Appointment of local authority school governors
Decided: Council approved the new appointments of local authority governors to school governing bodies, as listed in Appendix 1, each for four years from the date of appointment.
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Welsh councils this month made decisions on school closures and openings, special school space, and school repairs, while budgets and additional learning needs (ALN) funding remained pressure points. Carmarthenshire, Powys, Merthyr Tydfil and Swansea took some of the main decisions.[7][8][4][2][5]
Written in November 2026 from council records since 20 September 2026, open consultations and official sources. Written automatically, then checked: every point names its sources and every figure appears in them. Follow the links to check anything before relying on it.
Councils run community schools, fund every state school, provide school transport and support pupils with additional learning needs. They plan school places, including Welsh-medium places under a ten-year plan.
The Cabinet decides on school changes, such as opening, closing or merging schools, after a formal consultation. Head teachers and governing bodies run each school day to day.
Proposals to change a school must be consulted on, and anyone can respond. Parents can also become school governors.
| Council | Items | With a decision |
|---|---|---|
| Powys | 102 | 75 |
| Carmarthenshire | 93 | 74 |
| Pembrokeshire | 67 | 60 |
| Swansea | 64 | 41 |
| Flintshire | 63 | 48 |
| Cardiff | 53 | 50 |
| Caerphilly | 53 | 0 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | 52 | 46 |
| Monmouthshire | 48 | 12 |
| Ceredigion | 44 | 38 |
| Gwynedd | 43 | 38 |
| Newport | 43 | 22 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | 42 | 28 |
| Conwy | 40 | 36 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 39 | 28 |
| Wrexham | 36 | 32 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 29 | 24 |
| Blaenau Gwent | 27 | 25 |
| Denbighshire | 22 | 17 |
| Bridgend | 18 | 0 |
| Torfaen | 10 | 7 |
Decided: Council approved the new appointments of local authority governors to school governing bodies, as listed in Appendix 1, each for four years from the date of appointment.
Decided: The committee thanked officers for the information in the report. It asked that future reports include a summary or appendix with benchmark data, meaning figures for comparison. It also agreed to support a review of the WESP targets, and the Chair is to write to the Education Minister to pursue the review.
Decided: The Committee noted the explanation for the non-submission of the Modernising Education Programme update.
Decided: The Committee received the Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report.
Decided: The Committee endorsed the annual report.
Decided: The Committee approved its Forward Work Plan for 2026/27.
Decided: The Committee endorsed the proposals to begin formal statutory consultation on Welsh-language provision at Ysgol Bro Banw, Ysgol Griffith Jones, Ysgol Llangynnwr and Ysgol Llandybie, for consideration by Cabinet.
Decided: The Committee noted its concerns about the risk to funding for both public and private sector providers in future. It was also concerned about the effect on young people who are at risk of becoming NEET, or are NEET, if entry requirements for qualifications or programmes were raised. It was pleased with Newport's improved performance compared with previous years. It said it was content with the report.
Decided: The Committee noted the action log updates. It agreed to add consideration of school lockdown policies and weapons protocols in schools to the work programme.
Decided: The Committee asked for the Director of Education's support in addressing leadership instability at Catholic schools, by considering interim or targeted leadership support. It also asked the Education Directorate to explore how pressures on staff capacity from rising Additional Learning Needs (ALN) demands are addressed countywide.
Decided: The Committee noted the annual review of the post-16 agreement. It agreed to add learner outcomes data at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11) and Key Stage 5 (Year 13) to the work programme.
AGREED to note the report.
Decided: The Committee noted the end-of-year position on corporate risks and the Strategic Leadership Team's response to its Quarter 3 comments. It asked Cabinet to approve delegated authority for the Director of Corporate Resources to update the Risk Management Policy, and to consider the Committee's comments. It asked for more information on the scrutiny review (a review by councillors of a council service) into Additional Learning Needs resource bases, and for a review of the risk score for Climate Change.
Decided: Councillor S. Rees was elected Chair of the committee for the 2026-27 municipal year.
Decided: Councillor G. Stacey was appointed Vice-Chair of the committee for the 2026-27 municipal year.
Decided: The meeting approved the appointment of school governors, as set out in the agenda pack.
Decided: The committee will schedule future updates on this in its work programme.
Decided: The Committee agreed to be updated on the current work programmes run by the health and wellbeing officers. It agreed that Members would form their own conclusions and recommendations from the report and the discussion at the meeting.
Decided: The committee accepted the report and noted the observations. It asked the Cabinet to pay particular attention to the Empty Seats Scheme. It recommended that the Cabinet Member for Education consider basing faith school transport on parishes rather than distance, and look at reducing the forms parents of pupils with additional learning needs must complete.
Decided: The committee accepted the report and noted the observations. It asked the Head of Education to share national data on de-registration, meaning pupils removed from school rolls, with the Youth Service annual report. It agreed that future performance reports should include data on pupils' attainment. It also agreed to scrutinise de-registration and home education, where parents teach children at home, as part of its work programme, when timely.
Decided: Cabinet noted the final spending position for 2025/26, which is still subject to audit. It noted the reserve transfers and the schools' outturn, and agreed to move the underspend into the prior year underspend reserve.
Decided: The Panel noted the list of local authority school governor vacancies it had received.
Decided: The Panel resolved to recommend that Council approve its recommendations to appoint people to a list of current vacancies at Cardiff schools. It also resolved to recommend that Council appoint people to a list of future vacancies, some of them re-appointments and some new applications. The minute records these as recommendations to Council, so the appointments are not final until Council approves them.
Decided: Council authorised the Director of Education to publish a decision letter confirming the discontinuation of Ysgol Clydau. The vote was 32 for, 21 against and 1 abstention.
Decided: Council authorised the Director of Education to publish a decision letter confirming the discontinuation of Manorbier VC School. The vote was 30 for, 23 against and 4 abstentions.