Posted on: Tuesday 23 July 2024
Estyn inspectors have recognised improvements in leadership, performance management and evaluation within the council's education service.
Inspectors visited the service in June, as part of a series of monitoring visits following an Estyn report in March 2022, which identified the service as in need of significant improvement.
The June monitoring visit focused on recommendations two and three:
- Strengthen performance management.
- Strengthen self-evaluation and improvement planning processes and the link between them.
Inspectors noted improvement in leadership, performance management, self-evaluation and improvement planning.
Inspectors will visit the service again in the Autumn to assess its performance against the other two recommendations:
- Improve outcomes for learners, particularly in secondary schools.
- Improve strategic leadership of learning and ALN.
According to a report to council earlier today, Estyn will decide if the service can be removed from the category of Significant Improvement following the visit in the autumn.
An Education Improvement Plan was developed to address the recommendations following the inspection in March 2022, as well as wider education priorities, including learner wellbeing, learner pathways, and the digital and physical environment.
The delivery of the plan has been overseen by an Accelerated Improvement Group and Strategic improvement Board in addition to planned monitoring visits by Estyn.
Addressing today's council meeting, Cllr Richard Clark, Executive Member for Children, Families and Education, said: “As and when we come out of Estyn monitoring, we will continue to strive to be the best in Wales. The Accelerated Improvement Group will continue to ensure we do that and it is a commitment in the Education Improvement Plan."
Cllr Clark thanked members of the education service and scrutiny members.
Council leader Anthony Hunt also thanked teachers, teaching assistants and support staff for their work in schools.
All Torfaen schools have been inspected as part of the Estyn inspection cycle which ends in Summer 2024. You can find the reports on the Estyn website
A new, six-year, Estyn inspection cycle will start in September 2024.