ContinYou Cymru praised in Estyn report
Response to Estyn report on provision of community-focused services in schools.
Leading learning charity ContinYou Cymru welcomes the report by Estyn - Provision of community-focused services and facilities by schools.
ContinYou Cymru was a contributor to this report, which looks at how well schools and local authorities are using funding from the Welsh Assembly Government to provide a range of services and activities to meet the needs of pupils, their families and the wider community.
The first three years of the Community Focused Schools (CFS) grant have provided improved access to school resources across Wales as a whole, especially for sport facilities and information and communications technology (ICT). The other noted benefit is an improvement in relationships, communication and mutual understanding between schools and their local communities. ContinYou Cymru has played a part in helping to support this development and delivery, most recently through funding form the Welsh Assembly Government.
In their report Estyn, the education and training inspectorate for Wales, said that 'ContinYou Cymru has been highly influential in encouraging and helping to shape the development of Community Focused Schools in Wales, by publishing documents to advise schools and local authorities on how to address barriers to implementing Community Focused activities. This advice, on tackling obstacles including issues related to health and safety, caretaking and cleaning, child protection, accessibility of premises, and terms and conditions of staff, has proved invaluable where local authorities’ risk assessment plans have not been robust enough to identify and remedy issues posed by the community use of their school buildings'.
ContinYou Cymru recognises the commitment of many LEAs, schools, partner organisations and the huge amount that has been achieved over the last three years. However, we also recognise that there is so much more that can be achieved by us all continuing to work together to meet the learning and broader needs of our communities as stated in the report.
The flexible approach to CFS development has enabled broad but sometimes less targeted development and we acknowledge the need for further strategic development at all levels where CFS is much better linked to other policies and priorities and the real impact that working in this way has can be better identified and recognised.
Pam Boyd, Executive Director, ContinYou Cymru said: 'We are delighted that the Welsh Assembly Government continues to provide grant funding for the next three years and would hope to see that support extended further into the future. ContinYou Cymru is well placed to carry on supporting exciting and new approaches to extending services and opportunities for children, young people and the wider community through partnership working and development. We also need to look at practical ways of supporting monitoring and evaluation that will assist in identifying the impact that community focused development is having I believe that this report will help us all to re-focus on the community focus and will further change the way that schools and their communities work together'.