POWYS COUNTY COUNCIL School Organisation Review Panel A review of sixth form provision at Ysgol Maesydderwen, Ystradgynlais – business case Date: September 2015 FINAL 1 CONTENTS Page 1. Executive Summary 3 2. The Strategic Context 5 2.1 Background 5 2.2 Strategic Aims and Objectives 6 2.3 Organisational Overview 7 3. The Case for Change 13 3.1 Investment Objectives 13 3.2 Existing arrangements 14 3.3 Business needs 23 3.4 Potential scope 25 3.5 Main benefits criteria 27 3.6 Main risks 30 3.7 Constraints and dependencies 30 4. Option Appraisal 31 4.1 Potential options 31 4.2 Advantages and disadvantages 33 4.3 Initial evaluation 37 4.4 Further evaluation of short-listed options 39 4.5 Financial evaluation of short-listed options 47 5. Overall conclusion and recommendations 50 2 1. Executive Summary________________________________ Following a detailed review of sixth form provision at Ysgol Maesydderwen, it is recommended that Option 5 – to develop a local commissioning model, is taken forward. This option gives Ysgol Maesydderwen the best opportunity to create an attractive post-16 curriculum, without generating additional costs to the school or the Authority. By commissioning provision from a range of providers, the school is not limiting its options as it would in a collaboration with a single provider. Expanding its menu of subjects will increase the learner retention rate, which will in turn will lead to increased funding. It will enable the development of an attractive curriculum that meets the needs of learners in the area, the community and the local economy, and it will ensure that learners from the Ystradgynlais area are not disadvantaged as they are currently. It meets the Authority’s vision for post-16 education1which is: To ensure that all learners in Powys sixth forms have equality of access to the highest-quality teaching and learning experience, both through the medium of English and Welsh To provide a high-quality, vibrant and diverse 16 - 19 curriculum where the need for excessive travelling is minimised To provide a progressive curriculum that is responsive to the needs of learners, community and the economy and to ensure that Powys learners are able to progress along their choice of learning pathways. To ensure that provision within Powys sixth forms is attractive to learners and reduces requirement to travel out of Wales To create stability and confidence in the wider school communities which will allow the recruitment and retention of high quality teaching staff To secure the level of resource required to provide a planned sustainable programme of delivery which makes the chosen model of delivery resilient and generates learner confidence To meet the Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure 2009 for 16 – 19 education in Powys It also meets the Welsh Government’s latest priorities for school sixth forms, published in August 20152 , in particular the need ‘to break the link between poverty and educational attainment by reducing the number of young people aged 16-18 and 19-24 who are not engaged in education, employment or training (NEET) and increasing the percentage of care leavers in education, training or employment.’ This is particularly relevant to the Ystradgynlais area, given the significant levels of deprivation and poverty in the area. 1 Post-16 Strategic Review – Interim Report July 1st 2014 2 http://gov.wales/topics/educationandskills/learningproviders/post-16-planning-and-funding/planning-and-funding- arrangements-2015-2016/?lang=en 3 In his priorities letter to local authorities in August 2015, the Minister for Education promotes ‘collaborative working to support learner choice, share good practice and working together in the interests of learners rather than in competition with one another.’ However, whilst there are obvious benefits to developing a local commissioning model at Ysgol Maesydderwen, its success will be very reliant on the school’s ability to increase the number of learners staying on in the sixth form. There is no additional funding available to support the development of the model. It is therefore recommended that that the model is implemented from October 2015. Progress will be monitored on an annual basis, and reported to the Council’s Transforming Learning and Skills Board – this Board is responsible for overseeing the Council’s Transforming Skills and Learning Programme. The following table indicates the implementation plan for the proposal: Year Activity September Cabinet decision ( the rest of the implementation plan is without prejudices to 2015 Cabinet’s decision) October 2015 Launch the post-16 Planning Cycle in the Ysgol Maesydderwen September Initial learner survey 2015 – December 2015 January 2016 Decide what subjects are likely to be purchased in February 2016 Confirm Ysgol Maesydderwen offer including subjects that are not on the core delivery. Formulate the offer to start the marketing campaign February 2016 Agree with external providers what additional subjects are likely to required, how much that will cost and what the delivery model will look like March 2016 Launch the marketing campaign locally with the agreed offer to gain interest April 2016 Hold a sixth form open evening and advertise it locally April 2016 Submit likely sixth form numbers to Powys County Council so funds can be agreed and course numbers can be established May 2016 Plan in detail the curriculum timetable for September 2016 start for the new operating model 4 2. The Strategic Context______________________________ 2.1 Background The purpose of this review is to consider options for future sixth form provision at Ysgol Maesydderwen, Ystradgynlais. In January 2015, the Cabinet of Powys County Council agreed to commence a Secondary School Reorganisation Programme, in order to develop a sustainable model of delivery for the future. The Programme has two key objectives: Reconfiguration of secondary and post-16 education to create a sustainable infrastructure of schools and sixth forms across Powys, enabling a broader range of subjects to be provided from each school site, whilst minimising the need for inter-school travel and transport. Reconfiguration of Welsh-medium education with the aim of establishing at least one Welsh- medium secondary school in the county, and the consolidation of other Welsh-medium streams into larger units. This will enable schools to provide the appropriate curriculum offer and progression routes for Welsh-medium learners. The Programme is the result of a review of the Financial Viability of Secondary Schools and Sixth forms in Powys, carried out by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) The first part of the review, carried out between April and June 2014, concluded that ‘all the schools appear to be reaching a point where their options are extremely limited and there is a tangible risk that schools will become finance-led rather than curriculum-led’; and that ‘in light of the forecasted deteriorating financial position of the whole county provision, even a concerted, joint effort of cost management may not be enough to avoid the requirement to examine structural changes to the education provision across the county’3. In March 2015, the Cabinet agreed four priorities to be taken forward which were as follows: Priority 1 – Beacons Learning Campus Priority 2 – To review secondary education in Mid Powys Priority 3 – To review sixth form provision at Ysgol Maesydderwen Priority 4 – To review secondary education in North Powys This business case will focus on Priority 3, a review of sixth form provision at Ysgol Maesydderwen. The brief for this work is as follows: To determine the advantages and disadvantages of different post-16 delivery models for the area 3 PWC Report into the Financial Sustainability of Secondary Schools in Powys 2014 5 To provide a detailed assessment of the financial viability of any new delivery models To establish the estimated level of investment that would be required To make recommendations about the future of the sixth form at Ysgol Maesydderwen, including an implementation plan 2.2 Strategic Aims and Objectives The One Powys Plan4 2014 sets the strategic direction for service delivery in Powys. It is a key strategic transformational plan, which sets out the vision of Powys County Council and key partner organisations, that helps residents to understand what the Council intends to achieve and what results they can expect to see. ‘Transforming Learning and Skills’ is a key priority within the plan, and the Authority’s aim is to ensure that ‘all children and young people are supported to achieve their potential’. The plan states that the Authority needs to ‘re-organise schools (primary, secondary and post-16) to ensure affordability, sustainability and appropriate leadership capacity’. To ensure that all learners in Powys sixth forms have equality of access to the highest-quality teaching and learning experience, both through the medium of English and Welsh To provide a high-quality, vibrant and diverse 16 - 19 curriculum where the need for excessive travelling is minimised To provide a progressive curriculum that is responsive to the needs of learners, community and the economy and to ensure that Powys learners are able to progress along their choice of learning pathways. To ensure that provision within Powys sixth forms is attractive to learners and reduces requirement to travel out of Wales To create stability and confidence in the wider school communities which will allow the recruitment and retention of high quality teaching staff To secure the level of resource required to provide a planned sustainable programme of delivery which makes the chosen model of delivery resilient and generates learner confidence To meet the Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure for 16 - 19 in Powys The following are the Welsh Government’s Priorities for Schools Sixth forms August 2015 Priority 1 Jobs and Growth 4 http://intranet.powys.gov.uk/uploads/media/OPP_Final_2014.pdf 6 Employer engagement and employability is a cornerstone of the Welsh Government’s strategy for jobs and growth, ensuring that vocational pathways are based on local market intelligence.