Agenda and minutes

Due to the absence of the Chair, Councillor Dylan Rees, the Vice-Chair took the Chair for the meeting. Councillor J. Arwel Roberts was elected Vice-Chair for this meeting of the Committee only.

The Chair welcomed all those present to this meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee including Members, Officers and representatives of both Ysgol and community of Beaumaris and Ysgol and community of Talwrn.

With the consent of the Committee, the Chair said that he would vary the order in which the items on the agenda would be considered taking items 4 and 5 ahead of item 3. The Committee agreed to the change.

To receive any declaration of interest by any Member or Officer in respect of any item of business.

Councillor Alun Roberts declared a personal but not prejudicial interest with regard to item 4 on the agenda as a member of the Governing Body of Ysgol Beaumaris.

Councillor Nicola Roberts declared a personal but not prejudicial interest with regard to item 5 on the agenda as a member of the Governing Body of Ysgol y Graig and as the parent of a child who is a pupil at the school.

Councillor Lewis Davies declared a personal but not prejudicial interest in item 4 on the agenda as the Chair of Ysgol Llangoed Governing Body.

To present the minutes of the previous meetings of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee held on the following dates –

·         31 January, 2018 (extraordinary)

·         5 February, 2018 (Budget meeting)

The minutes of the previous meetings of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee held on the following dates were submitted and confirmed as correct subject to the amendment noted:

•           31 January, 2018 (extraordinary)

•           5 February, 2018, subject to the inclusion of Councillor Shaun Redmond’s name in the list of attendees.

To present the report of the Head of Corporate Transformation.

It was resolved to defer consideration of this item due to lack of time. The item had been put back in the order of business to allow items 4 and 5 to be taken first.

To present the report of the Head of Learning.

The report of the Head of Learning incorporating the report on the outcome of the Statutory Consultation on the reconfiguration of primary education provision in the Seiriol area along with recommendations for moving forwards therewith were presented for the Committee’s consideration.

The Portfolio Member for Education, Libraries Youth & Culture reported on the consultation process held which ran from 20 November, 2017 to 6 February, 2018 and included meetings with staff, governors and parents at Ysgol Llangoed, Ysgol Beaumaris and Ysgol Llandegfan. The responses to the consultation were numerous; the report sets out the messages from the comments made by stakeholders in the three schools as well as the responses to the on-line survey. The Portfolio Member referred to the recommendations following on from the consultation process which involve closing Ysgol Beaumaris; the Scrutiny Committee is asked to consider these and to recommend their adoption by the Executive which will come to a decision on the matter at its meeting to be held on 26 March, 2018.The Portfolio Member explained that the Authority is committed to modernising its schools as part of, and in line with the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Capital Programme  which the Authority and the Administration support on the basis of the change drivers described in the consultation report. As part of this commitment, the Council acknowledges that modernising education and ensuring that its school buildings create a pleasant learning environment that motivates children and young people to become effective learners and develop life skills, is a high priority.

The Portfolio Member said that although the process may appear relatively straightforward, significant issues have been raised during the course of it, and it is evident from the implementation of the modernisation programme on the Island thus far that some schools have had to close so that others may develop and, in some cases, so that brand new schools can take their place. The Portfolio Member acknowledged that closing a school is not an easy decision to contemplate or to take but occasionally, such decisions have to be made and this is such an occasion. If the Authority is to be consistent with the modernising principles it has applied hitherto it has to carry on and take difficult decisions. Notwithstanding, the Authority has considered the comments made during the consultation and recognises that this is a matter that evokes strong feelings and emotions in parents because it involves their children’s education. However, the recommendations made based on the conclusions reached, although they include the closure of Ysgol Beaumaris, go beyond the one school and take account of the education needs of the Seiriol area in totality.

The Head of Learning said that the consultation report seeks to provide a synopsis of the responses to the statutory consultation process that has taken place – Part 4 of the report summarises the main substance of the observations from the consultation meetings at the three schools. Section 5 of the report sets out the views expressed by the respondents  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To present the report of the Head of Learning.

The report of the Head of Learning incorporating the report on the outcome of the Statutory Consultation on the reconfiguration of primary education provision in the Llangefni area (Ysgol Talwrn and Ysgol y Graig) along with recommendations for moving forwards therewith were presented for the Committee’s consideration.

The Portfolio Member for Education, Libraries Youth & Culture reported on the consultation process which ran from 26 September, 2017 to 13 November, 2017 which included meetings with staff, governors and parents of both Ysgol Talwrn and Ysgol y Graig. The report summarises the observations from the consultation meetings as well as feedback from the pupils of both schools. The Portfolio Member said that based on the conclusions reached following the statutory consultation process, 5 recommendations are presented for the Committee’s consideration and these again regrettably involve the closure of a school.

The Head of Learning said that in this instance the bulk of the responses have come from stakeholders at Ysgol Talwrn which is to be expected given that the school is under threat of closure. The proposals have been amended slightly from those originally consulted on because after assessing the situation around Ysgol y Graig it was considered that a new block or building is necessary for the school rather than simply extending the current school building and bringing in pupils from Ysgol Talwrn to the current site. A number of alternative proposals were offered during the consultation period which included using Ysgol Talwrn to train head teachers; modernising or building a new school in Talwrn or merging Ysgol Talwrn with either Ysgol Llanbedrgoch or Ysgol Pentraeth. However, having considered all the submissions and all the comments made, the Authority is recommending that the proposals as set out in the report are supported.

Mr Islwyn Humphreys (Ysgol Talwrn Governing Body) and Bethan Wyn Jones (Parents and Residents of Talwrn) both addressed the Committee with their and the community of Talwrn’s views on the proposals in relation to Ysgol y Graig and Ysgol Talwrn. They emphasised the strong opposition within the Governing Body of Ysgol Talwrn and the community of Talwrn to the proposed closure of the village’s school and they asked that the proposals be re-considered. In making their representations they drew the following points to the Committee’s attention –

•           That there are currently only 6 empty places in Ysgol Talwrn. Four properties have recently been built in the area and a family is now attached to most. A family of 6 has also moved into the village recently and the children attend Ysgol Talwrn.

•           That education standards at Ysgol Talwrn are good. The school has a young and enthusiastic Head teacher who is continuing with the school’s successes in previous years. The school has an excellent record on developing the personal, social and well-being elements of the children’s education. The school is also able to evidence achievement in KS2 and in terms of outcomes, is at the forefront of Anglesey  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To present the report of the Head of Learning.

It was resolved to defer consideration of this item due to lack of time.

To present the report of the Scrutiny Manager.

It was resolved to defer consideration of this item due to lack of time.