Agenda item

To submit a report by the Head of Learning.

The report of the Assistant Chief Executive incorporating the report on the outcome of the statutory consultation on the modernisation of the primary education provision in the Llangefni area (Ysgol Corn Hir, Ysgol Bodffordd and Ysgol Henblas) was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

Having declared a prejudicial interest in this matter, Councillor Llinos Medi Huws, Councillor Richard Dew and the Chief Executive all withdrew from the meeting during the discussion and determination thereof. Councillor Ieuan Williams, the Vice-Chair took the Chair for the item.

The Chair invited Councillor Aled Morris Jones, Chair of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee to report on the deliberations of the Scrutiny Committee on this matter from its meeting held on 23 April, 2018 and the recommendations resulting therefrom.

Councillor Aled Morris Jones reiterated his thanks to all those who had contributed to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee’s discussion on this subject at the 23 April meeting and especially to the representatives of the three schools in question who had all made a robust case on behalf of their schools. The representatives of Ysgol Bodffordd had conveyed the picture of a busy rural school actively contributing to its community and with a well-regarded Cylch Meithrin. One of the concerns regarding the report presented to the Scrutiny Committee was the lack of evidence to prove the Council’s ownership of land and a community building linked to Ysgol Bodffordd about which doubts were raised at the meeting. Councillor Jones said that the Committee was keen to ensure that this issue was clarified prior to this meeting of the Executive. With Ysgol Corn Hir the Scrutiny Committee heard that a pressing issue was lack of space for the children at the school. The representatives of Ysgol Henblas had described the strides the school was now making in improving standards and performance under the leadership of an enthusiastic, new Head Teacher. Councillor Jones said that the emerging picture in relation to both Ysgol Bodffordd and Ysgol Henblas was that of two medium sized schools (or schools that could even be considered large by Anglesey’s standards) being caught up in the need to find a solution to the lack of primary education places in Llangefni. Whilst it was accepted that the situation in Ysgol Corn Hir needs to be resolved, the concern that was being put across to the Scrutiny Committee was that this should not be at the expense of Ysgol Bodffordd and Ysgol Henblas. Councillor Aled Morris Jones referred to remarks made by the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education in the plenary session on 25 April when questioned by Anglesey’s Assembly Member with reference to the schools’ modernisation programme in Anglesey - and specifically a lack of clarity due on the one hand to the expectations of the Twenty-First Century Schools Programme that funding for new schools is based on generating savings by amalgamating/closing existing small schools, and on the other hand, the presumption against the closure of rural schools in the new draft Schools’ Organisation Code . The Cabinet Secretary had said in her response that securing Twenty- First Century Schools Programme funding for a new school does not require that existing schools close – the money can also be used to refurbish/remodel existing schools. Councillor Jones said that the Corporate Scrutiny Committee gave careful consideration to the two options presented by the Officers but was of the view that the process was being conducted with haste - an informal and non-statutory consultation having not been held despite it being good practice and despite it being a departure from the procedure adopted with previous school modernisation proposals in other parts of Anglesey; this omission fuels community doubts about the process itself.  Subsequently, the Committee had recommended that the modernisation programme for this part of Llangefni be paused pending publication of the final revised Schools Organisation Code, that Ysgol Bodffordd and Ysgol Henblas be kept open in light of planned new housing in the Llangefni area and the additional school places that may be required as result, and that the issue of land and community building ownership in relation to Ysgol Bodffordd be clarified before any decision is made with regard to the school.

The Portfolio Member for Education, Libraries, Culture and Youth reported that the Schools’ Modernisation Programme involves weighing up the future of schools and the effect this has on children, parents, teachers, governors and a range of other stakeholders. It can be a contentious matter and is one of the most challenging elements of the Council’s business.

As the Portfolio Holder, he recognised this and he also understood the concerns of parents and all other stakeholders. On the other hand what is being discussed is the future of schools perhaps over the next 50 years; a schools’ service that is sagging under the pressure of financial cuts imposed by Westminster and the Cardiff Governments; repair and maintenance costs, the requirements of the Curriculum; school leadership and a number of other aspects. The Council must give serious consideration to making the schools’ system and service more effective meaning creating an environment in which children and teachers can succeed, and also to making it more efficient which means ensuring that resources are used effectively and that every school receives a fair share of the budget. Under the Twenty- First Century Schools Programme which came into effect in 2013, 10 small schools have closed in Anglesey, two new schools have been built with the build for a third underway. The Portfolio Member summarised the history of the modernisation process thus far for this part of Llangefni beginning with the Executive’s decision back in 2016 to undertake an informal non-statutory consultation on the reorganisation of the primary education provision in the Llangefni area which took place at the end of 2016 and which encompassed Ysgol Corn Hir, Ysgol Bodfordd and Ysgol Henblas and others. Following a report on the matter, the Executive decided in December of 2016 to go out to statutory consultation on Option A and Option B and this was conducted early in 2017. After a delay due to the Local Government Elections, the Executive in July 2017 approved moving forwards with Option B namely a new school to take the place of Ysgol Corn Hir and Ysgol Bodffordd. In December, 2017 the Executive decided to pause and review the process and, due to time pressures and the requirements of the Band A phase of the Twenty-First Century Schools Programme it was determined that a statutory consultation be undertaken the report on the outcome of which is presented to today’s meeting. The Portfolio Member referred to the drivers of change which underpin the Schools’ Modernisation Programme and which are set out in the report. He further pointed out that Elected Members have a responsibility to their individual communities, but they are also expected to provide strategic direction through firm and clear guidance.

The Assistant Chief Executive (Partnership, Community and Service Improvement) highlighted key areas of the Officer’s report as presented to the meeting specifically sections 4 to 9 of the report which set out the responses received from the consultation meetings held at the three schools, from the three schools individually, from pupils at the three schools and from other stakeholders. Attached to the report are appendices containing information about the performance of the three schools and the costs per pupil at each of the three schools. She referred to the volume of responses which the consultation had generated and she outlined the Authority’s response to the principal points raised by those responses (section 10 of the report). With Ysgol Henblas and with Ysgol Bodffordd, standards have been low for some time, with both schools having received a significant number of days of school support, and the pace of improvement is slower than expected. However, progress has been seen in Ysgol Henblas since September, 2017 with the appointment of a new temporary Head teacher. The size of each of these two schools means that there are classes of mixed age in the schools which make teaching more of a challenge. Leadership and the quality of leadership are also issues because of the size of the schools. The cost per pupil is high in both schools and is above the Welsh average; there is also a maintenance backlog at both schools (£112,000 for Ysgol Henblas and £209,000 for Ysgol Bodffordd). There is no evidence to support the point made by some respondents that use of the Welsh language is better in Ysgol Henblas than in other schools nor that the community use of the school is higher than that in a number of other schools. The use of Welsh is one of the strengths of all three schools. However, in Bodffordd the significant community use of the school is acknowledged and the need to identify a solution to this issue in the event of the school’s closure is recognised. Ysgol Corn Hir is the largest of the three schools and the final option will need to reflect this. Lack of capacity is an issue at the school there being with no room to expand on site. There is a maintenance backlog of £239,500 at the school. The cost per pupil at Ysgol Corn Hir is the lowest of the three schools; standards at the school are good as is the use of the Welsh language.

The Officer added that many of the general responses received suggest that school size affects the quality of the Welsh language and that larger schools are less successful in creating a sense of family. There is no evidence to support either assertion. Neither does it necessarily follow that school closures lead to the decline of communities. While it is a challenge, there are examples of communities continuing to thrive in villages where schools have closed.

With regard to the financial considerations, although the maintenance of the three schools would not lead to significant capital costs, the combined backlog maintenance of £406,000 at the three schools would have to be addressed. Extra costs are likely to be incurred as the buildings reach the end of their useful life. While building new schools is a significant investment which has to be considered carefully it does result in greater economies of scale and reduced revenue costs. Closing Ysgol Henblas would increase the economies of scale of the proposed new school and would create higher revenue savings.

Councillors Dafydd Roberts and Eric Jones both spoke as Local Members in support of Ysgol Henblas. They referred to the significant efforts that had been made to raise standards at the school which were now paying dividends. They voiced their confidence in the school’s continued improvement under the guidance and leadership of an enthusiastic and committed new Head Teacher. Councillor Dafydd Roberts pointed out that empty places at Ysgol Henblas are below 10% and that the cost per pupil is also reducing. Many aspects are moving in the right direction for the school. With the closure of Ysgol Bodorgan it is possible that pupils who would have attended the school will choose to attend Ysgol Henblas. Closing Ysgol Henblas would leave a vast area devoid of educational provision. Councillor Eric Jones spoke of Ysgol Henblas as being a modern, popular, happy and Welsh orientated school making the threat to its future even more of a surprise and disappointment. He listed the schools recent successes in netball, 5 a side football, being first in Wales in the Bike It campaign and representing Anglesey in group singing at the Urdd National Eisteddfod next month. He said that a school is the heart of every village not least by its providing a sense of community and acting as the focal point for a myriad activities that keep a community alive. Taking the heart out of the community means that the community will cease to be – he urged the Executive therefore to make its decision with this in mind.

Councillor Dylan Rees, a Local Member and Chair of the Governing Body of Ysgol Bodffordd spoke on behalf of Ysgol Bodffordd. He said that while he was supportive of the Council’s Schools’ Modernisation Programme he firmly believed that every case should be considered on its own merits. He thought that the report presented was very unfair on Ysgol Bodffordd and that the assessment of standards at the school was overly harsh and was not at all reflective of the real situation which has both disappointed and angered the school’s governing body and has affected staff morale. Much is made in the report of the Estyn Inspection report which dates back to 2015 – Estyn re-visited the school in 2016 and confirmed that the school had made good progress. The school has also been praised on its progress by the Council’s Schools Progress Review Scrutiny Panel. Although results in some areas are in the lower quartiles, the Statutory Consultation Report acknowledges that care must be taken when comparing results as pupil numbers may be small and the nature of the cohort and circumstances of individual pupils have a significant impact. The use of the Welsh language at the school is recognised as a strength. With regard to the issue of leadership and insufficient non-contact time for Head teachers, this is now an issue that affects large as well as smaller schools since financial cuts now mean that head teachers regardless of the size of the school, have to spend more time in the classroom because they cannot afford to engage classroom teachers. Although empty places (which is one of the main drivers of the modernisation programme) are not an issue at Ysgol Bodffordd, the school along with Ysgol Henblas has been drawn into the process because of the need to find a solution to the shortage of spaces in the two Llangefni primary schools. The report states that it is unlikely that Welsh Government would contribute funding towards a new school unless it involves the amalgamation of existing schools even though the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education has said that the availability of funding for new schools from the Twenty-First Century Schools Programme is not based on existing schools having to close. Councillor Dylan Rees referred to the presumption against closing rural schools in the draft revised Schools Organisation Code and also to the existing Code which at paragraph 1.7 provides that those bringing forward proposals should show that the impact of closure on the community has been assessed through the production of a Community Impact Assessment. The Community Impact Assessment that has been produced with reference to Ysgol Bodffordd (although not included with the Committee papers) is deficient – there is nothing in it to show that the Authority has made plans to mitigate the negative impact of the closure of Ysgol Bodffordd on the community of Bodffordd nor how the stated intention of seeking to secure the community provision will be achieved. Neither is there any information about the future of the very successful Cylch Meithrin meaning that the Assessment has very little value apart from ticking the box. The Executive’s Members will have received a paper prepared by Mr Gareth Parry, an Ysgol Bodffordd School Governor, showing how the proposals go against one of the main objectives of the Well-being and Future Generations Act 2015 of creating viable, resilient and successful communities. Councillor Dylan Rees said that the campaign to secure the future of Ysgol Bodffordd is a fight to safeguard the community as a whole as the closure of the school will devastate the community. He urged the Executive to keep this in mind and to not close the school especially as that doesn’t have to happen.

Councillor Nicola Roberts also a Local Member said that attention has to be given to the statistics for this area and to the information that has come back from the consultation process. It has to be understood that maintaining the status quo is not possible not only on grounds of costs but also on the grounds of education standards. Parents are choosing to send their children out of catchment which is borne out by the statistics which show that a high percentage of pupils at both Ysgol Henblas and Ysgol Bodffordd come from out of catchment areas. Running costs for Ysgol Bodffordd and Ysgol Henblas are high; Ysgol Bodffordd spends twice as much as Ysgol Corn Hir on fuel. Costs per pupil are also much higher in Ysgol Bodffordd and Ysgol Henblas than in Ysgol Corn Hir and are well above both the average spend per head for Anglesey and for Wales  as testified to by the report. Councillor Nicola Roberts questioned whether it is fair that expenditure on education is so much higher in schools like these when the standards are lower by comparison to other schools. Larger more viable and more sustainable schools are in danger of being financially suffocated at the expense of keeping expensive schools open. The shortage of Head Teachers is also an issue despite the Authority making every effort to encourage and to train individuals to take on the role. The pressure on teaching staff is greater in smaller schools with the Head Teacher having to teach in the classroom for a high percentage of time and teachers having to face the challenges which teaching mixed age classes bring. Although the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education did say that schools do not have to close to qualify for Twenty-First Century Schools Programme funding, she also said that consideration is given to the “value behind each application.” The Authority’s modernisation programme has to be accompanied by a sustainable business case and for this to be implemented properly then schools have to be amalgamated. There is no favouritism for or against urban or rural schools and the consultation process which has and continues within the Authority demonstrates this clearly. However, the community use of Ysgol Bodffordd needs to be recognised and safeguarded. She asked the Executive to take a broader perspective of Llangefni and to ensure that the children of the area do not suffer sub- standard education at the expense of adults who take a more parochial view of their areas.

The Executive, in considering the information presented and the representations of Local Members made the following points:

•  The Executive noted and accepted that this was a very difficult situation for the communities involved which had understandably evoked strong feelings.

•  The Executive was agreed in supporting the Schools’ Modernisation Programme on Anglesey as a vehicle to achieve the Authority’s aspirations for primary education provision on the Island i.e. to create the best possible learning and teaching environment for Anglesey’s primary school children and teachers; to make effective and efficient use of resources and to promote high standards of education.

•  The Executive noted that where new schools have been built on Anglesey as part of the Schools’ Modernisation Programme, initial opposition and doubts from within those communities have subsided as the advantages of a new, modern school have become apparent.

•  The Executive noted that closure of small rural schools does not inevitably lead to the demise of communities e.g. the closure of Ysgol Llanddeusant was cited as not having had a negative effect on the community.

•  The Executive noted that there are higher costs associated with smaller schools from the cost of educating each pupil to the running and maintenance costs of what are often older, inefficient buildings. Overhead costs are a source of significant expenditure in the schools sector which is money that is not spent on teaching and learning. Bringing overheads down by reducing the number of school buildings creates savings that would otherwise have to be found from other budgets including teaching budgets.

•  The Executive noted that change creates both fear and opportunity. The Schools’ Modernisation Programme is about changing an existing and long-standing pattern of primary education provision in order to create the best possible learning and teaching environment in which children and staff alike can make the most of modern technology. The Programme seeks to raise the educational expectations for Anglesey’s primary school children and to meet those expectations by providing them with high quality education in suitable, fit for purpose school buildings.

•  The Executive noted the plans for housing developments in Llangefni. The Executive sought assurance that these have been taken into account in formulating the proposals. The Assistant Chief Executive confirmed that Officers have assessed the effect of new houses by using a formula to predict the numbers of pupils in each of the catchment areas of the three schools. For this formal consultation the number of houses is 237 in the catchment area of the three schools which would mean 40 additional pupils.

•  The Executive noted that the revised Schools’ Organisation Code will come into effect in September 2018 and that it is one of the Corporate Scrutiny’s recommendations that the modernisation process be paused pending implementation of the new Code. The Executive sought clarification of the likely impact of the Code on the Schools’ Modernisation Programme. The Assistant Chief Executive confirmed that consideration has been given to the draft revised Code in this consultation. She said that whilst the revised Code contains a presumption against the closure of rural schools it makes clear that that does not mean that rural schools will never close but that the case for closure must be strong and should not be taken until all viable options to closure have been considered. The Officer highlighted that the Cabinet Secretary for Education in her remarks made to the Assembly on 25 April, stated that planning school places is a matter for the Local Authority.

•  The Executive noted that doubts have been raised about the ownership of land and community building linked to Ysgol Bodffordd. The Executive sought assurance that the issue of ownership has been resolved. The Assistant Chief Executive said following confirmation by the Legal and Property Services she could report that Ysgol Bodfordd, the land and playing field are in the ownership of the County Council.

The Portfolio Member for Education, Libraries, Culture and Youth summarised by thanking all contributors to the discussion and by acknowledging the points made. He reminded those present that Education makes up 40% of the Council’s budget; doing nothing will not lead to improving the education service but will severely impact on other services in the Council as resources continue to reduce. Doing nothing will also prolong the uncertainty. He said that he had a firm belief in the Authority’s Schools’ Modernisation Programme and what it seeks to achieve in terms of raising standards and creating the conditions in which children and teachers can succeed. He acknowledged that the decision is a difficult one to make, but on the basis of a number of factors he proposed Option 2 to the Executive.

The Portfolio Member for Highways, Property and Waste proposed an amendment to the effect that in recognition of the concerns about the continuation of community activities in Bodffordd after the closure of the school, discussions are held with the Bodffordd Community Council and with the community of Bodffordd to safeguard and retain the community hall. The discussions to commence within the next 6 weeks. The amendment was approved by the Executive.

It was resolved –

•  To approve Option 2, namely to build a new school for Bodffordd and Corn Hir schools and to continue to maintain educational provision in Llangristiolus either by maintaining Ysgol Henblas in its current form or as a multi-site school [i.e. merge Ysgol Henblas with the new school and create one school on two sites].This decision to be linked to assurance in a year’s time [i.e. by the end of the 2018/19 school year] that standards at Ysgol Henblas are improving, that the current pace of improvement increases and that prospects with regard to pupil numbers remain constant or increase.

•  That discussions be held with the Bodffordd Community Council and with the community of Bodffordd to safeguard and retain the community hall. The discussions to commence within the next 6 weeks.