Third council is told to improve its schools following inspection

ATHIRD Welsh council has been told to improve its schools in a hard-hitting report published today by education watchdog Estyn.

Pembrokeshire County Council education services “are causing significant concern and require followup activity” the report says. Estyn will now monitor progress. The report highlights how “standards in literacy, numeracy and Welsh second language require improvement in around half of primary schools and all secondary schools inspected since 2017”.

It comes less than two months after Estyn told Wrexham County Council to “urgently improve outcomes for learners” and five months after many secondary schools in Powys were branded “weak” by inspectors.

It also comes less than a month after the departure of Pembrokeshire’s director for children and schools, Kate Evan-Hughes. She left late last month to take up an appointment as strategic director with a local authority in England.

Pembrokeshire’s former deputy chief education officer, Steven Richards-Downs, has replaced her in an acting capacity.

Today’s 16-page report on Pembrokeshire’s education services says “there has been insufficient focus on improving teaching and leadership in schools”.

Inspectors recognised there have been some areas of improvement made by the local authority since 2012, when it was placed in the highest follow-up Estyn category of special measures, but said, “pace of improvement has been too slow”.

The local authority maintains six secondary schools, two all-age (3-16) schools, 52 primary schools, one special school and one pupil referral unit.

During the last three years Estyn has judged standards as good or better in around half of primary schools, well below the national average.

In this time, two primary schools have been placed in a statutory category, although one has since been removed.

Of the three secondary schools inspected, one was judged good for standards, one adequate and one unsatisfactory.

Currently, three secondary schools are in a statutory category. One secondary school placed in an Estyn category of follow-up in the previous cycle, The Greenhill School, in Tenby, has not improved and is now in special measures.

On teaching, the report adds; “Shortcomings in the quality of teaching include low expectations and a lack of progressive and planned opportunities to develop literacy, numeracy and Welsh second language across the curriculum limit the progress pupils make...

“...Most primary schools and all secondary schools inspected since 2017 have recommendations to improve aspects of teaching.”

In a statement, Pembrokeshire County Council said: “The council will work with all schools to ensure that the required improvements are made.”