Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Corporate Director Education.

Consideration was given to the report of the Corporate Director of Education and the Service Manager Education Transformation and Business Change which was presented to provide Members with the opportunity to scrutinise the management of pupil places and the school estate, throughout the 2020/21 academic session.

The Corporate Director of Education spoke to the report and highlighted the main points contained therein.

A Member enquired regarding the live birth data.  The Director of Education advised that the Council was yet to receive the 2020/21 live birth data from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.  With regard to planning for school places they also look at trend analysis as some schools received mote applications.  Both the birth rates and the trend analysis gave an overall picture that depicts likely projections for surplus places across the school estate.  He advised that they were expecting the overall pupil population to increase and they were also starting to see some positive trends around inward migration into the county borough.

A Member referred to surplus places and was disappointed that information for primary schools had not been provided and requested that this be an action point for the next meeting.

The Director of Education clarified that the information presented in the table on page 325 related to secondary schools.  He advised that a similar table had been produced for the primary sector and would ensure that was shared with Members.  Surplus places in the primary sector had been in the region of 29% which had now been reduced significantly.

The Member referred to condition surveys that showed the condition of Blaenau Gwent schools had improved dramatically over a period of time.   He referred to trend analysis and enquired if work was undertaken with parents, to share the improvements made to schools, to give them confidence to send their children to Blaenau Gwent schools, to reduce outward migration as pupil numbers affected school finances.  The Director of Education confirmed that the data did include trend analysis and they worked with parents to give them assurances and confidence, that as learners transition from primary into secondary schools, that the secondary settings were well placed to from the quality of the learning environment perspective.   He pointed out that this year Abertillery Learning Community year 7 had admitted 160 learners which had been a dramatic turnaround of the uptake of places within the school setting.

With regard to Penycwm school and the River Centre a Member enquired how these schools were assessed.  The Director of Education said that capacity at Penycwm school had recently been increased to 175 and capacity at the River Centre was 64.  As Special schools, the learners within those settings were placed via the Additional Learning Needs Panel and was based upon learners needs and requirements.

The Chair commented in relation to Ebbw Fawr Learning Community the data for January 2022 was 992 and reduced to 943 for January 2028 and raised concerns that with all the new residential developments being undertaken in Blaenau Gwent how  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10