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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.
1.1 Apologies were received from Councillor Caroline Price.
2.1 Members made the following declarations of interest: · Councillor Liam Cowles declared a personal interest in agenda item 5 as he was a governor at Abersychan School and Blaenavon Heritage VC Primary School. · Councillor Janet Jones declared a personal interest in agenda item 5 as she was a governor at Blaenavon Heritage VC Primary School. · Councillor Colette Thomas declared a personal interest in agenda item 5 as her relative worked at Abersychan School, her grandson attended Cwmbran High School and she was a governor at Nant Celyn Primary School. · Councillor Jayne Watkins declared a personal interest in agenda item 5 as she was a governor at Our Lady of the Angels RC Primary School. · Councillor Lucy Williams declared a personal interest in agenda item 5 as she was a governor at Pontnewydd Primary School and Woodlands Community Primary School. · Victoria Horlor declared a personal interest in agenda item 5 as she was a governor at Ysgol Panteg. 2.2 The CLO left the meeting.
3.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 5th October 2022 were confirmed as an accurate record.
4.1 Members of the Committee confirmed that they had received the document referred to in the final action within the action sheet, and therefore this could be removed from future versions of the action sheet. 4.2 The Committee noted the action sheet.
5.1 The CM presented the Not In Miss Out (NIMO) campaign, including the social media video and outlined the background, objectives, audience, strategy, implementation and design. 5.2 The CM confirmed that the video had been sent to all schools to use; however it was hoped that schools would also create their own videos with support and encouragement from the Corporate Communications Team. 5.3 The Chair praised the campaign and believed that the video was snappy and the correct length in order to keep people engaged. 5.4 The DDoE outlined the report and explained the duties and responsibilities of the AHoEL, who had been recently appointed. The DDoE made the following main points: · Pupil attendance was an issue across the region, not just within Torfaen; however the NIMO campaign and the fact that better data was already available regarding individual schools were positive. · Deeper analysis was required around formal recording of absence and Welsh Government (WG) guidance was complicated in this area. · Term-time holidays and emotive-based non-attendance due to such things as the COVID-19 pandemic were some of the main factors behind pupil non-attendance. · He reassured members of the Committee that this area was a significant priority for the Education department and the wider Council. 5.5 Following Members’ questions and comments, the DDoE and AHoEL made the following main points: • The main factors for pupil absence in schools were illness (including bugs and COVID-19), emotive-based non-attendance and holidays. With regards to holidays, the Local Authority (LA) would like to re-introduce Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) as a tool to be used at the discretion of individual schools, although it would not be used as a blanket tool. The LA did not want to reach the point of using FPNs; however the wellbeing and education of pupils were a priority for schools and the LA. • The LA had the data and tracking systems to spot trends around lower attendance rates and high persistent absentee rates, and the LA could then deploy more support to those schools. • The LA had never issued an FPN; however it was building a system in order for schools to be able to request it. Often, the warning notice of a possible FPN had the desired impact around improving attendance. Governing bodies would need to consider their individual school’s position around the use of FPNs; however the LA suggested that cluster approaches would provide consistency for parents and guardians, as pupils moved from primary school to secondary school. The position would need to be communicated appropriately with parents and guardians. • The South East Wales consortium had agreed a protocol which included FPNs, and the LA hoped to adopt the strategy in order to provide consistency across the region. • A small element of FPNs would be retained by the LA to cover administrative costs and the remaining money would go to WG. • Truancy sweeps were held in some local authority areas; however they were not in place in Torfaen, due to resource issues at LA and police level. Future use of truancy sweeps could be explored, as could other multi agency approaches. It was important for schools and the community to share intelligence and work together and escalate any concerns appropriately. • Enough capacity existed within the Education Welfare Service in order to manage attendance issues; however it was important that schools understood the process and used systems effectively. Multi agency approaches, such as ‘team around the family’ were important in order to avoid duplication of efforts. • Persistent absence was defined as attendance below 80% and this could involve authorised and/or unauthorised absence. Whatever the reasons for absence, the LA and schools wanted to work with pupils and families in order to return pupils to education, which could involve hybrid learning in a variety of settings. • It was the role of Education Welfare Officers (EWOs), school attendance clerks and pastoral leads to identify the barriers stopping pupils returning to education and to work through a suite of solutions. There was no single solution to the issue; however activities to look forward to and rewards were often good incentives. • With regards to bereavement issues, this would be covered within the attendance strategy and schools should make contact with families and monitor the situation. • All schools should follow the WG guidance around pupil attendance, which included a list of authorised and unauthorised absence codes to be used when recording attendance. The system would then trigger if any support was required. WG was currently updating the guidance; however the principles would remain the same and it was important for the LA and schools to be proactive in this area. • It was important to focus on the range of positive factors in order to encourage pupils to return to education, such as the new curriculum for Wales, Free School Meals (FSM) rollout and the fact that schools were warm, safe and nurturing environments. • The number of children being educated at home within Torfaen had risen from 113 to 193 in recent years, with 53 new requests within the previous year alone. Safeguarding risks existed with some of these children, as they had never attended school and had made no contact with the LA or schools. • The LA recognised that traveller pupils may have lower rates of attendance, due to their culture, and the WG guidance included a specific absence code around this. • Preventative work was vital around pupil absenteeism, as it was hoped that support would be in place prior to thresholds being reached. One of the case studies within the report highlighted how co-ordinated support avoided families becoming confused, and it was also vital that they had a trusted voice throughout the process. • The previous pupil attendance campaign, called ‘Strive for 95’ had been successful, so it was important to retain elements of the campaign within the new NIMO campaign. In June 2022 Estyn recognised that attendance in Torfaen was good in light of the socio-economic position of the area. Persistent absenteeism was higher in Torfaen than in other local authority areas, therefore this area required focussed support. • WG guidance outlined what schools could and could not class as authorised absence, particularly around such things as sport; however interpretation could differ. Cluster approaches would help provide consistency to parents and guardians and this was supported by recent comments from the WG’s Minister for Education. • Cluster work within Torfaen was variable. Some clusters were collaborating really well, whereas others required improvements. • The absence codes within the WG guidance were complicated and included a lot of options, which provided a challenge around consistency. The LA tracked the use of codes on a monthly basis and explored any anomalies that were identified. • It was very difficult to capture the attendance of young carers, as some did not identify themselves as young carers. This was an area of development, and the LA was in the process of establishing an Attendance and Wellbeing Forum in order to share good practice across schools, which would include work around young carers. • Officers recognised the knowledge and experience of members of the Committee and would welcome the Committee’s contributions to the attendance strategy prior to Cabinet considering it. • The Education Welfare Service had put together a suite of materials and resources, which specifically mapped out support services available to schools and families. • Bullying was a factor for some pupil absenteeism and significant anti-bullying work was being carried out at present, involving staff from both the LA and schools. It was important that schools recorded information around bullying appropriately, and it was possible that some schools were not doing this as they feared it would reflect badly on them; however the LA stressed that this was not the case. • The Modified Day Policy was followed in order to reintegrate pupils who had been absent for a significant amount of time. Schools worked with the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Team in order to ascertain a clear trajectory and expectations for pupils. The LA aimed to get pupils back into education on a full-time basis, even if that was not in school. • Headteachers had been fully engaged around pupil attendance, with frank and robust conversations taking place during the headteachers’ conference in July 2022. The strategy was co-constructed, and the working group included representatives from several primary and secondary schools, as well as the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU). It was important for the LA to be visible and responsive, and the DDoE and AHoEL confirmed that they had recently visited schools, which included discussions with headteachers and staff around attendance. • EWOs worked with individual families regarding their specific needs around attendance. Engagement was good, as was general feedback from families who welcomed the support and outreach work. The independence of EWOs was a powerful tool and could have an immediate effect. • Soft intelligence highlighted the success stories regarding the support provided to schools and young people; however the LA was in the process of developing an evaluative framework in order to measure success, which would align to the local government inspection framework. This framework would be used to measure against all team plans within the service area. • Adequate resources existed within schools in order to deal with attendance, which was a statutory responsibility they had to manage effectively. The responsibility lay with individual schools; however multi agency support was available to them. • Officers outlined the current process for liaising with parents regarding low attendance and stressed that the relationship between schools and EWOs was vital; hence the need for the LA to be present in schools. Feedback from schools had been really positive since September 2022. • Better tracking was now in place regarding absence codes and the EWO could identify and flag up issues around large-scale illness at particular schools, if the school had not already raised it with the LA. • Rewards for good attendance were still commonplace within schools and it was important to focus on improving the current attendance rates before setting a specific target, such as the ‘Strive for 95’ campaign. 5.6 In addition to the above, the CM made the following main points: · The Corporate Communications Team had suggested how schools could run the NIMO campaign; however individual schools understood their communities and demographics and were therefore best placed to tailor the campaign to suit them. · The branding supplied by the Corporate Communications Team would provide consistency for the campaign, and communications officers had offered their support to schools. Should letters be used by schools regarding the campaign, the use of consistent key messages had been suggested by the Corporate Communications Team. · The campaign highlighted the positive effects of attending school and was aimed at pupils who had got out of the habit of going to school. · The Corporate Communications Team had suggested certificates for the most improved attendance and had moved away from specific targets such as those under the previous ‘Strive for 95’ campaign. 5.7 Members commented that the case studies within the report were very useful and provided balance between qualitative and quantitative data. Officers were pleased with the comments above as the intention was to bring the subject to life within the report and highlight the need to look beyond the data. 5.8 The Chair thanked the DDoE, AHoEL and CM for their contributions to the meeting and they left the meeting. 5.9 On completion of their scrutiny activity, the Committee concluded by offering the following comments and recommendations for consideration: Recommendation 1 – Attendance monitoring to be strengthened to capture and support those pupils who are persistently absent / have low attendance, particularly: • Those pupils who are young carers and have caring responsibilities • Those pupils who are absent as a result of bullying related incidences Recommendation 2 – Members are concerned that WG’s guidance on attendance coding is very complicated. Members therefore requested that the Executive Member for Education raise the Committee’s concerns with the appropriate Minister within WG, requesting that schools receive additional support / clarification to ensure compliance and simplicity of recording and reporting of attendance. Recommendation 3 – Members welcomed consultation and sharing of the attendance strategy, once completed and requested that this item to be included within their work programme for 2023/24. As part of this item, Members requested to be provided with updates on: • Attendance figures, to determine whether improvements have been made, particularly with regards to schools with deprived demographics • Impact of Cluster Group working among schools and whether any best practice has been identified and replicated Recommendation 4 – Members appreciated that schools may have differing priorities within their attendance strategies, but they did however feel there should be consistency among recording and reporting of authorised and unauthorised absence and bullying incidences throughout. Members therefore requested, clear and consistent systems and processes are applied, throughout all of our schools. Recommendation 5 – Members expressed their concern over the increase in the number of children being educated from home, in comparison to previous years. Members requested that this be monitored closely and to ensure the relevant agencies are informed and working together to safeguard these children.
6.1 The SCI&SO presented the report and invited members to review the information contained in the appendices to the report and agree an item for scrutiny at the next meeting. 6.2 The SCI&SO explained that Additional Learning Needs – Post Inspection Action Plan, Estyn Recommendation 4 would be considered by Cabinet before its planned scrutiny date of 16 March 2023, and as a result the Committee agreed to scrutinise it at their next meeting on 2 February 2023. School Improvement – Post Inspection Action Plan, Estyn Recommendation 1 would be scrutinised on 16 March 2023.
7.1 The date of the next meeting was noted. 7.2 The meeting ended at 11.45am.
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