Latest news with #HuwMurphy
Western Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Pembrokeshire schools choice costs report expected in autumn
A question submitted to the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council by independent group leader Cllr Huw Murphy asked: 'Cabinet on April 28 passed a recommendation requesting additional information be collected from parents electing Welsh medium education for their children following a debate on Welsh Education Strategic Plan (WESP). 'This Cabinet decision was subject of a successful call-in by the Schools O&S Committee on May 14. During the Schools O&S meeting the additional cost to PCC of collecting the information requested by Cabinet was raised, at which time Mr Huw Jones informed Scrutiny that the Schools Admission Team was only one person and to collect the additional information would necessitate the team being increased by at least one person. 'Cabinet on May 21, following the successful call-in, amended their Cabinet decision of April 28 to now request additional information be collected from parents of children electing both Welsh and also English medium education. 'Can the Cabinet Lead for Education please inform elected members what the financial implications (cost) will be for PCC in collecting this additional information from parents electing both a Welsh and English medium education for their Children, to include pension and NIC contributions if additional staff will be required to comply with decision of Cabinet on April 28 and then May 21?' Responding, Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language Cllr Guy Woodham said Cabinet was yet to receive a direct proposal and was difficult, as yet, to quantify any costs to the council. 'The Director of Education has given an assurance that the Cabinet request will be fully explored,' said Cllr Woodham, adding a report was expected in the autumn, which he expected would cover any financial implications.
BBC News
02-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Pembrokeshire deputy council leader survives no confidence vote
A deputy leader in a council has survived a vote of no confidence after a row about Welsh medium education in the Miller, deputy leader of Pembrokeshire council, previously said that parents "couldn't give a toss" if their children went to a Welsh-language school in a town in south-west councillors supported the motion by Independent group leader, Huw Murphy, with 28 voting against and 11 leader Jon Harvey accused Cllr Murphy of "political opportunism at its worse." Former council leader Jamie Adams said Miller gave the impression that he "knew better than everybody else" and called on him to apologise for the language used during the cabinet response, Miller said it was "sensible to collect data" about the school choices made by parents, adding that Murphy was creating also said Pembrokeshire had delivered the largest percentage growth in Welsh medium education of all the group leader Di Clements criticised the decision to hold the meeting in the first said the councillors would have been better off "finding ways of dealing with the huge financial black hole" rather than seeing who "has the biggest ego in the chamber." It comes after the Welsh government passed a major new bill to boost the number of pupils studying in Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill aims to close the gap in Welsh speaking ability among pupils from different Language Secretary Mark Drakeford described the bill as "historic" adding that schools do not currently get enough from the investment made to teach Welsh in English-medium bill aims to make progress towards the 2050 target of a million Welsh speakers by strengthening the role of the language in education.
Pembrokeshire Herald
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Milford Haven Buffaloes thank Waterloo Club for support
New pledge to gather school choice data from all parents — not just those choosing Welsh-medium education PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has revised its position following mounting criticism over its handling of Welsh-medium education policy, agreeing to broaden the scope of its planned parental survey. The move comes after a political and public backlash to comments made during the Council Cabinet's April meeting, where Deputy Leader Paul Miller suggested that some parents were choosing Welsh-medium schools not for the language but for newer facilities. His remarks, and the nature of the Cabinet debate, drew sharp criticism from opposition leader Cllr Huw Murphy, the Welsh Language Commissioner, and Cabinet Secretary for the Welsh Language and Culture, Mark Drakeford. Critics accused the Cabinet of taking an 'anti-Welsh' tone and of singling out parents who chose Welsh-medium education. The row escalated after Mr Drakeford told BBC Cymru: 'I can't see why we would ask parents why they choose Welsh or why they choose English… Local authorities should be making the case for choosing Welsh-medium education, not questioning those who do.' Now, in an apparent attempt to address those concerns and reset the debate, the Council has issued a fresh statement following its Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (May 21). It confirms that data collection will be considered for all parents, not just those opting for Welsh-medium education. A Council spokesperson said: 'Cabinet has today agreed to explore the collection of information from all parents, regardless of language preference, in order to better understand school choice across the county.' The updated resolution now asks the Director of Education to explore methods for capturing data on the relative importance of different factors influencing school choice. These include language preference, learning outcomes, quality of facilities, transport provision, and support for pupils with Additional Learning Needs (ALN). The Council says the data will help inform future decisions on modernising the school estate, ensuring they reflect the priorities of a broad and representative sample of parents. Despite the softened stance, the issue remains politically sensitive. Cllr Huw Murphy, whose formal 'call-in' prompted the Council to revisit its earlier decision, has argued that any perception of bias against Welsh-medium provision risks undermining public trust and the Council's obligations under the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP). The Welsh Language Commissioner had also expressed concern over the original approach, stating that questioning only parents choosing Welsh-medium schools was 'not compatible' with the Council's statutory duties. The revised position may go some way toward cooling tensions, but the debate has already highlighted deeper divisions over language policy, school choice, and how local authorities should approach data collection in the context of bilingual education. The Herald will continue to follow developments closely as the Council works through the next phase of its data-gathering plans.
Pembrokeshire Herald
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Council shifts stance after backlash over Welsh education survey
New pledge to gather school choice data from all parents — not just those choosing Welsh-medium education PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has revised its position following mounting criticism over its handling of Welsh-medium education policy, agreeing to broaden the scope of its planned parental survey. The move comes after a political and public backlash to comments made during the Council Cabinet's April meeting, where Deputy Leader Paul Miller suggested that some parents were choosing Welsh-medium schools not for the language but for newer facilities. His remarks, and the nature of the Cabinet debate, drew sharp criticism from opposition leader Cllr Huw Murphy, the Welsh Language Commissioner, and Cabinet Secretary for the Welsh Language and Culture, Mark Drakeford. Critics accused the Cabinet of taking an 'anti-Welsh' tone and of singling out parents who chose Welsh-medium education. The row escalated after Mr Drakeford told BBC Cymru: 'I can't see why we would ask parents why they choose Welsh or why they choose English… Local authorities should be making the case for choosing Welsh-medium education, not questioning those who do.' Now, in an apparent attempt to address those concerns and reset the debate, the Council has issued a fresh statement following its Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (May 21). It confirms that data collection will be considered for all parents, not just those opting for Welsh-medium education. A Council spokesperson said: 'Cabinet has today agreed to explore the collection of information from all parents, regardless of language preference, in order to better understand school choice across the county.' The updated resolution now asks the Director of Education to explore methods for capturing data on the relative importance of different factors influencing school choice. These include language preference, learning outcomes, quality of facilities, transport provision, and support for pupils with Additional Learning Needs (ALN). The Council says the data will help inform future decisions on modernising the school estate, ensuring they reflect the priorities of a broad and representative sample of parents. Despite the softened stance, the issue remains politically sensitive. Cllr Huw Murphy, whose formal 'call-in' prompted the Council to revisit its earlier decision, has argued that any perception of bias against Welsh-medium provision risks undermining public trust and the Council's obligations under the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP). The Welsh Language Commissioner had also expressed concern over the original approach, stating that questioning only parents choosing Welsh-medium schools was 'not compatible' with the Council's statutory duties. The revised position may go some way toward cooling tensions, but the debate has already highlighted deeper divisions over language policy, school choice, and how local authorities should approach data collection in the context of bilingual education. The Herald will continue to follow developments closely as the Council works through the next phase of its data-gathering plans.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Pembrokeshire: Parents won't be asked why they chose Welsh
Parents will not be asked why they choose Welsh medium education for their children after a council responded to concerns from the Welsh language commissioner and opposition members of Pembrokeshire council voted to amend the controversial proposal, with the specific reference to the Welsh language being removed. Education officers will instead explore the demand for school places based on language provision, learning outcomes, transport, facilities and additional learning leader Paul Miller, who made the original proposal and the revised amendment accused the opposition leader Huw Murphy of "creating division in Pembrokeshire". He also claimed the Mr Murphy had tried to portray the administration as "anti-Welsh."The new proposal was passed unanimously by six cabinet members on virtual meeting was not attended by three cabinet members, including the councillor responsible for education, Guy Woodham, and Plaid Cymru's Rhys Sinnett. Fellow cabinet member, Jacob Williams, attacked the Welsh language commissioner, Efa Gruffudd Jones, claiming that she had "jumped the gun". He said she should be "embarrassed" about a letter to the council claiming the amendment could send "negative" messages to parents who were considering Welsh medium education for their also suggested she had not demonstrated that she was an "impartial authority."But a former head of the Welsh language board, Meirion Prys Jones, said it was "entirely appropriate" that the Welsh language commissioner had intervened in the row. "The role of the Welsh language commissioner is to look at local authorities, central government and decide whether they're actually implementing their own plans in terms of developing Welsh medium education," he said. "It would be strange really if the commissioner didn't comment and didn't write to the local authority saying, 'what are you doing here, this doesn't look to be in line with government policy'.Council leader Jon Harvey said the amended proposal was "not unreasonable" and that the authority wouldn't "do anything that wasn't legal"."This seems to have has been blown up to be a situation where we as a cabinet, are being perceived as anti Welsh or anti Welsh language, and that is certainly not the case," he said. "We have invested heavily in Welsh language provision. We are all very supportive of that. "All we are asking for is the director of education to explore whether we can get a little more data on the subject."
