Consortiwm De Orllewin a Chanolbarth Cymru

Consortiwm De Orllewin a Chanolbarth Cymru

South West and Mid Wales Consortium

Consortiwm De Orllewin a Chanolbarth Cymru

BwrddGweithredol/ Executive Board

13egChwefror 2015/ 13th February 2015

GwestyParc y Strade / Stradey Park Hotel

Llanelli

1.45p.m. – 3.15 p.m.

PRESENT: / Mr. Eifion Evans [Chair]Lead Director ERWCeredigion County Council;
Mr. Aled Evans / Neath Port Talbot
Ms. Kate Evan-Hughes / Pembrokeshire County Council
Mr. Alan Tudor Jones / Independent member of Board
Ms Betsan O’Connor / Managing Director ERW
Mr. Ian Roberts / Powys County Council
Mr. Brian Roles / City & County of Swansea
Ms. Mererdid Stone / Independent member of Board
Mr. Rob Sully / Carmarthenshire County Council
Mr. Martin S. Davies / Carmarthenshire County Council
Also in attendance as observers:
Mr Geraint Rees / Welsh Government
Mr. Lindsay Harvey / Welsh Government
Ms. Sarah Fulthorpe / Welsh Government
In attendance for minute 4:
Mr. Alan Edwards / Regional Lead for Literacy & Numeracy

1.Apologies for Absence

Apologies for absence were received from Edna Davies (Narbeth Primary School, Pembrokeshire, Chair of HT Board), Jonathan Haswell (Section 151 Officer, Pembrokeshire), Mike Gibbon (Sandfilelds School Neath Port Talbot, vice chair , HT Board) and Chris Sivers (Swansea).

2.Declaration of Personal Interests

There were no declarations of personal interests.

3.Record of Meeting held on the 16thjanuary 2015

The Joint Committee received for considerationthe record of the meetingheld on the 16thJanuary 2015.

Betsan O’Connor informed the Board that negotiations with FFT were ongoing to secure a better price and she was hopeful of a significant reduction.

The Chair commented that the Association of Directors of Education in Wales (ADEW)was in support of the Rewarding Excellence programme and would be keeping a watching brief. He suggested that he, Betsan O’Connor and Graham Jones look into it further.

agreed that the record of the meeting held on 16thJanuary, 2015 be confirmed as a true record.

4.GCSE Programme

The Board received a presentation by Mr. Alan Edwards, Regional Lead for Literacy & Numeracy, on Regional support for the implementation of the new GCSEs. He stated that work was on track to meet all agreed outputs. Betsan O’Connor advised that the presentation would be shared with schools.

5.Lead Director and Managing Director Update

Betsan O’Connor sought the Board’s views on a new ERW logo which had been designed following discussions with Carmarthenshire County Council’s Communications team. The essential change from the current logo was that all six ‘petals’ [representing the 6 Authorities in the Consortium] would be of equal size. She added that the important message to get across to the public was that ERW was a partnership of six local authorities and not a quango.

AGREED to endorse the new logo and strapline.

6.Financial update

The Chair referred to the circulated report of the Chief Finance Officer which had been considered by the ERW Joint Committee at its meeting on the 9th February 2015 and whichprovided a financial update on the 2014/15 budget together with details of the draft budget for 2015-16 and the indicative budget for 2016-17. The report also detailed the in-year grant cuts, the indicative 2015/16 Education Improvement Grant funding and the methodology for funding the Education Improvement Grant (EIG). The Board was advised that the Joint Committee had agreed:

  • That the revised 2014/15 budget be approved;
  • That the draft 2015/16 budget, that included the utilisation of £100k from the Local Authority Reserves and a £250k total contribution from the six constituent local authorities, be approved;
  • That the update on the In-Year Grant Cuts be noted;
  • That the Award of the Education Improvement Grant (EIG) funding be noted.

The Chair advised that the financial challenges local authorities were facing were not decreasing and the budget needed to be carefully monitored.

AGREED

6.1.to note the report and the Joint Committee’s recommendations;

6.2.that options for the distribution of EIG funding across the six local authorities be forwarded to Betsan O’Connor with a view to a formal recommendation being made by the Lead Director / ERW Managing Director to the Joint Committee for approval.

7.Review of Governor Support in the ERW Region

The Board was reminded that the National Model expected Governor Support to be coordinated regionally from March 2015 with implementation from September 2015. Expectations included a coordinated quality assured training programme and quality assurance of support provided. Accordingly Betsan O’Connor circulated a reportwhich outlined the current situation, the common strengths and the steps required to formalise the regional focus of the current programme of governor to governor support.

AGREED

7.1.to identify a lead Challenge Adviser to have oversight of governor support at either Hub level, to monitor local and hub delivery, to liaise with LA delivery teams maximising and improving communication between GSOs and Challenge Advisers;

7.2.to strenghten and formulise the communication links between governor support officers and challenge advisors;

7.3.to use, and make explicit, the links to Governor Wales, where relevant, to avoid duplication;

7.4.to deliver the basis elements noted above consistently well across the six local authorities;

7.5.to include support to governors as part of the Ladder of Support and intervention;

7.6.to develop a programme of governor and governing body mentoring in cases where the governing body is seen to be struggling to understand and strategically lead school improvement.

8.Any other Business

Betsan O’Connor referred to a tender by WG for the verification of Teacher Assesment and she suggested that ERW should seek to collaborate with the other three regions to bid for the tender.

AGREED to authorise Betsan O’Connor to proceed in partnership on the ERW and Executive Board’s behalf.

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