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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED – That, subject to the aforementioned, the work programme set out in report COGC/05/25s be agreed.
AGREED – (i) That the young people who attended today’s meeting from Senedd yr Ifanc and Ysgol y Grango Youth Council be thanked for their invaluable contribution. (ii) That the Chair write to the Head of Ysgol Grango commending the School Council pupils in attendance at today’s Committee meeting for their engagement and eloquence. (iii) That Youth Workers be thanked for their extremely positive role in supporting young people prior to and during the meeting. (iv) That an evaluation of the results of the Senedd yr Ifanc questionnaire in respect of the cost of living be shared with Committee when available. (v) That the next report focus on social media, the responsible use of mobile phones, bullying, physical activity and an update on Primary School data and how that would be monitored. (vi) That consideration be given to the co-ordination of the well-being agenda linking council committees and the work of Senedd yr Ifanc / Youth Councils.
Correction to Minutes – Councillor Jerry Wellens was present at this meeting as a committee member following the appointment made at Council on 18 December 2024. AGREED – That, subject to the aforementioned correction, the Minutes of the Meeting held on 19 December 2024 be signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – That, subject to the aforementioned, the work programme set out in report COGC/05/25s be agreed.
The Chief Officer Governance and Customer submitted a report (COGC/05/25s) to consider the work programme of the Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee attached at Appendix 1. Members considered the report and in debate referred to the following matters: · Welsh in Education Strategic Plan – requested that this item be submitted to the Committee prior to Executive Board for pre-decision scrutiny. · 2024/25 Revenue Budget – requested that an information report be circulated to Committee members in respect of early pressures in the service. · Requested that the School Improvement Monitoring Group meeting be brought forward. AGREED – That, subject to the aforementioned, the work programme set out in report COGC/05/25s be agreed.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – (i) That the young people who attended today’s meeting from Senedd yr Ifanc and Ysgol y Grango Youth Council be thanked for their invaluable contribution. (ii) That the Chair write to the Head of Ysgol Grango commending the School Council pupils in attendance at today’s Committee meeting for their engagement and eloquence. (iii) That Youth Workers be thanked for their extremely positive role in supporting young people prior to and during the meeting. (iv) That an evaluation of the results of the Senedd yr Ifanc questionnaire in respect of the cost of living be shared with Committee when available. (v) That the next report focus on social media, the responsible use of mobile phones, bullying, physical activity and an update on Primary School data and how that would be monitored. (vi) That consideration be given to the co-ordination of the well-being agenda linking council committees and the work of Senedd yr Ifanc / Youth Councils.
The Lead Member for Education submitted a report (COEEI/01/25s) to consider an evaluation of impact of the support for pupil well-being. It was noted that any emerging trends, responses and opportunities to integrate findings into the Curriculum for Wales. The Health and Well-being Manager introduced the report highlighting the key findings from the 2024 SHRN survey and the ways that this data was informing interventions in the curriculum. Members were advised that whilst this report focussed on Secondary school data, Primary schools were now being invited to take part in the SHRN survey. The Chair welcomed to the meeting the Chair and Vice-Chair of Senedd yr Ifanc and members of the School Council at Ysgol y Grango. The Chair and Vice-Chair of Senedd yr Ifanc gave a detailed presentation to the Committee outlining their contribution to the work of CAMHS, collaborative working with BCUHB and on-going work in respect of the impact of the cost of living crisis. Members of the School Council were invited to address the Committee to share their insights and experiences in respect of pupil well-being. During the discussion with pupils the following matters were highlighted: · Requested that the findings of the work undertaken by Senedd yr Ifanc in respect of CAMHS and the cost of living crisis be shared with the Committee and Education Officers. · Social Media and links to bullying. A discussion ensued regarding support, school mobile phone policies and the positive and negative benefits of pupils having access to a mobile phone in school. · Noted that cyber bullying was an increasing trend nationally. A significant amount of multi-agency work was being undertaken with Wrexham schools in this regard. · Pupil’s views on the support provided by schools in respect of instances of bullying. Some pupils felt that more could be done. · The need for co-ordinated support between schools, parents and, where required, the police. · The COEEI confirmed that schools worked very hard to try to support pupils in Wrexham within educational constraints, but reminded the Committee of the wider social responsibility in relation to social media. · The importance of educating young people on the responsible use of digital technology. · Transport and the barrier to post 16 education. · Support for mental health issues. · Engagement with the work of the Council and Committees. Consideration to be given to the way that the Committee could support the co-ordination of the work of Senedd yr Ifanc. On behalf of the Committee the Chair thanked the pupils for their contribution to the Committee. The COEEI commented that they were a credit to their school and its leadership. Members asked questions of the Officers and Lead Member in respect of the report. In the ensuing debate the following points were raised: · Recognition that trauma can manifest in different ways and the importance of the right intervention delivered by the most appropriate service. · The role of partner services. · Recognition of the increasing pressure on schools to deliver support which may be more appropriately delivered by a professional. · Estyn inspection reports recognised that well-being support for pupils across Wrexham schools was positive. · The pressure on waiting lists for CAMHS services. · The introduction of Primary school SHRN data was welcomed. · Resourcing for well-being support programmes. · Concern regarding the level of young people engaging in physical activity. The officer outlined the localised approach being undertaken to address low participation rates in some communities. AGREED – (i) That the young people who attended today’s meeting from Senedd yr Ifanc and Ysgol y Grango Youth Council be thanked for their invaluable contribution. (ii) That the Chair write to the Head of Ysgol Grango commending the School Council pupils in attendance at today’s Committee meeting for their engagement and eloquence. (iii) That Youth Workers be thanked for their extremely positive role in supporting young people prior to and during the meeting. (iv) That an evaluation of the results of the Senedd yr Ifanc questionnaire in respect of the cost of living be shared with Committee when available. (v) That the next report focus on social media, the responsible use of mobile phones, bullying, physical activity and an update on Primary School data and how that would be monitored. (vi) That consideration be given to the co-ordination of the well-being agenda linking council committees and the work of Senedd yr Ifanc / Youth Councils.
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