Minutes:
The
Committee chose to scrutinise the following Cabinet Board Items:
Draft
Home to School Travel Policy 2020
Members
received an overview of the public consultation exercise in respect of the
proposed draft Home to School Travel Policy 2020. The 2020 policy updates and revises the
existing Home to School Travel Policy 2017 as detailed in the circulated
report.
Confirmation
was given that the post 16 travel had not changed from the current position
that no free transport was provided.
Spare seats were offered if available, but this cost was being consulted
upon to increase from £100 to £390 per annum.
It
was explained that the family or financial circumstances were not part of the
criteria for eligibility for free school transport. In addition, the cost of spare seats was not
subject to any means testing process, if spare seats were available all pupils
could access them at the proposed cost of £390 per annum, £130 per term, this
would result in all spare seats having the same value, a proposed £390 per
annum.
In
response to Members queries the policy applies to the nearest welsh language
schools as it does to english speaking schools.
If parental choice is for attendance at a welsh school they would access
free transport to the nearest welsh school, if statutory school age and the
distance criteria met, as long as it was the nearest welsh school.
Members
highlighted that some parents would prefer to enrol their child into a
pre-school place that the child could continue to receive education in at
school age. Officers explained that
pre-school aged children were not eligible to access free school transport it
was parental choice and it was not a statutory provision but they could access
spare seats if they were available at the same cost as all children, pro rata
if attending a half day, for example, Nursery.
It
was explained that the numbers of buses/vehicles purchased for school transport
are based on the numbers of children on admission and spare seats only come
available if those seats are not allocated/used no additional seats are
purchased for spare seats.
Following
scrutiny, the Committee was supportive of the proposals to be considered by the
Cabinet Board.
Play
Sufficiency Assessment 2019
The
Committee received an overview of the implementation of an action plan
developed from the Neath Port Talbot (NPT) Play Sufficiency Assessment as
detailed in the circulated report.
Members
queried if there were any plans to develop a Play Association in Port
Talbot. It was explained that this would
be classed as a weakness and identified in the action plan as an area for
improvement. The action plan is measured
annually against the 3 year Play Sufficiency Assessment 2019 – 2022 to ensure
that the aims are being met.
Clarification
was given that the pilot scheme looking at lunchtime supervisors being trained
as play workers was ensuring that the existing lunchtime supervisors could
engage with the children they are currently supervising to make play more
interesting. Eleven schools had
registered for the training to date which would be evaluated a month after the
training. Funding streams were
available if necessary to fund training and the final model selected after
evaluation has taken place. Members
asked for a list of schools who have registered to participate in the scheme be
circulated for information.
In
response to Members queries the assessment does take into account parks that
are owned by Town and Community Councils and they are invited to stakeholder
events. In addition, all parks are
ranked on how each park promotes play and are supported in developing further
play activities.
Following
scrutiny, the Committee was supportive of the proposals to be considered by
Cabinet Board.