THERE is uncertainty over whether one Gwent council will remain a member of partnership to support schools across the region.
The Education Achievement Service provides advice and support to schools and councils intended to raise standards along with support for governing bodies.
Monmouthshire County Council has agreed to extend the partnership with its three neighbouring councils, Newport, Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent but there is uncertainty over whether Caerphilly Borough Council will continue as a member.
The organsiation, known as EAS, is set to be reorganised as it is currently formed as a company, with its directors made up of representatives from the five councils, its own chief executive and non-executive directors. Monmouthshire has agreed to support re-establishing it as a partnership between the councils with the intention of retaining its current staff.
But there is uncertainty over the future shape of the partnership, its funding and ability to retain all existing staff as Caerphilly Borough Council hasn’t committed itself to the partnership.
Councillor Martyn Groucutt, Monmouthshire council’s cabinet member for education, said discussions on the partnership, including with Caerphilly, are still ongoing but he told the cabinet: “It’s not clear where they are going to end up. I think some clarity on their position will be required at some point.”
The Labour member was answering a question from Conservative opposition leader, Cllr Richard John, who asked how concerned the council was that other councils, “particularly Caerphilly” could follow an “isolationist approach” to school improvement.
Cllr John said he supported the proposed partnership model and continued working between schools, particularly to provide as broad a curriculum as possible.
Cllr Groucutt said Monmouthshire and other councils recognise they are “too small” and their schools have too few children to provide their own individual improvement services.
The Welsh Government had ordered a review of what it calls the “middle tier” between schools and councils and no longer requires councils to work in partnership with the “improvement consortia” it put in place in 2012. It does expect councils to work in partnership with at least one other local authority and single local authority improvement services are “significantly discouraged”.
Monmouthshire said setting up its own in-house service would cost £1.3m and to do so it would have to take £700,000 from school budgets and staff may not be available.
The Gwent EAS is unique in Wales being a company.