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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In Flintshire the
Welsh in Education Strategic Plan is taken very seriously and is
making a noticeable contribution to enabling Flintshire County
Council reach its targets in promoting Welsh Medium Education in a
very anglicised authority.
This is because
the Council has established a very effective Welsh in Education
Forum where senior officers and representatives of key local
partners meet on a regular basis to create the plan, monitor its
outcomes and work in strong partnership to deliver its aims and
objectives. A senior school improvement officer is responsible for
the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan and there is strong
collaboration between officers across the Education and Youth
Portfolio to ensure its effective implementation. The Forwm holds
officers to account on the delivery of the plan.
This Forwm is
chaired by the Chief Officer for Education and Youth and/or the
Lead Member for Education so it given a very high political
priority
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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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Where WESPs are not contributing sufficiently,
it could be for a number of reasons but it is likely that the
fundamental one would be a lack of leadership at a senior officer
or political level to give it the status and resources it needs to
be implemented effectively.
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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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In Flintshire, in
the context described in Question 1, the WESP has delivered changed
at a Local Authority level. A parental survey in 2013 identified
that there was a demand for Welsh medium education in the Deeside
area of the county. Through the 21st Century
modernisation programme, the council has been able to open a new
Welsh medium provision in the Deeside area under the leadership of
a nearby Welsh medium primary school. The Local Authority has
provided ‘start up’ funding for this satellite centre
with a view that it will become self-sufficient over time if
parents actively choose it as an option for their children in the
area. Early indications are good with pupil numbers starting at 11
in September 2014 with projected numbers of 24 for September
2015.
The development of
the plan and the requirement to have a dedicated Welsh in Education
Forum has been a significant step in improving the quality and
range of partnership working in Flintshire between council officers
and a range of organisations eg Twf, Mudiad Meithrin, Menter Iaith
Sir y Fflint, Urdd Gobaith Cymru, Syfflag and Coleg Cambria. This
has delivered quality Welsh in Education Plans which have been
approved by Welsh Government, new Welsh medium pre-school and
school aged provision and has increased the profile of Welsh medium
education generally across the county.
The key to a
successful WESP is strong local leadership and a genuine commitment
to partnership working.
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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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See answer to Question 2 & 3
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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 arrangements
for the target setting etc. appear to work as they stand. They
cover the main areas as would be expected. It does need to be
acknowledged by Welsh Government, however, that parental choice is
the biggest factor in selecting which school their children attend
and that despite the best efforts of the Local Authority, sometimes
pupils do leave the Welsh medium sector for a variety of reasons eg
dissatisfaction with the individual school, movement into the
private sector, moving out of the area and back into
England.
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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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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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It is
self evident that there should be effective interaction between
Welsh in Education Strategic Planning and wider social and
educational policy goals. There are challenges in achieving this
for partners, local authorities/ consortia and the Welsh
Government.
For example, in some areas there is an ongoing challenge to ensure
that Welsh Medium education is accessible to all. Early years
education and Flying Start strategies are key to making progress in
this to ensure that all families know about and can take advantage
of Welsh Medium learning opportunities.
In relation to school transport, the recent judicial review of
Swansea's transport policy questioned the legal basis on which many
authorities offer provision to Welsh Medium provision. This may
have significant negative implications for the sector as
Authorities review their compliance with the adjudication. It is an
area where issues need careful consideration and review.
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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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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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The focus of the
WESP is on all pupils regardless of phase of education or
socio-economic background. The emphasis on raising standards of
attainment through the curriculum, as measured by outcomes at the
end of each phase and external examinations, applies to all
learners. Monitoring the performance of pupils from low income
households could only be measured by breaking the data down in more
detail to e-FSM and non-FSM pupils which adds to the workloads of
Local Authorities in the time of financial austerity and
diminishing resources so would probably not be welcomed.
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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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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 WESP forums are a key driver and the quality
of these is an areas worthy of exploration.
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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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