Agenda item

QUESTION BY MRS KAREN HUGHES TO COUNCILLOR GARETH JONES, EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER FOR EDUCATION & CHILDREN

“There have been a number of failures on the consultation process with the headmaster admitting on the 26th April that they had been naive about the consultation process. We have received correspondence confirming the school were aware of a proposal from the LEA in September 2014, followed by a proposal letter in January 2015 to the school which makes reference to 5 issues which were agreed as a package which had to be taken as a whole. With the insistence that the package must be accepted by the governors and LEA as a whole and already accepted in February 2015 it does make us wonder if this was already a ‘done deal’. Why wasn’t this made public to all stakeholders in September 2014 showing openness and transparency?”

 

Minutes:

“There have been a number of failures on the consultation process with the headmaster admitting on the 26th April that they had been naive about the consultation process. We have received correspondence confirming the school were aware of a proposal from the LEA in September 2014, followed by a proposal letter in January 2015 to the school which makes reference to 5 issues which were agreed as a package which had to be taken as a whole. With the insistence that the package must be accepted by the governors and LEA as a whole and already accepted in February 2015 it does make us wonder if this was already a ‘done deal’. Why wasn’t this made public to all stakeholders in September 2014 showing openness and transparency?”

Response by Councillor G.O. Jones, Executive Board Member for Education & Children:-

“The consultation process has been conducted in compliance with the statutory School Organisation Code.  The Education and Children’s Services Department has been in discussion with the governing bodies of both schools for a few years regarding the potential for the current proposal and correspondence has been exchanged between the parties. The Department has shared correspondence on this issue with objectors, demonstrating openness and transparency.  School governing bodies have statutory responsibility for their schools and discussions between the local authority and schools on proposals for change always commence with a conversation with governing bodies. Discussions and consultations with other people and groups of people take place at the appropriate stages in the process in line with statutory expectations. 

No final decision has yet been made on this proposal. Should the Executive Board resolve to proceed to the next stage in the process, through the publication of a statutory notice, there will be another opportunity for interested parties to make their representations, which will be fully considered before a final decision is made.

The correspondence exchanged between the Director of Education and Children’s Services and the governing bodies was intended to establish an agreement between these parties on the principles of the proposal and how it could be implemented, whilst also addressing other separate factors, such as how restricted space in the infants school could be addressed and how planning gain funding available for the area could be usefully applied.

The Director’s letter of the 29th January 2015 to the Chair of the Governing Body of Llangennech Infants School, copied to the Chair of the Governing Body of Llangennech Junior School, makes it clear that it will be necessary for the County Council to undertake a statutory process to constitute a new primary school in place of the current two separate schools, to extend the age range of the school and to establish the new school as a Welsh medium school and highlights the timing challenges for completing the statutory process.

The letter also refers to a commitment to provide an additional double mobile classroom to assist with space pressures at the infants school (this has now been done) and agrees to release planning gain money for investment in the schools, through agreement with the Department. The fact that the new modular building has already been installed at the school clearly establishes that this element is not connected to the statutory proposal.

Reference to a “package for the development of primary sector provision” in the Director’s letter can, therefore, be clearly identified as seeking an agreement in principle.

The Welsh in Education Strategic Plan was formally adopted at the meeting of the Executive Board held on the 28th July 2014, with the minutes of this meeting being received by the County Council at its meeting held on the 10th September 2014. It is evidently, therefore, a matter of fact that the WESP is Council policy.  The WESP sets out the broad strategy for language development within the education service. Where progress requires change at individual schools in terms of the proportion of the curriculum delivered through either language a statutory process will be required, involving a consultation on each specific proposal. This is what is happening at Llangennech currently.”

 

          Mrs Hughes asked the following supplementary question:-

 

          “Do you agree that the consultation process has only paid lip service to     people and there is no real care for the community at large or providing    for their needs?”

 

          Response by Councillor G.O. Jones, Executive Board Member for      Education & Children:-

 

            I think I will be referring to some of the points you raised in the other        answers that follow so if you are not happy with the answers that follow    on, please come back to me and I’ll get you an answer.”

 

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