Y Pwyllgor Plant a Phobl Ifanc

Children and Young People Committee

Leighton Andrews AC

Y Gweinidog Addysg a Sgiliau

Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru

Bae Caerdydd

CF99 1NA

                                                                              24 Gorffennaf 2012     

Annwyl Weinidog,

Bil Safonau a Threfniadaeth Ysgolion (Cymru) – tystiolaeth atodol ar ôl y cyfarfod ar 19 Gorffennaf 2012

Diolch ichi am ddod i gyfarfod y Pwyllgor Plant a Phobl Ifanc ar 19 Gorffennaf 2012 i roi tystiolaeth ar y Bil Safonau a Threfniadaeth Ysgolion (Cymru).

Yn y cyfarfod, gofynnodd y Pwyllgor ichi roi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am gyfanswm cost y Bil a sut y caiff ei ariannu, ac am unrhyw waith parhaus yr ydych yn ei wneud i asesu’r costau sy’n gysylltiedig â’r Bil.  Yn eich ymateb, gwnaethoch hysbysu’r Pwyllgor nad oedd newidiadau i’r amcangyfrifon cost a nodwyd yn y Memorandwm Esboniadol.  Byddai’r Aelodau wedi hoffi archwilio ymhellach â chi y wybodaeth ariannol a nodir yn y Memorandwm Esboniadol ond, yn anffodus, nid oedd digon o amser i wneud hynny. O’r herwydd, ac er mwyn cynorthwyo’r Pwyllgor i gyflawni ei rôl o ran ystyried goblygiadau ariannol y Bil, byddwn yn ddiolchgar pe gallech roi atebion ysgrifenedig i’r cwestiynau yn Atodiad 1.

Yn ogystal, yn ystod y cyfarfod, gwnaethoch gytuno i ysgrifennu at y Pwyllgor i egluro’r weithdrefn graffu a fyddai’n cael ei defnyddio ar gyfer cynigion pellach gan Weinidogion Cymru i resymoli lleoedd mewn ysgolion o dan adran 30 yn unol ag adran 63(1)(c). Wrth ymateb ar y mater hwn, byddai’n ddefnyddiol pe gallech hefyd egluro pam nad yw’r gofyniad i Weinidogion Cymru beri i ymchwiliad lleol gael ei gynnal yn cael ei gymhwyso mewn perthynas â chynigion pellach.

Edrychaf ymlaen at gael eich ymateb.

Yn gywir,

Christine Chapman AC

Cadeirydd

Atotiad 1

School Improvement

§ What are the detailed working assumptions behind the £1.7 Million (£0.6 Million for awareness raising with schools and local authorities; £0.1M for the collation of best practice and £1.0 Million associated with local authority support to schools) of one off costs in relation to consolidating and where necessary reforming existing provisions under school improvement? (Reference 8.19; 8.24 and 8.25 of the EM)

§ Will the School Effectiveness Grant be increased by £1.7 Million to fund the one off costs associated with school improvement or will this have to be met from existing provision? (Reference 8.25 of the EM)

§ How have the on-going costs of up to £2.5 Million over five years in relation to school improvement implementation support costs been calculated and how they will be funded? (Reference 8.26 of the EM)

§ When will the costs associated with follow on training for schools be known and made available? (Reference 8.26 of the EM)

§ When will the costs associated with future priorities of the statutory school framework be known and made available? (Reference 8.27 of the EM)

Local Determination Panels (LDPs)

§ The EM details that minimal costs (up to a maximum of £5,000) are associated with the operation of an LDP but that costs could vary based on the complexities of proposals. What are the detailed working assumptions behind this calculation and what if any reference is made to the provision of professional/legal advice? (Reference 8.56 of the EM)

Welsh in Education Strategic Plans (WESPs)

§ What are the detailed working assumptions behind the on-going revenue costs associated with WESPs, namely £0.5 Million of administration costs and £0.1 Million for administering and analysing surveys? (Reference 8.66; 8.67 and 8.72 of the EM)

§ What are the detailed working assumptions behind the £0.1 Million of one off costs associated with the administration and legal costs of WESPs? (Reference 8.75 of the EM)

§ When will any potential local authority capital implications resulting from the implementation of WESPs as part of their school planning process be known and how will they be funded? (Reference 8.77 of the EM)

§ Will any additional funding be allocated to deliver any potential increase in demand in Welsh medium teachers following the statutory duty to produce a WESP?

Free school breakfasts

§ What will the Minister be doing ahead of the transfer of free school breakfast funding into the RSG to assist local authorities  to achieve maximum take up to ensure that following the transfer into the RSG no local authority raises concerns of lack of funding in the event of increased take up rates? (Reference 8.118 of the EM)

Flexible charging of meals

§ Whilst the Committee accepts that it is difficult to accurately asses the initial set up costs of creating a flexible charging for school meals scheme, can you  provide a range of these costs and how they will be funded? (Reference 8.143 of the EM)

§ The EM states (Reference 8.144 of the EM) that the full impact of flexible charging schemes would need to be assessed in the light of specific proposals, do you anticipate any additional costs to be borne by local authorities and if so how will they be funded?

General

§ Within the EM there are a large number of incidental costs which are either detailed as ‘modest’ or ‘unquantifiable at this stage’. Do you have an estimate of the total of these costs and how they will be funded?

§ In their evidence the WLGA stated that they anticipated that all additional financial burdens placed on local authorities of implementing the Bill would be borne by the Welsh Government. Can you confirm that this will be the case?