Agenda and minutes

None.

Invitees:

Sarah Morgan - Chief Education Officer

Andrew Powles - Deputy Chief Education Officer

Ed Pryce - Assistant Director Policy and Strategy Education Achievement Service (EAS)

Hayley Davies-Edwards - Principal Challenge Adviser, Education Achievement Service (EAS)

The Chief Education Officer introduced Ed Price and Hayley Davies-Edwards to the committee. Hayley supervises the Challenge Advisors, and Ed manages the Governor Support Team as well. It was also pointed out that the Assistant Head of Education acts as an intelligent client, which ensures that EAS provide the service needed to meet need of children of Newport and the education service plan compliments plans for schools.

EP then gave an overview of the report to the committee; the format is very similar to what had been brought to the committee previously, although there are key aspects that are different in terms of approaches of delivery. Highlights that were given to the committee included:

The EAS is a not for profit limited company that is owned by the five LAs in South East Wales. The EAS delivers, through an agreed Business Plan, a wide range of school improvement services to all schools (all key stages, including all through schools and special schools), pupil referral units and funded non-maintained nursery settings on behalf of each LA. This plan supports the role LAs have in delivering their statutory function, addressing their individual improvement priorities and promoting improved pupil outcomes.

The Education Advisory Service (EAS) is required to submit an annual overarching regional Business Plan with accompanying annexes for each of the five Local Authorities (LAs). This Business Plan (2020-21) outlines the programme of work that is required to continue to accelerate outcomes for children and young people across all schools in South East Wales. The plan focuses on the urgent need to raise aspiration and accelerate improvement in pupil outcomes, improve the quality of teaching and leadership and build a self-improving system within and across schools and settings. The priorities for the Business Plan 2020-2021 have been derived from the progress that has been made towards the previous Business Plan and progress made across the region with the areas that have been identified as requiring improvements through self-evaluation processes and feedback from Estyn on the inspection of the EAS.

All schools are provided with a bespoke support package that compliments the priorities identified within their own School Development Plans (SDPs) in line with the levels of support they require. The support levels are informed by the national categorisation process, Estyn inspection outcomes or local intelligence. There is a degree of flexibility within the deployment model to allow for in-year changes in circumstances. The progress schools are making towards their priorities within their SDPs and against their local targets are captured on a termly basis are reported to local authorities.

Members asked the following:

-       In regards to measuring access, how do we know what success is? Members were advised that it would be measured by pupil outcomes. Key Stages 2 and 3 are not aggregated at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.