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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 Cowles. 1.2 The Chair welcomed Officers to the meeting and gave special thanks to Carreg Lam for hosting a visit for committee members.
2.1 Councillor Jones declared a personal interest in agenda item 5 due to being a governor at Blaenavon Heritage VC primary school. Victoria Horlor declared a personal interest in agenda item 5 due to being a governor at Ysgol Panteg.
3.1 The Committee noted the action sheet.
4.1 The DoE gave a brief introduction to the report, highlighting the following areas: • The Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) is a ten-year plan that was put in place in September 2022. The strategic plan was supported by a 5-year action plan that was delivered and monitored by a multi-agency forum known as the Torfaen Welsh Education Forum (WEF). • The five-year action plan was deemed to be on track with the opening of Carreg Lam and Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw now operating as both primary and secondary education provision. 4.2 Following Members’ questions and comments, the following main points were made: • E&IO – There had been informal positive feedback from Welsh Government which celebrated both the immersion centre and Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw. • DoE – There were no obvious gaps noted within the Welsh Education Forum, but it was noted that the most focus was placed on outcome 7, regarding staffing, as this was a national concern. • DoE – The Welsh Education Forum met termly with subgroups held in between each monthly meeting. Within this forum, constructive and challenging discussions were held which was felt to create a supportive atmosphere that was driven by a shared desire to see this plan succeed and improve the uptake of Welsh language. Members had also been invited to take part in these discussions. • EYM – There was a childcare and a wrap-around service offered at Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw and it was thought that this would attract more pupils. It was acknowledged that Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw was a “seedling” school, which indicated that the numbers of those attending Nursery and Reception would continue to grow. • EYM – There had been challenges with recruitment for Welsh-medium childcare roles. Despite securing funding for two courses scheduled to start in September, the “Choices in Childcare” course had not run due to lack of numbers. This was being looked at further and it was hoped these courses could be offered on a regional basis. On the other hand, teaching assistant courses were currently oversubscribed but these were not transferrable. It was hoped that a more creative approach could be undertaken in respect of these job roles, such as adopting a four-day working week. • EYM – There was collaborative expansion work being undertaken with local providers and it was hoped promotion work could be undertaken via health visitors. There would be a look at further provision in the north of the borough as it was noted that these provisions were further apart. In respect of the figures for Flying Start for this year, 175 spaces had been offered, 93 of these spaces had been accepted and 11 of these were through the medium of Welsh. There had been an increase in the uptake of Flying Start this year but it was noted that the plan was in early stages. • EYM- The Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (CSA) was undertaken every five years with an annual update. The full assessment could be seen on the Torfaen website which included a gap analysis report. • EYM – The promotion of Welsh-medium education was a key objective and this work was being undertaken across the borough via subgroups including health, Welsh language officers and the headteachers of Torfaen schools. • DoE – There had been a one-year grant funded LA Communications Officer post that targeted the three schools which had been previously placed in special measures, which included Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw. This new post dedicated at least one day a week for targeted communication and promotion for Welsh-medium education. It was noted that there may be an opportunity to add Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) communication within this role. • DoE – The growth of Welsh-medium education opportunities and the introduction of new provisions indicated a consistent rise in the number of students opting for Welsh-medium education. There had been a drop in student retention between primary and secondary education during the pandemic, however this was being closely monitored and was an area of focus for the EAS. • ER – The new provision at Carreg Lam was expected to enhance Welsh language skills and contribute to better learner retention. It was recognised that retention rates tend to decrease at the KS4/KS5 level because not all vocational courses are consistently available in Welsh-medium education. Close cooperation between schools and the EAS has facilitated the sharing of expertise and resources. There was a new range of qualifications being looked at, designed specifically for Wales and produced within the country. • DoE – Neither the five nor ten-year baseline retention targets would be adjusted as these had been set by Welsh Government. It was emphasised that these targets should not be lowered on account of the lower retention figures during the pandemic as it was felt Torfaen Welsh-medium schools were robust and would be able to meet these targets. • DoE – It was unclear why there had been an increase seen for Welsh-medium 6th form in 2021 and it was felt that this was due to the specific pupil cohort for that year. • DoE – The model in which Carreg Lam was currently operating was the best available for the grant currently in place. There was consideration surrounding offering this support to older age groups but ensuring there was comprehensive immersion available for primary level education was required in the first instance, before possibly extending this. • DoE – The transportation to Carreg Lam was provided by the Local Authority budget rather than being provided by Welsh Government. The Welsh Government grant that had been provided for the operation of Carreg Lam was due to stay in place for 3 years, but it was anticipated that this would be renewed. • DoE – There was space for twelve learners at Carreg Lam currently with the opportunity to extend based on the effectiveness of the model. It was hoped that one term provision at Carreg Lam would allow learners to proceed to Welsh-medium mainstream education, therefore there could be a maximum of 40 learners a year attending this provision. • ER – Siarter Iaith was a positive national initiative which was designed to promote and support the use of Welsh. This had been relaunched to include secondary education. There had been two English-medium schools that had received Siarter Iaith bronze awards recently, with more English-medium schools joining the program. • HoALNI&W – It was fortunate that there was a Welsh language Educational Psychologist as there was a shortage of educational psychologists nationally. There are many pressures facing the Additional Learning Needs sector but this had been exacerbated in Welsh-medium as it was difficult to hire additional support roles such as Learning Support A[TGR1] ssistants. This was under constant review as there weren’t currently any specialist provisions in Torfaen through the medium of Welsh. There had been a specialist resource built in a new Welsh-medium school in Caerphilly but due to the low instances of ALN within Welsh-medium schools it had never opened. There was previously an allocated budget for a Welsh-medium support worker position in Torfaen, but it could not be filled. • ER – There was a Welsh sabbatical scheme being offered to teachers in English-medium schools to allow them to upskill and provide them with the knowledge to teach Welsh through English medium. Due to this collaboration there was a teaching staff member that was able to spend two terms in a Welsh-medium school. • E&IO – There were plans to expand the learning provided by undergraduate workshops. This was a recent project by schools but it was hoped that this would continue. • DoE – There had been conversations held surrounding using alumni to promote careers and learner aspirations. • E&IO– There was regional data available regarding the Welsh skills of teachers which would be shared with the committee after the meeting. • ER – Staff Welsh skills were assessed against a national proficiency framework. • DoE – Staffing levels in Welsh-medium education were a national issue which was being looked at by a national working group. There were local career opportunities and correct advice was provided to prospective teachers. • ER – There were projects being undertaken which would offer young people professional learning, mentoring and coaching. This had been successful so far. • DoE – In order to address the staffing crisis, Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw had adopted a new model in which unqualified staff were hired and given the opportunity to work whilst undertaking a professional qualification. • EYM – There was work being undertaken with key partners to develop and evolve an online platform that would promote Welsh-medium childcare. • DoE – The current progress made in this year had been in line with the ten-year targets set by Welsh Government. The staffing issues were thought to be the biggest risk to these targets. • DoE – English-medium schools contributed towards the 2050 target of having 1 million Welsh speakers in Wales. Whilst there had been a nationwide concern regarding the availability of Welsh language staff, this had not been identified as a recommendation in Torfaen schools and it was felt that there was a suitable level of Welsh teaching within English-medium schools. 4.3 The Chair thanked the officers for their contributions to the meeting and they left the meeting. Recommendations: On completion of their scrutiny activity, the Committee concluded by offering the following comments and recommendations for consideration: Recommendation 1 – Members recommended that a communications strategy be in place within the WESP, involving all stakeholders, in order to have a co-ordinated approach to celebrating achievements, raising the profile of Welsh-medium education and promoting Welsh-medium employment, particularly within the education sector. Recommendation 2 – Members recommended ongoing monitoring of the risks associated with recruitment and retention of Welsh-speaking staff within schools. Members commented that grant-funded posts may deter applicants who are looking for stability regarding their employment. Recommendation 3 – Members recommended that officers explore the possibility of a regional Welsh-medium ALN provision in order to address the combined need across the region. Recommendation 4 – Members were pleased to hear that it was the Local Authority’s intention to continue funding transport costs associated with Carreg Lam, as this was crucial in terms of the numbers able to attend the provision. Members recommended that this budget commitment be formalised. Recommendation 5 – With regards to the national targets within the Cymraeg 2050 initiative, Members felt that categorisation of Welsh language skills would be required in order to fully understand the number of people able to enjoy speaking and using Welsh, which may not be reflected via the results of the Census 2021 for example. Members therefore requested that the Executive Member for Education and the Executive Member Corporate Governance & Performance raise the Committee’s concerns with the appropriate Minister within Welsh Government. [TGR1]Is that Learning Support Assistant? I'd put it in full in the first instance
6.1 The 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 Committee agreed to scrutinise “Educated Other Than At School” and noted that this was an important topic to scrutinise.
7.1 The date of the next meeting was noted. 7.2 The meeting ended at 11:28.
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