Top class report for the Oak Tree as it celebrates inspection findings

Staff at the Oak Tree Centre in Rhyl are celebrating after receiving a glowing report following a recent inspection by Care Inspectorate Wales and Estyn, the inspectorate for education and training in Wales.

The Centre provides full day care for children between the ages of eight weeks and 12 years and is located at the Ysgol Christchurch campus. The inspection took place in June.

The report highlights many positive aspects around children’s well-being and notes:

• Nearly all children arrive feeling happy, excited and ready to play, they engage well in activities and interact well with other children. They are happy, relaxed and comfortable with their carers.
• Nearly all children make strong progress with developing a range of skills during their time at the Oak Tree. Most children develop listening, speaking numeracy and creative skills well.
• Staff have a sound understanding of how to keep children safe and healthy and have “a strong understanding of their responsibilities.” All practitioners form “effective working relationships with the children, demonstrating the care and support that provides a solid foundation for learning”.  
• The report also highlighted the opportunities offered to children to learn about Welsh culture and heritage and recognise the importance of providing children with extended period of uninterrupted play”.
• Leadership at all levels provide “effective leadership that in turn has a positive impact of the progress that children make…They create and maintain a clear team working ethic and ensure that all members of staff are valued”.

Councillor Gill German, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, Children and Family Services, said: “This report makes delightful reading and I would like to congratulate the whole team at the Oak Tree for such a glowing report. 

“It truly reflects the tremendous amount of great work that goes on there around promoting children’s welfare, providing opportunities for learning and growth and for the children to access a wide range of activities that are fun and engaging.

“It’s a real team effort at the Oak Tree and the report certainly reflects that, with particular references to successful leadership at all levels which has a positive impact on the whole staffing team, as well as the children.

“We will take note of the recommendations made following the inspection and will continue to strive to provide the best possible services for current and future children attending the Centre.”

To view the report, please visit:  http://www.careinspectorate.wales/

TRAC project success celebration for making a real difference

A project set up in Denbighshire to support young people disengaged in education to realise their potential has celebrated its achievements at a special event.

The TRAC project started in 2015 and to date, it has supported 1,995 young people through various kinds of support, including support mentors, youth officers, counselling, bespoke courses and support from Careers Wales.

304 young people secured qualifications through the support they received and 471 had a reduction in becoming NEET (Not in Education Engagement or Employment).  Of the participants 78.8% have continued in full time education and a further 13.3% moved on to a full-time higher level course in college.

TRAC have worked with 18 local companies to deliver 126 bespoke courses to young people in Denbighshire to address their needs and provide quality engagement and accredited provision.

TRAC has been supported by the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government.

Councillor Gill German, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, Children and Young People, said: “This is a real success story. Young people have benefitted greatly from support and guidance, as well as quality training courses that have supported them to stay in education and gain qualifications.

“It’s a priority for the Council to make Denbighshire a place where young people want to live and work and have the skills to do so.  TRAC has been invaluable in providing such opportunities for young people to re-engage and we’re delighted with its success.

“Over the lifespan of the project the NEET figures in Denbighshire have reduced steadily falling from 3.1% to 1.7%.  This has also continued to steadily fall during the pandemic through the flexibility and determination of TRAC officers to continue to support schools and vulnerable young people.

“My thanks go to all those that have taken part in the project and those that have supported our young people in reaching their potential”.

Universal free school meals rollout update August 2022

Preparations are well under way for reception pupils in Denbighshire schools to start receiving universal free school meals from September.

Following receipt of £859,000 from Welsh Government to support the roll out of Universal Primary free school meals across Denbighshire, works have begun to increase the capacity of the Authority’s Primary school kitchens. Work commenced before the start of the Summer holidays, and continued until the end of August 2022 at 13 sites across the County.

In December 2021 Welsh Government (WG) announced plans to offer free meals to all Primary school pupils. WG later announced a phased delivery approach to be implemented from 1st September 2022 to September 2024.

Delivering Universal Primary Free School Meals (UPFSM) will increase the Council’s catering service daily meals from 3500 to 7687. After an initial review it was established that a number of the current school kitchens were not fit for purpose to deliver the increase in meal numbers and a significant investment would be required in order to meet the roll out deadline.

Councillor Gill German, Lead member for Education Children and Families said, “Delivery of Universal Free School Meals to all Primary pupils is a top priority for the Authority. This project has been a significant challenge with tight timescales, and I am delighted to see that through excellent cross service working by Council officers and outstanding support from local suppliers, contractors and Welsh Government we are on target to roll out the UPFSM offer to all Reception pupils attending Denbighshire schools from September 2022”.

The next phase of the works will focus on ensuring that all Primary schools are able to deliver to Years 1 and 2 by Easter 2023.