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On 24 September 2026 the Education Scrutiny Performance Panel received three updates: on Partneriaeth, on the Swansea Skills Partnership, and on the effect of a falling birth rate on schools. It also noted the date of its next informal meeting, at St David's Catholic Primary School on 22 October 2026. The minutes record no decisions on the three updates; the Panel said its views would go to the Cabinet Member in a letter.
The Panel met on 25 June 2026, the first meeting of the 2026/27 council year. It confirmed Councillor Lyndon Jones as Convener and accepted a report on the Panel's role. It also discussed three reports on Religion, Values and Ethics, the Curriculum for Wales and key education issues, and will draw up a work plan for the year.
The Panel considered three items: an Estyn letter on a visit to secondary schools and Welsh-medium education, progress on additional learning needs (ALN) reform, and the capital programme for new and improved schools. The minutes record no decisions on these items. The Convener's letter of 30 April 2026 sets out the Panel's views, including welcoming progress and asking to revisit the Estyn points later in the year.
The Panel received a briefing on young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) in Swansea. The minute records no decision, only that the Panel's questions and views will go into a letter to the Cabinet Members. The minute of that letter is not yet published.
The Panel considered the education part of Swansea Council's annual budget proposals, which Cabinet will discuss on 19 February 2026. It agreed a set of views to send to Cabinet, welcoming a 5.7% rise in the schools budget and raising concerns about school reserves, music service costs and funding for additional learning needs.
The Panel considered two reports: annual education performance against the Education Directorate's objectives, including progress on two 2022 Estyn recommendations, and progress with the Vulnerable Learners Inclusion Strategy. Both were for information, and the Panel asked questions and gave views.
At its meeting on 20 November 2025, the Education Scrutiny Performance Panel was briefed on three topics: progress on the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, literacy and reading support in schools, and careers advice including the draft Designing Destinations Strategy. The minute records no decisions. It says the Panel's questions and views would form part of a letter to the Cabinet Member, which is dated 8 December 2025 and says the Panel welcomed the draft careers strategy.
The Panel heard from Bishop Vaughan Catholic Comprehensive School about its approach to highly effective teaching, and from Partneriaeth, a support service shared by three councils, about its 2024-25 work and its 2025-26 business plan. The minutes record no decisions. The Panel said it would set out its views in a letter to the Cabinet Member.
The Education Scrutiny Performance Panel held its first meeting of the 2025/26 year. It confirmed Councillor Lyndon Jones as Convener and accepted a report on the Panel's role. It also heard updates on Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) education and the Curriculum for Wales, and discussed key education issues and a draft work programme. The minutes record no decisions on the updates or the work programme.
The Panel heard updates on the Swansea Skills Partnership, which links schools with employers and colleges, and on the council's school building programme. It also reviewed its own work for the year. The minutes record no formal decisions. The Panel's views will go to the Cabinet Member in a letter.
On 10 April 2025 the Panel considered three reports: an update on Additional Learning Needs reform, changes to the council's Pupil Referral Unit under Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) services, and how the council hears the voices of children and young people. It also accepted its work plan for 2024/25. The minutes record no decisions on the three reports.
The Panel considered two reports at this meeting: school attendance and exclusions, and how schools improve teaching and learning through clusters and regional working. For both, the minute records no decision, and the reports asked councillors to consider the information and give their views. The Panel also accepted its work plan for 2024/25.
The Panel raised points on school funding, National Insurance costs, grants, school reserves, Additional Learning Needs (ALN) and staffing. The minute records no formal vote; the points are to be passed to the budget scrutiny panel before Cabinet meets on 20 February 2025.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Education considered progress on the council's Inclusion Strategy, including a new behaviour strategy, and the annual report on education performance, with questions to the Cabinet Member. The Panel noted its work plan and agreed to add a meeting with Morriston Comprehensive School. The minute records no decisions on the two briefings. The Panel said it would raise its views in a letter to the Cabinet Member.
At its meeting on 14 November 2024 the Education Scrutiny Performance Panel was briefed on school admissions rules, the strategy for poverty proofing the school day, and careers advice in schools. It also deferred the Inclusion Strategy update to 12 December 2024 and accepted its 2024/25 work plan. The minutes record no decision on the three briefings, and the Panel said it would send its views to the Cabinet Member in a letter.
The Panel met on 20 June 2024 and confirmed Councillor Lyndon Jones as Convener for 2024/25. The Panel began discussing its work programme for 2024/25, and the Scrutiny Officer will draft a plan for members to agree.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Education met on 9 May 2024 to hear updates on the Sustainable Communities for Learning school building programme and the Swansea Skills Partnership. The minutes record questions and views from councillors but no formal decisions, and the Panel's views went to the Cabinet Member in a letter dated 23 May 2024. The Panel also reviewed its year's work and recorded that meetings will start at 4.30pm from June 2024, or at 4.00pm when they include a school visit.
The Education Scrutiny Performance Panel met on 18 April 2024 to discuss Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) education, how children and young people's voices are heard, and a new model for Education Other Than at School (EOTAS) services. The minutes record no decision on the last two subjects, which the Panel will raise with the Cabinet Member in a letter. The minutes record that the Panel wants to revisit RVE in a year's time, and that meetings will start at 4.30pm from the new municipal year, except for those involving school visits.
The Education Scrutiny Performance Panel met on 22 February 2024. The Panel agreed to send its views to the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills in a letter, and the 13 March meeting will move to a date in July 2024.
On 19 February 2024 the Education Scrutiny Performance Panel, a group of councillors that checks the council's education work, questioned officers about plans to bring Swansea's special schools together into one new school with up to 350 places, on a site next to Pen-y-Bryn Special School. The minute records no decision.
The meeting considered the council's annual budget as it affects education, and received the panel's draft work programme and a list of recent school inspection reports. The Panel noted its points on the budget, including concern about falling school reserves and the Welsh Government funding settlement, and these will be passed to another scrutiny panel. It also noted that an extra meeting on 19 February has been arranged to look at school organisation, including merging special schools.
The Panel heard from the Gowerton Comprehensive School cluster of schools and their partners about how they are introducing the Curriculum for Wales. Headteachers, chairs of governors and a Partneriaeth link officer gave a presentation and answered the Panel's written and spoken questions. The minute records no decision; the Panel's views will go to the Cabinet Member in a letter from the Convener after the meeting.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel – Education, a group of councillors who check the council's education services, heard the annual report on education performance against the council's priorities, including progress on two Estyn inspection recommendations. It also heard feedback from the councillor group that scrutinises Partneriaeth, the joint education improvement service. No decisions were recorded: the report was for information, and the Panel asked questions and gave its views.
The Panel considered briefings on reducing disadvantage in schools, the School Improvement Service and cookery in schools. The minutes record no decisions on these, and the Panel's views were set out in a letter to the Cabinet Member dated 12 December 2023. The Panel also noted its work plan and agreed to add a briefing on Religion, Values and Ethics education.
The Panel considered how looked after children are supported in school, and followed up ten education recommendations first made by an earlier Cabinet committee. The minutes record no decision on the two main reports, only that the Panel will receive a further update on the recommendations in 12 months.
The Education Scrutiny Performance Panel looked at school attendance and school exclusions in Swansea, using reports from the Cabinet Member and council officers. The minutes record no decisions on these two items; the Panel's views were to go to the Cabinet Member in a letter. The Panel also noted its work plan for 2023/24.
The Panel met on 15 June 2023 to hear updates on Additional Learning Needs reform, the Curriculum for Wales and progress on Estyn inspection recommendations, and to discuss key issues for 2023/24. The minutes record that Councillor Lyndon Jones was confirmed as convener and that the Panel agreed its draft work plan for the year. The minute for the convener's letter to the Cabinet Member is not yet published.
The Education Scrutiny Performance Panel met on 11 May 2023, the last meeting of the 2022/23 year. It considered updates on harassment in schools, tackling racism in schools and the school building programme, and reflected on its year's work. The minutes record no formal decisions beyond noting a list of Estyn inspection outcomes, and the Panel's views on the updates are to go to the Cabinet Member in a letter.
The Scrutiny Performance Panel for Education met on 20 April 2023 to hear updates on education for pupils who cannot attend a mainstream school (EOTAS), on how the council hears the views of children and young people, and on the Swansea Skills Partnership. It also noted feedback from a regional scrutiny group. The minutes record no votes or formal decisions on these items. The Panel said it would put its views on the updates in a letter to the Cabinet Member.
The Panel met to scrutinise the Council's education budget for 2023-24 with the Cabinet Member and officers, and agreed feedback for Cabinet. It received two letters about its January visit to a Pontarddulais school cluster and accepted its work programme, with the next meeting an informal site visit in March.