Weekly Round-Up with Marcus

31 October 2025

Hi Everyone,

Rob is away this week so asked me to provide his normal Friday round-up – an offer I was delighted to accept.

As ever, there is plenty of success, achievement and news to update you on.

This week we held a launch event for the new Barry Plan for Neighbourhoods Board and action groups at the Memo. It was a fantastic evening bringing together people from many different sectors, all committed to shaping the future of Barry and making the most of the £20 million investment over the next 10 years. 

The event created a real buzz, and it was great to see so many new faces bringing fresh ideas, energy and enthusiasm. Well done to Mererid Velios and her team for pulling it all together.

The event was led by David Stevens, former Chief Executive of Admiral, who as Chair, set out the ambition and purpose of the Board with real clarity. It was great to see so many Council departments and partners, including the Police, represented and actively involved. The mix of presentations, including insights from another Welsh Authority’s Plan for Neighbourhoods, and a hands-on workshop captured the spirit of partnership perfectly.

It was encouraging to see the passion and confidence in the room. This combination of local buy in, professional expertise and shared purpose will help deliver lasting change for Barry. More information on the work of the team and board can be found here.

From Learning and Skills, Y Bont Faen Primary School was recently praised by inspectors Estyn following a short visit.

That was to evaluate how effectively the school is developing and embedding approaches to teaching the Curriculum for Wales.

In assessing the school’s performance, Estyn’s report read: “At Y Bont-Faen, collective teacher efficacy is a cornerstone of the school’s professional learning culture, leading to meaningful improvements in teaching and learning. Leaders have embedded a structured approach where staff engage in professional inquiry, peer collaboration, and reflective practice to ensure consistent and high-quality pedagogy across the school.

“A key example of this is the school's use of professional enquiry groups, where all staff work in small teams to explore and trial new teaching strategies. For instance, research on effective questioning led to a whole-school focus on refining teacher-pupil interactions.

“Teachers now challenge pupils to expand their responses, improving their ability to articulate reasoning, particularly in literacy and mathematics. Similarly, the school’s development of ‘Teaching Placemats’, summarising key pedagogical principles, has provided a shared reference point, ensuring consistency across classrooms.”

Following such positive feedback, Estyn invited Y Bont Faen’s Headteacher Julia Adams to take part in a nationally-broadcast webinar.

During that event, she shared examples of how staff at the school have implemented their teaching strategies as Y Bont Faen was presented as a case study of best practice.

Congratulations to all the school staff who helped achieve such a fantastic result.

Sticking with Education, Ysgol Bro Morgannwg will be holding mock job interviews for their Year 11 pupils on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 of November, between 9am and 12pm.

These events help students gain valuable insight and experience which can make a real difference to their confidence and career journey.
The school is looking for volunteers to support this activity by posing as interviewers.

Anyone interested in taking part on one or both days is asked to contact Mike Gelder on Teams or via email.

Manager Laura Davies and staff at Cartref Porthceri recently offered two placements to young people as part of the Cardiff and Vale Regional Social Care Work Experience Programme.

Fred Lam and Kaden Yuen spent time at the care home learning more about how valuable and rewarding a career in social care can be.

The initiative, for young people aged 16 and over, also gives services the chance to showcase the important work taking place every day and inspire the next generation to enter the sector.

Placements usually last one to two weeks, with flexibility based on availability.

Learners may observe or support group activities, light admin, preparation of spaces, and companionship (but will not carry out personal care or handle medication).

The Organisation Development and Learning team act as the central hub, liaising with providers, schools, and colleges to coordinate placements, support with pre-placement checks, and provide ongoing support.

Young people are encouraged to build skills, confidence, and a sense of what working in care is like.

The scheme also strengthens links between Social Service teams and the local community and helps address workforce challenges by opening up new pathways into care If anyone would like to get involved, please complete this short form or contact Steve Davies.

Fred and Kaden were among those involved in a Breast Cancer Awareness event at Cartref Porthceri.

Staff, Residents and families enjoyed a Wear it Pink party that involved singing, dancing, a bake-off, sweepstake and raffle.

That raised more than £150 for Breast Cancer Now, The Research and Support Charity. Very well done to all that took part.

Next, I wanted to introduce a new member of staff.

Many of you might remember Data Breach Bobi, an animated colleague introduced last year to help remind people about the importance of protecting personal information.

He helped spearhead a campaign called Play your part, be data smart!

Now meet Cyber Security Syd, who will be teaming up with Bobi to help us all stay safe, not just from data breaches, but from all kinds of security incidents.

From misplaced files to phishing emails, they highlight a few of the most common (and preventable) slip-ups and how they can be avoided.

It’s now easier than ever to report an incident, whether it’s a building security incident, cyber security concern or data breach by using an online form.

That alerts the right team straight away so they can act quickly.

More information, including what counts as a security incident, how to spot one, and what happens after you report is available on the updated Staffnet+ Security Hub.

If something doesn’t look right on your laptop and you aren’t sure what to do, ask 'What would Cyber Security Syd Do?' – the answer is always ‘check with ICT.’

On the subject of digital developments, I wanted to share some exciting news about a major project that’s quietly getting underway – and why it matters to staff and the residents we serve.

Over the next few months, around 150 of our servers will be migrating from our current on-premises setup to Amazon Web Services (AWS).

This is a big step forward for the Council being led by our new Digital Team as part of wider digital transformation.

Our current infrastructure is showing its age, so, by moving to the cloud, we’re reducing risk, improving resilience, and avoiding costly investment in new on-site hardware.

More importantly, this shift will help us deliver faster, more flexible services that are better aligned with the needs of our residents and colleagues.

This isn’t just about tech, it is an example of the Brilliant Basics in action as it will free up time and resources so colleagues can focus on what really matters – our citizens.

It will help our systems support the way we want to work: smarter, more collaboratively, and with confidence that we’re building something sustainable for the future.

Most of the work will happen behind the scenes and outside of normal working hours, but staff might notice the occasional blip or short interruption.

People will be informed if anything is likely to affect their day-to-day work and there will be further updates as the project progresses.

This migration is just the beginning. It’s laying the foundations for a more agile, cloud-first Council – one that can respond quickly to change, explore new technologies with less risk, and deliver better services to those living in the Vale of Glamorgan.

If anyone has any questions, the Digital Team are happy to discuss this and other projects.

From Digital to ditches - Rob has passed on a very complimentary email he received from a resident of Llysworney.

They got in touch to ask for help cleaning up the village and were thrilled with the Council response.

That included bringing in a digger to clear a ditch.

The person in question wrote to Rob to say thanks for the support, praising Kyle Philips and team for their quick and thorough response.

I’d also like to pass on my gratitude – reacting to residents’ concerns in a swift and comprehensive manner is what good public service is all about. Da Iawn.

Lastly, after Rob announced the return of Santa’s Cause for a fourth year a few weeks ago, I wanted to draw your attention to this year’s fun run linked to the initiative.

That takes place on Saturday, November 29, starting from Barry Island, with the exact location to be shared with participants nearer the time.

Whether you run, walk, or cheer from the sidelines, any support will help bring joy to families who need it most this Christmas.

Every pound goes directly to Santa's Cause to buy presents for children who might otherwise have nothing.

I’d encourage anyone interested to sign-up.

Finally, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for your efforts this week.

I and the rest of the Strategic Leadership Team are extremely appreciative of the work you put in.

For those with time off, enjoy a restful and relaxing weekend.

Marcus