Issue - meetings

Consideration was given to the report of the Corporate Director of Education which was presented for Members to consider the full contents of the draft EAS Business Plan 2020-2021 and the Local Authority Annex 2020-2021, as part of the regional consultation process.

The EAS representative presented the report and highlighted the main points contained therein, including that the EAS Improvement Strand 3 – Robust assessment, evaluation and accountability mechanisms, supporting a self-improvement system could be covered in more detail in a Members briefing session. 

A Member requested a breakdown on the numbers of challenge advisors for both primary and secondary schools and enquired regarding timescales for staff with capability issues to show improvements of results. The EAS representative said that a breakdown of Challenge Advisors would be provided.  The EAS were not the sole provider of support to schools, but their emphasis was on the quality of that support and brokering the right support to match the school.  Ultimately capability issues were for the Governing Body to determine.

The Committee AGREED this course of action.

The Director of Education commented that capability procedures were in place and were based on individual cases with an appropriate supportive approach for members of staff to continue to improve.  It was evidence based in line with policy and Organisational Development procedures.  The Member felt that a timescale for improvement should be in place with the EAS and Governing Bodies both involved to ensure improvements were made.

A Member commented that secondary schools needed specialist Challenge Advisors.  The changes this year had been important and focused on the School Development Plan and moving towards improving targets.  School to school working needed to be effective to help drive curriculum changes forward and enquired if all schools were taking part in school to school working.  The Challenge Advisor said there had been a cultural change regarding school to school working, whereby a whole school wraps around another school as a model with Challenge Advisors support.  There had been significant improvement in which schools had put themselves forward to engage as Learning Network schools and to encourage other schools to engage.

Councillor Wayne Hodgins left the meeting at this juncture.

In response to a Member’s concern in relation to succession planning within the broader leadership team, the EAS representative assured Members that this was a general comment and not aimed at Blaenau Gwent.  There was a strong working relationship with the Local Authority and Blaenau Gwent was proactive in its intervention with schools.

A Member referred to a Network meeting and said that Governors needed a greater understanding of issues.  The EAS representative said there had been additional meetings focussing on a new model due next year.  Schools had expressed an interest in the cluster model and the EAS would provide the training models.  Two clusters from Blaenau Gwent had applied for this model and would be informed if they had been successful in due course.  A Member said that the Tredegar cluster was unaware of this.   The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6