Welsh LAs must not abdicate responsibility in order to meet government targets

ASCL Cymru Council has become alarmed that many local authorities are expecting school to take on responsibility for services at short notice, without proper consultation or funding. Therefore ASCL Cymru is advising headteachers not to sign service level agreements presented by local authorities until they are sure that the services they are purchasing enable them to adequately meet the needs of young people in their care.

ASCL Cymru Secretary Gareth Jones said:

“School leaders in Wales have been alarmed by the way many local authorities are delegating responsibility for  all kinds of services to schools, including special needs provision, at short notice without proper planning and consultation. Heads are being presented with agreements for signature  which abdicate local authorities from responsibility without giving schools the tools, services or funding they need. In a number of cases the timescale has made it impossible to investigate alternative providers or carry out any due diligence process and the cost of the service has been increased by the local authority without any improvement in services offered.

“Increased delegation is not about increasing income to the local authority or meeting government targets. These services affect the life chances of young people and school leaders must be certain that they are of the right quality. It is crucially important that schools ensure that they are able to meet their new responsibilities before committing to any agreement. They also need to ensure that the quality of the service offered by the local authority is acceptable with appropriate safeguards.”

7 February 2012