Minutes – Monday, 12th July 2021

1. HLl welcomed attendees and thanked them for their presence at an exceptionally busy time.
2. There is now an agreement between the Forum and Welsh Government on finance for the next two years, namely £20,000. The Forum is the only body outside the regions which is directly funded.

The Education Minister is very interested in the Forum and is keen to meet with members. He visited Ysgol Garth Olwg recently and T. Edwards, the head, had an opportunity to give pointers on aspects of All Age Education.

Two years have been given for Phase 2 of the action research in order to avoid too much pressure on schools, and the money will be allocated according to Forum needs. The action research for 2020-2021 is coming to an end and there should be an opportunity for reporting back by the end of the Autumn Term. Regarding website content development, only videos will be required. HLl, Mark Ford (LlC), Mark Jones(PLC), and Kevin Palmer have discussed the content they would like to see on the website.

3. There is £1,500 for each school that puts items on the website by April 2022:-

• School day structures and timings – advantages and disadvantages and any planned changes. The minister is particularly interested in school starting times because of the possibility of later times in the secondary phase – pupils’ sleep patterns are being taken into consideration.
• A 5 min max video from head or senior leader describing their All Age School and “the journey” along with advantages of being an All Age School. Pending AASs will also have an opportunity to contribute
• A 5 min max video from chair of governors describing the governing body and “the journey” along with advantages of being an All Age Governing Body.
• A 5 min max video from pupil/pupils describing life in an All Age School and the advantages

4. £10k over 2 years for each school participating in action research groups.

• Multi-site schools – Challenges and Solutions
• Curriculum – Can an All Through School provide a better 3 to 16 learning journey for pupils?
• DCF – Can being in All Age School Improve Student Digital Competency?
• Literacy – Can being in an All Age School improve Reading Skills?
• Community – Do All Age Schools provide a better focal point for the community?

Alex Southern from Swansea University will lead the research.

DH thanked HLl for his successful bid for the funding and noted that it was very valuable and that the developments are exciting. ME noted that the funding reflects  the need for research and sharing of good practice. TE said that   heads of new AASs were already coming to the Forum and therefore the journey is far less lonely than it was for heads before the existence of the Forum. HLl said that WG is happy to fund the Forum directly as the developments are visible. Some money has been kept back for potential face-to face meetings during the Autumn Term.

Below is a draft of participating schools. Huw Lloyd and Dorian Pugh will be working on participating schools

This list will go out to everyone in the forum so that other schools have an opportunity to participate. A team leader will be needed for each group to facilitate the work for Alex Southern.

AOB – HLl thanked all for attending despite the continuing Covid problems. RhT asked to be added to the Head’s email list.