Latest news with #Sambrook
South Wales Argus
05-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Call for Flying Start to be extended in Blaenau Gwent
Flying Start is a Welsh Government funded programme, which provides intensive support services to families with children up to the age of three who lives in disadvantaged areas across Wales. The first Flying Start areas in Blaenau Gwent were set up in 2006 and around a third of the county borough comes under its wing. The pre-school service was brought up at a meeting of the council's Children 's Young People and Families scrutiny committee on Tuesday, July 1, due to fears children who are not receiving Flying Start support, start attending schools with behavioural problems and lacking in social skills. Key figure in Wales' glory years leaves Dragons after just a year in the job Drivers face delays of twenty minutes after two car collision A look at Caerleon's 'Festival of Arts' happening today with 10 days of fun The county borough hit the headlines last Christmas when it was revealed that parents had received a letter from the director of education, Dr Luisa Munro-Morris saying that parents would be contacted and expected to come to school to change their child if they had soiled themselves. Cllr Haydn Trollope (Labour) said: 'I'm aware there's a two-tier system, children that have gone through Flying Start and those who haven't due to where they live. 'It's a post code lottery.' He hoped that the council could research the issue and take their data findings and lobby the Welsh Government to fund rolling out Flying Start right across Blaenau Gwent. Cllr Trollope said that he had been told by head teachers that children who had been supported by Flying Start are 'easily identified' compared to those who had not. Cllr Sonia Behr (Labour) backed his call and said the issue had been brought up as part of councillors visits to schools. Cllr Behr said: 'A teacher took me to one side and said that the biggest problem is that children are coming to school unable to articulate themselves, hardly able to speak and he wondered if it was something to do with early usage for screens. 'I don't think it would be an enormous piece of work to make a comparison.' School's inclusion manager Julie Sambrook said that there was lots of information available as work tracking the comparison between Flying Start and non-Flying Start children had been taking place on the issue of toilet training. Ms Sambrook said: 'Health visitors have now established toilet training workshops in response. 'The impact of that is our teachers are actually able to teach because they are not out of class changing nappies all day.' She added that the council was already in touch with the Welsh Government about increasing Flying Start provision in Blaenau Gwent 'It's ongoing work,' said Ms Sambrook. Cllr Trollope added that being toilet trained was just one element, and that his concerns included children's social interaction with each other as well as learning to: 'use a knife and fork to feed themselves.' 'We need Flying Start all over the borough,' he stressed. Head of children's services, Loredana Moruz added that Flying Start also has an 'outreach programme' which can look at children who have been referred to it in areas not covered. The committee agreed that the research needs to be done.
South Wales Argus
03-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Racist bullying in Blaenau Gwent schools revealed in report
At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council's Children, Young People and Families scrutiny committee on Tuesday, July 1 councillors asked if there was a 'specific policy to deal with racist incidents' if or when they happen in their schools. This was during a session that looked at the safeguarding performance of education department during the last year. Data provided in the report, which attempts to explain the motivation behind of peer-on-peer bullying incidents in schools on 'protected characteristics' as defined in the UK under the Equality Act (2010), showed that 61 of 90 incidents had a racist element. Boy loses finger fleeing 'attack' at Abertillery school Committee chairman, Cllr Wayne Hodgins (Independent) asked if it was down to schools to introduce 'their own individual policy' on bullying or if the education department had a 'blanket cover' that all schools followed. Julie Sambrook said that a member briefing had been given to councillors a couple of months ago on the draft anti-racism action plan produced by the education department. Ms Sambrook said: 'That has been the result of working in partnership with organisations which provide racism support to schools. 'We facilitated an all-headteacher anti-racism awareness day in March.' Abertillery Learning Community closes after Raheem Bailey loses finger She added that following the member briefing session councillors had not made any comments on the plan. Ms Sambrook said: 'The plan in draft has now gone to schools and we're now looking to engage with the local community before the action plan is finalised.' 'We have an action plan we have shared with everyone, and schools are able to either use that as a model plan for themselves. She explained this could be just a protocol within a school's own equalities plan which instructed staff what to do if faced with an issue that could be down to racism. Cllr Derrick Bevan (Labour) ask: 'Are we having racism problems in certain areas?' Ms Sambrook said: 'I think the issue is that it has not been recognised as a problem – we know there's under reporting.' She explained that training is being rolled out by the council so that staff recognise all facets of racism and how it differs from other types of bullying. Ms Sambrook said: 'Schools will say 'we don't have a problem with racism' and then I will have a community cohesion team ringing me asking if I can provide support to a family as there's been incidents of racism.' She believed that getting schools to recognise what is and isn't a racist incident is key to eradicating the problem The report was agreed by councillors. Peer on Peer motivation for bullying, number of incidents Racism – 61 Homophobic – two Sexual – six Transphobic – seven Sexism – one Special educational needs (SEN) – one Others – 12. Total – 90.
