To provide an opportunity to pose questions to Cabinet Members in line with Standing Orders.
Process:
No more than 10 minutes will be allocated at the Council meeting for questions to each Cabinet Member.
Members must submit their proposed questions in writing in advance in accordance with Standing Orders. If members are unable to ask their question orally within the allocated time, remaining questions will be answered in writing. The question and response will be appended to the minutes.
The question must be addressed through the Mayor or the person presiding at the meeting and not directly to the person being questioned.
Questions will be posed to Cabinet Members in the following order:
i. Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Assets and Member Development
ii. Cabinet Member for Education and Skills
iii. Cabinet Member for Social Services
iv. Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing
v. Cabinet Member for Community and Resources
vi. Cabinet Member for Streetscene
vii. Cabinet Member for Licensing and Regulation
viii. Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure
For information: A digest of recent decision schedules issued by Cabinet, Cabinet Members and Minutes of recent meetings of Committees has been circulated electronically to all Members of the Council.
Minutes:
The following questions were submitted and answered:
Cabinet Member for Education and Skills
Councillor Joan Watkins asked:
The Cabinet Member for Education has been in post for some two years during her time of office two thirds of our Secondary Schools have fallen either into the red zone or indeed special measures. Additionally the Alternative Education Facility and Maesglas Primary school are also in the red Zone. I would add there are schools in the amber zone which also gives rise to concern.
Would she please tell this Council what has gone wrong and is she responsible for this sorry state of affairs?
The Cabinet Member responded:
There were nine secondary schools in Newport. One third of those were currently categorised as red (not two thirds as stated in the question). Almost two thirds of Newport secondary schools were in yellow or green category, recognising their excellent standards and strong upward trajectory.
Newport had the highest level of green secondary schools in the region. 55% of Newport secondary schools were categorised as yellow and green, compared to the regional average of 41%.
GCSE outcomes across Newport were contextually stronger than they had ever been. This year Newport ranked at 10th place in Wales for the Level 2+ measure (5 GCSE’s A*-C). This was a 5 ranking place rise from the previous year and 6 places above where Newport should sit within its Free School Meals national ranking position.
Newport has 57% green primary schools. This was 12% more than the regional average in 2016-17.
All schools, regardless of their categorisation had areas of strength, as shown in very school’s national categorisation or Estyn report. The Cabinet Member highlighted the good work of Newport schools linked to high academic standards, the strong focus on well-being, improving attendance and excellent parental engagement. She stated that there was a lot to be proud of, and schools should be congratulated for their hard work and commitment.
The Cabinet Member clarified that some levels of categorisation were in place for a short amount of time. High levels of support could be required when a school was amalgamated, had a new or temporary leadership structure or had a series of unavoidable staff absences. Estyn and the EAS were experts in assessing areas which require further attention. In most circumstances the school had identified these themselves, through effective self-evaluation. Support plans, with clear milestones were put into place to address these short comings.
A red categorisation ensured that the school had the highest level of support from the EAS and LA. However there was also an expectation that the school (Head, Governing Body and all staff) drove the school forward. The Council was consistently assessing their capacity to do this. The Chief Education Officer, the Principal Challenge Adviser and the Cabinet Member met with red schools on at least a termly basis to monitor progress and hold the school to account. This high level of support allowed schools to resolve issues and move forward.
Supplementary question:
In response to Councillor Watkins’ supplementary question, the Cabinet Member confirmed her commitment to ensuring that schools receive the right support and achieve maximum results; the categorisation system was key to highlighting where additional support was needed so it could be targeted quickly and appropriately.
Deputy Leader / Cabinet Member for Assets and Member Development
Councillor William Routley asked:
Do you believe that Newport Norse is managing Newport Market Effectively, and is there a need for member training regarding openness and transparency?
The Cabinet Member responded:
That Newport Norse was managing Newport Market effectively, and there was not a need for member training regarding openness and transparency.
Supplementary question:
Councillor Routley questioned the Cabinet Member’s response, citing issues with the management of the building, and the closed nature of the meetings with trader representatives.
In response, the Cabinet Member highlighted that:
· The liaison meetings took place with trader representatives appointed by the traders themselves. Those meetings were not held in public as this could impede a full and frank discussion. These were not formal council meetings, so did not require formal minutes to be taken and published.
· Notes were taken of the trader meetings with action points, and redacted copies would be made available to Members on request.
· There was open dialogue between the Council, Norse and Traders, which had resulted in a number of changes to management practices for the Market, including an events programme, and introducing rental holidays.
· The Council needed to build on the relationships with the elected market trader representatives; the current publicity and political attention risked undermining the work that was being done to make improvements.