Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Alan Hughes and from Neil Roberts (Co-opted Member for Education).

The following members declared personal interests in business items 5, 6, 7 and 8:

Councillor Ellie Chard – Local Education Authority (LEA) Governor at Ysgol Tir Morfa and a Town/Community Council Governor at Christchurch School

Councillor Martyn Hogg – Parent Governor at St Asaph VP School

Councillor Carol Holliday – Town/Community Council Governor at both Ysgol Penmorfa and Ysgol Clawdd Offa

Councillor Gareth Sandilands – LEA Governor at Ysgol Clawdd Offa

Councillor Andrea Tomlin – as a close family member was on the teaching staff of one of the county’s secondary schools.  In addition, a personal acquaintance was a member of the Council’s Educational Social Work Team (business item 6).

No items of an urgent nature had been raised with the Chair or the Scrutiny Co-ordinator prior to the commencement of the meeting.

To receive the minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting held on the 18^th July 2024 (copy attached)

The minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 18 July 2024 were submitted.  It was:

Resolved:  that the minutes of the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 18 July 2024 be confirmed as a true and accurate record of the proceedings.

Matters arising:

Pages 11 – 12, ‘Cefndy Year End Report 2023/24’:  members queried if the enterprise had changed its name from Cefndy Enterprises to Cefndy and also whether the visits for county councillors to the manufacturing site had yet been arranged.  The Scrutiny Co-ordinator advised that the enterprise’s name on its website was ‘Cefndy Healthcare and Manufacturing’.  Three potential dates, during November, would shortly be circulated to councillors enabling them to book a visit to the manufacturing site.

To receive a report providing the committee with an update on the progress made to ensure the Local Authority and schools are meeting their statutory requirements under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act, 2018 (copy attached).

10:10am – 10:40am

The Lead Member for Education, Children and Young People, alongside the Head of Education, presented the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Transformation Update September 2024 report (previously circulated).  The report aimed to provide a further update on the progress made to ensure the Local Authority and schools were meeting their statutory requirements under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act, 2018. 

The update focused on the progress in implementing the Welsh Government’s ALN reforms, which were aimed at improving support for children and young people with learning difficulties.  During the past year, Denbighshire’s education team successfully transitioned from the old Special Educational Needs (SEN) system to the new ALN framework. The transition included the introduction of Individual Development Plans (IDPs), which replaced the existing statements of SEN. These IDPs ensured a more personalised approach to supporting learners, aligning with the new legislative requirements outlined in the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018.

Officers reported that all staff supporting students with ALN had undergone comprehensive training. This training equipped them to handle the new processes and ensured that they could effectively collaborate with schools, parents, and other stakeholders. Additionally, efforts had been made to improve multi-agency cooperation, particularly with health and social services, to provide a more holistic approach to learner support.

The update highlighted several challenges encountered during the transformation, particularly around resource allocation and meeting the increased assessments demand. Despite these, officers had met critical deadlines set by the Welsh Government to implement the new system.  The Head of Education advised that the Service was constantly monitoring and scrutinising schools’ compliance with the Act’s requirements, as were Estyn.  Since the pandemic approximately half of the county’s schools had been inspected by Estyn, of the 26 schools inspected only one had received a recommendation relating to improving the provision of ALN services.

Responding to Members questions the Lead Member, officers and the Primary Headteacher:

• confirmed that there was a robust communication plan in place to inform parents on the requirements placed on local education authorities (LEA) and schools by the 2018 Act and how the LEA and schools proposed to deliver the duties placed upon them. This helped to manage expectations.  All the details and information on the work carried was available on the Council’s website. There was also much communication between local schools, which helped with sharing lessons learnt, best practice etc.  This was in addition to regional and national work to share best practice and support a consistent approach for the transformation process.  All the open dialogue made the process somewhat easier.
• advised that whilst funding was currently available for the 2 temporary ALN advisory teachers posts until August 2025 the financial situation was difficult for the entire Council, and some difficult decisions would need to be made regarding the funding for the next financial year. The demand for ALN support was increasing, nevertheless the Service had to prioritise all educational needs and deliver its services within the budget that was available to it.
• confirmed that the education team took a multidisciplinary approach to meet the needs of each individual. The Inclusion Officer—ALN Implementation added that there were close working relationships with the health board and children's services to ensure that the needs of the individuals were met and wherever possible tailored accordingly to support their unique needs.
• agreed with members that budget constraints and the staffing shortages across all sectors was an ever-present challenge, particularly recruiting  specialist staff. However, each school had an Additional Learning Needs Co-ordinator (ALNCo) who worked with the school to mitigate the challenges that arose. Each school’s ALNCo worked  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To receive a report which informs the committee on the current position with regards to School attendance and engagement in education and the response taken to address matters when concern exists at individual pupil level in Denbighshire (copy attached).

10:40am – 11:10am

The Lead Member for Education, Children and Young People, accompanied by the Head of Education, presented the Promote School Attendance and Engagement in Education report (previously circulated).  The Education Social Work Team Leader/Safeguarding Officer, Principal Education Managers and the headteacher of Denbigh High School were also in attendance for the discussion. The report provided the current position regarding school attendance and engagement in education and outlined the process taken to address matters where concern existed at the individual pupil’s level of engagement with their education. It also provided the Committee with information on the measures utilised to support vulnerable pupils to re-engage with their education. It also provided an understanding of the regional and national context in addressing the current level of concern nationally.  School  attendance was a national priority and was also one of Estyn’s priorities.

Officers stated that school attendance rates in the 2018/19 pre-pandemic school year ended with primary schools achieving an overall figure of 94.8% and secondary schools at 93.7%. In the academic year September 2023 to June 2024, primary /secondary combined school attendance was 90.6%. This had increased from 89.2% over the same period in 2022/23 across Wales. In Denbighshire, the overall figure for primary / secondary combined for the academic year 2023 / 2024 was 89.9 %, 0.7 % less than the Wales average. Nationally, 10.3 % of pupils met the persistent absence threshold of 10% of sessions missed for the academic year, again an improvement from 12.9% over the same period in 2022/23. Denbighshire’s figure was 15.2% for the same period 2022/23.

Members were informed that Denbighshire County Council had received additional WG funding through the Local Authority Education Grant (LAEG) to address and support education and schools. The Education Service continued to develop cohesive community links across the authority in an attempt to address this trend, with a strong focus on community belonging and access to services. This approach was aimed at ensuring that children had access to their full-time education entitlement and access to broader and more expansive services than just education alone. As part of this, the Service had developed a pupil engagement strategy which drew upon the many services supporting this agenda and set a clear strategic direction for the Service.

Responding to members’ question the Lead Member, officers and Headteacher:

·       clarified that the “reduced timetable” policy in education referred to situations where schools or educational settings reduced the number of hours or days that a child or young person attended school, usually due to specific needs or behavioural issues. This practice was sometimes necessary to address a student’s challenges, the reduced timetable would only be used as a short-term, temporary solution to help a student reintegrate into full-time education. The Welsh Government did not endorse long-term or permanent use of reduced hours. The goal was to support the child while addressing underlying issues, such as behavioural challenges, anxiety, health issues, or special educational needs.

·         Provided assurances that one child's absence, be it authorised or unauthorised would not affect the education of other children. Nevertheless, teachers would assist and support students who had been ill and missed out on work; the level and extent of support provided would differ from student to student and dependent upon the student's needs. If the absence of students was due to long-term illness, schools would follow established codes and practices set out by WG. At LEA level, the information collated would be general data such as absence for illness/medical ground; however, at school level, the data would be collected based on the detail parents/guardians provided.

·         Reassurances were provided that unauthorised absences for family  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive a report on the progress made to date in delivering the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) in all the county’s schools in line with the Welsh Government’s vision for Welsh language provision (copy attached).

11:25am – 11:55am

The Lead Member for Education, Children and Young People, alongside the Head of Education, presented the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) Transformation report (previously circulated).  The WESP Development Officer was in attendance to support on technical aspects of the Plan. The report informed the Committee on the progress made to date in delivering the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) in all the county’s schools in line with the Welsh Government’s vision for Welsh language provision; the Committee requested the report following discussion on a progress report in September 2023 in respect of the Delivery of Welsh Medium Provision.

Members were reminded that the Council had a ten-year vision for increasing and improving the planning of the provision of Welsh-medium education in the county. This was articulated in the Council’s Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP). By September 2032, it’s Denbighshire’s aspiration that 40% of all seven-year-old pupils would attend Welsh Medium Education. Members were informed that to achieve this vision, the plan sets out seven outcomes that will contribute towards this aspiration. The Council was required to submit an annual report to the Welsh Government on the progress against this Plan, a copy of which was included as an appendix to the report.

The main progress against the plan included a clear vision and support to develop projects. A dedicated Welsh Language Support Team provided excellent support and guidance to school staff in Denbighshire. Information highlighting the benefits of bilingualism and Welsh medium education was available on DCC’s website. To date 6 English medium primary schools had changed their language category and become T2 schools, committed (over a period of ten years) to increase the amount of Welsh taught at school with an aspiration of teaching 50% of lessons through the medium of Welsh. The number of latecomers to Welsh medium education and receiving specialised support was increasing.  In addition, close collaboration with the Welsh Advisory Team in Conwy County Borough Council was in place to share good practice, which was developing well.

In response to members’ questions the Lead Member, officers and the Headteacher of Denbigh High School –

• advised that the Welsh in Education Strategic Group regularly monitored the progress made with the WESP’s delivery. 

• confirmed that, as reported in Paragraph 4.6 of the report, it was encouraging that the number of pupils receiving their education in two of the largest Welsh medium schools was beginning to return to pre-Covid levels. There had been a number of factors for the reduction in numbers following Covid, the first being that during lockdown children from non-Welsh speaking households who attended Welsh medium schools had not been able to hear or speak the language for a prolonged period of time therefore the families felt they could not support the child's education, hence their reason for sending them to English-medium education settings once the schools reopened. Another factor was that pre-school activities were closed due to COVID-19, this had a massive impact on Welsh education, as that the first seven years of any child’s education was vital and losing the early Welsh language education was a huge detriment to Welsh medium education.  Nevertheless, the Education Service had worked closely with the schools, Mudiad Meithrin, yr Urdd, Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg (RhAG) – (Parents for Welsh Medium Education))  etc. in a bid to reverse the trend.  Latest statistics indicated that this work was now beginning to bear fruit with the numbers attending Welsh-medium education returning to near pre-Covid levels.
• illustrated how the day-to-day use of the Welsh language within English-medium schools was being introduced and progressed. Denbigh High School was an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To receive a report updating the committee on the progress made by schools since the Curriculum for Wales became statutory in September 2022. The report offers information on lessons learnt from evaluations across schools during this initial implementation phase and any impact on staff and learners (copy attached).

11:55am – 12:25pm

The Lead Member for Education, Children and Young People, alongside the Head of Education, presented the Curriculum for Wales report (previously circulated). GwE advisors were also in attendance to support Education Service staff.  The report aimed to provide an update on the progress made by schools since the Curriculum for Wales became statutory in September 2022. The report provided information on lessons learnt from evaluations across schools during the initial implementation phase and of the impact on staff and learners.

The report detailed the progress made in implementing and embedding the new Curriculum for Wales in primary schools and years 7 and 8 in secondary schools – what worked well, areas for improvement and lessons learnt by all stakeholders during the initial implementation phase.  In addition, it provided an evaluation of the implementation process across all key stages, the Curriculum’s impact on staff recruitment and retention, an overview of the feedback received from headteachers, teachers and school-based staff on their experiences of the implementation process and the advantages and/or disadvantages of the new Curriculum for learners.

The Committee was informed that In September 2022, the new Curriculum for Wales became statutory for all learners from Nursery to Year 6. All secondary schools and settings had started their first teaching of the Curriculum for Wales in Years 7 and 8 by September 2023.

All primary schools had designed their curriculum in line with the Four Purposes to meet the mandatory requirements of Curriculum for Wales, with a balanced curriculum offered to meet all learners’ needs. The staggered rollout in secondary schools had a different effect to that of the shorter implementation of rollout in primary schools, with leaders and practitioners involved in ongoing and significant change every year between 2022 and 2026. Year 9 would begin the new curriculum in September 2024. Two further stages of implementation would follow as these learners started the new 14-16 qualifications in 2025 and the current Year 8 learners in 2026. Curriculum summary documents had been developed by each school and made available to parents and local community as required by Welsh Government.

Officers added that the rollout of the new curriculum was a major piece of reform. In addition to the ALN changes, the work carried out with the Welsh Education Strategic Plan (WESP) and post-Covid recovery work it had entailed a tremendous amount of work for the Education Service and school staff. However, all the schools had embraced the changes and the work entailed with the reform.

In response to the Committee’s questions the Lead Member, Officers and GwE representatives: –

• advised that the lessons learnt from the primary sector had assisted the rollout in the secondary sector, emphasising that the cluster way of working had assisted greatly with the workload involved with the rollout in the secondary sector, particularly the planning for progression. However, there were differences in how primary and secondary sectors worked, such as primary having a holistic approach to education, whereas secondary was more discipline-based.  The introduction of the new Curriculum had challenged the service and the schools to think what they were teaching, why, and how it was taught.  The new Curriculum involved a lot more outdoor and motivational learning, therefore more attention was given to utilising skills and content into the learning.
• confirmed that funding to support professional learning was always a challenge. However, schools were creative in ensuring that they achieved the maximum benefits from any grant funding received.  They would continue to engage in professional learning as much as possible, share best practice and resources, utilising approaches such as school to school learning in addition  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To consider a report by the Scrutiny Coordinator (copy enclosed) seeking a review of the committee’s forward work programme and updating members on relevant issues.

12:25pm – 12:40pm

The Scrutiny Co-ordinator introduced the report and appendices (previously circulated) which sought the Committee to review its programme of future work.

The Scrutiny Co-ordinator informed the Committee that at their next meeting on 28 November they had a full work programme, two of which would be substantial items ‘Recruitment, Retention & Workforce Planning’ and the monitoring report on ‘Christ the Word School’.

Members were also made aware that the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice Chairs Group had met the previous week. No items had been added to the Performance Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Plan.  The Group’s next meeting was scheduled for 25 November. 

The ‘Information Brief’ document circulated to Committee members via e-mail earlier that week contained information reports detailing the latest performance updates against the Council’s ‘Your Voice’ Corporate Complaints Procedure and the ‘Medium-Term Financial Strategy and Plan’.  Members were advised if, having examined these reports, they had any concerns regarding the Council’s performance they could request that any areas of concern be examined in detail by Scrutiny.  This could be done via the completion of the Member Proposal Form, attached as Appendix 2 to the Scrutiny Work Programme report. 

The Committee:

Resolved:  to confirm its future forward work programme as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

The Vice-Chair reported on a recent meeting he had attended with representatives from the Peer Review Group that had recently visited the Authority.  The Committee:

Resolved:  to note the report.

Meeting concluded at 1pm.