Defence CommitteeWritten evidence from the Welsh Government
The Welsh government is committed to supporting the Armed Forces Community in Wales and published a Package of Support for the Armed Forces Community, in November 2011. The Package of Support covers those matters that are devolved, including education. It outlines commitments that are consistent across the UK and those that are tailored to Wales. We are currently in the process of updating the Package of Support. The revised version will contain more specific information on the education of Service children in Wales.
In line with the Covenant the Welsh Government established a Standing Committee for Service Children in Schools in Wales, in November 2012. This Standing Committee consists of educationalists; local authority officers; Welsh Government officials; Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel and welfare officers. Together with this new Standing Committee we will be developing an informed national perspective in Wales about the issues relating to providing education for Service children. This work will ensure we obtain a greater understanding of specific challenges and identify other issues Service children experience in education. It will also involve exploring and disseminating examples of good practice in supporting Service children and their families, with a particular focus on work in schools. In addition, we hope to foster stronger links between the Armed Forces community and local services, especially educational institutions.
Your letter raises a number of queries on the differences in approach to the education of Service children across the UK, with specific differences noted between England and Wales. I have addressed each of your points in turn.
There is no Service Pupil Premium in Wales. However, there is support available for children of Service families in schools in Wales through our School Effectiveness Grant and the Pupil Deprivation Grant. These grants are the Welsh Government’s principal means of providing financial support for our three national priorities for schools: improving standards in literacy; improving standards in numeracy, and reducing the impact of poverty on educational attainment. Responding to the challenges we face in improving our educational outcomes in Wales by taking action in isolation on different parts of the education system is counter to the aims of the grants. All Service children in Wales, including those that come to Wales in the future, will benefit from the funding available to schools through these grants, as will each pupil in Wales.
I am pleased to inform the Defence Committee that generous funding from the MOD’s Support Fund for Schools with Service Children is already helping several Welsh schools support Service children. Eight bids were received under the 2013–14 funding round, of which five were successful in securing £128,408 in funding. The amount was distributed to a family of schools in Llantwit Major, which supports children from the St Athans base; two primary schools in Brecon and a further primary school in Haverfordwest. In Brecon the funding will support children of the Ghurkha regiment who have English language acquisition needs in addition to the other challenges already faced by Service children. In Haverfordwest it provides part funding for the ‘Tell a Tale’ project, which supports the improvement of speaking, listening and emotional skills. Welsh Government officials will be working closely with their MOD counterparts to devise a means of encouraging more Welsh schools to apply under the next funding round.
The Welsh Government would certainly want to ensure that children and young people moving to Wales have as little disruption to their education as possible. In discussion with the Department for Education we have offered to address the issue of Service children with special needs moving to Wales when we revise our Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. Our intention is to ensure that Welsh local authorities use the information in the Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan to inform any assessment of a child’s needs. In practical terms a local authority in Wales may be advised in the Code that before an assessment takes place they are to look at the educational element of the EHC plan and agree the educational provision unless they have a very good reason to suspect that it cannot be provided, or is unsuitable.
When school transfer arrangements are made in advance it is good practice for information to be provided in time for appropriate planning by the receiving school. Secondary schools or a new primary school should receive the school records of all pupils identified by their primary schools as having special educational needs. When such a pupil is admitted to a new school, the school should be in possession of a good deal of useful information about the child, including any detailed background information collated by the primary school SENCO; copies of Individual Education Plans prepared in support of intervention through School Action or School Action Plus and any statement of special educational needs. In Wales we place a statutory duty on schools to send an electronic file of Common Transfer information to a child’s new school within 15 school days. This file includes key data about a child’s special educational needs and should be followed by the transfer of the complete educational record. Common Transfer arrangements include transfers to schools in England.
Effective communication between all relevant parties is vital in ensuring minimal disruption to a child’s education. In the context of the Army’s re-basing plans, it will be particularly important that MOD officials work closely with Welsh Government officials to plan for the arrival of any Service children that come into Wales, in order to minimise any disruption to their education.
Unlocking every child’s potential is at the heart of the Welsh Government’s approach to education and all children and young people should be encouraged to achieve their potential, including the children of Service personnel in Wales.
Leighton Andrews AC/AM
Y Gweinidog Addysg a Sgiliau
Minister for Education and Skills
3 June 2013