The Education, Young People and the Welsh Language Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday 13 May 2025 to review the financial performance of the Education, Children and Family Services, discuss the landscape of Elective Home Education, and receive updates on headteacher group meetings and scrutiny actions. The committee received the Revenue & Capital Budget Monitoring Report for 2024/25, which highlighted a significant overspend in schools' delegated budgets, and noted the ongoing work to address these deficits. An update on Elective Home Education revealed an increase in registered learners, and the committee also reviewed progress on previous scrutiny actions.

Revenue & Capital Budget Monitoring Report 2024/25

The committee reviewed the Revenue & Capital Budget Monitoring Report for the Education, Children and Family Services as of 28 February 2025. The report indicated that schools were forecasting an £8.1 million overspend for the year, which, after utilising existing school reserves, equated to a £3 million overspend. This situation was described as unsustainable, with half of the schools expected to end the year with positive balances and the other half not. The committee was informed that a one-off Welsh Government grant of £2.2 million had been received.

Despite the overall overspend in schools, a budget underspend of £1 million was forecasted for Education services, excluding schools, with school meals also projected to be on budget. The Capital budget was forecasting an underspend of £17 million.

In response to queries about addressing school budget deficits, the committee was advised that schools were actively working to manage their finances with the support of a consultant headteacher. A full analysis of the budgetary position of schools, including key themes and required actions, would be presented in due course. The committee also noted ongoing work with secondary schools on post-16 collaboration, with a strategic group established involving secondary schools and Coleg Sir Gar. Regarding the music service, the Director of Education and Children stated he did not wish to see any reductions and would present a report with an update. A catchment review was also underway, as the last review of school attendance patterns was conducted in 2010.

Elective Home Education Update

The committee received an update on Elective Home Education (EHE) in Carmarthenshire. The report highlighted the importance of collaboration between schools, EHE advisors, and families. The service arranges lessons for EHE learners across the county, funded by the Local Authority Education Grant (LAEG) from the Welsh Government. It was noted that officers do not have a statutory right to see children being home educated, but due process is followed if concerns arise. Since the report's publication, the number of children being home educated had risen to 736.

Questions were raised regarding the reasons for high numbers of pupils leaving school at Key Stage 3 and 4 to be home educated. The Senior Manager for Integrated Children & Education Services explained that a new data capture system implemented in late April 2025 would provide a clearer picture in the future, and an update report was requested. The committee also inquired about the registration process for EHE children, and it was explained that a pilot with Hywel Dda was underway to cross-reference databases, allowing EHE advisors to follow the Child Missing Education (CME) process.

Headteacher Groups Update

The committee received an update on the Headteacher Groups, which provide a platform for school leaders to discuss issues related to school management, education policy, and local authority initiatives. The report detailed actions and outcomes from these meetings. A query was raised regarding the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) programme, and the Director of Education and Children informed the committee that there were only 38 places available across Wales, with lobbying efforts underway to expand this provision.

Scrutiny Actions Update

A report detailing the progress made on actions and referrals from previous scrutiny meetings during the 2024/25 municipal year was presented. The committee noted that actions marked in red had been resolved and would be updated. The committee resolved to note the report detailing progress on these actions.

Explanation for Non-Submission of Scrutiny Report

The committee received explanations for the non-submission of two scrutiny reports: Modernising in Education Programme Progress Update and Update on the Welsh for Adults provision. For the Modernising in Education Programme Progress Update, the deferral was requested to allow for more complete details on ongoing schemes. The Update on the Welsh for Adults provision was delayed as the National Centre for Learning Welsh, responsible for the report, could not attend the meeting, but a comprehensive report would be provided for the next scheduled meeting. The committee resolved to note these explanations.