Sustainable Communities for Learning Consultation

Sustainable Communities for Learning (Formerly known as 21^st Century Schools & Colleges) Consultation

The Council has a duty to consult with members of the community and stakeholders around school organisation proposals in accordance with the Welsh Government’s School Organisation Code V2 (2018). For the full list of consultees and more information on the consultation procedure and process please visit https://gov.wales/school-organisation-code

In any consultation the following has to be undertaken:

Community Impact Assessment

This is a structured way for the Council to fully understand the implications of its decisions and whether they are detrimental or discriminatory to certain groups or sections of the community. It helps to ensure that the decision making process is robust and takes into consideration the potential impacts on our communities. The Council is aiming to promote equality for all our service users, employees and the wider community. Please click on the link to view the impact assessment.

Equality Impact Assessment, why and how do we do it?

The Council has a specific duty under the Equality Act 2010 (Statutory Duties) (Wales) Regulations 2011 to carry out Equality Impact Assessments (EQIA) on policies, procedures, functions, service delivery, financial savings and other proposals. Carrying out this assessment has enabled us to consider the effect or impact of decisions on different communities, individuals or groups which are protected under the Equality Act 2010.

It involves anticipating or identifying the consequences of decisions on individuals or groups of service users/employees, and making sure that any negative effects upon the protected characteristics (outlined below), are recognised and subsequently mitigated or minimised. The Council’s EQIA process covers the protected characteristics as outlined by the legal obligations. The protected characteristics to be considered are: Race, Disability, Sex, Age, Sexual Orientation, Religion and Belief, Gender reassignment status, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity as set out in the Equality Act 2010, and also the Welsh Language as set out in the Welsh Language Act 1993.

In carrying out this assessment statistical evidence/ data, policies, legislation and advice are used/ sought from professional parties to enable us to determine the potential negative impact. The document itself is a working one that will be reviewed at regular intervals throughout the various stages of the proposal.

Have Your Say – how to express your views:

Schools, Teaching Staff, Governors and Pupils

Consultation sessions are arranged for those schools directly affected by a proposal; and these will be detailed in the consultation document.

Parents/Community Members/General public

During a consultation process we want to hear as many views as possible from interested parties. You can contact us in one of the following ways (all of which will also be outlined in the consultation document at the time of the consultation):

you are invited to submit any comments, observations and/ or views in relation to proposals in writing to:
Mrs Joanne Watts -Service Manager for Education Transformation and Business Change
email us using the following address: 21stcenturyschools@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk
or via the postal system Education Directorate, Anvil Court, Church Street, Abertillery, NP13 1DB;

Blaenau Gwent as good practice arrange consultation open days where you can ask questions and give your views.

What Happens Next?

At the end of any consultation, a report containing the views expressed is presented to the Council’s Executive Committee and a decision is then made whether to:

proceed with the proposal;
make changes to the proposal: or
not proceed at all.

If a decision is made to proceed with the proposal, a Statutory Notice period of 28 days will be agreed. To be considered as a statutory objection, objections must be made in writing or by email and sent to the Council within 28 days of the date that the proposal was published (details of who and where to address your objections will be provided within the Statutory Notice).

The Council will consider the outcome of the Statutory Notice and make a decision on the proposal. If objections are made, the Council will publish a report summarising these and the Council’s response to them. This report will be available for all to view on the Council’s website and paper copies can be obtained upon request.

Should the Council approve any proposal a timeline linked to implementation will be agreed.

If you would like further information on Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme and/or to view related documentation please refer to the following link:

https://gov.wales/school-organisation-code

Previous school reorganisation consultations which have now concluded include:

Abertillery 3-16 Learning Community, implementation September 2016.
Delivery Model to Improve Provision and Build Capacity for Children and Young People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) implementation September 2016.
Formal Consultation proposal: to create a delivery model to improve provision and build capacity for children and young people with Social, Emotional, and/or Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD). 2018
Formal Consultation to Increase the Capacity of Pen Y Cwm Special School 2021

Current Consultation(s)

There are no consultations currently being undertaken

Contact Information

Name of Team: Education Transformation Team

Sustainable Communities for Learning officer

Telephone Number: 01495 355470/357704

Address: Anvil Court, Abertillery, Blaenau Gwent NP13 1DB

Email Address: 21stcenturyschools@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk