I’m delighted to give you some positive news on both Phil Roberts and our Education Director, Nick Williams.
Nick has been on sickness absence for a number of months and he’s now in a position to return to work on a phased basis in early May. I’m grateful to the staff in education who’ve helped cover for Nick during that period, particularly Mark Sheridan who’s been acting Director.
I met Phil earlier this week to check on his progress and recovery. Typically, Phil insisted on getting an update on a range of work issues rather than talk about his own situation. But, again, I’m delighted to say Phil is making good progress and whilst his return is some weeks away, we obviously look forward to him returning as soon as possible.
Our Pupil Referral Unit has had a positive inspection report from Estyn. The report said the PRU is a caring and inclusive community where nearly all young people who attend make good progress and nearly all of them go on to college once they leave. This is an extremely important part of our education provision in an area that requires strong leadership, and this pleasing report is a big step along our improvement journey. Congratulations to headteacher Amanda Taylor and her team for all their efforts.
CMT this week discussed the next phase of school building improvements totalling £150m. There’s a strong link between investment in school buildings and educational outcomes, and some of those schools that have recently benefited from investment have seen better outcomes and behaviours. In the past few years we’ve prioritised investment in additional learning needs (ALN) and education other than at school. The latest Band B proposals include investment in a new special school which continues this commitment. I’ve been impressed by the generally good performance of Swansea schools, but it remains the case that pupils receiving free school meals and those with special education needs and ALN perform less well than others so we need to continue prioritising investment in this way.
CMT also discussed a potential restructure to our ALN service to ensure it’s fit for purpose for the next 3-5 years. The plan is subject to consultation with affected staff but it’s designed to help the service meet the changing needs of young people. I look forward to the consultation having clear outcomes so that we can put the restructure in place.
Given our budget pressures the council has been trying to maximise its return from land it owns or holds. We’ve adopted various approaches and a recent report to Cabinet identified a number of sites where we can go to the market to test whether developers are interested. It has to be a balance between getting the right development and getting the best possible financial deal, and it’ll be interesting to see if our approach can achieve this. Of these sites, Home Farm has attracted greatest attention in the media and on social media. It’s a council depot adjacent to Singleton Park, and although it’s caused a public reaction they’ll have an opportunity to give views if a developer comes forward with a planning application. The proposal does not encroach on the parkland which is a very important point.
Another issue making headlines is High Street which the Daily Mail so generously labelled the worst in the UK! This kind of story affects the community, business and the reputation of our city – so thanks a lot Daily Mail. That isn’t to say the area doesn’t have problems, of course it does. Our Deputy Leader, Clive Lloyd, will be leading work across the council and partners to see how we can work together to improve the street environment and make sure vulnerable people and their needs are taken into account.
Thank you again to all those staff who worked over the untypically glorious bank holiday. Many of our vulnerable citizens would not be able to cope without your support and I really appreciate your hard work.
Finally, continuing the theme of Brexit and parallel universes, I was astounded this week that 21 of the 22 chief executives in Wales spent time discussing whether to fly the EU flag on Europe Day on May 9. The worry is that by flying the flag during the current European election period it could be seen as seeking to influence the outcome of the vote. I expect the regional returning officers will determine it won’t be flown on this occasion. But it’s not something I can get too excited about. I feel I’m in a Monty Python sketch at times!
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