Today’s agreement between the Minister for Education and Skills, Huw Lewis AM, and the WLGA’s Education Spokesperson, Councilor Ali Thomas, represents a step change in the way school improvement is organised and delivered in Wales.
Following weeks of tough and intense negotiation, the Minister has accepted a proposal from local government to ring-fence school improvement funding within the local government budget settlement, and to jointly construct a National Model for School Improvement.
Receiving cross-party support from council leaders, the arrangement will mean greater consistency across Wales and will result in more money being allocated to school improvement.
While the new arrangements represent a genuine partnership between Welsh Government and Wales’ 22 local authorities, it also presents significant challenges and places a clear responsibility on local government to deliver improved outcomes and higher standards for learners in Wales.
The agreement replaces the proposal, in the Hill Review, to fund regional school improvement services through a ‘top-slice’ from the local government budget in 2014-15.
Councillor Ali Thomas (Neath Port Talbot), WLGA spokesperson for education said:
“Today’s agreement is a massive step forward for education in Wales. The Minister has recognised that education must be delivered through a democratic framework of local accountability, but he has also made it very clear that he is impatient for improvement and that local government must deliver immediately if it is to continue in this role. The creation of a National Model for School Improvement means that every school, and every learner in Wales, will receive the same consistency of service from each education consortium. While the Minister has invested his trust in local government, the development and implementation of this model will be monitored closely over the next 12 months. We all in local government have a responsibility to deliver on the commitments that we have now made. ”
“This agreement is a success for the education system in Wales. It provides the Minister with a strict assurance that an appropriate level of funding will be allocated to school improvement services but without the wasteful bureaucracy and administration associated with specific grants and top-slicing of the local government budget. We now look forward to working with the Minister in delivering other aspects of the Hill Review as we seek to increase the scope and pace of change.”
Councillor Dyfed Edwards, Leader of Gwynedd Council added:
“I fully support this agreement to secure a stable funding arrangement for school improvement. Local government in Wales has consistently argued that an un-hypothecated revenue support grant (RSG) is the best way of funding local councils, but has always recognised that some initiatives do need to have funding attached to them for specific periods of time to help them ‘bed in’. This agreement will create the capacity to deliver the National Model for School Improvement.”
Councillor Hugh Evans, Leader of Denbighshire Council said:
“Local government recognises that changes to school improvement services need to happen, and is committed to improving educational outcomes. Every council in Wales has confirmed that education remains its number one priority, and this new partnership agreement will now be carefully monitored to ensure that educational performance continues to improve in the future.”
Councillor Peter Fox, Leader of Monmouthshire Council said:
“As local council Leaders we welcome the Education Minister’s commitment to the statutory role of local authorities within education, as we have consistently argued that educational delivery must be based on local democratic control and accountability. Local government has acknowledged the need to change and has embraced the Hill Review as a blue-print for getting education right in Wales. This funding agreement is a great first step within this process.”
