Local Government Education Services (LGES)
Early Insights 2024-2025
Outcomes and education services
Inspection outcomes in two of the three local authorities inspected are broadly in line with what is seen nationally. Systems to support schools in Estyn follow-up are often sound in these authorities. In one local authority, the impact of school improvement work was not effective enough and the proportion of schools placed in Estyn follow-up was greater than what was seen nationally.
What’s going well
- Officers regularly visit schools and, in the most effective practice, gather first-hand evidence alongside data such as that around attendance and exclusions; this helps them understand strengths and areas for improvement.
- In the best examples, local authorities have beneficial processes to identify and share effective practice across schools and settings.
- Local authorities have established worthwhile programmes of support for new and acting headteachers.
- Local authorities work with partners to offer a wide range of beneficial professional learning opportunities for staff in schools and settings.
- Two of the three local authorities inspected are making good progress in the development of their ALN services and provide good support for children and young people with ALN, their families, schools and settings.
- All three local authorities show a strong commitment to mitigating the impact of poverty on the lives of children and young people; officers collaborate with a range of partners to support families and dismantle barriers to pupils’ learning – this is beginning to have a positive impact on learner well-being.
- All authorities inspected are developing provision to increase the opportunities for pupils to transfer to Welsh-medium education well; in the strongest practice, leaders put a strong focus on developing bilingualism and the Welsh language in all aspects of their work.
What needs to improve
- When gathering first-hand evidence, school improvement partners do not always focus well enough on the progress made by pupils in lessons and over time.
- In some instances, officers and leaders do not use first-hand evidence well enough to monitor and challenge progress and ensure that schools are making timely improvements.
- Professional learning does not always focus well enough on improving the quality of teaching and learning, particularly in secondary schools.
- In one local authority, progress towards the development of ALN services has been slower due to changes in leadership.
- The development of pupils’ Welsh language skills in English-medium schools is less well developed, which led to a recommendation in one local authority.
Leading and improving
Leaders have prioritised the development of positive relationships with schools and partners and fostering a sense of collaboration and teamwork to achieve their priorities.
What’s going well
- In the best examples, leaders have an ambitious vision for education underpinned by a strong sense of moral purpose; in two local authorities, education features as an important priority within corporate plans.
- Leaders model well professional behaviours and foster strong working relationships with school leaders and partners.
- The local authorities we inspected recognise the financial pressures that providers face; in one local authority, the education finance team offered effective support to help schools manage their budgets.
- All three local authorities offer schools and settings valuable guidance and training around safeguarding.
What needs to improve
- Processes to support self-evaluation and review performance are not used purposefully enough to plan for improvement and identify the precise areas in need of improvement; quality assurance processes do not focus well enough on the impact of educations service’s work on pupils’ outcomes in all local authorities inspected.
- In two local authorities, scrutiny is not effective enough; this is due to a range of factors, including the quality of information provided to elected members, how forward work plan agenda items are allocated and how scrutiny questions and challenges the cabinet member for education.
- Strategic planning and leadership are not effective enough in two local authorities.
- In two of the three authorities, strategic decisions have not always been timely enough to fully mitigate financial challenges.
Overview of recommendations from inspections
Three providers were inspected in the LGES sector for the 2024-2025 academic year.
- All were given at least one recommendation related to education services and their impact.
- All providers were given at least one recommendation related to leading and improving.
Effective practice identified during inspection
Newport
Read about how Newport are commissioning a special school to provide an outreach service to mainstream schools to support autistic pupils as well as how it is supporting schools to manage budgets effectively.
Neath Port Talbot
Inspection report: Neath Port Talbot
We also wrote about how Neath Port Talbot local authority is providing creative support for children and young people with ALN.
Torfaen
You can also read our effective practice case study on how Torfaen Local Authority worked pro-actively with all stakeholders and secured notable improvements in many aspects of their work. As a result, the local authority was removed from the list of local authorities causing significant concern in October 2024.