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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 be agreed.
AGREED – (i) That the Lead Member and Officers be thanked for the report. (ii) That an evaluation of the Synergy MIS system be submitted to a future meeting following it’s review in the Autumn. (iii) That the next report in respect of Transition include: - Case Studies to demonstrate the type of intervention work being undertaken - Information in respect of success measures that could be used by the Committee to provide assurance regarding the effectiveness of interventions (iv) That Committee members liaise directly with the Scrutiny Facilitator in respect of any additional requests for information to be included in the next report. (v) That a Topic Selection Form be submitted in respect of the Trochi project.
Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillor Beryl Blackmore and Co-opted Member, Sian Hatton-Jones.
AGREED – That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 29 January 2025 be signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – That, subject to the aforementioned, the work programme be agreed.
The Chief Officer Governance & Customer submitted a report (COGC/12/25s) to consider the work programme of the Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee. Presenting the report the Scrutiny Facilitator informed Members of the following: · Letters of thanks had been circulated following last month’s meeting attended by pupils from Senedd yr Ifanc and Ysgol y Grango School Council · Responses received to the letters previously sent to BCUHB regarding waiting times and to the Education Minister regarding ALN had been shared with Committee members. Concern was expressed regarding waiting times and it was agreed that consideration be given by the Chair and Vice-chair how to proceed with this topic. · Change to the Committee’s work programme – Education Capital Estate report moved to the June meeting. Requested that officers send out further information regarding the reasons for deferment. · The next School Improvement Monitoring Group meeting to be held on 30 April 2025. AGREED – That, subject to the aforementioned, the work programme be agreed.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – (i) That the Lead Member and Officers be thanked for the report. (ii) That an evaluation of the Synergy MIS system be submitted to a future meeting following it’s review in the Autumn. (iii) That the next report in respect of Transition include: - Case Studies to demonstrate the type of intervention work being undertaken - Information in respect of success measures that could be used by the Committee to provide assurance regarding the effectiveness of interventions (iv) That Committee members liaise directly with the Scrutiny Facilitator in respect of any additional requests for information to be included in the next report. (v) That a Topic Selection Form be submitted in respect of the Trochi project.
The Lead Member for Education submitted a report (COEEI/05/25s) to consider a progress update on the transition arrangements in schools with a focus on Children who are Looked-After (CLA) and an update on the ISP (Information Sharing Protocol), as agreed at the meeting held 9 November 2023. Members considered the report and asked questions of the Lead Member and Officers present regarding the support provided by the department for children with ALN and vulnerable groups, mainstream transition and young people making the transition from statutory education to post 16 education. During debate the following matters in particular were highlighted: · Strong relationships between the department, schools and clusters. · The new Synergy MIS system to streamline the transition of data from Primary to Secondary. Transition data would be centralised and enable focussed tracking and monitoring of learners. This would ensure the sharing of appropriate and useful information to ensure that children are supported appropriately on transition. The new process would reduce the workload of schools. An evaluation of the system would be undertaken in the Autumn. Requested that a report back in this regard be provided. · Transition meetings between Primary and Secondary school staff would continue to be held to ensure that the needs of the individual learners can be met. · The Trochi project which enabled pupils to transition from an English medium school to a Welsh medium school. Suggested that the Trochi project could be included as a future topic for the work programme. · Identifying measures of success so that the committee can be assured that the intervention and support provided was effective. Requested that more information in this regard be included in future reports. The COEEI suggested that case studies be provided to demonstrate the work being undertaken. · Noted that during the transition year leading up to the cessation of the regional consortium there had been less support in terms of professional learning however the foundations laid in the previous year in respect of transition planning had continued to be progressed by schools. · Funding would be used by the LA going forward to support school to school collaboration and the improvement agenda in place of the work of GwE. · CLA transition support and examples of work undertaken by CLA teaching assistants in providing personalised emotional and academic support, helping to cope with anxiety and build confidence during transitions. · The work of the Youth Work in Education Team in supporting vulnerable learners. · Access to school transport barriers. · Out of county transition. Noted that at present MIS data was not shared with other local authorities but this could be investigated in the future. · The information sharing protocol between the LA and Coleg Cambria which enabled targeted support for vulnerable learners entering post 16 education. · Noted that due to the low level of pupils involved in out of county transition post 16 which was effectively managed on a school to school basis. · Local authority budget pressures and the resultant tighter financial constraints on schools which could impact on the quality and scope of transition activities. The importance of protecting the Education and Enrichment department budget was highlighted in supporting school improvement. AGREED – (i) That the Lead Member and Officers be thanked for the report. (ii) That an evaluation of the Synergy MIS system be submitted to a future meeting following it’s review in the Autumn. (iii) That the next report in respect of Transition include: - Case Studies to demonstrate the type of intervention work being undertaken - Information in respect of success measures that could be used by the Committee to provide assurance regarding the effectiveness of interventions (iv) That Committee members liaise directly with the Scrutiny Facilitator in respect of any additional requests for information to be included in the next report. (v) That a Topic Selection Form be submitted in respect of the Trochi project.
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