Venue: Council Chamber - Port Talbot Civic Centre. View directions
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Member's declarations of interest Minutes: The
following Members made declarations of interest at the commencement of the
meeting in relation to the undermentioned matters:- Councillor Rachel Taylor - The report of the Head of Transformation re:
Strategic School Improvement Programme – Future of Secondary Education in the
Upper Afan Valley as her children will be attending Ysgol Newydd Margam.
Councillor Sian Harris - The private report of the Head of
Transformation re: Celtic Leisure Annual Report and Celtic Leisure Quarter 1 Performance
as her daughter woks for Celtic Leisure Councillor Dave Whitelock - The report of the Head of Transformation re:
Strategic School Improvement Programme – Future of Secondary Education in the
Upper Afan Valley as he is a Governor on the Shadow
Governor Board at Ysgol Newydd
Margam. |
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Minutes of the Education, Skills and Culture Scrutiny Committee held on 12th October 2017 PDF 79 KB Minutes: The
Committee noted the minutes. |
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Minutes of the Leisure and Culture Scrutiny Sub Committee held on 17th October 2017 PDF 73 KB Minutes: The
Committee noted the Minutes. |
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Scrutiny Forward Work Programme 2017/18. PDF 81 KB Minutes: The
Committee noted the Forward Work Programme. |
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Pre-Scrutiny Minutes: The
Committee chose to scrutinise the following Cabinet Board items: 5.1 Strategic School Improvement Programme – Future of Secondary
Education in the Upper Afan Valley Members considered a report that sought approval to consult
on the future of Secondary Education in the Upper Afan
Valley. It was highlighted that the Council’s responsibility is to promote high
educational standards and deliver efficient primary and secondary education. It was noted that Cymer Afan Comprehensive School has a capacity to hold in excess
of 600 pupils; however, currently holds 226 pupils, which provides a
significant surplus capacity of nearly 65%. It was highlighted that the Authority is proposing to make
arrangements for pupils from the upper Afan Valley to
receive their secondary education at Ysgol Newydd Margam. Members asked what guarantees could be given to ensure the
safety of children travelling to Ysgol Newydd Margam via the Afan Valley Road in adverse weather conditions due to the
treacherous nature of the road. Officers explained that they are unable to give
guarantees but stated that measures are in place to ensure that all transport
contractors are safety checked and have all the necessary insurances in place. In addition it was queried what measures have been
put in place to ensure that children are able to return home if the weather
conditions deteriorate while they are in school. Officers explained that Home
to School transport is provided across the County Borough on similar routes with
no significant issues being reported. Officers confirmed that it is the
responsibility of the school to monitor any adverse change in weather
conditions and to make the necessary arrangements to insure that the children
are able to return home safely. Members were concerned that the children are going to be
subject to an increase in pollution levels
by being
transferred to Ysgol Newydd
Margam due to the vicinity of the school and the TATA
Steel Site. Officers explained that no
concerns have been raised by the families of children who already attend Ysgol Newydd Margam
but this issue could be fed into the consultation process. Members were concerned that children from the Afan Valley will not be able to attend after school clubs
because of the lack of service buses running after 6pm to return the children
home to the Afan Valley. Officers explained that it
is the responsibility of the Head Teacher to arrange after school cubs and to
ensure that all the pupils have the opportunity to attend and are able to
return home safely. It was stated that extracurricular activities do not always
have to take place after School and can also take place during lunch-times or
before the start of the school day. Members were concerned that bullying could be an issue due to the increase in time that children would be travelling on the school bus from the Afan Valley to Ysgol Newydd Margam. Officers explained that other pupils travel to school on school buses for similar periods of time. If a school ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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Access to Meetings Minutes:
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Pre-Scrutiny Minutes: The
Committee chose to scrutinise the following Cabinet Board items: 7.1 Celtic Leisure Quarter 1 Performance Report Members received a private and confidential presentation
and were updated on the performance of Celtic Leisure during the first quarter,
in comparison to the submitted ten year business plan. Members asked several
questions in relation to the presentation and received appropriate responses. Following scrutiny, it was agreed that the report be noted. |