Invitees

Deborah McMillan, Corporate  Director – Education and Transformation

Cllr Huw David, Cabinet Member Children & Young People

Caroline Rees, LA Link Inspector, Estyn

Mark Campion, Estyn Inspector

The Scrutiny Officer presented a report which informed the Committee of the outcome of the Estyn Inspection of the Children’s Directorate. 

The Committee was introduced to Caroline Rees, Local Authority Link Inspector from Estyn and Mark Campion, Estyn Inspector. 

The Local Authority Link Inspector presented the Committee with feedback from the Estyn Inspection of the Children’s Directorate which was undertaken in October 2012, which had resulted in the Authority being identified as requiring ongoing Estyn monitoring visits as a follow-up to the inspection.  She stated that the Authority had developed a Post Inspection Action Plan (PIAP) to address each of the five areas of Estyn’s concerns.  Progress against the PIAP had been monitored closely by Estyn with follow up inspection visits in March and December 2014. 

The Estyn Inspector informed the Committee of the significant changes in the senior management team of the Children’s Directorate since the inspection and that initially progress in addressing the recommendations had been slow, but the pace of change had since increased under the leadership of the new Director.  He stated the Council had made sufficient progress in relation to the recommendations following the inspection and was no longer in need of Estyn monitoring resulting in the removal of further follow-up activity.               

The Estyn Inspector informed the Committee of the progress made against the five recommendations.  In the case of Recommendation 1, outcomes had improved; however there were a number of schools performing close to the average, with few schools performing showing excellent or poor performance. He also informed the Committee that the Central South Consortium Joint Education Service which provided school improvement service on behalf of the Council had brought greater consistency to the way in which schools are evaluated.  Challenge advisers evaluate the quality of leadership and management in schools.  Schools within the Consortium are working more closely together to support each other through a range of approaches which the Consortium and local authority are facilitating, which were at an early stage of development.  It was too soon to judge the impact of them on standards and provision across the authority’s schools.  He stated that the authority is using its statutory powers more effectively to intervene in schools was causing concern. 

In respect of Recommendation 2, attendance at secondary schools had improved, with attendance at primary schools remaining near to the Welsh average but showing an improvement.  He stated that the authority had reduced the level of persistent absentees in both primary and secondary schools and the authority had a level of permanent exclusions.  He also informed the Committee of a zero tolerance approach adopted by the authority in authorising holidays in term time and of issuing fixed penalty notices for poor attendance. 

The Estyn Inspector informed the Committee that in respect of Recommendation 3, the authority used self-evaluation to understand what is working well, but the self-evaluation did not fully evaluate impact in all areas, such as Inclusion Services, Looked After Children, Gypsy and Traveller children and children with Special Educational Needs.  He stated the authority had introduced a new Corporate Performance Management Framework which defines accountabilities for performance management.  It also set processes and procedures from corporate level to the individual. 

The Estyn Inspector informed the Committee that in respect of Recommendation 4 the quality of information provided to elected Members to challenge the performance of the authority’s services and schools more robustly had improved, as had questioning in meetings.  The take up of the training had not been brilliant and the impact of the Member and School Engagement Panel had yet to be determined due to it being a relatively new initiative.

He informed the Committee that in regard to Recommendation 5 the numbers of NEETS had increased since the inspection.  Improvements had been made to reduce the number of NEETS but this had not been sustained. The Authority had a high number of pupils whose destination was unknown, particularly vulnerable youngsters.  Figures for these pupils were 49 at the time of the inspection, with a reduction to 9 in 2013, but current figures for 2014 were back up at 16.  There had been a very small improvement in 2014 when compared to the rest of Wales with the Authority consequently now rated 18^th in Wales. 

The Committee questioned whether Estyn inspected the Central South Consortium.  The Estyn Inspector informed the Committee Estyn had worked with the Wales Audit Office looking at leadership and challenge advisers and it would be publishing a report on the Consortium to be released on 3 June 2015.  He stated that Estyn would be carrying out an inspection of the Consortium in 2016. 

The Committee noted the different levels of performance by schools and requested a list schools showing their performance.                

Conclusions

The Committee complimented the Children’s Directorate on the hard work and commitment that had led to significant changes and improvements and ultimately to the removal of Estyn monitoring.

Additional Information

Members requested that they receive Estyn’s report on the Consortia once it is published in June.

The Committee reiterated a previous request for a list of the schools in the County Borough and their general overall performance, in order to gain an understanding as to what schools were performing in ‘the middle’, and what schools were high performing etc.