Agenda and minutes

None.

The Chairman stated that this was the last meeting for Mrs Meinir Ebbsworth as she was leaving her post as the Corporate Lead Officer Schools. All Members and the Cabinet Member thanked her for her work and commitment in improving education in the County since her appointed six years ago especially during the pandemic, and wished her well for the future. In response, she also thanked Councillors, Staff and teachers for their work, commitment and support as the Corporate Lead Officer Schools.

None.

Consideration was given to the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan 2022-32 - Action Plan. In accordance with section 84 of the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 every Local Authority in Wales was expected to submit a Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) to the Welsh Government. The plan drawn up complies with the Welsh Government Welsh in Education Strategic Plans regulations 2019; the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan was adopted by Ceredigion Council Cabinet on 22nd February 2022. The plan was approved by the Welsh Government on 20 July 2022.

It was strategically planned for the following areas to develop and strengthen

the Welsh language:

Outcome 1: More nursery children/three year olds educated through the medium of Welsh

Outcome 2: More reception class children/five year olds educated through the medium of Welsh

            Outcome 3: More children continue to improve their Welsh language skills when transferring from one stage of their statutory education to another

Outcome 4: More learners study for assessed qualifications in Welsh (as a

subject) and subjects through the medium of Welsh

Outcome 5: More opportunities for learners to use Welsh in different contexts in school

Outcome 6: An increase in the provision of Welsh-medium education for    pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) (in accordance with the duties

imposed by the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales)   Act 2018)

Outcome 7: An increase in the number of teaching staff able to teach Welsh (as a subject) and teach through the medium of Welsh

Following its approval under section 85(7) of the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 local authorities must take all reasonable steps to implement their WESP and prepare an action plan which would be monitored annually in the form of a review report. The Action Plan sets out the Local Authority’s position in 2022 in these areas and explains the aim in 5 years and how this is achieved. Additionally, the aims for the end of the Plan’s life in a decade were set out. The Action Plan presented specifies a 5-year overview of the procedures, and there was a more detailed operational plan for the first two years noting the responsibilities of specific staff to fulfil the necessary actions.

The draft action plan was submitted to the Government on 23 December 2022. Confirmation was received on 28 February 2023 stating that the actions and timetable are clear and appropriate. The comments received have been incorporated into the action plan presented. The Welsh Government considers the action plan to be a live, flexible document that would need to be amended along the way according to local needs and developments. The action plan would be monitored every term by the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan Forum and sub-committees as necessary.

One of the steps set out in the Action Plan was to start the consultation process for changing the language medium in the Foundation Phase of five schools in the county. In order to ensure consistency in the admission age  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

In November 2018, the Welsh Government updated its statutory code in terms of school organisation and introduced a presumption against closure clause for rural schools.  The definition of a rural school has been determined by the Welsh Government using the rural and urban categories of the Office for National Statistics, and as a result, 28 schools in Ceredigion have been defined as rural schools.

Following the Cabinet's decision on 15 September 2021, the School Review Policy was abolished and the handbook was adopted to match the Welsh Government's School Organisation Code. A workshop was held to present the handbook.With the Education Development Document up to 2020 having come to an end, it is timely to present a document that outlines the principles of the service for the future.

Currently, the statutory code requires Local Authorities to follow a series of more detailed procedures and requirements when drawing up a proposal to close a visible school, when consulting on that proposal, and when deciding whether the proposal to close a rural school should be implemented.

Before deciding whether to proceed with a consultation, a proposal paper must be prepared and submitted to the Learning Communities Work Stream.  Following the meeting of the Scrutiny Work Stream, the proposal paper is submitted to the Cabinet to consider whether to:

a)Approve the proposal and proceed to conduct a statutory consultation

b)Reject the proposal

c)Offer an alternative option

The proposal paper would then be presented to the Learning Communities Scrutiny Committee before holding a Statutory Consultation.

Any decision will be based on the Principles in Appendix A together with the requirements of the School Organisation Code (https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2018-10/school-organisation-code-second-edition.pdf)

Following questions from the floor, it was AGREED to

(i)recommend that the Cabinet approve the Sustainable infrastructure Principles Document for education; and

(ii)confirm the membership of the cross-party work stream which would discuss any proposal papers brought forward in accordance with the School Organisation Handbook

The Chairman welcomed to the meeting Ms Catrin Petche, Team Leader

           Education Inclusion Service who provided Members with a power point

           presentation on Elective Home Education. The following information was

           outlined:-

·       Legal Background

·       Number of pupils who were Elective Home Educated

·       Illustration of Ceredigion

·       Home visits completed in the last 12 months

·       Number of pupils who have become home educated

·       Number of children who had returned to school

·       Duties

·       School Attendance Orders

·       Safeguarding

·       Working with Parents

 Following questions from the floor, it was AGREED to note:-

 (i) the current numbers of home educated children in Ceredigion; and

 (ii) how Schools Services were reviewing the provision of home educated children

The Chairman welcomed to the meeting Mrs Laurie Hughes, Wellbeing Advisory

Teacher to provide information on the recent changes to Sex Education and the

introduction of RSE in Curriculum for Wales(CfW). This was to ensure that as a

Local Authority (LA) they had suitable RSE policy that could be adopted and

adapted by schools to support them in embedding the new curriculum and

provide support, information, consistency and clarity. She presented the following

information in her power point presentation:-

• Background
• What is RESE?
• Policy Content
• Current Situation
• Support to Schools

  It was AGREED:-

(i)to adopt the contents of the Ceredigion RSE policy; and

(ii) that any comments proposed by the Welsh Government were included as amendments to the RSE

It was AGREED to note the minutes as presented.

It was AGREED to note the work of the workstreams as presented.

It was AGREED to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the previous meeting of the committee.

It was AGREED to note the draft Forward Work Programme as presented subject to the following:-

(i) that the report on the post 16 education in the County and the Mid Wales Business plan and memorandum of understanding would be presented at the June meeting; and

(ii) that Estyn reports on recent inspections would be presented at the July meeting