Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee

Date: 8 November 2017

Time: 09.00 -09.30

Title: Evidence paper on the Draft Budget 2018-19 - Education Main Expenditure Group (MEG)

Introduction

1. This paper provides information to the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee on the Education Main Expenditure Group (MEG) proposals outlined in Draft Budget 2018-19, which was published as part of a two stage process; publishing an outline budget (stage 1) on 3 October followed by a detailed budget (stage 2) on 24 October. It provides an update on relevant areas of interest to the Committee including Welsh Language, Arts and Music Education.

Background

2. This budget includes spending plans for 2018-19, together with indicative revenue budgets for 2019-20 and indicative capital plans until 2020-21. This is the second budget of this term of Government and the third year of the UK Government’s current Spending Review settlement.

3. Austerity continues to be a defining feature of public expenditure. This long period of sustained reductions has had an impact on all services, even those where we have been able to provide some protection. It means that as Welsh Government and as a National Assembly for Wales we continue to face tough choices.

4. An analysis of evidence on current trends and projections has informed a focus on the areas most critical to delivering the needs of the population of Wales and has informed these spending proposals.

5. In September, we published our national strategy designed to bring together the efforts of the whole public sector towards this government’s central mission of delivering Prosperity for All. This places the Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015 and the national goals at the heart of our decision making. The twelve well-being objectives represent the areas where the Welsh Government can make the greatest contribution to the national goals, working in partnership with others. The Act has been used to inform spending plans, to maximise opportunities to join up activities across my portfolio and to align resources with the national strategy.

Response

6. The following information is provided in the order requested in the commissioning letter dated 1 September 2017 under the following headings:

· Part 1: Commentary on Actions and detail of Budget Expenditure Line (BEL) allocations

· Part 2: Other Information

· Part 3: Specific Areas

Part 1: Commentary on Actions and detail of Budget Expenditure Line (BEL) allocations

7. The table below provides an overview of the planned Actions/BELs relating to Welsh Language, Arts and Music Education as published in Draft Budget 2018-19.

Table 1.1 BEL Allocations

SPA	ACTION	BEL	2018-19 Draft Budget Allocation £000's	2019-20 Draft Budget Indicative £000's



Education & Training Standards	Curriculum	Curriculum & Assessment (BEL 5162)	6,566	6,282
	Education Standards	Raising School Standards (BEL 5511)	25,000	25,500
	Education Standards	School Improvement Grant BEL (5126)	121,659	110,566
Welsh Language	Welsh in Education	Welsh Education Strategy (BEL 5164)	31,361	31,361
Total			184,586	173,709

8. Annex A provides a breakdown of specific allocations of interest to the Committee which are included within the BEL allocations as outlined in Table 1.1. In addition, it outlines the final outturns for 2016-17 and forecast outturns for 2017-18 along with indicative allocations for 2018-19 and 2019-20.

9. Commentary on each of the specific areas relevant to the Committee including an analysis and explanation of changes between the Draft Budget 2018-19 and the First Supplementary Budget (June 2017) is provided at Annex B.

Part 2: Other Information

Value for Money

10. Clarity over how we use our resources effectively is central to delivering the priorities set out in Prosperity for All and Taking Wales Forward.

11. Once expenditure is planned in line with my priorities, I have well-established processes in place to ensure that resources are used effectively for the purposes intended. The governance and monitoring procedures in place reflect the nature of our relationships with delivery partners.

Music Endowment Fund/Music Instrument Purchase and National Youth Arts Wales Ensembles (NYAWE) Funding

12. I have invested an additional £1m into music education in Wales, with £500k being provided to establish the music endowment for Wales (£30k in 2016-17 and £470k in 2017-18), £280k for the NYAWE in 2016-17 and £220k for the purchase of instruments in 2016-17, with the commitment to creating a national sharing mechanism for instruments. I am also taking forward a pilot national music instrument amnesty in November following the successful joint Welsh Government and National Assembly for Wales pilot in the summer.

13. The endowment, instrument sharing mechanism (database) and the musical instrument amnesty were all recommendations of the task and finish group that my department has taken the lead in implementing.

14. The national ensembles provide an important pathway to young people to access elite performance opportunities and progress to a career as a professional musician. I have made a contribution of £280k to local authorities, reimbursing them for their funding to the ensembles in 2016-17, on the understanding that they continue to fund the ensembles in 2017-18.

Creative Learning through the Arts Plan (CLTA)

15. £20m has been invested by the Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales for the CLTA Plan 2015-2020. 530 schools will be participating in the Lead Creative Schools Scheme. Additionally, 136 Go and See grants, benefiting over 8,000 pupils, have been made available to schools to support them to deliver cultural experience.

16. An evaluation of the programme is presently being undertaken. Early indications are showing that this programme is preparing schools for the new curriculum where creativity will be one of the 4 purposes.

Music in Schools Initiative

17. £1m will be allocated to take forward Music in School Initiatives as part of the recent draft budget agreement with Plaid Cymru which will help enhance the schools’ music services across Wales. The monies will be used to build on the recommendation of the task and finish group on music services in Wales.

Welsh in Education

18. An evaluation of the Welsh-medium Education Strategy was published in March 2016. This included an overall evaluation of the strategy, along with individual evaluations of some of the programmes, including the Sabbatical Scheme, the resource commissioning programme and projects to support the teaching and learning of Welsh second language. The findings and recommendations of this evaluation continue to feed into policy developments.

19. An independent review of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol (Coleg) published in July 2017 considered value for money in regards to the funding of the Coleg as part of its remit. A full response to the report and recommendations will be published in the near future.

20. In 2017-18, £200k has been allocated as part of the Raising School Standards BEL (5511) to support a programme of research and evaluation to inform the development of Welsh-medium and Welsh language education. This will include a further evaluation of the Sabbatical Scheme, evaluation of the Welsh Language Charter and research to inform best practice in the teaching and learning of Welsh.

Preventative Spend

21. I recognise the on-going need to make hard choices. The continuing pressure on public finances and on the level of funding available to this MEG, more specifically, mean we are under no illusions about the challenges we face. From the outset of my budget preparations, I have focused on how best to meet the growing needs of key service areas within the MEG in the face of another challenging budget. Over successive years, prioritising preventative spending has been a way of avoiding more costly interventions at a future point and improving the quality of people’s lives over the long term.

22. These budget proposals, therefore, reflect my continuing commitment to protect and prioritise investment that supports preventative measures as far as possible. The spending decisions have not only considered how best to meet the current demand for services but have also focused on supporting interventions that are able to prevent problems arising in the future. This preventative approach is an important part of our planning for public services, both now and in the future.

23. Regarding preventative spend, our target of increasing Welsh language early years provision by 40 nursery groups by 2021 has the aim of creating bilingual citizens of the future. Cylchoedd Meithrin contribute to nurturing the conditions which create new Welsh speakers by immersing children in the language and its culture, and by helping to feed Welsh-medium schools. This spend on the early years prepares the ground for further interventions in the shape of, for instance, the Siarter Iaith (which has the aim of establishing Welsh-language use among school children from an early age), and has the potential to reduce spend on promotion among older age groups, as their language practices will already have taken root

24. The CLTA Plan 2015-2020 provides schools with learning and teaching support through arts and creativity based activity; within and outside the classroom. Information on the scheme is being disseminated to schools through Pioneer schools, practitioner mentoring and Hwb and the Creative Learning Zone.

25. The Lead Creative Schools Element of the CLTA Plan is targeted at developing learners’ literacy and numeracy skills and supporting those in disadvantaged communities. Teachers participating in the scheme work directly with creative practitioners to develop creativity based interventions, delivered through the context of a range of curriculum subjects. Practice developed through this scheme is shared within schools and on a school to school level.

26. Under the All Wales Arts in Education Offer within the plan, schools can apply for Go and See Grants and Creative Collaboration Grants to engage with arts and creativity activities and build lasting relationships with arts and cultural organisations. These grants encourage schools to give their learners inspiring arts, cultural and heritage experience, both in and out of the classroom

27. The practice developed under the CLTA plan is feeding into the construction of the new curriculum, particularly the Enterprising, Creative Contributors Purpose and Area of Learning Experience (AoLE) for Expressive Arts. Arts Council of Wales, who manage the scheme on behalf of Welsh Government, contribute to the Expressive Arts pioneer schools group.

28. It is more likely that learners with lower-level literacy and numeracy skills will not progress into employment, and this has consequent implications for economic growth. The CLTA supports these young people to develop their literacy and numeracy skills, as well as having a positive effect on wider issues such as attendance and engagement with learning.

Legislation

29. There is currently no legislation in the implementation phase for Education.

Brexit Implications

30. The Welsh Government established a specific team to co-ordinate European Transition issues, which is working closely with the existing team in Brussels and policy departments.

31. As the impact of Brexit is so far-reaching, many Welsh Government departments are also prioritising their existing resources for dealing with Brexit specific issues. Reprioritising existing resources is an important and responsible approach and one which will need to be utilised further as more information about future changes becomes available.

32. There are no immediate direct effects of the decision to leave the European Union on the core programmes that form part of the Education MEG. The impact of leaving the European Union will be carefully monitored and discussions held to limit the impact.

Part 3: Specific Areas

Welsh in Education/Welsh in the National Curriculum

Allocations and commentary in respect of support for literacy and numeracy (to include Welsh literacy), and Welsh language and Welsh literature GCSEs

33. The EIG supports all Literacy and Numeracy needs in both Welsh and English and in all school settings, including specific support on the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF) which has a Welsh literacy component.

34. In addition, consortia are funded via the EIG to provide support for the new GCSEs, including Welsh language, Welsh literature and Welsh Second Language GCSEs. The EIG is used to enhance the statutory provision so information on specific spend on Welsh Language is not available. At school level, the EIG supports improved outcomes for learners and can be used for Welsh Language, Arts and Music.

Allocations and commentary in respect of Welsh-Medium Education Strategy

35. For 2018-19, a budget of £31.361m has been allocated from the Welsh Education Strategy BEL (5164) for the implementation of the actions related to Welsh-medium and Welsh language education within Cymraeg 2050: a million Welsh speakers.

36. The funding supports the development of Welsh-medium and Welsh language education from the Early Years, through Mudiad Meithrin, to higher education, through the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Allocations and commentary in respect of Welsh in Education Strategic Plans (WESPs)

37. The WESPs provide a basis for the planning of Welsh-medium education across Wales. Critically this also includes bilingual and Welsh language education. All 22 local authorities submitted their WESPs for approval in December 2016. However, following a statement by Alun Davies, Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language, in the National Assembly on 14 March 2017 Aled Roberts was asked to carry out a rapid review of the current regime for planning Welsh language education across Wales. A budget of £50k was allocated from the Welsh Education Strategy BEL (5164) in 2017-18 to undertake this review. The final report includes recommendations on how to develop the WESPs as well as offering recommendations on individual plans drafted by local authorities for the period 2017-2020.

38. Local authorities use funding from a number of sources to implement their WESPs including activities supported and delivered through the EIG (BEL 5126). In the delivery of their EIG, the regional consortia Local authorities are asked to ensure that the programme of activities funded reflect the priorities set out in the local authorities’ WESPs.

39. The Welsh Education Strategy BEL (5164) also supports the WESPs through programmes to support the promotion of informal use of the language and the development of the language skills of practitioners through the Sabbatical Scheme. The promotion and marketing activity through Cymraeg i Blant / Welsh for Kids, although difficult to quantify, also supports the implementation of the plans.

Allocations and commentary in respect of the Welsh Language Strategy in relation to the teaching workforce

40. As part of the Welsh Education Strategy BEL (5164), £1.550m is allocated annually to fund the national sabbatical scheme, which provides intensive Welsh language training for practitioners.

41. In addition, as part of the Raising School Standards BEL (5511), the Welsh Government is investing an extra £4.205m in 2017-18 to support the teaching and learning of Welsh and subjects through the medium of Welsh.

42. This funding is set to increase by £680k in 2018-19 and a further £265k in 2019-20, subject to final budget and approval, to prepare the workforce to deliver the new Welsh language curriculum and to increase the capacity of the Welsh-medium teaching workforce.

Music Education/Music in the National Curriculum

Music Endowment Fund

43. In February 2017, the Cabinet Secretary for Education agreed to provide £500k to fund the set up (£250k) and capitalisation (£250k) of the Music Fund for Wales; of this, £30k was drawn down in the 2016-17 financial year. The remainder (£470k) will be paid in the 2017-18 financial year. The endowment, as a registered charity, will then source additional monies through fundraising activities, such as corporate engagement and individual giving.

44. The £500k forms part of the £100m made available to raise school standards which is allocated from the Raising School Standards BEL (5511).

45. The endowment will build up donations from organisations, businesses and individual giving from Wales and beyond. It is envisioned that the fund will yield sufficient interest to start making grants available to young people, once it hits £10m.

Music Instrument Purchase and National Youth Arts Wales Ensembles Funding

46. In the 2016-17 financial year, £220k and £280k were made available to the WLGA to fund Local Authorities to purchase musical instruments and reimbursement for their funding to the NYAWE respectively.

47. The £1m agreed for Music in School Initiatives as part of the recent draft budget agreement with Plaid Cymru will help enhance the schools’ music services across Wales, building on the recommendation of the task and finish group on music services in Wales.

Arts Education/Arts in the National Curriculum

Creative Learning Through the Arts Plan

48. The CLTA Plan is a 5 year programme to implement the recommendations of Professor Dai Smith’s review of Arts in Education (2013) and to develop creative learning and teaching practice that contribute to the development of the 4 purposes and Expressive Arts AoLE of the new curriculum.

49. The plan has received £2m of Welsh Government funding per annum from the 2015-16 financial year and will continue to receive this amount until the end of the 2019-20 financial year. This annual amount is match funded by the Arts Council for Wales (ACW); meaning the programme will receive a total of £20m, split evenly from WG and ACW, over its 5 years of activity.

Annex B

Commentary on each of the BELs within the Education MEG as relevant to the Welsh Language, Arts and Music Education, including an analysis and explanation of changes between the Draft Budget 2018-19 and the First Supplementary Budget (June 2017)

School Improvement Grant (BEL 5126)

Specific Allocations

2017-18

Supplementary Budget

(June 2017)

£000’s

Changes

£000’s

2018-19
Draft Budget Allocation
£000’s

Education Improvement Grant*

133,282

-15,145

118,137

*Total allocation for the EIG which includes support for Literacy & Numeracy (which has a Welsh Language component) and Welsh Language, Welsh Literature & Welsh Second Language GCSE’s

The Education Improvement Grant (EIG) for Schools is within the School Improvement Grant BEL. It is the main school improvement grant for schools and aims to support improvements in educational outcomes for all learners across all key stages. The majority of the EIG is delegated to schools and targeted through regional consortia to support delivery of Education in Wales: Our National Mission.

The EIG supports all Literacy and Numeracy needs in both Welsh and English and in all school settings, including specific support on the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF) which has a Welsh literacy component. In addition, consortia are funded via the EIG to provide support for the new GCSEs, including Welsh language, Welsh literature and Welsh Second Language GCSEs. It also supports the Welsh Language through Local Authority Welsh in Education Strategic Plans.

The EIG is used to enhance the statutory provision so information on specific spend on Welsh Language is not available. At school level, the EIG supports improved outcomes for learners and can be used for Welsh Language, Arts and Music.

Reductions:

· £15.145m reduction as part of the decision to move from hypothecated grant funding to unhypothecated grant funding and greater flexibility for local government to deliver our shared priorities for schools. Despite the reduction and the reprioritisation of funding to the Revenue Support Grant for our priorities for schools, the EIG continues to provide significant investment of more than £118m in 2018-19 to support our schools, regional school improvement services and Local Authorities to improve educational outcomes for all learners in Wales.

Curriculum & Assessment BEL (5162)

Specific Allocations

2017-18

Supplementary Budget

(June 2017)

£000’s

Changes

£000’s

2018-19
Draft Budget Allocation
£000’s

Creative Learning Though Arts

2,000

Funding for Music in School Initiatives – Plaid Cymru Agreement

1,000

The Curriculum BEL (5162) supports a number of activities. Of the total £8.5m allocation in 2017-18:

· £2m was allocated to the CLTA Plan. This is a 5 year programme and the funding will continue at this level until 2019-20.

Increases:

· £1m allocation from reserves to fund Music in School Initiatives as part of the recent draft budget agreement with Plaid Cymru.

Raising School Standards BEL (5511)

Specific Allocations

2017-18

Supplementary Budget

(June 2017)

£000’s

Changes

£000’s

2018-19
Draft Budget Allocation
£000’s

Welsh Language

4,205

680

4,885

Music Endowment

470

-470

The Raising School Standards BEL (5511) supports a number of activities. Of the total £20m allocation in 2017-18:

· £470k was allocated to establish the music endowment for Wales.

· £4.205m was allocated for:

- the expansion of the national Sabbatical Scheme;

- pilot programmes to support Welsh language skills of learners in English-medium schools;

- recruitment campaign to attract Welsh-medium graduates into teaching;

- support professional learning for Welsh language and Welsh-medium practitioners via the regional consortia; and

- research to inform the development of the new Welsh language continuum.

Reductions:

· No allocation has been made as part of the Draft Budget plans for 2018-19 for Music Endowment. This was a one off allocation to fund the set up of the Music Fund for Wales.

Increases:

· The indicative allocation in relation to the Welsh Language in 2018-19 proposes an increase in budget of £680k. This will include additional funding for the expansion of the Sabbatical Scheme, support for professional learning for Welsh language and Welsh medium practitioners via regional consortia and the expansion of informal use of Welsh.

Welsh Education Strategy BEL (5164)

Specific Allocations

2017-18

Supplementary Budget

(June 2017)

£000’s

Changes

£000’s

2018-19
Draft Budget Allocation
£000’s

Welsh Education Strategy

29,231

2,130

31,361

The Welsh Education Strategy BEL (5164) supports the actions related to Welsh-medium and Welsh language education within Cymraeg 2050: a million Welsh speakers, which includes:

· the planning of Welsh-medium education to include implementing recommendations made within Aled Roberts Rapid Review of the WESP’s;

· the delivery of practitioner training through the Sabbatical Scheme;

· the delivery of Welsh-language training through the National Centre for Learning Welsh;

· commissioning of teaching and learning resources;

· promoting language transmission in families;

· research, evaluation and marketing in respect of the Welsh-medium Education Strategy;

· delivery of the Welsh Language Charter programme; and

· funding for the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

The indicative allocation for the Welsh Education Strategy BEL (5164) in 2018-19 and 2019-20 proposes an increase inbudget of £2.130m.

Reductions:

· As part of the review to meet reduced budgets, a £300k reduction was identified through reducing funding for several projects across both the Welsh Education Strategy BEL and Welsh Language BEL, through savings as a result of a combination of projects coming to an end and the reprioritisation of funds.

Increases:

· £330k transfer in from HEFCW relating to the Welsh Medium Scholarships Scheme;

· £1.5m allocation from reserves which includes an additional £500k for improved provision of bilingual education resources and £1m for the expansion of Mudiad Meithrin as part of the draft budget agreement with Plaid Cymru. This is in addition to the £5m of Welsh Language funding which is included recurrently in the baseline; and

· £600k transfer in relating to Mudiad Meithrin (£300k from the Communities and Childrens MEG and £300k from Foundation Phase BEL (5501)). This additional funding will support staff training and development for the early years.

BEL	Specific Allocations	2016-17 Final Outturn £000’s	2017-18 Forecast Outturn £000’s	2018-19 Draft Budget Allocation £000’s	2019-20 Draft Budget Indicative £000’s
School Improvement Grant (BEL 5126)	Education Improvement Grant*	137,427	133,282	118,137	107,044
Curriculum & Assessment (BEL 5162)	Creative Learning Though Arts	2,000	2,000	2,000	2,000
	Funding for Music in School Initiatives – Plaid Cymru draft budget agreement	0	0	1,000	1,000
	National Youth Arts Wales Ensembles	280	0	0	0
	Purchase of Instruments	220	0	0	0
Raising School Standards (BEL 5511)	Welsh Language	180	4,205	4,885	5,150
Raising School Standards (BEL 5511)	Music Endowment	30	470	0	0
Welsh Education Strategy (BEL 5164)	Welsh Education Strategy	17,760	29,831	31,361	31,361
Total		157,897	169,788	157,383	146,555