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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 report be noted.
RESOLVED That a Member Seminar be held on School Dogs.
RESOLVED That Schools Falling into Budget Deficits be added to the Forward Work Programme for February 2025
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted subject to the following addition: Schools Falling into Budget Deficits
RESOLVED That Cabinet be recommended to reconsider reviewing the school catchment area for Johnston and Tiers Cross.
RESOLVED That Ysgol Bro Penfro be recommended to liaise with the Ysgol Hafan Y Môr on their school experiences so they could learn from their challenges and successes as one of the first Welsh Medium Schools in South Pembrokeshire. [Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall left the meeting at this juncture at 12:43]
RESOLVED a) That the report be noted b) That the Committee’s views be shared with Cabinet [Councillor Mike James left the meeting at this juncture at 13:30]
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
As it was her last meeting, the Chair thanked Mrs Alison Kavanagh for her hard work and engagement on and with the Committee and on the school visits in her tenure as a Parent Governor of the Committee.
Councillors Aled Thomas and Claire George attended as the Local Members for Agenda Item 7 - Petition to Overturn Johnston/Tiers Cross School Catchment. Councillors Aled Thomas attended in his capacity as Member Champions for the Welsh Language for Agenda Item 11 - Welsh Language Provision.
Councillor Rhys Jordan declared a personal interest in respect of Agenda Item No. 10 – School Scrutiny Panel Visit – Ysgol Hafan y Môr by virtue of the fact that he was a Local Authority appointed Governor for Ysgol Hafan y Môr and he had a child at the school. The following declarations of interest were made in respect of Agenda Item No. 11 – Welsh Language Provision: Councillor Viv Stoddart declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that she had a relative who taught Welsh. Councillor Marc Tierney declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Local Authority appointed Governor for Narberth CP School. Councillor Alistair Cameron declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Governor for Greenhill School and a non-voting Governor for Stepaside School. Councillor Mike James declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Governor for Ysgol Bro Preseli. Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that she was a Governor for Greenhill School. Councillor Rhys Sinnett declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Local Authority appointed Governor for Milford Haven Community Primary School. Councillor Aled Thomas declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Local Authority appointed Governor for Ysgol Caer Elen. The following declarations of interest were made in relation to educational matters: Councillor Maureen Bowen declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that her partner was a teacher. Mrs Alison Kavanagh declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that she was a Parent Governor at a school. Councillor Nick Neumann declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Parent Governor at Roch School, and he will be appointed as a Local Authority appointed Governor for Broad Haven School. Councillor Bethan Price declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that she was a Governor at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi and that she had family at the school. Councillor Aled Thomas declared a personal interest in respect of Agenda Item No. 7 - Petition to Overturn Johnston/Tiers Cross School Catchment by virtue of the fact that he was the Chair of Governors at Johnston School. The following declarations of interest were made in respect of Agenda Item No. 13 – The Role of the Diocese: Rev. John Cecil declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was employed by the Diocese of St. David. Councillor David Howlett declared a personal interest by virtue of the fact that he was a Governor of St. Aiden’s School.
Councillor Rhys Sinnett Moved that the Minutes of the Meeting held on the 26 September 2024 be approved as a correct record; Seconded by Councillor Alistair Cameron. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 26 September 2024 be approved as a correct record. Councillor James abstained from voting.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Head of Democratic Services on the Action Log. Regarding the action on writing to the Welsh Minister, the Chair confirmed that the letter will be shared with the Committee when it was drafted. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Marc Tierney; Seconded by Councillor Alistair Cameron. The votes, undertaken by way of a show of hands, were carried. RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Director of Education informed the Committee that the school was still operating out of Jameston Community Hall successfully following the fire in October 2022. However, on the school site itself there had been numerous issues, including repeated break-ins. Therefore, the Maintenance Team was regularly attending and monitoring the site. He continued that negotiations were ongoing with the insurance company, but the company hired to assess the fire damage had now completed their report. This will then be fed back to Cabinet. The Director of Education concluded that once a settlement was agreed with the insurance company, the Councill will be able to look at rebuilding Manorbier School.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That a Member Seminar be held on School Dogs.
Mr Robert Thomas of Cariad Pet Therapy read a statement on the lack of animal welfare for school dogs and the lack of care they received. He highlighted that since Covid-19, there had been an increased trend of schools buying their own dogs instead of bringing in trained therapy dogs. In response, the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community noted that all the dogs referenced in the submitted public correspondence were safe and well. The Council was not involved in school decisions relating to school dogs, but no dogs were in school fulltime as schools realised it was too much too soon too early. He noted that dogs were in schools for short number of times and the Head Teacher’s spoken to were wary of dogs being in school fulltime too. In terms of hiring an animal behaviourist, the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community said that they will need to look into this for schools but there were funding issues. The Chair suggested that this topic be investigated at a later date, either by being added to the work programme or by a Member Seminar. Councillor Skyrme-Blackhall concurred with the Member Seminar suggestion, as she had discussed this with a constituent who used the ‘dog mentor scheme’ at her school and its effectiveness was noted. However, the noted that there were issues too. A Motion was Moved by Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall to the effect: That a Member Seminar be held on School Dogs. Seconded by Councillor Bethan Price. Regarding the proposed seminar, Councillor Tierney requested that the different school dog schemes be covered and that those involved in these schemes input into the seminar too. In response, the Director of Education agreed that this information will be provided, as well as the work being done to care for the dogs and the work done at Swansea University on this will be included too. The vote, undertaken by way of a roll call, was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion – Councillors Alistair Cameron, Bethan Price, David Howlett, Jamie Adams, Marc Tierney, Mel Philipps, Mike James, Nick Neumann, Rhys Jordan, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall and Viv Stoddart. Mrs Alison Kavanagh and Rev. John Cecil [13] Abstaining – Councillor Maureen Bowen [1] There were no votes against. RESOLVED That a Member Seminar be held on School Dogs.
Due to technical issues, the petition was pushed back to later in the agenda to accommodate public speaker.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Schools Falling into Budget Deficits be added to the Forward Work Programme for February 2025
The Chair proposed that this item be put onto the Forward Work Programme for February’s meeting as the budget was due to be discussed at the meeting too. To add to this, Councillor James highlighted that the situation changed quickly which was why Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee referred this matter to the Committee. Councillor Rhys Jordan Moved - that Schools Falling into Budget Deficits be added to the Forward Work Programme for February 2025. Seconded by Councillor Maureen Bowen. Councillor Tierney queried if there was anything that the Committee needed to know before February 2025. In response, the Director of Education stated that at the time of the meeting there were nine schools in deficit and these schools were working with the Finance and Education Teams to try to reduce the deficit. They were awaiting a final settlement from Welsh Government in order to accurately predict the number of schools in deficit for 2025/26. He continued that next year they may need to use the School Standards and Organization Act 2013 which included powers of intervention to support schools in deficit. This would include things like adding additional governors and the Local Authority managing the school’s budget. He included that the final level of intervention would occur if the Council cannot get a governing body into a place whereby, they are working with the Council to reduce the school’s deficit; this would lead to the Council applying to Welsh Ministers to remove the governing body and replace it with an ‘Interim Executive Board’. The Director of Education continued that the Education Team were concerned with school budgets and how much money would be obtained from Welsh Government Grants. All Chair of Governors at schools had been made aware that redundancies may need to be made to their school staff. He noted that this will impact school services and put a strain on the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community’s service area. In order accommodate the learning needs of some pupils, there would most likely be an increase in demands for funding from the Inclusion Panel, which was already stressed. Regarding the impact on the Inclusion Service, Councillor Cameron questioned what the situation was. In response, the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community confirmed that this would impact the most vulnerable children as they would need nearly £1 million next year to meet the demand for services. It was noted that schools could save money by taking away this service, but the pupils still needed their needs met at the school. He continued that the new ALN Act had made things ‘tighter’, in terms of having to meet needs so the money for this would be spent centrally. It was noted that social care costs were a factor of ALN funding increase but not a cause. As this item was referred from Corporate OSC, Councillor James requested that the Chair of Corporate OSC be made aware of this Committee’s decision with this item. Councillor Jamie Adams concurred that the Committee should have the full picture before making school budget decisions. He noted that a Member Budget Seminar was planned prior to the Council receiving its full funding settlement from Welsh Government. Regarding a question from Councillor Adams on the Council intervening on school budgets, the Director of Education responded that the order to intervene was small and the service capacity would be stretched if the School Standards and Organisation Act was used to intervene to remove school budgets. This would be because officers would be running their own budgets as well as a school’s budget. The Director of Education continued that the school reserves in 2021/22 was £10.7 million due to the Covid-19 grants allocated to the Council. However, after Quarter 2 in 2024/25 there was only £1.855 million left in the reserves. 40 schools were using their own reserves to balance their budgets. With regards to school reserve balances, Councillor Adams queried how many schools had larger reserves. In response, the Director of Education confirmed that a small number of schools had ‘larger’ reserves. Previously there had been a requirement from Welsh Government for the Council to find out if its secondary schools retained a balance of more than £100,000 and £50,000 for primary schools. There was previously legislation that allowed local authorities to take money from some of these reserves back should they wished to, but this was scrapped during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Director of Education continued that the schools with ‘larger’ reserves often had them earmarked for capital projects that they were self-funding. There were about 10 schools with ‘excessive’ balances, 35-40 had a ‘mid-range’ balance and 10-15 schools had low balances. It was predicted that 11 schools will be in deficit by April 2025. In response to a question from Mrs Kavanagh regarding the £9 million spent from reserves, the Director of Education confirmed that this money was from revenue costs to fund the running of schools. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That Schools Falling into Budget Deficits be added to the Forward Work Programme for February 2025
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted subject to the following addition: Schools Falling into Budget Deficits
The Committee considered the Forward Work Programme. Moved by Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall; Seconded by Councillor Alistair Cameron. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted subject to the following addition: Schools Falling into Budget Deficits
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Cabinet be recommended to reconsider reviewing the school catchment area for Johnston and Tiers Cross.
The Chair invited Mrs Kirsty Coaker to address the Committee in support of her petition which had reached the threshold for a debate at Committee. The petition called for Pembrokeshire County Council to change the Johnston & Tiers Cross School Catchment back to Haverfordwest. In addressing the Committee, Ms Coaker highlighted that most children in Johnston went to Haverfordwest High School but there was only free transport provided into Milford Haven; therefore, they had been asking for free transport to Haverfordwest High School instead. Parents feel that their children would get the best education in Haverfordwest, and they had been having issues with the available bus routes into Haverfordwest as the buses would be full. She said that compromise attempts had fallen through, so they were now asking for the catchment to be changed back. In response to the comments raised by Ms Coaker, the Integrated Transport Unit Manager clarified that the Council had a statutory duty to supply home to school transport to pupils who live over three miles from their nearest suitable secondary school as stated within the Learner Travel Wales Measure 2008. As the catchment changed in 2018, the Council no longer needed to provide travel to Haverfordwest High School, unless a child was already in the school prior to the catchment change or they had siblings in the school. In terms of the council not being willing to accept fare payers on the bus, the Integrated Transport Unit Manager said that legally, the Council could not accept this. This was because the contracted school buses used were not public service vehicle accessible regulations compliant and Cabinet turned down a proposal to change this too. To Milford Haven School, the Integrated Transport Unit Manager noted that there was a 53-seat coach provided which took 42 pupils to school. The catchment was changed from Haverfordwest to Milford Haven and to change it back would cost additional resources and the Council was struggling to provide for the current school transport demands. To add to this, Councillor Rhys Sinnett, the Cabinet Member with the responsibility for Resident Services, stated that Haverfordwest High was full, and the Council would struggle to provide transport back to the school. He noted that the catchment was changed to initially try and equalise numbers across the secondary schools in Pembrokeshire and changes could destabilise the numbers at Milford Haven. Councillor Sinnett noted that the Council did not need to pay for parental preference with schools and it would be challenging to provide the service. In order to provide context for the issue, the Director of Education informed the Committee that the catchments for Johnston, Neylan and Tiers Cross were changed due to the wider complex process as part of the reorganisation to schools. This was first looked at by Cabinet in February 2014, due to the need to equalise pupil numbers in schools and to eliminate surplus places. He continued that the proposals were made in July 2017 by Council who agreed to close two schools for a new secondary school in Haverfordwest, and for the catchment areas for Johnston, Neylan and Tiers Cross to be moved to Milford Haven. This decision was agreed due to surplus school placements which was why Estyn putting the Authority into special measures. There were 571 surplus placements in the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven areas in 2013. Additionally, the Slade Lane development may generate an increased student population, this was expected to be between 400-500 more students from 729 houses, that would go to Haverfordwest High. The Director of Education concluded that Haverfordwest High had a capacity on 1750 pupils, and they currently had 1700. As the Local Member for Johnston, Councillor Aled Thomas noted that he had been discussing this issue with officers since he was elected. Prior to the school catchment change, he queried whether parental consultations were carried out. In Year 6 at Johnston School, 30 out of 33 pupils will go to Haverfordwest High instead of Milford Haven School. He highlighted that the catchment change did not work and parents taking their children personally to Haverfordwest High was saving the Council money. He had been informed of sexual assault allegations made on pupils taking public buses to Haverfordwest High from Johnston; therefore, the Council’s priority should be safe transport for all children. To conclude, Councillor Thomas requested that the petition be considered. Regarding a parental consultation, the Director of Education confirmed that there was one and this would have been considered as part of the catchment proposals. He added that he had not been made aware of the sexual assault allegations so he would raise this with social care and Dyfed Powys Police. The Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance emphasised that the Slade Lane development would house hundreds of pupils moving to Haverfordwest. He also reiterated that the catchment changed was needed because of Estyn. If a bus was provided between Johnston and Haverfordwest, the Integrated Transport Unit Manager stated that this would cost £55,000 to £60,000 annually. If the bus provided to Milford Haven was given to these pupils, then the Milford Haven School pupils would need to take public transport. Pupils currently taking public transport to get to Haverfordwest High from Johnston was putting a strain on the bus company as they did not have enough drivers to put on extra buses. As the Local Member for Tiers Cross, Councillor Claire George highlighted that this was an emotive issue for parents in her ward and they had safety concerns with getting their children to school. She concurred that student safety and creating a coherent school community should be the Council’s priority. Councillor Viv Stoddart recalled that there was a lot of parent opposition to the catchment area changes from Neyland, Johnston and Burton. She noted that it was not a ‘smooth process’ with the catchment transition. Regarding Slade Lane, Councillor Cameron queried if it was known how big the development would be. Additionally, he queried if there was any information on the alleged assault on pupils. In response, the Director of Education confirmed that there would be over 900 houses built as part of the development but there was planning permission for 729 units. These types of developments usually would accommodate 400-500 pupils. Regarding the alleged assault, the Director of Education said they would get information from the Police, but they would not be able to share this with the Committee. To add to the comment on student safety, the Integrated Transport Unit Manager reiterated that pupils were taking public transport at peak times and the bus operator could not put on extra buses to accommodate them. First Company which ran the buses would ban passengers who committed anti-social behaviour on them. Regarding safety, Councillor Thomas noted that there was a paved walking route between Johnston and Haverfordwest but there was not between Johnston and Milford Haven. He had been informed of full public buses not letting children on which led to them needing to wait until the next bus and children not being allowed on because they had cash instead of cards. This would also cause issues further down the route. Ms Coaker requested that the petition be submitted to Cabinet to investigate this issue further as parents would not stop sending their children to Haverfordwest instead of Milford Haven. A Motion was Moved by Councillor Rhys Jordan to the effect: That Cabinet reconsider reviewing the school catchment area for Johnston and Tiers Cross. Seconded by Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall. The vote, undertaken by way of a roll call, was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For the Motion – Councillors Alistair Cameron, Bethan Price, David Howlett, Jamie Adams, Marc Tierney, Maureen Bowen, Mel Philipps, Mike James, Nick Neumann, Rhys Jordan, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall and Viv Stoddart. Mrs Alison Kavanagh and Rev. John Cecil [14] There were no votes against or abstentions. RESOLVED That Cabinet be recommended to reconsider reviewing the school catchment area for Johnston and Tiers Cross.
The Meeting adjourned at 11:42 and reconvened at 11:52.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Ysgol Bro Penfro be recommended to liaise with the Ysgol Hafan Y Môr on their school experiences so they could learn from their challenges and successes as one of the first Welsh Medium Schools in South Pembrokeshire. [Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall left the meeting at this juncture at 12:43]
The Chair welcomed Mrs Vicky Griffiths, Head Teacher of Ysgol Hafan y Môr and invited her to address the Committee on the Panel’s visit to their school. Mrs Griffiths noted that she was disappointed by how few Members attended the visit as preparations were made to bring in supply teachers so the senior leadership team could speak to Members. She noted that the school was over capacity and expected to have 245 students by the Summer of 2025. Their pre-school had 33 children enrolled but there would only be 19 students at maximum. She noted that they had lost some families to Ysgol Bro Penfro but this was because they were in that school’s catchment. She highlighted that their pupils enjoyed speaking to those who attended the visit and that the school was successful despite not having any newbuilds. Mrs Griffiths concluded that Welsh Medium schools were essential to create bilingual children. In response, the Chair concurred with Mrs Griffiths’ comments, and he praised the school for pioneering the Welsh language in the county. In response to a question from Councillor Cameron regarding recruiting Welsh language teachers, Mrs Griffiths stated that this was difficult, especially with recruiting teaching assistants (TAs); most TAs at the school were second language Welsh. She continued that they advertised one role four times, and some applicants would not have the best references and would be off long-term sick. This was an issue at the school too. Mrs Griffiths and her Deputy Head Teacher travelled an hour to get to school and most staff members commuted from Carmarthenshire. Due to the increase in popularity in Welsh language education, Councillor Howlett questioned if anything could be done to help with this. In response, Mrs Griffiths said this was a national issue, and Pembrokeshire was trying to resole this with the ‘Pembrokeshire 50’ scheme which aimed to get school staff their National Head Teachers Qualification and become school leaders. Some teachers tried to get onto the national course but there were not enough spaces as there are only 22 spaces on it. Mrs Griffiths said that the Welsh language teacher crisis was worse in Pembrokeshire due to staff recruitment shortages and the fact that teachers, especially head teachers, were paid less in Pembrokeshire then the rest of Wales. She concluded that teaching was a vocation and not a job but not everyone getting into to teaching followed this, so there was a turnover of schoolteachers. Councillor James concurred with Mrs Griffiths’ comments and requested that the Director of Education look for a way forward with improving teacher retention. As Ysgol Hafan y Môr was the only Welsh language school in the cluster, Councillor Tierney queried if they received enough support and if they supported Welsh in other schools. Additionally, Councillor Tierney queried families coming from poverty were supported by the school. In response, Mrs Griffiths clarified that their school as in the Preseli and Caer Elen clusters, not Tenby. Although she had ‘neighbour’ relations with Tenby schools they did not collaborate. However, they did collaborate with the Preseli and Caer Elen clusters with the curriculum, and they had transition days with Ysgol Caer Elen. Mrs Griffiths noted that Ysgol Hafan Y Môr’s food was fed from Tenby VC School next door so Tenby VC School’s catering staff would need to open their canteen for Ysgol Hafan Y Môr, even if Tenby VC School was closed. She continued that professional working relationships needed to be maintained for the school pupils. Regarding supporting schools in the Tenby cluster, Mrs Griffiths stated that teachers from the cluster would work of sabbatical at Ysgol Hafan Y Môr to improve their Welsh, but she would like more collaboration with Tenby cluster. In terms of supporting families in poverty, Mrs Griffiths said that they had a food and uniform bank in school for more impoverished pupils to use and she would also have drop-in sessions for families who would need help, in her capacity as Head Teacher and ALNCO (additional learning need coordinator). The school was working with the FACE project (Family and Community Engagement project) which had gone very well with nine out of the maximum 10 families attending. They would help families struggling financially and with housing. Pupils who started menstruating at school would be given sanitation packs to take home too. Mrs Griffiths continued that they had anti-bullying measures, focused on mental health an created a quit space for the older pupils. In response to a question from Mrs Kavanagh regarding the recent ALN reform, Mrs Griffiths noted that she had been a ALNCO for 23 years and was pleased with the ALN reform as it needed to happen to make school inclusive to everyone. Ysgol Hafan Y Môr had a wide range of ULP (universal linear provision) they could use, and she would receive help from ALN officers when required. However, access to funding was not easy and if there were no staff available as they would not have time to apply for ALN funding. Councillor Skyrme-Blackhall praised the school visit and highlighted that the pupil’s language skills were exceptional. Even though the pupils were happy, she noted that they needed more resources; for example, one child said that they would goal posts. She noted that Mrs Griffiths did a lot outside work hours around Tenby too. Mrs Griffiths stated that she wanted the school to maintain a community and she made sure to know every pupil’s name. [Councillor Nick Neumann left the meeting at this juncture at 12:32] Regarding the school, the Director of Education noted the growth of the school, and he highlighted the outdoor learning experience at the school. A lot of parents wanted their parents to go to the school and he concurred with Mrs Griffiths’ comments on the demand for Welsh Medium language teachers. Schools were needing to carry out more ‘wellbeing services’ and focus on parental engagement. He continued that Mrs Griffiths did request help with types of intervention and praised the quality of the language skills, written, reading and oral from the pupils. The Chair reiterated the praise given to the school and that parents at the school were happy to drop their children off. He was disappointed to hear that Ysgol Bro Penfro had not reached out to learn from Ysgol Hafan Y Môr due to their successes and that they had been operating for 10 years. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Rhys Jordan; Seconded by Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall. The vote, undertaken by way of a roll call, was carried. The votes were recorded as follows: For – Councillors Alistair Cameron, Bethan Price, David Howlett, Marc Tierney, Maureen Bowen, Mike James, Rhys Jordan, Mel Philipps, Sam Skyrme-Blackhall and Viv Stoddart. Mrs Alison Kavanagh and Rev. John Cecil [12] There were no votes against or abstentions. RESOLVED That Ysgol Bro Penfro be recommended to liaise with the Ysgol Hafan Y Môr on their school experiences so they could learn from their challenges and successes as one of the first Welsh Medium Schools in South Pembrokeshire. [Councillor Sam Skyrme-Blackhall left the meeting at this juncture at 12:43]
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED a) That the report be noted b) That the Committee’s views be shared with Cabinet [Councillor Mike James left the meeting at this juncture at 13:30]
The Committee considered a report by the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance who outlined the key points of the report, including the Welsh Government Language Strategy, the focus on getting provision to the south of the county, and the demand on Welsh Medium language schools. He welcomed questions from Members. Councillor Cameron queried what help Welsh Government would provide the Council in order to meet their targets for the Welsh Language Strategy. In response, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance said that they were trying to increase the amount of teacher’s that could teach through the Welsh medium. To add to this, the Director of Education stated that teachers were allowed to take sabbaticals to Welsh Medium schools to improve their Welsh; these lasted a year and were funded by Welsh Government. The Council must submit annual reviews to Welsh Government and Welsh Government had also been providing financial support to improve Welsh Medium schools. For example, money rom them was used to build Ysgol Bro Penfro. He reiterated that Pembrokeshire struggled to recruit teachers who could teach through the medium of Welsh and get them to be supply teachers when needed to. For the future, Councillor Cameron suggested that local cluster schools be involved to provide ideas on how Welsh Medium education could be developed, especially in the Southeast. On the visit to Narberth CP School, Councillor Cameron noted that it was mentioned that the school might become a Welsh Medium school which would displace the English stream children. To add to this, Councillor Tierney stated that dual stream system at Narberth CP School worked well for the area. He noted that the plan to make Narberth CP School fully Welsh Medium by 2027 was ambitious. He concluded that the school worked well as a dual-stream school and he queried if providing more Welsh Medium schools was viable due to the Council’s economic situation. In response, the Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance said that children at Narberth CP School already taught in the English stream would continue their education in English but new entrants to the school would be taught in Welsh. Therefore, it would take several years for the school to fully transition. This school changing to just Welsh Medium would not meet the strategy targets on its own and other options would need to be considered like new schools and amending catchment areas. He concluded that providing Welsh Medium to the south of the county was needed to meet Welsh Government’s targets. Councillor Tierney noted that targets would not be met unless the recruitment issue of Welsh language teachers was resolved. In the report, Councillor Stoddart said that the replacement of Milford Haven School for a new school had been delayed for years and she queried if the replacement one referenced in the report would be the replacement or an addition to the school. In response, the Director of Education said that the planned Welsh Medium school will be a primary school only. The replacement of Milford Haven School itself was being finalised with Welsh Government who wanted the Council to provide Welsh and English Medium education there. The plans laid out in the strategic outline case will be determined by the grants provided by Welsh Government. Councillor Stoddart questioned whether there was a timeline for the new school as she stated that the current school was not fit for purpose. In response, the Director of Education said that the strategic programme outline case had the only deadlines that officers could provide because of the reliance on Welsh Government. The Chief Officer for School Resource & Governance stated that the new Milford Haven School should be built in 2029 but as the plan was recently approved by Welsh Government, delays were expected with this date. He noted that this build will be the biggest that Pembrokeshire has had for the school estate. Regarding the comments made in the previous item, Councillor Thomas highlighted that it was beneficial to be bilingual. However, he said that Pembrokeshire should focus on Welsh and English Medium schools and there were new Welsh Medium schools being built and the older English Medium schools were being neglected. Councillor Thomas queried if it was possible for there to be Welsh streams in English Medium schools to introduce the language. He concluded that there was a lack of Welsh language education provision for students aged over 16 in Pembrokeshire and the Welsh Government Strategy does not reference higher education either. If higher education was available in Welsh, then this may attract more people to attend Welsh secondary schools; he noted that this was something that the School Modernisation Working Group and Cabinet could look at. Regarding Ysgol Bro Penfro, Councillor Bowen noted that she received complaints from residents when it was built who said the money could have been used to fund Ysgol Harri Tudur instead. She queried if the money available would not be better used to improve the schools that Pembrokeshire already had. Councillor Cameron queried if English language primary schools could become dual stream in the Southeast of the county to meet strategy targets. In response to the comments made, the Director of Education acknowledged what was said and agreed that this paper should go to the School Modernisation Working Group. He noted that the Council had to meet the strategy targets as it was legislation, but the county had been successful with introducing Welsh Medium schools. The Council may not meet the Strategy’s targets, but progress will be reported back to the Committee. Regarding Narberth CP School, the Director of Education said that education categories reduced from nine to three and they had to make schools fir into one of the three categories. Bilingualism was needed as part of the curriculum. A couple of dual stream schools had transitioned to Welsh Medium schools. The Chair said that he would write to the Cabinet Member to share the Committee’s comments from the discussion on this item. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Alistair Cameron; Seconded by Councillor Maureen Bowen. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED a) That the report be noted b) That the Committee’s views be shared with Cabinet [Councillor Mike James left the meeting at this juncture at 13:30]
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report from the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community who highlighted the outliers of the execution statistics in the report. He, the Head of Pembrokeshire Learning Resource Centre and Behaviour Support Manager for Secondary Schools welcomed questions from Members. As Pembrokeshire had the lowest exclusions in the country, Councillor Howlett queried if children were being excluded too late and affecting other pupils. In response, the Behaviour Support Manager for Secondary Schools said that they had good relationships with schools, and they would be brought in as soon as preventative measures were needed. They would investigate any curriculum issues or learning needs that the pupil needing intervention may have. To add to this, the Head of Pembrokeshire Learning Resource Centre highlighted that they looked at exclusion alternatives too with schools. For example, most schools had their own internal exclusion unit or a PLC (Pembrokeshire Learning Centre) placement instead of a fixed exclusion. She noted that this would help identify root causes for pupils at schools. Regarding the proposed budget cuts, Councillor Cameron reiterated that these would affect the most vulnerable children in Pembrokeshire who were most likely to be excluded. To add to this, Mrs Kavanagh questioned whether the exclusion alternatives could still be affordable after any proposed budget cuts. In response, the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community stated that when children is removed from a school and placed in the PLC, money is removed from the school’s budgets to fund the placement. The PLC has a higher staffing ratio so the PLC costed more money than the school will have received for the pupil. He expressed his concern that schools may not be able to afford placing a child into the PLC so they may just opt for permanent exclusions. [Councillor Mel Phillips left the meeting at this juncture at 13:43] Councillor Bowen queried in the teaching support staff was being supported because this would affect the child disrupting the class as well as the children not being disruptive. In response to this, the Head of Engagement, Performance & Community acknowledged that normally with budget cuts at schools, pastoral care would be cut first. He noted that the current budget proposals were for school budgets to receive a 4% cut. The Chair praised the results that officers were providing to schools and the outcomes for pupils. As Welsh Government received more funding from Central Government, he expressed his hope that this would filter down to local authorities. The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor Rhys Jordan; Seconded by Councillor Alistair Cameron. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the report be noted.
The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education who outlined the key points of the report including the types of religious schools in Pembrokeshire, the affects on the set curriculum, and how the different Diocese’s were involved in their schools and the relationship with the Council. To add to the presentation, Rev. John Cecil reiterated the good working relationship between the Council and Diocese. He saw the Diocese as supporting their schools and promoting Christian values i.e. love and tolerance, rather than converting. Members of the Clergy would visit their schools frequently to offer support and guidance to staff and pupils. Councillor Howlett noted that he would often meet with clergy members at St. Aiden’s School, and he suggested that the School Scrutiny Panel consider visiting a faith school soon. Regarding faith schools, Councillor Adams queried if parents were still interested in placing their children in faith schools. He also questioned if the placements were affected by geography and catchment areas. In response, the Director of Education said that it was mixed as some faith schools were oversubscribed but there was a lot of movement to schools because of tradition. For example, parents would drive further distances to place their children in specific schools, like faith schools, because the parents went to a faith school. To add to this, Rev. John Cecil noted that parents would place their children in faith schools because of the ethos. Some faith schools had a good reputation with providing ALN education too. Regarding disadvantaged families, Councillor Adams questioned whether any support was provided to parents wanting to place their children in secondary faith schools. [Councillor Viv Stoddart left the meeting at this juncture at 14:06] In response to this, Rev. John Cecil said there was no formal financial assistance from the Diocese but with issues like transport, families would often carpool together. Councillor Price reiterated that the community at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi was very strong, and they would always help and support each other. After a pupil at the school passed away, the Diocese provided a lot of support to the school The Recommendation was Moved by Councillor David Howlett; Seconded by Councillor Alistair Cameron. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the report be noted.
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