THE governing body of a Cwmbran school in special measures is being removed amid concerns over “insufficient progress” being made.
Torfaen County Borough Council has agreed to make an application to Welsh ministers to replace existing governors at Cwmbran High School with an Interim Executive Board (IEB).
The school, placed in special measures last year, has made “insufficient progress” in addressing recommendations from an Estyn inspection back in 2015, the council says.
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A council report says the performance of pupils at the school has remained “unacceptably low.”
Concerns have been voiced over the appointment of local authority governors to the current body.
Labour councillor Glyn Caron said he supported the proposed replacement of the body but expressed concern over recent appointments.
“I have no idea who they were/are or how they were chosen but it does look to me as an outsider that they were a poor fit for the school,” Cllr Caron said.
“The comments received all indicate conflict within the governing body and I have grave concerns that some of the new LA (local authority) appointed governors had not completed their mandatory training.
“I would have thought with all the persons available to the authority they would have had that training before appointment.
“I fear that some of the problems with that governing body failure lies with the LA.”
Independent councillor Alan Slade also raised concern over councillors being appointed to the governing body, and said the council now has little choice but to make changes.
Governors at the school also raised a number of concerns in a consultation with Torfaen council.
Eleven out of 15 who responded said they favoured the body being replaced with an IEB.
Cllr David Yeowell, executive member for education, signed off a decision to apply to replace the governing body on Tuesday.
He said: “The appointment of additional local authority governors, all of whom brought with them considerable expertise and experience, was a necessary step to try to improve the effectiveness of the existing governing body but as the consultation states, it has been a challenging process.
“The proposal to create an Interim Executive Board is a measure that we feel necessary in order to provide the challenge and leadership to turn the school around as soon as possible.”
Torfaen council’s chief officer for education, Dermot McChrystal, had recommended changing the governing body.
Mr McChrystal said the body had been “unable to provide the necessary challenge to the headteacher and provide the leadership to turn around the school within an acceptable timescale.”
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