The Corporate Director – Education and Family Support advised that Cabinet gave approval for a public consultation on the future development of post-16 education across the Bridgend County Borough (“the County”). This latest report before Members, provided Cabinet with the Post-16 Consultation Paper and set out the proposed approaches for consultation, together with an initial Equalities Impact Assessment and Wellbeing of Future Generations Assessment.

He advised that on 24 April 2018 Cabinet gave approval for a public consultation on six concepts of post-16 educational provision, as were outlined in paragraph 3.2 of the report.

The Corporate Director – Education and Family Support, confirmed that the consultation paper on concepts for post-16 educational provision across the County has now been prepared and was attached at Appendix A to the report.  Included as appendices in the report were also an initial Equalities Impact Assessment and a Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act Assessment.  Of the concepts listed in paragraph 3.2 of the report, Concepts 4 and 5 were the Cabinet’s preferred options after the April 2018 Cabinet report.

Further detail regarding these two Concepts were outlined in the next sections of the report.

The Corporate Director – Education and Family Support then alluded to paragraph 4.5 of the report, which listed a range of contextual information relating to post-16 provision as contained in the consultation paper. The public consultation would run from 26 November 2018 to 22 February 2019.

In terms of the main financial implications of the report, the Corporate Director – Education and Family Support advised that funding for sixth-form provision in BCBC is provided by Welsh Government as a single post-16 grant allocation each year.  There is a core allocation based mainly on learner numbers, with additional allocations to take into account learner deprivation and Welsh-medium education. Total funding for 2018-19 is £5,829,430, of which over 97% is distributed to secondary schools. In the last three financial years the core grant has been reduced by £672,427 as a result of the combined effects of lower learner numbers and reductions by Welsh Government to the central post-16 grant for schools.

The Cabinet Member – Education and Regeneration advised that no firm decisions had been made as of yet in respect of future potential concepts for post-16 provision.

The Cabinet Member – Wellbeing and Future Generations hoped that the consultation was going out far and wide across a whole range of organisations, particularly those associated with young people, such as the Military Preparation College.

The Corporate Director – Education and Family Support confirmed that the consultation would cover a wide range of organisations and sectors etc, particularly local businesses, including all training providers aged years 16 – 18.

The Leader added, that he hoped the consultation would also be in the form of face to face and on-line including for students and higher education providers also, to include colleges and local universities. He also thought it of considerable benefit if the consultation was extended to include the Youth Council.

The Specialist Officer, Post-16 Education and Training advised that the deadline date for the consultation process had been put back from 26 November to 3 December, as the Consultation document needed to also be translated.

A further report on the outcome of the consultation would be presented to Cabinet at its April meeting.

The Leader concluded debate on this item, by advising that it would be worthwhile to have a briefing for all Members on the future of Post-16 education at an appropriate date in the future.

RESOLVED:                    That Cabinet gave approval to the consultation paper on six concepts for the future of post-16 education across Bridgend County Borough.