policy were to permit their development. It would be an area of discussion for the Strategic Planning Group (SPG), whose meetings were open to all members to attend. At the conclusion of an in-depth discussion the Committee: Resolved: - subject to the above observations to – (i) confirm it had read and understood the report, and acknowledged the progress made to date in delivering Denbighshire’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2021 to 2026; and (ii) continue monitoring the delivery of the Strategy’s Action Plan on an annual basis, unless significant risks or concerns regarding the Authority’s ability to deliver it came to light which required Scrutiny’s attention.
Decision as recorded
Resolved: subject to the inclusion of the progress reports agreed during the course of the discussions at the current meeting, to confirm the Committee’s Forward Work Programme as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.
The Scrutiny Co-ordinator introduced the report and appendices, (previously circulated) the purpose of which was to seek the Committee to review its programme of future work. The next meeting of the Performance Scrutiny Committee was scheduled for the 30 November 2023, proposed for that meeting were three agenda items. 1. Corporate Risk Register: September 2023 review 2. Council Performance Self- Assessment Update 3. Economic and Business Development. Members had agreed to include an update report on Christ the Word School on the forward work programme for July 2024 and a follow on report on Denbighshire’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy Action plan for autumn 2024 earlier in the meeting. The Scrutiny Chairs and Vice Chairs Group meeting was scheduled for 3 October and Members were reminded to complete the relevant form if they had any topics they wished to be considered. Appendix 3 was the Cabinet’s forward work programme for members’ reference. Appendix 4 provided the Committee with further information regarding the recommendations from the previous meeting. Reference was made to an information brief that had been issued to Members prior to the meeting. The Scrutiny Co-Ordinator explained the report on the Council’s Quarter 1 Corporate Plan Performance had been included for information. At the next Committee meeting in November, officers would present quarter 2 report to discuss any issues of concern. Members were reminded that three training sessions had been scheduled, all Members were welcome to attend. Those sessions were due to be held on: · 6 October 2023 – Diversity - Gypsy, Roma and Traveller · 11 October – Scrutiny Chairing Skills · 03 November – Scrutiny Questioning Skills Members: Resolved: subject to the inclusion of the progress reports agreed during the course of the discussions at the current meeting, to confirm the Committee’s Forward Work Programme as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.
Councillor Sandilands briefed Committee members on the proceedings of a recent meeting of the Capital Scrutiny Group at which the following topics amongst others were discussed: · Levelling Up Funding Projects · Natural Flood Management · Places for Nature · Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Grant · Community Focussed Schools · Kentigern Hall, St. Asaph · North East Wales Joint Archive Project Councillor Ellie Chard provided an overview of the discussions that had taken place at the Education and Children’s Services Service Challenge meeting. Pre-birth liaison work and the progress achieved in addressing ‘not in education, employment or training’ (NEET) related issues were examined in detail. Meeting concluded at 1.20pm
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