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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Chamber Meeting Room - Civic Centre, Swansea. View directions

Contact: Michelle Roberts, Scrutiny Officer 

Items
No. Item

1.

Disclosure of Personal and Prejudicial Interests.

Minutes:

None

2.

Notes and Conveners Letters pdf icon PDF 154 KB

Notes and Conveners letters from panel meetings on 12 July and 18 July 2018

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet response to letter arising from 12 July visit to Gowerton Primary School.  The Panel were pleased to hear that an additional teacher as the strategic lead for Foundation Phase will be employed during the absence of the post holder.

 

 

3.

The National Mission for Wales and an update on the new professional standards for teachers and Leaders pdf icon PDF 101 KB

Minutes:

Janet Waldron, Challenge Advisor attended the Panel to discuss Education in Wales: Our National Mission including the new professional standards for teachers and school leaders.  The Panel were provided with a copy of the mission document and the Estyn leaflet Recognising excellence in education and training.

 

The presentation and discussion included:

 

·         The national mission is about raising standards, reducing the attainment gap and delivering and education system that is a source of national pride and confidence.

·         That together we are all responsible for ensuring that every young person in Wales has an equal opportunity to reach the highest standards.

·         It is our duty to provide future generations with the skills and knowledge they need to play a full and active role in their communities and wider society.

·         That the nation’s prosperity, cohesion and wellbeing are built on a successful education system

·         These transformational reforms are taking place within a challenging environment.  This includes continuing UK wide austerity, the uncertainties associated with Brexit, the technological transformation of economic and working lives, and the growing divergence of in qualification systems.

·         Wales has an ambition that all schools develop as learning organisations.

·         Some of the key actions in the Plan include:

·         Expanding the Pupil Development Grant

·         Promoting school to school working

·         Establishing a National Academy for Educational Leadership

·         Commitment to formative assessment, supporting personalised progress

·         Deliver a transformational new curriculum

·         Establish a national approach to professional learning, building capacity sot that all teachers benefit from career-long development based on research and effective collaboration

·         Introduce new Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership

·         Develop a new ‘made in Wales’ teachers’ pay and conditions framework

·         To be successful in realising the new transformation curriculum and assessment arrangement will require well-coordinated reforms.  These reforms are being developed in collaboration with education professionals, and are benefitting from engagement with excellent practice from around the world.  It will require a clear focus on the following key enabling objectives:

1.    Developing a high-quality education profession

2.    Inspirational leaders working collaboratively to raise standards

3.    Strong and inclusive schools committed to excellence, equity and well-being

4.    Robust self-assessment, evaluation and accountability arrangements supporting a self-improving system

·         The national mission will be implemented in accordance with the Well-being and Future Generations Act 2015 five principles of working: long-term, collaboration, prevention, integration and involvement.

·         The Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership will focus on the essential elements of successful teaching, it will also develop standards for support staff and enable them to improve their skills, commit professional learning.

·         Teachers should be the most dedicated students in the classroom.  They will be supported to be lifelong professional learners to help raise standards for all our young people.

·         Panel pleased to see a focus on the whole person in the mission, both academic and vocational.  Agreed seeing the whole persons including mental health and effect of adverse childhood experiences important.

·         Panel agreed that schools cannot do this alone and need to bring parents in on the improvement journey.

·         The panel also agreed that their needs to be a better balance between the vocational and academic and that exam boards need to recognise this as part of the improvement process.

4.

Work Programme 2018/2019 pdf icon PDF 94 KB

Minutes:

The Panel agreed to move the Looked After Children Education Outcomes to the January meeting.

5.

For Information Item pdf icon PDF 62 KB

Recent Estyn Inspection published for individual schools.

 

Minutes:

The Panel received the 4 Estyn Inspection outcomes and noted they were all positive.