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Education authorities in Wales 'could be reduced' 'Cut a third' of 22 education services in Wales, report says
(about 4 hours later)
The number of council education services running schools in Wales could be reduced following a review into their structures. The 22 education services running schools in Wales should be cut by a third, a review has recommended.
There are currently 22 local education authorities (LEAs) but Education Minister Leighton Andrews has criticised the set-up. From 2014, education would then be run by regional consortia with council leaders among their board members.
He ordered the review and its findings will be published later. In his report, Robert Hill, who was an advisor to ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair, says "new slimline elected local authorities" could run education.
Schools inspectorate Estyn says council education staff are spread too thinly and cannot offer specialist help.Schools inspectorate Estyn says council education staff are spread too thinly and cannot offer specialist help.
The review comes as nearly a quarter of education services in Wales either are or have been placed in special measures - and deemed not up to scratch - by inspectors. Nearly a quarter of education services in Wales either are or have been placed in special measures - and deemed not up to scratch - by inspectors.
Robert Hill, who was an advisor to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, has been looking into how schools are currently run for the review. The report by Mr Hill says "the fact that there are so many small local authorities is a major contributory factor".
He previously said there was "a long way to travel" and "many serious weaknesses to address". The review states: "Despite this there has been a reluctance by local authorities to consider joint appointments of directors of education services and/or merging services.
Mr Hill also said the main areas that needed to be looked into included the structure of education departments, school leadership and whether more schools could work more closely together to share expertise. "The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) has itself recognised that 'the system is underperforming and that is unacceptable and unsustainable'," the report says.
But the review also warns that the performance of four educational consortia already working across local authority boundaries was "too variable".
Mr Hill's report says the organisations' leadership arrangements "are not working properly", partly because "the wrong people have been recruited into the role, and in part there is confusion about what the job is about".
'Real urgency'
The review says it would be a "distraction" to reorganise local government in an attempt to improve school standards.
"In the medium term a complete reorganisation of local authority education functions and boundaries is required, as part of the more general review of the governance and delivery arrangements of public services in Wales, in order to realise this strategy.
"The focus must be on bringing clarity to the existing system, consolidating the number of education services and ensuring that all the consortia are operating as effectively as possible as quickly as possible.
"There is real urgency on this issue."
Education Minister Leighton Andrews described the options in the report as "compelling" with "the potential to change the shape and structure of education delivery in Wales for the better".
He said: "I've been very clear in my desire to raise standards and performance in education across the board.
"If we are to deliver the improvements in education that we know are needed we must not only focus on outcomes for learners, but we also have to achieve organisational coherence and excellence.
"I'd like to thank Robert for this comprehensive and exacting report," Mr Andrews added.
A three month consultation on the proposals will now be held.