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There is no summary of this meeting yet. Summaries are written once the council publishes the minutes, which are its official record of what a meeting decided. They usually appear a few weeks after the meeting.
Apologies for absence were received from County Councillors, S McNicholas, C Robinson, C Masefield, K Lewis, R Devlin, C Kenyon Wade.
There were no Declarations of Interest from Members relating to items to be considered on the agenda.
The Committee did not receive any disclosures of prohibited party whips which a Member has been given in relation to the meeting in accordance with Section 78(3) of the Local Government Measure 2011.
Reports and appendices received as follows: Scrutiny Report - Revision to the Home to school Transport Policy Appendix A – Home to School Transport Policy Appendix B – Consultation Report Appendix C – Impact Assessment Points raised by the Panel: Responses received from Officers or Cabinet Members. What were the key changes to the wording in both the admissions policy and the transport policy. The admission policy would be updated once approval has been provided to the transport policy. The wording in the current policy referred to nearest suitable or catchment school this was found to be confusing and changed to catchment school. It was asked why the two policies would not be aligned immediately. The monitoring officer explained that a recommendation could be made to Cabinet if needed. Were we confident that the suggested changes were still in compliance with the Learner Travel Wales Measure 2008, which was legally binding and requires the provision of safe and suitable transport to the nearest suitable school? The act was very clear on this matter. Has there been a ministerial statement following this legislation? Suitability was decided in compliance with the guidance, with the Local Authority (LA) determining which school is nearest. The LA can choose which school was nearest, following statutory guidance. Catchment areas are very important. Was it clear that there was free transport to the nearest school, including schools in England? The policy has the right to designate the nearest school. Moving from the nearest suitable school, has the right to travel been withdrawn. There was an argument for the Llanbister wide catchment area, which included the nearest school for learners to Llanidloes, Newtown, and Ysgol Calon Cymru. Estyn inspections were critical of transition arrangements, which split small year groups, therefore stitching the primaries together had improved the system. In regard to the area noted in the North of Powys, if the nearest school was in England, Officers would refer review that matter. It was noted that an appeals mechanism was in place. The school catchment areas had been consulted upon and agreed. Members understood the drive to link primary schools to high schools, however parents may feel they know what is best for their child and may have concern at having to address issues via an appeals process. Powys provides transport to the nearest suitable school based on the catchment area. The process followed catchment maps, and a consultation had been completed. Powys would align the school transport policy with catchment maps. There was merit in the admissions and transport policies being introduced simultaneously, providing parents with their first introduction to the school system. There was support for delaying this implementation until post 2025. In October 2022, the current review was unanimously approved to deliver greater clarity on entitlements and supporting greater parental choice. Where the natural flow of the community was in the opposite direction to the catchment school, which school would be deemed the most suitable school for those areas. Whilst the clarification on the provision for Welsh medium education was welcomed. It was asked if the policy did not clearly address English medium education for those who wish to choose it. The emphasis was on Welsh medium, with no detriment based on the language of delivery. Clarification on catchment areas for Welsh medium education and the provision of school transport to English Medium schools was needed. If the catchment school was a Welsh medium school, it was the designated school for everyone in that catchment. Those who do not want to attend the Welsh medium school could choose an English medium school, but transport would not be provided. In Hay-on-Wye for example, there was no Welsh Medium provision, requiring students to pass three schools to access that provision. The purpose of the policy was to support the provision for Welsh Medium language. The Welsh Government had set criteria with the aspiration to increase the number of Welsh speakers. The Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) and the transformation policy aimed to increase the access to Welsh Medium education, providing choice for learners. The policy under section 3.3 regarding journey time needed a clear definition and should be explicitly laid out. There was no definition provided. For mainstream schools, the journey time should not exceed an hour, but for Special Educational Needs (SEN) students, it may be longer. What was the known furthest travel. Brecon to Ystalafera a journey of approximately 35 miles to a High school with dedicated Welsh medium provision. Where faith and language considerations had not been decided, it is unclear whether English and Welsh medium schools were considered, the choice of schools without additional considerations may drive students to schools further away, increasing the carbon footprint. Clarify why a bus transporting Welsh medium learners, passed a dual stream school, where the policy states transport to the nearest suitable or catchment school. The bus passed a dual language school to reach a designated school where nearly all subjects are offered in Welsh. Ystalafera was a more advanced and suitable provision for learners needs. This policy did not differentiate between dual stream or Welsh Medium (WM) designated provision. With the introduction of a new Welsh Education Bill, statutory categories for schools by language would clearer, and the transport policy updated accordingly. Parents of learners wishing to be taught through the medium of English, have expressed that their right and felt they had been brushed aside e.g., Llanfair Caereinion, English medium learners would have to pay for transport to Welshpool or Newtown High School in the future. Promoting the use of Welsh medium schools should not incur additional transport costs. It was important to review the impact assessment. Could the policy face legal challenges and human rights issues, from learners regardless of language category of medium through which they were taught. The current situation was forcing learners and families to seek other schools. Changes to the Welsh medium element promoted transport for Welsh medium provision to the nearest Welsh medium school. This policy had been operating in Powys since 2020 without any challenges. With changes to secondary schools categorisation, the policy would be updated to reflect the changes. Instances had been reported to Members of virtually empty buses arriving at the destination school with a trail of parents following in cars, if correct the environmental impact was dreadful. In circumstances where the catchment school was refused, parental choice had been exercised and to use a different school. The vacant seat provision would allow for a spare seat if the student was going to the catchment school, but it did not allow for the use of another school bus to a different school. Catchment maps provided need to ensure clarity. Concern raised in the transporting of children to new catchment schools which may involve double transport increasing costs. The change in the school catchment area had implications for younger siblings who may need to attend a different school. Transport from Rhayader to Llandrindod and Builth Wells was provided for Welsh-medium education, while the majority of students travel to Llanidloes for both English-medium and Welsh-medium education. Rhayader had been included in the cluster of Llanidloes High School, giving residents the choice between their nearest secondary school or Llanidloes. The school elected to fall into the Llanidloes catchment due to parental preference. Moving forward, the direction for secondary provision would consider the transitional position of previous pupils and the number of students attending the catchment school. While current arrangements cannot be changed, future plans will phase out the existing system. Recommendation: Joint Scrutiny Committee requested that implementation of the Home to School Transport and Schools Admissions policies be delayed to September 2025, and that the two policies be aligned and launched simultaneously.
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