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The Committee scrutinised two reports, on behaviour in schools and on the Educational Psychology Service. It resolved to recommend governor training and a review of how Educational Psychology reports are used in school placement panels. It also resolved to make representation to Welsh Government about training places for Educational Psychologists.
The committee scrutinised the post-16 curriculum offer in the county's schools and at Coleg y Cymoedd, and considered a £375k Welsh-medium funding bid. It also considered the rise in children electively home educated (EHE, meaning taught at home by choice rather than at school), and agreed to write to the Welsh Government about it.
The Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee, a group of councillors that checks the council's work, questioned the Cabinet Member for Education and the Welsh Language and considered other reports. It resolved to note the school meals report and consider it further, and to consider comments on the Education Strategic Plan 2026-2030 before Cabinet considers it.
The committee heard updates on school building investment, school attendance and progress on Estyn's recommendations for the council's education services. It resolved to acknowledge the building programme update, scrutinise the attendance report and consider the Estyn progress update.
The committee pre-scrutinised the draft Play Sufficiency Assessment 2025 to 2028 and its action plan before Cabinet considers them. It then reviewed the annual update on the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP), on which Welsh Government is expected to respond by the end of the year. Members asked many questions on both reports, and their comments on the play assessment will go to Cabinet on 22 October 2025.
The Committee considered three substantive items. It endorsed a working group report on the Sustainable Communities for Learning programme, a school building programme, and agreed to send its recommendations to Cabinet with some changes. Members discussed mobile devices in schools and agreed to invite headteachers to share their policies. On school governance, the Committee scrutinised progress in response to Estyn's review of governors, and officers agreed to follow up several points.
Members noted the positive impact of the Community Focused Schools work.
The committee questioned the Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Welsh Language on Cabinet decisions from October 2024 to March 2025, and heard from headteachers about moving pupils from Year 6 to Year 7. It also pre-scrutinised plans to reshape school improvement services ahead of Cabinet on 19 March 2025, and agreed to send its feedback to Cabinet rather than decide the proposals itself.
On governance, members resolved to scrutinise the report and to review it again later, with evidence from school governors. On the programme, members acknowledged the update and agreed to consider whether to look more closely at parts of it.
On 10 December 2024 the Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee considered three items: progress on the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP), careers and work-related experiences in Rhondda Cynon Taf schools, and a consultation on closing the sixth form at Mountain Ash Comprehensive School. No final decision was made on the sixth form proposal, which goes to Cabinet after the consultation. Members asked for more specific targets in future WESP reports and for more data on pupils' destinations after school.
The Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee met on 24 October 2024 to consider two Cabinet proposals to close schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf: Tref-Y-Rhyg Primary School, with pupils moving to Tonyrefail Community School, and Trallwng Infants' School, with pupils moving to Coedpenmaen Primary School. The committee acted as a consultee, which means it gave its views on a formal consultation, and resolved to send its comments to Cabinet. The minutes record no committee view for or against either closure.
On 14 October 2024 the Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee questioned the Cabinet Member for Education, Inclusion and Welsh Language on decisions made from May to October, received the Central South Consortium's annual report on school improvement in RCT, and began its response to a consultation on more Learning Support Classes for pupils with additional learning needs. The committee agreed to scrutinise the Cabinet Member further, to receive and comment on the consortium's report, and to consider responding to the consultation, with its feedback going to Cabinet.
The Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee, a group of councillors that checks council work and advises the Cabinet, met on 11 September 2024 at Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. It considered school attendance, school-based counselling and a consultation on a new Welsh-medium primary school at Llanilid and a change of language at Dolau Primary. On attendance and counselling, the Committee agreed to write to the Cabinet Member, Welsh Government and the health board, while on the school proposals it agreed to consider a formal response to the consultation and pass its comments to the Cabinet.
The committee considered three reports: the annual report of the Central South Consortium (CSC), which supports schools in five councils, the roll-out of universal free school meals for primary pupils, and the post-16 curriculum offer across RCT schools. Members scrutinised each report, asked questions and requested more information for future reports. The minute records no other formal decisions.
Members agreed to send their feedback on the school year consultation to Welsh Government. They deferred the Consortium report and the Welsh in Education plan update so that officers could bring shorter, clearer reports back.
The Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee examined a draft Cabinet report on closing Rhigos Primary School and moving its pupils to Hirwaun Primary School. It agreed to send its comments to Cabinet before Cabinet's meeting on 18 December 2023. It also considered reports on school exclusions and school attendance for 2022/23, and asked for more information at its next meeting.
The Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee questioned the Cabinet Member for Education, considered a nomination for a child poverty discussion, reviewed child poverty and community focused schools, and reviewed the second year of the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Act. It resolved to keep scrutinising the Cabinet Member, to bring the child poverty and ALN items back to the Committee later, and to nominate two members to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee considered two items on 14 September 2023: a consultation on a proposal to develop a new 3-19 special school, and the outcome of a consultation on five proposals to realign mainstream Learning Support Class provision. Members supported both proposals and agreed to send their comments to Cabinet.
The Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee met on 19 July 2023. It agreed an amended work programme for 2023-24 and asked officers to make arrangements for a task and finish group (a short-term group that studies one issue in depth) on school modernisation. Reports on education workforce data and school admissions were also considered, but the minute records no formal decision on either.
Members questioned the Director on budgets, exclusions, self-evaluation, the additional learning needs referral portal and Welsh-language immersion. The committee agreed to add bullying work, the YEPS element and a six-month progress report to its work programme.
Members asked for more information on several matters, including waiting times and staff wellbeing. The minutes record that the committee noted and acknowledged the reports, and that it will receive a more detailed post-16 report in the next municipal year.
Members supported setting up a scrutiny task and finish group on school modernisation. They noted an update on the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan. They also received school attendance data.
Members wished to consider setting up a task and finish group on Band B, and agreed to add free school meals to the work programme as an annual report.
At its meeting on 13 December 2022, the Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee, a group of councillors that examines council services, considered reports on school transition, community focused schools and elective home education. It agreed changes to its work programme. It also asked to revisit all three reports next year.
The Education and Inclusion Scrutiny Committee met to agree its work programme for 2022-23 and to hear updates on additional learning needs, the framework for school improvement and the Curriculum for Wales. Members agreed the work programme with several changes and asked for further updates on additional learning needs and the Curriculum for Wales.