Agenda item

[NOTE: Cllr. D. Jones having earlier declared an interest in this item remained in the meeting for its consideration].

In accordance with the School Engagement Programme agreed by Committee at its meeting on 30^th November 2021, a report was presented to Members which focussed upon the process of recovery as schools emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic.   

It was explained to Members that that an alternative structure, in the form of online school engagement sessions, had been introduced to temporarily replace school visits during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and which would enable the Committee to continue with its school evaluation and improvement function.

The Committee considered the financial support allocated to schools during 2021/22 by way of the Accelerated Learning Programme and which included an additional ‘Recruit, Recover, Raise Standards’ (RRRs) grant recently provided.  The Committee’s remit was to focus upon the utilisation of the additional funding provided to schools to meet the needs of the requirements of the RRRs, within the areas of Accelerated Learning, Priority Cohorts for Support and Curriculum Reform.

The Committee then received a presentation from the school representatives which focussed upon the means by which they had addressed the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact upon pupils and staff and the perceived longer-term challenges ahead.  An overview of how the schools had utilised the additional funding received provided members with a detailed understanding of the impact of the Local Authority’s support on provision across the school system.  Key points covered within the presentation included:

• A culture of excellence was at the heart of the federated schools, which enabled a rapid development of new norms and priorities, with communication and wellbeing central to the school’s revised strategy.

• A number of adjustments were made within the federated schools in the national effort against coronavirus, including the establishment and monitoring of contact groups, Lateral Flow Testing, Risk Assessments and the introduction of two new assessment systems. Physical mitigations included the introduction of hand sanitisers, face coverings, one-way systems, designated entry points and ‘bubble’ learning zones.

• The grant funding enabled the federated schools to support pupils in ways which could not otherwise have been provided, including the introduction of parent engagement roles, increased capacity of core subjects and enhanced ICT provision (in terms of both equipment and skills) to assist with the transition to virtual and blended learning.

• A number of unexpected positive outcomes had been derived from the Covid-19 pandemic, termed by the federated schools as “Covid keepers”; these comprised:
  • Enhanced relationships with parents by way of regular communication facilitated by the use of technology.
  • Blended learning being viewed as the new status quo, enabling flexible learning.
  • Sharing of best practice, including exploration of new ICT platforms and approaches.  A playlist by the federated schools had recently been published on HWB as part of the Welsh Government national resource case study to promote best practice and facilitate self-evaluation and improvement. It was agreed that the playlist be circulated to Committee.
  • Social benefits, including wellbeing walks to further strengthen social cohesion amongst pupils in year groups.
• Reference was also made to recent challenges imposed by ‘Storm Barra’ in December 2021, which had caused significant damage to the Bryngwyn school building roof and had resulted in the closure of the school whilst repairs were underway.  Nevertheless, the Committee was pleased to note that there had been no disruption to the learning of pupils due to the seamless transition to online learning and relocation of pupils in accordance with the school’s business continuity arrangements.

A number of observations and queries were addressed, as follows:

In response to a query regarding the issue of ‘lost learning’ and the introduction of the Centre Assessed Grading system, the Committee was informed that the additional resources provided by the RRRS grant funding enabled the school to respond appropriately by way of enhanced ICT and technical support to bridge gap between the school and communities, Parental Engagement Officers to support families with learning and the use of mentoring programmes and smaller group work to provide appropriate intervention into areas of need.  Furthermore, the additional grant funding was utilised to temporarily enhance the budget to address staff resource issues and sufficient capacity for continuity of learning.

Concerns were expressed that some pupils were not equipped for formal examinations, and furthermore that they had not attained the expected standard of learning as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.  The school representatives advised that appropriate support was provided to ensure a positive experience for all pupils, within the parameters of national determinations.  Data was also being collated by the schools to ensure the provision of accurate pupil grading in the event of any adjustments made to the assessment arrangements. Furthermore, it was highlighted to members that whilst not all pupils had reached the expected standard of learning within the core subjects, the Covid-19 pandemic had enhanced skills in areas such as resilience, independence and creativity.

Reference was made to the Estonian education system who had pioneered ‘e-school bags’ to promote digital inclusivity. The Director of Education and Children’s Services noted that the Estonian education digital solutions would be further explored, however assurances were provided that a wide range of digital learning resources was already available to pupils via the HWB platform.  The Head of Education Services and Inclusion further advised that a longer-term digital strategy would require a review of government funding arrangements to provide appropriate resources to schools and pupils.  The Committee was also advised that areas of best practice was a key focus area for Carmarthenshire schools, demonstrated by the array of established forums such as the School Learning Organisation Networks, Secondary Focus Networks, Secondary Primary Networks, in addition to the ongoing collaboration between Education Support Advisors and regular Headteacher meetings.

Following an enquiry regarding the feasibility and flexibility of a longer-term blended learning provision post Covid-19, the school representatives assured the Committee that all opportunities were being explored to enhance learning experiences and provide greater flexibility of learning in conjunction with the imminent introduction of the new curriculum for secondary schools.  In this regard, Officers referred to the alternative learning models being trialled for older pupils to promote independent learners and prepare pupils for higher education.  It was however explained that further collaboration between schools was required to ensure the correct use of technology to reach its full potential.  The Committee was also assured to note that blended learning would be utilised as a tool to support learning and was not intended to replace human contact.

The Committee commended the schools for the sterling efforts made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and expressed their gratitude to the representatives for the informative and valuable presentation.  Members suggested that pupils could form part of future engagement sessions to articulate their experiences directly to the Committee.  This was agreed.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.