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Question
1 – What are
your views on whether Welsh in Education Strategic Plans are
contributing to the outcomes and targets set out in the Welsh
Government’s overarching Welsh Medium Education Strategic
Plan?
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The WESP within
Blaenau Gwent is a strategic platform to promote and sustain Welsh
Medium Education within the Borough. The local plan reflects
a continued commitment to engaging key stakeholders in local action
based upon the Welsh Government overarching Welsh Medium Education
Strategic Plan. The December review of the local Blaenau
Gwent Plan received the following appraisal from Welsh Government:
The work is taken seriously and there is evidence of progress
in important areas. The local plan is monitored twice per
annum.
The monitoring of
outcomes and school improvements remains the responsibility of the
Council, whilst the role of supporting and challenging schools has
transferred over to the Education Achievement Service (EAS). The
EAS are an active member of the local forum.
The role of the
Welsh Education Forum (WEF) is a key priority for Blaenau Gwent and
the delivery of the plan is paramount to ensure the sustainability
of Welsh Education within the Borough. Our key areas of
consideration currently as a forum are: Sustainability of and
synchronisation early year’s provision; ALN and SPLD
provision and continual commitment to ensuring parental
engagement.
The membership of
the WEF involves officers from the Council and key partners
including: Mudiad Methrin, Early Years, RhAG, EAS and so
forth. The forum meet termly and follow a concise terms of
reference to ensure delivery of the plan. The forum holds
officers to account on the delivery of the plan and looks to
develop smaller focus groups in achieving key tasks.
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If you believe that WESPs are not contributing
sufficiently, how do you think this could be resolved?
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The Council feel the local WESP is actively
contributing, however, there is a requirement for partners to
sustain their commitment to ongoing development locally. This
needs to be continually monitored and would benefit from the
sharing of practice between Councils Coordinated by Welsh
Government, along with Wales-wide practice sharing forums that
could inform funding, marketing and promotion.
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Question 2
– What are your
views on whether WESPs are (or have the potential) to deliver the
required change at a local authority level (for example delivering
provision to meet any increased demand for Welsh medium
education)?
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The planning of
school places within Blaenau Gwent both for both English and Welsh
medium primary schools is based on demand and pupil forecasts.
The role of the WESP within this is to support the marketing
and promotion of Welsh Medium Education among parents from birth
onwards. There is potential for the WEF to further inform
this process by collaborating towards sustainability of exiting
provisions e.g. via obtaining funding towards early years/ nursery
transport.
The current
situation in Blaenau Gwent is that we have 1 welsh primary within
the Borough which has 30% surplus places. Previous demand
surveys have not proved productive, with 2014 survey only resulting
in a 3% response rate. Therefore the WEF are focusing on
engagement as a key priority to promote and increase demand for
Welsh Medium Education.
The LA’s
21st century schools programme does not involve planned
expansion of the existing welsh school or the development of a new
welsh school. This is based on finance and demand; however,
as 21st Century Schools are represented on the WEF, the
forum can influence any future Welsh Medium provision. In
line with the Regional Welsh Medium 2 Project, Blaenau Gwent has
secured further places at Gwynllyw for secondary age pupils via the
restructuring of the catchment area, resulting in more evenly
distributed provision for Welsh Medium pupils
regionally.
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If you believe that WESPs are not, or
don’t have the potential, to deliver change, how do you think
this could be resolved?
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To ensure delivery of the plan as previously
mentioned, all partners must engage and commit to the delivery of
the plan. A greater level of awareness around funding
opportunities to support transport etc. in line with sustainability
of provision is also required.
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Question 3
– What are your
views on the arrangements for target setting; monitoring;
reviewing; reporting; approving; and ensuring compliance with
delivering the requirements for WESPs (and the role of the local
authority and the Welsh Government in this regard)?
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The WESP is
monitored regularly and partners are asked to update areas they are
named against twice a year, partners receive individualised actions
plans that form part of the full plan. Where limited progress is
noted reasoning is required to justify this. The current
arrangements suit the Council and its partners, however could
benefit from wider practice examples.
It would however,
be useful to again look at the arrangements on an all-Wales basis
to share good practice in line with the practical application of
process in delivering the plan.
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If you believe there are problems in this area,
how do you think they could be resolved?
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Networking events to maintain the enthusiasm and
engagement of stakeholders could further benefit the
process.
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Question 4
– What are your
views on whether WESPs evidence the effective interaction between
the Welsh Government’s Welsh-medium education strategy and
other relevant policies and legislation*?
(*for example school transport policy; 21st Century Schools
programme; A living language: a language for living – Moving
forward policy statement; Flying Start; planning policy)
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Positive
interaction with all parties involved within the WESP is key to
ensuring the delivery. At present there is not enough
information sharing on a policy related level via the plan.
This is recognised locally and requires improvement. For
example: One of the key aims is to increase the number of 7
year old children taught through the medium of Welsh. Early
years and flying start strategies are paramount to ensure that
families are aware of the availability of Welsh language provision
for preschool children. The WEF now hold this as one of their
core actions in developing moving forward.
Again as
previously mentioned a networking event which brings all of these
key policies together would benefit the WESP’s local
development, also ensuring regional and Wales-wide
collaboration.
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If you believe there are problems in this area,
how do you think they could be resolved?
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A re-focus on policy development is required to
inform the WESP in moving forward.
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Question 5
– What are your
views on whether the outcomes of WESPs deliver equal outcomes for
all pupils, including for example, primary/secondary pupils or
children from low income households.
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Blaenau Gwent WESP
promotes equality of access for all, focusing on the development of
sustainable and high standards of educational provision through the
medium of welsh to all leaner’s. However, there are
mitigating factors such as: nursery transport; ALN support/
provision via the medium of Welsh and suitable placement of early
years provision linked to continuity within welsh education, which
prevent full engagement on a Local Authority level, that need to be
addressed. Again these are a key focus for the local WEF, but
require further investment from all stakeholders to ensure
progress.
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If you believe that the outcome of WESPs do not
deliver equal outcomes, how do you think this could be
resolved?
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Funding is key driver in creating equality of
opportunity across Blaenau Gwent and ensuring promotion and
sustainability of Welsh Medium Education.
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Question
6 - If you had to
make one recommendation to the Welsh Government from all the points
you have made, what would that recommendation be?
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The recommendation would be for Welsh Government
to look at sharing WESP’s and practice across Wales, also
focusing on key policy and other drivers in doing so.
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Question
7 - Do you have any
other comments or issues you wish to raise that have not been
covered by the specific questions?
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It would be beneficial for stakeholders to be
informed of the potential benefits of the WESP to their service
areas etc by Welsh Government to ensure continued
commitment.
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