New report reveals ‘significant’ areas of concern in Powys schools

Emily Price

Senior leaders at a Welsh council have pledged to strengthen education services after a new inspection report revealed “significant” areas of concern.

Wales’ education and training inspectorate – Estyn – inspected Powys County Council’s education services in February and today (March 27) published their findings.

It revealed a number of concerns including underperformance and school site security issues.

The inspectorate said that recent changes in leadership had had a “limited impact” on securing important improvements in education services or in improving outcomes for children.

Priorities

The report stated: “There are a few examples where school improvement support is effective but, overall, school improvement processes and their impact are underdeveloped.

“This is because too often officers focus too heavily on school improvement paperwork at the expense of working with schools to support the most pressing improvement priorities.

“There are also examples of additional learning needs officers providing helpful support to schools, pupils and their families.

“Despite this, the strategic leadership of ALN is not effective enough and has not ensured that support strategies have been reviewed or evaluated to ensure that all schools get access to high quality and consistent support.”

Leadership

The inspectorate has made a number of recommendations which the Liberal Democrat and Labour run council has promised to implement.

These include:

• Ensure that the local authority addresses urgently important school site security issues.
• Strengthen the quality and impact of leadership, including political leadership, at all levels.
• Strengthen the quality of support and challenge to schools to improve outcomes for all learners, including those with ALN.
• Work with partners to rapidly develop and implement a model for 16-19 education that is financially viable and sustainable, and meets the needs of all learners, and considers Welsh-medium and ALN provision.

Brecon and Radnorshire MS James Evans slammed the report saying, “Children in Powys deserve better.”

He said “Just when you think the Lib Dems in Powys CC couldn’t get any worse – they do. Estyn’s latest report is devastating. Schools are underperforming, site safety is a mess, and education isn’t even on the Lib Dem’s radar.

“While our brilliant teachers and officers do their best, Lib Dem councillors are too busy chasing green headlines and woke soundbites.

“I’ll be raising this in the Senedd next week. As it’s clear things aren’t improving, and if they can’t fix it, someone else might have to.”

Powys Council’s Conservative leader Aled Davies said: “It’s deeply sad and frustrating to read the Estyn’s report on Powys County Council Education services.

“Estyn, published their report over night and it doesn’t make good reading, though it contains no surprises for close observers, it has been clear that the Liberal Democrat/Labour run Council has not prioritised education.”

‘Disappointed’

The inspectorate acknowledged some areas where the council was making progress such as work to strengthen relationships and trust with schools.

Estyn also noted that the broad intentions of the council’s ten-year Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys were clear and integrated with the council’s other strategies including the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan.

The report also stated that the council knows the financial position of its schools well and that finance officers provide clear information to leaders about this.

Powys council says although “disappointed” with the overall findings of the inspection, it has accepted all of the recommendations.

Estyn will now review the council’s progress through a series of monitoring visits.

Change

Cllr James Gibson-Watt, Leader of Powys County Council, said: “I would like to thank the inspectors for their work. We accept their findings and we will act to deliver the change needed to strengthen our education services.

“The report will form the basis of an action plan that we will develop to address the recommendations. We are committed to delivering exceptional education services that support our schools so that they can give our young people the best foundation for their future.

“Despite the need for improvement, Estyn has recognised a number of positive areas such as our work to strengthen relationships and trust with our schools and our Welsh in Education Strategic Plan.

“We will work with Estyn, our schools, and governing bodies to ensure that our action plan focuses on the areas that need improvement. This will ensure that our education services are strengthened and will be better placed to support our schools in delivering excellent education across the county.

“By working with our schools and their governing bodies, I’m confident that we will deliver the necessary improvements and to ensure that we provide the education and opportunities the children and families of Powys deserve and expect.”