Agenda item

School Organisation Planning: Provision for children and young people with Emotional Health and Wellbeing Needs.

(Papers to follow)

 

To undertake the pre-decision scrutiny of the Cabinet proposals in relation to the Provision for children and young people with Emotional Health and Wellbeing Needs

 

 

 

 

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed Councillor Sarah Merry (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Employment & Skills), Melanie Godfrey (Director, Education and Lifelong Learning), Richard Portas (Programme Director, School Organisation Planning), Brett Andrewartha (School Organisation Programme Planning Manager) and Jennie Hughes (Senior Achievement Leader, Inclusion) to the meeting.

 

Statements were provided by the Cabinet Member and Programme Director; firstly noting that the reports do show that the Local Authority has taken notice of the responses received during the consultation periods; and secondly that the recommendation is to proceed with the core proposal.  In terms of the Greenhill proposal, there will be further reflection on some of the comments made, and a further report will come back to Committee at a later date.  Primarily those comments referred to the Dutch Garden site and particularly around the proximity of the junction.  There are design solutions, but it is necessary to get the balance of it being school and not looking like a prison.  Further work will be undertaken about the site and the provision in place.

 

The Chair invited questions from Members:

 

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Members referred to the facilities being developed on both the Dutch Garden Centre Site and the Ty Glas site in Llanishen and noted that the facilities were very different. Members queried how students on the Ty Glas site would access the Dutch Garden site facilities.  It was explained that there would be a visioning exercise which would map out what the links would be; whether pupils would be on one site or the other for all or part of their schooling; and how that would factor in with off site provision.  That process has not yet started, the consultation responses were required in the first instance.  That would happen in any Band B project.

 

Members queried the Estyn response in relation to the Eastern High and Cardiff West Community College SRB provision; they seemed cautions about demands on  Cardiff West at this time.  Is the provision to be developed over a period of time to allow the college accommodate and establish the provision in a planned way?  Members were advised by Karen Del’Armi, Chair of Governors at Cardiff West that the Governing Body does support the establishment of the SRB and see it as an area for growth, although physical space may be an issue, which has been discussed with officers, staff and students. It is important to make sure that the safeguarding and health and safety elements are right. 

 

 

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.

 

Supporting documents: