Agenda item

Chief Officer Will McLean introduced the report with Cabinet Member Laura Wright and answered the members’ questions:

How can elected members better understand and respond to school deficits when they are regularly questioned by residents?

Day?to?day management of school deficits sits with headteachers and governing bodies, but we recognise that members need clearer information in order to respond confidently to public concerns and to consider county?level policy implications. Enhanced reporting on causes of deficits and the effectiveness of interventions would help members fulfil this role and support more informed scrutiny.

Why is the proportion of pupils identified with Additional Learning Needs higher than the Welsh average, and is this a cause for concern? Is there a risk that pupils are being over?diagnosed with ALN?

The figure relates specifically to pupils with an Individual Development Plan, which is a tightly defined legal category. Other pupils may experience barriers to learning without meeting this threshold. Being around 2% above the Welsh average is not unusual and likely reflects a combination of factors, including strong parental advocacy. We are confident that assessments are accurate and that pupils are neither under  nor over identified, with assurance provided through the work of the Inclusion team.

What is the current position regarding industrial action and financial recovery at King Henry VIII School?

There has already been one day of industrial action, with further days planned. While the council is working to prevent further action, the planned strike days are expected to proceed. Work has been undertaken to provide assurance around compulsory redundancies, and staffing is being adjusted to better match pupil numbers. A recovery period has been agreed that is shorter than that referenced in the Estyn report but still extends over a significant timeframe. The approach aims to support recovery through pupil number growth rather than rapid staffing reductions, with the objective of restoring financial stability without putting pupils’ education at risk, while continuing dialogue with unions and school leadership.

Why do reports to elected members not clearly explain the reasons for individual school overspends or the impact of council intervention, and can this be improved for future scrutiny?

Future reports can include clearer information on trends in individual school deficits or surpluses, whether recovery plans are on track, and the specific risks faced by schools. The main drivers of overspends are well understood and typically relate to staffing costs, supply cover, and decisions around provision for pupils with Additional Learning Needs. We recognise the need to demonstrate more clearly the impact of intervention, while balancing transparency with the need to avoid placing sensitive information about individual schools into the public domain. More detailed reporting is most feasible at year end.

How significant is the overall growth in the schools deficit, and is this an isolated or system?wide issue?

The overall schools deficit has increased rapidly over the year, rising from around £4 million to approximately £7.5-£7.6 million in the latest forecast. This is not confined to a single school but reflects system?wide financial pressures across the school estate.

Can clearer, written information be provided setting out what is already being done to address the issues identified in the inspection? Can members be given clearer sight of the plans in place to address areas for improvement, including evaluation quality and deficits?

Variation in evaluative quality stems from differences in how clearly services define intended outcomes at the outset. Officers are actively working on this by developing a directorate?wide plan for 2026-27 that will sit between individual service improvement plans and the Community & Corporate Plan. This plan is intended to clarify priorities and expectations and make improvement activity more explicit and coherent. An improved evaluative approach and clearer articulation of priorities will be visible through the Strategic Director’s annual report to Council, expected in June. This report will include both a retrospective assessment of performance and a forward?looking, outcome?focused plan, addressing the request for clearer articulation of “what we are doing”.

How can scrutiny be involved in following improvement work through to completion, rather than only seeing snapshot reports? Is there a way for scrutiny to help track progress over time and support closing the remaining gaps identified in the report?

The new directorate?wide plan is designed to support more precise evaluation of impact, enabling clearer assessment of whether outcomes were achieved, exceeded, or missed – and why. This structure is intended to make improvement activity easier to track over time.

The committee has discussed establishing a Task And Finish group of committee members working with officers to improve the shared understanding of complex issues (particularly deficits), and enable members to contribute to practical, informed recommendations to the directorate

We welcome working with the committee on this. A focused group could be particularly useful in areas such as school deficits, helping members understand what drives expenditure, how different parts of the system interact, and what realistic levers for change exist. – ACTION: to establish a Task And Finish Group to improve shared understanding of complex issues (particularly deficits), and enable members to contribute to practical, informed recommendations to the directorate

Would it be useful for the directorate to report back to Performance & Overview Scrutiny before the Strategic Director’s report goes to Council, or would this work be taken forward primarily through the Task And Finish group?

A combination of both approaches would be appropriate: a report back to the committee setting out plans to address Estyn’s recommendations and “however” statements and separate, more detailed work through a Task And Finish group. The Task And Finish group would need clear outputs and outcomes, which should be agreed after the meeting. – ACTION

How is impact measured? How is Estyn’s concern about under?evaluation being addressed?

The local authority is several layers removed from direct classroom activity and therefore does not control the day?to?day teaching and learning experienced by pupils. The authority’s role is to create the strategic conditions that enable improvement, rather than delivering outcomes directly. Evaluation of the authority’s contribution is therefore framed around how services are commissioned, how partners such as school improvement services are held to account, and the assurance gained from those relationships about standards and progress in schools. The need to be clear about where the authority intervenes, what impact is expected from those interventions, and how success can then be evaluated, is acknowledged.

When will a clear, outcome?focused performance framework be in place, and what will it include?

In relation to the performance framework, the officer referred to a broad evaluative and quality?assurance approach that relies on commissioning arrangements, partnership working and oversight of external providers. Performance was described as being understood through the education system as a whole, rather than through a single authority?controlled framework. While this provided context about how assurance is currently gained, there was no confirmation that a clear, outcome?focused performance framework either exists or is in development. No timescales were given, and there was no explanation of how key areas such as attainment trends, exclusions, ALN outcomes, progress measures or intervention impact would be consistently captured, reported and scrutinised.

What is the targeted plan to improve secondary attendance, especially for disadvantaged learners?

Further work is needed on secondary school attendance, as it remains too low, particularly for pupils eligible for free school meals. Schools are responsible for day?to?day engagement and encouragement, while the authority operates at the sharp end of the system, providing statutory oversight and, where necessary, enforcement. The authority provides wrap?around support for families, helping to identify and address barriers to attendance. We place strong emphasis on partnership working between schools, education welfare, school improvement partners and educational psychologists.

What measures are being put in place to support more learners transitioning into Welsh?medium secondary school?

Support for Welsh?medium progression is rooted in the authority’s Welsh Education Strategic Plan (WESP), which has been formally agreed by Council and is described as a cornerstone of policy and strategic direction. Practical measures highlighted focused primarily on strengthening Welsh?medium provision at primary level in order to create a stronger pipeline into secondary education. This includes the development of four Welsh?medium Key Stage 2 cohorts, the establishment of Welsh?medium provision in Caldicot, the seedling school in Monmouth, and the planned expansion of Ysgol Y Fenni to a two?form entry school from September.

What are the targets and timescales to increase the number of fluent Welsh learners that can realistically be achieved?

There are forthcoming national expectations, including new legislation that will require 10% of education to be delivered through the medium of Welsh by 2030, and to the authority’s contribution to the Welsh Government ambition of one million Welsh speakers by 2050. There are particular linguistic challenges facing Monmouthshire as a border authority; progress is being made but within structural constraints. Future strategic director reports could more explicitly track progress against WESP ambitions.

How will the extra budget funding for Welsh learning be spent?

Welsh language development has been identified as a first?year priority, with investment in whole?authority professional learning and involvement from regional partners to assess impact through dip?sampling. Further information on progress against the WESP will be brought back to scrutiny and/or Council.

Will the planned strike action at King Henry VIII school affect learners sitting exams? – ACTION: to check that the date of exams will not clash with strike action

Chair’s Summary:

The Chair confirmed that the report and recommendations were agreed, noting that while scrutiny had rightly focused on the more challenging issues, there was also a great deal of strong and positive work in the report that should be acknowledged and fed back to the wider team. The Chair also confirmed that the committee would proceed with establishing a Task and Finish Group, with the detailed scope and timeframe to be picked up outside the meeting.