Education news: huge boost to school funding

Posted by Now Cardiff on Oct 4, 2012

Cardiff Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Julia Magill has welcomed the Welsh Government’s announcement to invest millions in the 21st Century Schools programme in 2013-14 which will contribute £1.75m towards developing secondary education in the East of the city.

The funding of £1.75m has been allocated to Cardiff as part of the project to develop of a secondary school in the East of the city and comes on the back of the Council’s recent decision to consult on establishing the first Education Improvement Partnership (EIP) in Wales in the area to drive up standards.

Cllr Magill said, “I am absolutely thrilled that this extra investment will be directed towards such an important project, and will support us in providing a high quality learning environment for future generations of children in the east of Cardiff. The 21st Century Schools Programme is a chance for us to take another stride forward towards improving education standards for children and young people, while offering them the best possible opportunities.”

The Council’s own consultation is already underway on the establishment of the EIP in the east, which will cover the schools’ catchment areas there and will be made up of representatives from the school, local authority, and the community as well as key partners.

The focus is on improving quality in leadership, teaching and learning with clear emphasis on addressing the causes of under performance, so that pupils have the best possible chances to achieve their potential.

Cllr Magill said: “Work has to begin now to raise school standards and performance, including improvements in attendance and ethos, for young people in the area.  Previous plans to address the issues in the east have all fallen by the wayside but the time to act is now, which is why this additional funding is so important to help us to move forward with plans to establish an EIP and build a brand new, modern high school, with provision for academic and vocational courses for students over 16.

“This is great news; this type of investment is going to make a real difference to the lives of many pupils.”

Bute Park to keep extended opening hours

Posted by Now Cardiff on Sep 20, 2012

Bute Park will remain open for longer following a successful pilot scheme which has proved to be popular with pedestrians, cyclists, joggers and dog-walkers.

During the pilot, users of the park were surveyed and asked whether they would like the extended opening hours to be permanent, a staggering 96% of people said yes.

More than half of the people surveyed said they used the route to commute to work, with 74% also saying that the longer opening times would help them to carry on cycling through the winter.

Cabinet Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Huw Thomas said: “We have listened to the users of Bute Park and have taken on board the request from cyclists to continue extending the opening hours of the park.

“Bute Park is a fantastic green space in the heart of our city and provides a beautiful, tranquil route for many people to walk and cycle through.”

The Millennium Bridge, which links Sophia Gardens to Bute Park and the gate at Fisher’s Bridge near the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) will now remain open until 7pm throughout the winter. All other access gates will follow the normal closing times, which is 30 minutes before dusk.

Along with the extended opening hours Cardiff Council are teaming up with The Friends of Bute Park and cycling groups to promote safety messages asking people to ‘be seen, be aware, stick to the route and respect other users.

Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Highways, Traffic and Transportation, Cllr Ralph Cook said:”The pilot scheme has already proven that there is a demand for later access to Bute Park. Figures from the pilot have shown that many people took advantage of the extended opening hours of the park and it’s very encouraging indeed to hear people’s feedback that the extended opening hours will help them to carry on cycling throughout the year

“In Cardiff we are heavily investing into cycling and sustainable travel. We are currently implementing a five year strategic plan to improve cycling infrastructure in the city and this year alone £1.8million has been invested on new and improved routes in the city, assisted by financial support from Welsh Government as part of the Sustainable Travel City project.

“It’s our priority to make sure every aspect of improving cycling in the city is looked into and the extended opening hours at Bute Park will make a huge difference for cyclists in the city.”

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Teachers welcome grade boundaries decision by Welsh Government

Posted by Now Cardiff on Sep 10, 2012

The NUT has welcomed the Welsh Government’s decision to call for a re-grading of WJEC English papers at C and D grades following the changes to the grade boundaries and has urged the British Government to follow suit. 

“The NUT has been very vocal in calling for an immediate re-grading, not re-marking, of the English GCSE exam.  We are naturally delighted that the Welsh Government has recommended that this be applied for WJEC students in Wales.

“Between January and June, exam boards changed the grade boundaries in such a way that many pupils who would have scored a C in January, scored a D in June – for exactly the same work. This change was not explained and has disadvantaged many thousands of pupils and their schools.  That situation was simply unacceptable to the many pupils, parents and teachers who have been left feeling very angry at this action.

“The report published today by the Welsh Government recognises the injustice of the boundary grade changes and their impact on Welsh students.  Hundreds of Welsh learners have been disadvantaged by this change and we applaud the Welsh Education Minister for taking the action which he has today.”

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“The NUT welcomes the decision of the Welsh Government to award grades to young people who sat GCSE in English on the same basis as their peers who sat the exam in January.
“The NUT calls on Michael Gove to follow this lead.”

Council’s scrutiny committee considers families first procurement

Posted by Now Cardiff on Sep 10, 2012

Cardiff Council’s Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee will consider how important changes to funding for projects supporting vulnerable families and young people in the city, will be communicated to those already receiving services.

Members of the committee will focus on the commissioning of services under the Welsh Government’s “Families First” project, set to take place in April 2013, which will replace the current ‘Cymorth’ funding which supports deprived young people across Wales.

The report will be presented at the Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 11 September 2012.

Families First is a Welsh Government initiative promoting the development of effective multi-agency systems and support for families across Wales, particularly those living in poverty, with a clear emphasis on prevention and early intervention.

Scrutiny members will consider the type of services that Families First will fund and the arrangements being put in place to inform people of the changes that will affect them.

Cllr Siobhan Corria, Chair of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee said: “My main concern is for the families and young people who are currently receiving services through Cymorth funding, and how they will be given information about if and how the transition from Cymorth to Families First will affect them.

“We are only six months away from the introduction of Families First and as a Scrutiny Committee we are keen to look into the planned communication arrangements, and find out how we as elected community champions can best support the communication.”

The Committee will also explore in more detail both the Commissioners’ intentions in delivering outcomes based on strategic needs, and their plans for supporting and informing both providers and service users through the remainder of the procurement exercise and into the new Families First funding regime.

This includes looking into how and when service users will be informed about the transition of services from Cymorth to Families First funding, and about the new services coming on line to replace the former Cymorth-funded services. The committee will also consider how needs were identified, and evidence of the link between needs and the services that have been commissioned, plus a broad outline of the next steps and timescales ahead of the implementation in April 2013.

Cardiff clubs sweep the board in disability sport accreditation

Posted by Now Cardiff on Sep 10, 2012

Fifteen clubs in Cardiff have recently been awarded the ‘insport’ accreditation by Disability Sport Wales.

Rebounders Trampolining Club, Celts Wheelchair Basketball Club and The Huskies Sledge Ice Hockey Club are amongst the clubs who have been awarded the certificate which recognises their commitment to inclusion and providing sporting opportunities for disabled people.

Cabinet Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Huw Thomas said: “It is fantastic news that so many disability sports clubs in Cardiff have been recognised with this accreditation and it demonstrates how much diversity of disability sports provision we have across the city.

“As we all enjoy the excitement surrounding the London 2012 Paralympic Games it is vital that we ensure the next generation of the athletes has the opportunities to go for gold which is why it so important that grass-roots disability sport is available to children and young people so they go on to continue stay active into adult hood.

“ We have put a strong emphasis on disability sport and have a dedicated development officer in our Sport Cardiff team, we also organise the annual Wheelchair Sport Spectacular which attracts over 500 participants and encourages them to try out and join disability sports clubs; this is now the biggest wheelchair sports event in the UK.”

The ‘insport’ club accreditation has four levels, from Ribbon through to Gold. All of the clubs have to meet a set criteria to gain the accreditation and whilst the majority have achieved the ribbon level, some of them attained higher awards.

At present, 13 clubs in Cardiff have reached the Ribbon Award with Rebounders Trampolining Club going on to gain Bronze, and Celts Wheelchair Basketball Club, the second club in the whole of Wales to be honoured with Silver level.

The Huskies Sledge Ice Hockey Club was the first club in the Welsh Capital to gain ‘insport’ Ribbon, and the most recent was Cardiff Disability Aquatics Club.

This initiative included in the One Wales program, part of the Welsh Government’s strategy, is run by Disability Sport Wales (DSW) which is recognised by the Welsh Government as its lead organisation for the development of sport and physical activities for the local community.

Clubs have to demonstrate that they provide a safe and supportive environment by showing evidence of Coaches Qualifications, CRB checks, Risk Assessments etc.

Any mainstream or disability specific sports club in Cardiff can work towards gaining the accreditation and will be supported through the process by the Sport.Cardiff.

For more information please contact Disability Sports Development Officer Jo Coates-McGrath: jcoatesmcgrath@cardiff.gov.uk or 029 2087 3935.