Emergency meeting called amidst Powys education crisis

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

An extraordinary council meeting will take place to discuss the contents of a damning report into Powys County Council’s education service.

The education watchdog for Wales, Estyn inspected the council department that runs schools in the county in February which uncovered “significant concerns”.

The report published last Thursday highlighted that there have been a number of “poor” inspection reports for secondary and all-age schools in the county and that there are leadership weaknesses at all levels. Estyn gave the council four recommendations to address.

Opposition groups have called for a special meeting to discuss the crisis in education as well as calling for the resignation of Cllr Pete Roberts (Liberal Democrat) the cabinet member for education.

And today, it was revealed that council leader, Liberal Democrat, Cllr James Gibson-Watt, has asked the chief executive, Emma Palmer, to organise the meeting as soon as possible.

Cllr Gibson-Watt said: “I have already sent a request to the chief executive that an extraordinary meeting of council be held as soon as practicably possible.”

He explained that this is “in order that cabinet portfolio holders and the corporate leadership team may present to members of council and the public the actions that will be taken to address the recommendations in the Estyn report”.

Joint leader of the opposition and Powys Independents group, Cllr Beverley Baynham, said: “I am very pleased that the leader has agreed to our request as opposition group leaders to hold a full council meeting to discuss report and the work required.

“There are some wonderful schools, teachers and staff in our schools, and we need to ensure they get the support they need from the authority. The group welcomes the meeting and hope there will be a positive outcome.”

To heap more misery on the education service, Estyn published an inspection report on Ysgol Maesydderwen secondary school in Ystradgynlais, and revealed it had been put into special measures.