Here is a summary of the agenda for the Performance Scrutiny Committee meeting of Denbighshire Council on 18 September 2025. The committee was scheduled to discuss school attendance and engagement, the Additional Learning Needs transformation, and the council's Climate and Nature Strategy. The committee was also expected to review its work programme and receive feedback from committee representatives on various council boards and groups.

Denbighshire County Council's Climate and Nature Strategy

The committee was scheduled to review Denbighshire County Council's Climate and Nature Strategy (2021/22 – 2029/30). The Climate Change Manager was expected to present a report to monitor the council's performance in delivering the strategy and to provide observations on the current direction of travel towards achieving the goals set for 2030.

The report included key performance indicators for 2024/25 and was intended to provide information and facilitate discussion, as well as to gather feedback and recommendations. The committee was expected to discuss performance against the goals of becoming a Net Carbon Zero Council, an Ecologically Positive Council, and achieving a 35% reduction in supply chain emissions by 2030. The report noted that the council had declared a Climate Change and Ecological Emergency in July 2019, committing to become Net Carbon Zero by 2030 and improve biodiversity. The Climate and Ecological Change Strategy (2021/22-2029/30) was adopted in February 2021, with a commitment to becoming a Net Carbon Zero and Ecologically Positive Council by 2030, and to reduce carbon emissions from the council's supply chain by 35% by 2030. The council constitution was changed in October 2020 to ensure all decisions consider tackling Climate and Ecological Change.

The revised strategy, adopted in July 2024, had an increased scope, including how the council can influence carbon emissions reduction and carbon absorption across Denbighshire, support nature's recovery, and increase resilience to climate change impacts. The report stated that the council needs to reduce carbon emissions from various sources, increase carbon sequestration¹ on council-owned land, and increase the species richness of council-owned land.

The report also included spotlights on projects delivered in the past year, such as a reduction of emissions driven by the waste fleet, energy saving work at Denbigh Leisure Centre, and a low carbon heat project completed at Ysgol Brynhyfryd.

The report stated that the estimated cost of delivering on the council's goals to 2030 is at least £48 million, and that the council would need to build on its success in securing external funding opportunities.

The report included a summary of current levels of confidence in delivery of carbon reduction by 2030 by source of emissions or sequestration.

There are expected to be opportunities to pick up the pace in some sources of emissions/ sequestration that make up the Net Carbon Zero target but confidence in delivering the percentage reduction/ increase by 2030 in other areas is low.

School Attendance and Engagement in Education

The Education Social Work Team Leader was scheduled to present a report to the committee regarding school attendance and engagement in education. The report provided an overview of the current position and the measures taken to address areas of concern. The committee was invited to discuss the report and identify any matters requiring further clarity or examination.

The report stated that school attendance rates in Denbighshire in 2018/19 (pre-pandemic) were 94.8% in primary schools and 93.7% in secondary schools. The Wales average attendance for the academic year 2024/2025 was reported as 90.9%. In Denbighshire, the overall figure for schools combined for the academic year 2024/2025 was 88.9%.

The report noted that the overall unauthorised absence rates for primary and secondary schools for the academic year are 2.9% for primary and 5.2% for secondary, and that the attendance codes that impact on these percentages most are O code absence and late codes. The report stated that in Denbighshire, the authorised absence in primary schools is 4.6% and in secondary school it is 7.5%, and that the most common reason for this is coded as illness.

The report stated that nationally, 10.3% of pupils met the persistent absence threshold where 10% of sessions are missed during the academic year, and that the Denbighshire figure was 16.3% for the same period. The report noted that in Denbighshire, the attendance of pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) was 83.4% last academic year, nearly 2% lower than the national average.

The report stated that in Denbighshire, the attendance of pupils with additional learning needs (ALN) is 83.8%, and that pupils with ALN are a priority for Education Services.

The report noted that Denbighshire receives additional Welsh Government funding through the Local Authority Education Grant (LAEG) to further support families and work with the community, and that as of late August, there was a Community Focused Engagement Manager in post to further develop this work.

The report stated that education officers have developed a pupil engagement strategy, and that additional funding provided by councillors to support attendance is being used to recruit additional staff.

The report noted that it is sometimes necessary to use additional measures to improve attendance, including Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) and prosecution for non-attendance at school.

Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Transformation Update

The Principal Education Manager and the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) Inclusion Officer were scheduled to present a joint report to the committee, providing an update on the progress made to ensure the Local Authority (LA) and schools are meeting their statutory requirements under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018².

The report provided information regarding the actions taken during the transformation period, which started in September 2021 and was implemented until August 2025. The committee was invited to discuss the details of the report, and it was recommended that any future reports focus on the duties of the local authority under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018.

The report noted that the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 has replaced the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice for Wales (2002), and that the Act is supported by regulations and an Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales. The Act replaced the terms 'special educational needs' (SEN) and 'learning difficulties and/or learning disabilities' (LDD) with the new term 'additional learning needs' (ALN), and Individual Development Plans have replaced previous plans, such as Individual Education Plans, Statements of SEN and Learning and Skills Plans.

The report stated that all children who previously had Statements of SEN, School Action Plus, School Action are now covered by the new legislation, and that where relevant, all children who previously had a Statement of SEN have now been moved onto the ALN system and have been issued with an Individual Development Plan, as required.

The report noted that the LA recognises the increasing numbers and complexity of referrals from schools to the LA, with 32% more in 2024-25 than in 2023-24, and that the LA is working collaboratively with schools to explore how best to respond to the increasing needs of learners.

The report stated that School Inclusion/ALN funding is fully delegated to schools based on a 3-year rolling average following moderation of Provision Maps from schools, and that a task and finish group is working on this to explore and propose more efficient funding mechanisms to the School Budget Forum, as requested by schools.

The report noted that there is an increased workload for educational psychologists in the new ALN system, and that the council was able to recruit an additional educational psychologist this year, and so currently employ 5 full time educational psychologists.

The report stated that in October 2024 a team of Estyn inspectors visited Denbighshire, and that during the inspection, the inspectors noted specific areas of effective practice which have gone on to feature in the Estyn thematic review on additional learning needs.

Scrutiny Work Programme

The Scrutiny Coordinator was scheduled to present a report to the committee seeking a review of the committee's forward work programme. The report sought the committee to review its draft forward work programme and to reflect on how scrutiny can support the delivery of the council's Corporate Plan and its aim of becoming Net Carbon Zero and Ecologically Positive by 2030.

The report noted that the Welsh Government (WG) and Audit Wales (AW) have highlighted the need to strengthen scrutiny's role across local government and public services in Wales, including utilising scrutiny as a means of engaging with residents and service-users.

The report stated that the Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs Group (SCVCG) recommended that the council's scrutiny committees should focus on budget savings and the Transformation Programme; achievement of the Corporate Plan themes; any other items agreed by the Scrutiny Committee (or the SCVCG) as high priority; and urgent, unforeseen or high priority issues.

The report included a copy of the Cabinet's forward work programme, and a table summarising recent committee resolutions and advising members on progress with their implementation.

Feedback from Committee Representatives

The agenda included an opportunity to receive updates from committee representatives on various council boards and groups.