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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED That the work programme be approved.
RESOLVED That the Committee reviews the content of the report.
RESOLVED The Committee to consider the information provided within this report as evidence of the oversight of schools in relation to their responsibilities under Section 175 of the Education Act and subsequent action plan produced by the Education Safeguarding Team (EST) in this regard.
RESOLVED That the information contained within the report be noted.
RESOLVED That Councillor Bethan Price be elected as a Reserve Member to Partneriath.
RESOLVED That the referral of concerns relating to school budgets in the Budget Monitoring report Quarter 2 2023-24 be noted.
The following declarations of interest were made in relation to educational matters: Councillor Rhys Jordan declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he is a Governor for St Teilo’s and Ysgol Hafan y Mor and his son is a pupil at Ysgol Hafan y Mor. Councillor Alistair Cameron declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 5 and 7, by virtue of the fact that he is a Governor for Tenby VC School.
Moved by Councillor Rhys Jordan; Seconded by Councillor Anji Tinley. RESOLVED The Minutes of the Meeting held on 21 September 2023 be approved as a correct record
There was no public correspondence.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the work programme be approved.
The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the work programme be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the Committee reviews the content of the report.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education on the current position on the planning of school places and current organisation around schools. The Chair welcomed the Director of Education and 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: In response to Councillor Rhys Jordan, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance stated that they commissioned a survey for Ysgol Penrhyn VC and it was the right size for the children on the Angle Peninsula but parents may choose to place their children in different schools. Tenby had a more transient population so there were a lot of school spaces in the wider Tenby area. The Welsh Medium Schools in the area were full. However, a housing development was due so this should fill up the school spaces. Councillor Jordan noted that the demand for Welsh Medium Schools would create more gaps in English Medium Schools which would put their future into question. The Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance noted that students from Ysgol Gelli Aur should transfer to the new Ysgol Bro Penfro. The new housing developments planned for the Pembroke area should boost school numbers in the English Medium Schools there. The Chair noted that the number of school age children had decreased by 10-11% and was expected to fall by the same amount in another 10 years. This would mean that a school with low enrolment would need to be considered for closure. The new Celtic Freeport and housing developments should encourage families to move into the County. The Director of Education stated that the Council had a duty to provide equity for both the Welsh and English languages. When Ysgol Bro Penfro is built it will have 210 students enrolled which will be two classes smaller than its capacity. Councillor Alistair Cameron said that students will move schools if they are placed in one that is not appropriate for them. In response to Councillor Cameron, the Director of Education stated decisions around school capacity were decided by Full Council. Officers would present options through the School Organisation Code and after a consultation with schools. As Pembrokeshire was a rural local authority, this created challenges with transport infrastructure. The Council had a statutory duty to get children to schools with the learner travel measure which was two miles for a primary school child and three miles for the secondary school child. This costed £1460 per child. Any primary school closures would only give the Council £50,000-£70,000 because over 70% of funding was pupil led. He concluded that any closures needed to be considered carefully with the public involved. In response to Ms Alison Kavanagh, the Director of Education noted that parental choices did impact school numbers, for example parents may move their child if there have been issues at a particular school. Pupils moving schools frequently did affect that school’s finances. Children would move schools more frequently in the Pembroke/Pembroke Dock area and Milford Haven area which caused fluctuations with enrolment numbers. Under the School Standards and Organisation Act 2013, if a school lost a lot of pupils they would be given a warning and seen why standards were declining. This had happened to three schools in Pembrokeshire, two improved of their own accord and the other was categorised with Estyn due to teaching and leadership issues at that school. Filling school places could be competitive at each child at a school brought a premium. Following a question from Councillor David Howlett, the Director of Education stated that with any school reorganisations, timescales were determined with the relevant Cabinet member and Full Council meetings. Any reorganisation of Faith Schools was done in conjunction with the Diocese. There had been a reorganisation with Catholic schools with four Catholic schools being reduced to two Federation Schools due to leadership and recruitment issues. The Council cannot federate Maintained Schools with Faith Schools or Voluntary Controlled (V.C) and Voluntary Aided (V.A.) Schools because these schools were maintained by the governing body as the employer. Reverend John Cecil concurred that support needed to be given to parents who wanted their children to attend Faith Schools but some of them were rural and transport needed to be provided to get them to these schools. He noted the successes between the Council and Diocese when working with smaller V.C. schools. Councillor Howlett noted that schools with increasing vacancy spaces needed to be monitored for trends for the future. The Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance stated that the 2018 updated version of the School Organisation Code listed 15-20 small, rural school in Pembrokeshire where there was a presumption against closure. This was defined by the density of the population in rural areas. The Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance clarified that a proposal to close a Faith School could come from the Council or Diocese. If the Council proposed this first the Diocese would need to be consulted but it ultimately decides whether to close the school or not. The Director of Education confirmed that a school had been closed under the ‘presumption against closure order’ as Ysgol Yfrenny was closed in order to open Ysgol Bro Preseli. School reorganisations were done to improve outcomes, curriculums or facilities i.e. making it better for ALN (additional learning needs) learners. In response to Councillor Jordan, the Director of Education confirmed that Welsh and English Medium Schools were given equal funding by the Council. 70% of this funding was distributed based on how many pupils were in a school. Additional funding was given to schools with Deputy Head teachers once there was more than 92 pupils. Additional funding would also be provided if there were more ALN pupils. The Director of Education said that 90% of schools in Pembrokeshire did not require a follow up from Estyn and 14% of these were Estyn case study schools. In response to Councillor Vivien Stoddart, the Director of Education clarified that pupils would often move schools because of a fallout with the school or the school community. This happened more in Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven because there was a higher density of schools in those areas so it was easier for a child to move schools. The Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance added that families moving within these towns into different catchment areas added to this. Councillor Marc Tierney noted that under-occupancy of schools was a countywide problem and the Autumn Statement did not reference additional funding for schools. The Director of Education said that schools with large buildings and under-enrolment did create a financial strain as the aging building would need to be maintained as well as staffing ratios. Pupil to staff ratios had to be met in infant and foundation classes. In secondary schools there had to be a broad curriculum which put pupils at smaller secondary schools as a disadvantage if the school could not provide as wide a curriculum as with other schools. The quality of education was affected more by the quality of staff and whether they were supported enough resource-wise and professionally. He continued that inspection outcomes of schools was important as it informed the Council’s work. In 2019 55% of schools in Pembrokeshire said that there was no ‘follow up’ needed and 45% of these schools did not have good enough leadership. In response to Councillor Tierney, the Director of Education confirmed that every school needed to have a Prospectus and officers promoted all schools equally. Smaller schools could be given financial aid if appropriate to help them and measures were in place to help Sixth Form Schools financially. Officers treat schools equally, need to see if schools need supporting financially The Director of Education stated that the Council made catchment areas based on the proximity to a household. Parental preference was the overriding factor when placing a child in a school and this could be affected by factors like the school’s proximity to the parent’s workplace. The Head of Engagement, Performance & Community added that all schools needed to be equally good for parents to want their child to go there. Schools with chequered histories would put parents off from placing their children there. The Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance stated that schools with vacancies were offered to pupils who could not get into the parent’s preferred school. There would often be an appeals process if a place was refused to a child. In response to Councillor Michael Stoddart, the Director of Education agreed to provide a list of the costs that vacant places caused. In response to the Chair, the Director of Education stated that changes had been made to Sixth Forms in Pembrokeshire over the last 10 years and all post-16 education struggled with the variety of qualifications as there was a high cost to run them e.g. agriculture courses. Numbers were stable at the time of the meeting and learners will say where they would want to study and why. Any proposed Sixth Form reorganisations in the county would need to be approved by Welsh Government. Moved by Councillor Rhys Jordan; Seconded by Councillor Marc Tierney. RESOLVED That the Committee reviews the content of the report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED The Committee to consider the information provided within this report as evidence of the oversight of schools in relation to their responsibilities under Section 175 of the Education Act and subsequent action plan produced by the Education Safeguarding Team (EST) in this regard.
The Committee considered a report by the Safeguarding in Education Manager on the current position on the Section 175 Safeguarding Action Plan. The Chair welcomed the Safeguarding in Education Manager 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: In response to Councillor Camron, the Safeguarding in Education Manager stated that she kept on top of interest trends and they monitored any blocked sites that children will try and access at school. Parents were pointed to resources to engage with their children on internet safety. Councillor Cameron and the Chair concurred that any aggressive behaviour from parents to school staff should not be tolerated. The Safeguarding in Education Manager said that they had asked for more help from Behaviour Support to deal with this and for them to look at areas where children had challenging behaviour. The Director of Education added that they had a new system to log these kinds of complaints and this could be reviewed by the Committee at a later date. Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall praised the Head teacher and mobile phone policy at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi where they take mobile phones off pupils for the school day. This had led to a 75% improvement in safeguarding and pupils were engaging more and positively with each other. Councillor Bethan Price concurred with this and noted that online bullying between pupils had decreased too. The Director of Education suggested that pupils from Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi attended the next meeting to talk about the policy and how this affected them. Moved by Councillor David Howlett; Seconded by Councillor Alistair Cameron. RESOLVED The Committee to consider the information provided within this report as evidence of the oversight of schools in relation to their responsibilities under Section 175 of the Education Act and subsequent action plan produced by the Education Safeguarding Team (EST) in this regard.
It was agreed to change the order of business as follows to enable Councillor Phil Kidney to speak on Manorbier School.
Following the Committees request to receive regular progress updates in relation to Manorbier Primary School, the following verbal operational update was provided: The Director of Education advised that Cabinet voted to reinstate the school but this was hampered as it was owned by the St David’s Diocese and this caused complexity with the insurers. The first phase in the phased approach to reinstatement began on the 2nd October with the demolition of the internal gable wall. Overhanging materials were removed and scaffolding was erected to various external gables. At the end of the first phase, the site was handed over to the Diocese loss adjusters and appointed contractors to start work on the roof for the Schoolhouse as part of phase two. This work was ongoing. When phase two has completed, the site will be handed back to the Council who will deal with debris from the internal floor area of the school hall and dining room, so that can be made safe as part of phase three. In 2024 when phase three has finished, professional construction colleagues at the Council will undertake an assessment of the works that need to be done in order to finish the reinstatement once this is known. The cost of this will be included in part of the business case which will go to Cabinet. The school teachers, governors and parents updated with the progress of the school’s reinstatement. In response to the Chair, the Director of Education stated that the business case will be presented to Cabinet in the Spring or Summer term of 2024. In response to Councillor Cameron, the Director of Education stated that the children will not be back at the school until after September 2024. Councillor Howlett noted that the school vacancy rates increased from 55% to 72%. The Director of Education noted that there had been a large exodus of Year 6 people graduating from the school which was replaced by a much smaller reception class so the increase in school places was not caused by the fire. Most students stayed at the school after it and families were now moving into the new housing estate in Manorbier who were planning to enrol at the school. Councillor Phil Kidney thanked the work done by the Director of Education and for the support from the Leader, Cabinet Member and officers. He stated that the school was likely to reopen in September 2025 and highlighted that it was important to the community after the area lost other facilities. The teachers and pupils were doing well after moving into the Community Hall. He concluded that the Head teacher and parents should receive monthly updates on the progress of the school’s reinstatement. Reverend John Cecil praised the school staff and noted that he visited it monthly. He informed the Committee that the Diocese’s solicitor wrote to the Council about incorporating the school house into the school building or adapted another way. The Diocese was keen for the school to reopen and communication had improved with the insurers. The Diocese’s work on the school was set to finish before 2024. The Director of Education stated that the school’s governing body was undertaking site visits every six weeks. Councillor Bowen suggested that work be undertaken to improve the access to the school from Wheeler’s Way. The Director of Education said that this will be looked as part of the reconstruction. In response to Councillor Skyrme-Blackhall, Councillor Kidney stated that the staff at the school were doing well but they were anxious for the school to reopen.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the information contained within the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Education Welfare Service on school attendance. The Chair welcomed the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community and the Education Welfare Service Manager 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 that a 10% absence rate was a big rate. He noted that in South East Pembrokeshire, seasonal workers who were parents worked all Summer and went on holiday in the Autumn with their children. The Education Welfare Service Manager stated that there was a penalty notice system in place to try and change behaviour around parents taking their children on holiday in term time. The Head of Engagement, Performance & Community added that in Wales 4.5% of absences were agreed family holidays in term time and 6% were not agreed family holidays. The Head teacher would decide whether to approve these holidays but a consistent approach was needed with this. In response to Councillor Tierney, the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community confirmed that material deprivation and low socioeconomic status was the biggest reason for the variants in Pembrokeshire’s educational outcomes between schools/areas. Students in rural locations also had limited access to services. The Education Welfare Service Manager stated that children who suffered from anxiety were being worked with and these pupils school attendance had increased. Positive relationships with parents and home schooled parents was also worked on. Schools that implemented a ‘walking bus’ scheme found that this helped children get to school on time. The team was holding meetings with the parents face to face and increasing the work done with parents. The work done with parents was tailored to their needs and everything was monitored by the school and the Education Welfare Team. In response to Councillor Tierney, the Education Welfare Service Manager said that because there were only six education welfare officers for the whole of Pembrokeshire, they all had large caseloads. Therefore, they were still working at the attendance threshold being above 85% instead of Welsh Government’s 90% attendance rate target. However, RFO’s would start early intervention with any pupil whose attendance rate drops below 90% but some schools need to refer pupils quicker. Councillor Bowen noted that parental attitudes stopped some pupils from working hard in school. The Head of Engagement, Performance & Community concurred with this and stated that the Family Support Team was engaging with these parents to try and Welsh Government had started their own initiatives to try and resolve this too. They had a new programme called ‘Parenting: Give it Time’ but more early help procedures needed to be implemented. In response to Councillor Bowen, the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community stated that attendance was worse on Friday’s but the evidence was not compelling enough because only a few schools had recently introduced asymmetric weeks so the data was not comparable. Councillor Tessa Hodgson, the relevant Cabinet Member for Safeguarding, highlighted the importance of attending school as it was how and where children learnt life skills as well as where they were educated. Children not in school could be groomed by criminal gangs. In response to the Chair, the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community said that changing the terms times to the Welsh Government’s new proposals should not negatively affect school attendance and may benefit it. Councillor Price noted that at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, they had a school dog who went round to student’s houses who were avoiding attending school due to anxiety issues. This would help children want to re-attend schools. The Head of Engagement, Performance & Community stated that there was strong evidence that showed that poverty of a family negatively affected a pupil’s attendance. Councillor Vivien Stoddart expressed her concern that asymmetric schools could be sending out the wrong message by closing early on Fridays as pupils were more likely to be absent to whole day. Councillor Jordan noted that the Covid-19 pandemic caused a culture shift with school attendance with the public being told to stay at home. A debate followed on the impact of asymmetric schools and their impact on pupil attendance. Councillor Jordan suggested that a report on asymmetric schools be onto the work programme. Moved by Councillor Alistair Cameron; Seconded by Councillor Anji Tinley. RESOLVED That the information contained within the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Councillor Bethan Price be elected as a Reserve Member to Partneriath.
Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall Moved that Councillor Bethan Price be duly appointed; Seconded by Councillor Huw Murphy. There were no other nominations. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Councillor Bethan Price be elected as a Reserve Member to Partneriath.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the referral of concerns relating to school budgets in the Budget Monitoring report Quarter 2 2023-24 be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Deputy Chief Finance Officer on the Budget Monitoring Report (Quarter 2 2023-24). 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: In response to the Chair, the Director of Education stated that school transport was managed by the Integrated Transport Unit. There had been an increase of over-16’s needing specialist transport to school. The Director of Education said that the new West Lodge development had begun construction and this should create savings in social care and education as both services paid for it. Children in care placed out of county had their education needs assessed. The Director of Education clarified that schools must account what their higher amounts of spending are used for. The scheme of delegation stated that primary schools were given £50,000 and secondary schools were given £100,000. Some schools had exceeded their limits and had not responded to the Council about this so guidance was sought from Welsh Government. In response to the Chair, the Director of Education confirmed that the funding from Welsh Government for free school meals did not cover the demand in Pembrokeshire. The grant money was provided based on a three-year rolling average on the pupils who were eligible for free school meals. This was last calculated in 2019. 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 referral of concerns relating to school budgets in the Budget Monitoring report Quarter 2 2023-24 be noted.
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