SCRUTINY COMMITTEE (LIFELONG LEARNING)

 

 

MINUTES of an extraordinary meeting held on 6th March, 2007.

 

Present: Councillor A.D. Hampton (Chairman); Councillor E. Hacker (Vice-Chairman); Councillors Mrs. M.E.J. Birch, Ms. R.M. Birch, Mrs. V.M. Hartrey, G.C. Kemp, Mrs. A.J. Moore, A.G. Powell, B.I. Shaw and A.C. Williams.

 

Co-opted Member: Ms. C. Baggett.

 

Non-Voting Observer:  Mr. T. Cox.

 

 

885            APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE -

 

These were received from Councillors Miss J. Cole and F.T. Johnson.

 

 

886            DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST -

 

No declarations were received.

 

 

887            SCRUTINY REVIEW: A REVIEW TO EVALUATE THE LEVELS OF NURSERY PROVISION IN THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN -

 

Also present for this item:

 

Val Lewis - Children and Young People’s Framework Co-ordinator.

Debbie Maule - Children’s Partnership Co-ordinator.

Mrs. S. Howell - Headteacher, High Street Primary School, Barry.

Antonia Bridges - Programme Co-ordinator (Sure Start).

Mrs. J. Hayward - Headteacher, Barry Island Primary School.

 

Included within the Committee’s work programme was a review to consider access to nursery provision, particularly in disadvantaged areas.

 

Committee had, in November 2006, received a first - draft of a report on the nursery provision in the Vale of Glamorgan which had contained the following recommendations:

 

R1 - provide information on the website to raise awareness of the free provision which is available to ensure maximum take-up of the resources.

 

R2 - review making the policy for allocating nursery places to see if it is feasible to make it more flexible, so if there is a genuine case for a child to attend an alternative provider, it is seriously considered.  This is also in line with the Welsh Assembly Government directive of increasing parental choice.

 

R3 - receive a further report to consider whether it is feasible to review Council policy to enable the nursery providers to offer full time places to enable parents to pay the difference (if they have the capacity to do so) to satisfy the Welsh Assembly Government initiative of increasing parental choice.

 

R4 - introduce a childcare database that is readily available, that joins up both Authority operated facilities and privately run playgroups to enable parents to make an informed choice about the appropriate form of childcare.

 

R5 - undertake a feasibility study for introducing transport provision to enable children who live in the rural Vale to have access to services based in other parts of the Vale.

 

The Committee had recommended that the above be agreed in principle and subject to consideration of a further report on Early Years provision in areas of deprivation, and Early Years provision in the context of Welsh medium term nursery education.  Members had also asked to be engaged in this process.

 

Guests with experience of nursery provision had been invited to attend the meeting in order that they may be questioned by Members and to assist with any issues raised.

 

Val Lewis provided a background to the Flying Start initiative.

 

The WAG aims of Flying Start were:

 

Long Term - reduce the number of people with very poor skills that contribute to relatively high levels of income inequality.

 

Medium Term - savings made through early identification of needs avoidance into care system, avoidance of crisis intervention such as youth offending or substance misuse systems.

 

Short Term - children better prepared for school and best environment for children’s wellbeing created.

 

The maximum target was 500 children and it had accordingly been determined that Jenner Park School, Cadoxton School and Oakfield School be targeted, and factors considered included:

 

-            referrals to Children’s Services

-           WIMD Data

-            schools information

-           local knowledge from partner agencies.

 

Antonia Bridges advised that:

 

-           there was a need to match / appoint Flying Start posts

-           Sure Start Health Visitors were already working with some families in the selected areas

-            increased service would require four Health Visitors

-           the initiative would be supported by generic Health Visitors and current Health Support Workers

-           Sure Start - Midwives, Dieticians and Speech and Language Therapists would provide services from 1st April, 2007.

 

Sandra Aspinall stressed the need for the Council to work closely with its partners.  The Council would work closely with teachers in nursery schools to identify young persons with special needs.  The Council would work with other agencies to intervene as early as possible to put the most appropriate support packages in place.

 

Janet Hayward expressed disappointment that the Barry Island area had not been included within the Flying Start area.  Members were advised that this was as a result of WAGs policy.

 

Members were advised that Flying Start funding had been agreed to 2011, although there was no requirement to continually fund the same area.

 

Members expressed disappointment that, as a result of Flying Start resources being concentrated on a smaller area, individuals with special needs elsewhere may lose out.

 

Nevertheless, Members were informed that there was much work being carried out by the Council, involving young persons of three years old or less.

 

Officers were asked how much encouragement was given to parents to send children to Welsh-Medium schools.  Members were advised that it was not Council policy to encourage parents to use any particular medium.

 

Following the conclusion of the presentation, the invited guests left the room.

 

Members were given an opportunity to consider issues that had emerged from the earlier presentations and discussions, and which Members may have wished to be considered / included within the Review’s concluding report.

 

The following points emerged:

 

-   Recommendations R1 - R5 as made by this Committee on 6th November, 2006 were still relevant.

-        A realistic funding regime must be considered.

-        A survey should be undertaken to establish which schools considered themselves to be close to the criteria adopted for the Flying Start area and that any underspends on the Lifelong Learning budget be paid into a fund that could be used to assist the school.

-        A joined-up approach, involving health and other agencies should be developed to identify young persons in need of an interventionist approach.

-        The process of targeting specific areas means that other people with needs in other areas may miss out on much needed help.

-        There is a need for specific activity centres.

-        This Council should work with other providers.

-        Areas characterised by temporary housing should be targeted.

-   Reference to the Metrix development in the Western Vale should be included within the final report.

-        The final report should refer to the Crime and Disorder issues associated with nursery provision.

-        With regard to recommendation R1 of this Committee on 6th November, 2006, ‘provide information on the website to raise awareness of the free provision which is available to ensure maximum take-up of the resources’, it was suggested that this be referred to in a future edition of ‘Vale Waves’.

-        In view of a survey to be undertaken by the Education Department on the issue of Welsh-Medium education, further consideration to this matter be deferred until the results of the survey were known.

 

RECOMMENDED - T H A T the above points be given due consideration in the preparation of the final report.