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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED – That, subject to the aforementioned, the work programme be agreed.
AGREED – (i) That the Committee was assured of the significant amount of work being undertaken to support pupil well-being and transition. (ii) That the next progress report focus on the evaluation of impact of the support for pupil well-being and inclulde the following: - Progress on the work of the multi-agency well-being group - Evaluation of PASS data - Post-16 transition data and retention rates - Primary school pupil interventions - Details of changes made to service areas to meet unmet demand. (iii) That a separate progress report on pupil transition be submitted to a future meeting. (iv) That the report on Engagement with Pupil Voice scheduled for the meeting on 15 June 2023 correlate with the work being done to support pupil well-being.
AGREED – That the report be noted.
An apology for absence was submitted on behalf of Mr Brendan McDonald.
AGREED – That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 12 January 2023 be signed as a correct record.
Members were reminded of their responsibility, under Paragraph 11 of the Members’ Code of Conduct, to declare any interests in relation to any of the business to be transacted at this meeting. The following declarations were made: Agenda Item 6 Councillors Dana Davies and Corin Jarvis – Personal and prejudicial interest. LA appointed school governor. The Councillors remained in the meeting and claimed an exemption under Paragraph 12(2) of the Members’ Code of Conduct taking part in the discussion and voting thereon. Councillor Robert Ian Williams – Personal interest - Trade union member and teacher (not in Wrexham). The Councillor remained in the meeting taking part in the discussion and voting thereon.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – That, subject to the aforementioned, the work programme be agreed.
The Chief Officer Governance & Customer submitted a report (COGC/16/23s) to consider the work programme of the Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee. Presenting the report the Scrutiny Facilitator drew Members’ attention to: · The updates to the work programme following the Committee’s last meeting · The response from the Executive Board at its meeting of 7 February 2023 to the Committee’s recommendations in relation to Post 16 School Transport. · The response of the Deputy Minister for Climate Change to the Chair’s letter in respect of the timetable for the review of the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008. During discussion the following matters were raised: · The Executive Board recommendations in respect of School Transport. Committee raised concern at the use of Rule 5.8.10 of the Constitution by the Executive Board and the reasons provided for its use. It was agreed that the Chair approach the Monitoring Officer to ask for clarity as to the reason for the urgency resolution. · It was noted that the recommendations moved by the Lead Member at the Executive Board meeting were different to those in the published report. The Lead Member explained that the report had been prepared quickly in order to meet the necessary deadline and on reflection the wording of the recommendation was changed, but this was shared with the Vice-Chair of this Scrutiny Committee immediately prior to the Board meeting. · The Chair reported that she had received a request from pupils of Ysgol Morgan Llwyd to address the Committee at the April meeting to speak to Members in respect of Post 16 school transport. It was agreed that the invitation also be extended to pupils from The Maelor School, Penley as both Head Teachers had previously addressed the Committee on this issue. · Noted that the report in respect of Education Capital Estate had been deferred from February to April to enable a workshop on priority ranking of school maintenance to be held in advance. · Engagement with Pupil Voice – to be scheduled for the meeting on 15 June 2023 and to be preceded by a data sharing workshop session on feedback from the PASS survey. · Information report in respect of Developments in Therapeutic Provision to be circulated to Committee Members detailing additional support being provided for pupils with challenging behaviours. AGREED – That, subject to the aforementioned, the work programme be agreed.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – (i) That the Committee was assured of the significant amount of work being undertaken to support pupil well-being and transition. (ii) That the next progress report focus on the evaluation of impact of the support for pupil well-being and inclulde the following: - Progress on the work of the multi-agency well-being group - Evaluation of PASS data - Post-16 transition data and retention rates - Primary school pupil interventions - Details of changes made to service areas to meet unmet demand. (iii) That a separate progress report on pupil transition be submitted to a future meeting. (iv) That the report on Engagement with Pupil Voice scheduled for the meeting on 15 June 2023 correlate with the work being done to support pupil well-being.
The Lead Member for Education submitted a report (COEEI/08/23s) to consider the arrangements to support the well-being of children and young people; and the actions taken to promote seamless transition across all stages of learning. Presenting the report the Lead Member and Chief Officer for Education and Early Intervention referred to the focus of work for schools and the wider Education service on transition in the context of pupil well-being, both from a whole school perspective and support for individual pupil well-being, to ensure active participation in learning from children and young people. This was a complex area of work requiring multi-agency input and the report highlighted the range of activities undertaken. In addition, it was reported that a range of professional and training opportunities for teachers was available. It was noted that the impact of the work would be evidenced with both quantitative data, such as an improvement in attendance, and qualitative data demonstrating the impact of the interventions on individuals. Members considered the report and asked a number of questions of the Lead Member and Officers present, including: · Areas of gaps in provision due to increasing demands on mental health and well-being services, · The work of the Inspire Hospital Youth Work Project whose preventative focus provided a range of positive impacts was commended. Concern was raised that the waiting list had closed in 2022. It was noted that at the time of closing, the list was in excess of 100 cases however this had now reduced to below 30. It was important to ensure that the referral route had capacity to manage demand. · The importance of ensuring that the provision was right for the young person’s needs and that the services offered could manage and respond to need appropriately. · Building capacity in schools to provide appropriate support and interventions aimed to build resilience and to deescalate need through early intervention. · Support for children and young people with specific needs such as Autism or ADHD was available in schools. · Drug and alcohol misuse – noted that the service worked closely with North Wales Police and the In2change Young People’s Drug and Alcohol Project. A programme of education for schools and one to one support was available. An increase in referrals had been noted. · Further information was requested on the work of the multi-agency well-being group which had been set up to look at how to ensure that cases were escalated correctly. · Counselling service demand and capacity. Noted that the eligibility criteria had been reviewed to ensure that those who need the service had access to it. Data demonstrated that counselling had a positive impact. Welsh Government had increased funding around counselling and some of that funding was used for a pool of counsellors to provide a resource alongside the school offer. · Officers worked closely with schools to identify young people who may require services earlier. A proportion of funding went into Primary school support. · The compatibility of data sharing systems for transition to ensure that the most vulnerable young people were supported, particularly from year 6 to 7. Committee were informed regarding the recent work undertaken building working relationships between staff and how quality conversations could be recorded. · Noted that officers had also worked closely with Coleg Cambria to develop a process of data transfer to support young people who were at risk of disengagement. This also allowed the LA to track retention rates and progression. · Noted that bullying was not included in the report as a discrete area however services to support pupil well-being, curriculum development and school policies and procedures supported behaviour management. Officers worked closely with schools in monitoring fixed term/permanent exclusions and supported schools to be able to intervene with the correct support offer. · The evaluation of the success of interventions to ensure that the right provision was being provided to meet need was complex and was measured using a variety of data. AGREED – (i) That the Committee was assured of the significant amount of work being undertaken to support pupil well-being and transition. (ii) That the next progress report focus on the evaluation of impact of the support for pupil well-being and inclulde the following: - Progress on the work of the multi-agency well-being group - Evaluation of PASS data - Post-16 transition data and retention rates - Primary school pupil interventions - Details of changes made to service areas to meet unmet demand. (iii) That a separate progress report on pupil transition be submitted to a future meeting. (iv) That the report on Engagement with Pupil Voice scheduled for the meeting on 15 June 2023 correlate with the work being done to support pupil well-being.
Decision as recorded
AGREED – That the report be noted.
The Lead Member for Education submitted a report (COEEI/09/23s) to consider feedback from the School Improvement Monitoring Group following the meetings that were held on 14 October 2021, 13 January 2022, 10 November 2022 and 25 January 2023. Members were assured that the reports from Ysgol Clywedog, Rhosnesni High School and Ysgol Bryn Alyn had been adequately considered and that levels of assurance for improvement had been provided. AGREED – That the report be noted.
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