Agenda item

EAS Business Plan and Local Authority Annex 2020-2021

To consider the report of the Corporate Director of Education.

Minutes:

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 EAS representative said that notification had been forwarded to the Chair of Governors and Head Teachers.  He commented that sometimes the detail could be lost in the volume of communication received. 

 

A Member referred to the Business Plan and enquired what the impact would be if one authority pulled out.  The EAS responded that the five authorities recognised the financial efficiencies of working collectively.  If this scenario came about the EAS Financial Director would have to address the issue.  The Director of Education commented that Blaenau Gwent would find it difficult not working collectively with other local authorities.

 

A Member referred to retaining a high bar for the identification of those who can provide support for other schools and had concerns on the impact this would have on the school staff had been seconded from.  The EAS representative said that in relation to capacity of schools the Governing Bodies would decide if staff could be seconded to provide support to other schools.  If a school wanted to withdraw from this process, then another school could be found in order to broker the best candidate.

 

The Committee AGREED to recommend, subject to the foregoing, that the report be accepted and endorse Option 2; namely that the report and Business Plan be accepted.

 

Supporting documents: