Blaenau Gwent Council has welcomed an Estyn report into its education services which shows that the authority has made good progress since its last inspection and that important areas for improvement have been addressed.
Estyn carried out their inspection over several days in late November/early December, and engaged with schools, children and young people, parents and other key stakeholders.
The final report recognised a strong commitment to education by senior officers and councillors; good planning to ensure the educational needs of all learners are met; the growth of Welsh medium education and, pleasingly, the council’s work to support vulnerable learners and families in the community through its anti-poverty agenda and school support services.
There are areas that the inspectorate identified for improvement, including 3 recommendations. The Council is proactively responding to the report’s findings, including ensuring the vision and aims for education are shared more widely across the authority; improving self-evaluation, improvement planning and performance management; and accelerating improvements in any schools causing concern.
Councillor Sue Edmunds, Blaenau Gwent Council’s Cabinet Member for People & Education says:
“We welcome Estyn’s report into our Education services, which recognises the overall progress made and our continued commitment to providing the very best educational opportunities and ell-being tools to enhance the life chances of our children and young people.
“We are working hard to continue improving the quality of our service and we are determined to move forward with our vision for “Better Schools; Better Citizens; and Better Communities.
“We acknowledge the recommendations made by the inspectorate on how we can further improve and look forward to building on the good work already started in these areas.”
