Agenda item

Invitees:

-       Sarah Morgan - Chief Education Officer/Head of Education (NCC)

-       Geraint Willington – Director – EAS

-       Ed Pryce – Assistant Director – EAS

-       Sarah Davies – Principal Challenge Advisor (EAS)

The Chief Education Officer introduced the EAS team and their report and introduced the Assistant Director of EAS to cover the key lines of the business plan. The Assistant Director provided the Committee with a brief overview of how the EAS team and partners have reviewed how they wrote the business plan and stressed that the fundamentals such as Local Authority Strategic plans would not change and that the initial feedback from other stakeholders and what the EAS will change in the final version.

Members were informed of the 5 key priorities for the group after the feedback from the Directors and School Improvement Lead session and referred to these within the report. The Assistant Director explained the EAS Vision for 2025 and covered what the EAS will do to achieve the vision, such as ensuring that all schools are able to access a universal offer and professional teaching, a set number of days to work with a school improvement partner. It was noted that bespoke support would be developed for schools who require more intensive work. Members were informed that the EAS will report on the progress it is making towards the impact statements within the business plan.

Members asked the following:

·         The Committee thanked the officers for their comprehensive presentation and praised them on the work they have been doing.

·         Members referred to page 31 with regard to encouraging youth/learner voices and asked if any changes have been made to how the partnership works because of that learner voice being included.

The EAS Assistant Director confirmed that a colleague of his, Cath Bevan; Assistant Director, looks after their well-being strategies, has liaised with numerous school councils offering the vision for feedback and has undertaken an exercise. Members were advised that the partner has not seen the feedback as of yet but assured the Committee that it will be incorporated into the final version and published as one of the appendices, as EAS do for standard procedure.

·         Members asked in relation to the challenge of staffing numbers mentioned; how the EAS team have experienced putting the plan into motion during a reduction of staff, or if they have adapted it with the new way of working.

It was clarified that the EAS had a minor restructure last year and that they take advantage of opportunities where they help with staffing. The Member was directed to 3.4 of the report where it also states they have always passed on efficiency savings to the local authority.  It was explained that they may be at a point where any further efficiency savings at the core would become more challenging in future years.

The Committee was assured that they are committed to the model of the partnership with the school improvement partners who are the best of the professionals and leading network schools. The EAS monitor that and broker their support to them in line with the objectives set. It is similar in the governance team as they have a much smaller team managing the centre and have a flexible pool of casual clerks.

The EAS felt that model is effective as it offers efficiency savings into the system as well, both for schools and local authorities.

·         Members highlighted the challenges of the situation from the pandemic with free school meals and asked the partners what they have been looking at to work with that challenge with other local authorities.

It was advised the Members would expect it to be heavily embedded in the well-being area with free school meals, but it is embedded in all areas but with particular groups of learners with free school meals might have socio-economic disadvantage. They will be the priority of the plan and in the reporting metrics. It was acknowledged that the pandemic has had the greatest impact on the most socio-economically disadvantaged therefore all of their strategies have elements ensuring that the teachers focus on those learners. They have found that as by-product, other learners have benefited from that too.

·         Members mentioned the recent education law changes in Wales relating to those with disabilities/additional learning needs and asked the if that has had any bearing on the way the partners have worked in the partnership and if so, how.

The Chief Education Officer confirmed that it is a partnership approach so the local authorities lead on the transportation and there has been a team that would lead schools. However the EAS partners dovetail into that strategy. For instance, they look at the good quality teachers included for the quality, and what they should do is look at the differentiation and setting appropriate challenges for pupils. So the partners support the council with that aspect as an example.

·         Members asked if there had been any challenges in the last 12 months while coming into the recovery phase from the pandemic whilst going into the business plan. And asked if the partners foresaw the challenges.

The EAS Partner confirmed that one of their greatest challenges was last autumn where with some of the waves of COVID, they had assumptions that they were ready to drive forward with the school improvement agenda. But it was advised that they did that at a stage where schools were not ready at those stages as they were facing challenges of staffing in schools. From that, they have gained a stronger insight with stronger avenues to be able to listen to the head teachers in virtual meetings too and stated they felt that the partnership became much stronger.

The Chief Education Officer added that during the pandemic, the EAS and Local Authority maximised the work with schools where possible. An example was mentioned where the EAS put on professional learning led by the speaker who was approved specifically for leadership changes and adapting in challenging circumstances. They will retain and build on the successes and asses what they will leave behind some things they did before the pandemic. Therefore it was stated that in itself it has provided a good springboard for the partners to take those successes with them and helped them provide good self-evaluation and for the co-operation from the schools.

The Committee thanked the officers for attending.

Conclusions:

1.   The Committee noted the Education Achievement Service (EAS) Business Plan 2022-2025

2.   The Committee made the following comments to the EAS and Cabinet:

·       The Committee thanked the officers for attending and complimented the Business Plan as very clear in their goals with a good understanding. Members were pleased to see that the partnership is still healthy. Members were also happy with the information contained within the report, and wished to feedback that the Business Plan read a lot better to previous reports.

·       The Committee wished to request for the partners to keep them appraised of any key changes.

·         Members were pleased to hear that the partnership have been liaising with school councils offering the vision feedback for learner voices and that it will be incorporated into the final report.