Councillor's concern over "delayed" school report

An audit which lays bare the financial issues at Newtown High School completed over six months ago should have been updated before being made public, a councillor has said.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Governance and Audit committee on Wednesday, January 14, councillors and independent lay members received the findings of the report by internal auditors SWAP into Newtown High School, which also includes the John Beddoes campus in Presteigne.

The report shows that main priority for the school is to deal with its financial problems.

Headteacher Natalie Havard, who was appointed to the role just before Christmas, said that figures in the report in front of the committee from last July “are out of date.”

Mrs Havard said: “The figures that we have in terms of our current position is that by the end of financial year 2027/2028 we will see a deficit of £2.1 million. We’re reducing that to £1.5 million so there is that £600,000 saving.”

Cllr Pete Lewington (Conservative – Newtown West) said: “I’m disappointed that this is a historic report dated July 8, and I question why it’s taken so long to get to us.

“I had hoped and assumed that things had moved on with the actions, especially when there were dates against some of them and I am very pleased to get some assurance.

“I just wonder why we don’t get that in an updated report?”

He added that this gives media outlets in the county the opportunity to: “pick up a story and perhaps paint a picture that is out of date.”

SWAP Assistant Director Ian Halstead explained: “The report was due to come in November but at the request of the Schools Service and the school it was deferred as there was some uncertainty around personnel in key positions.”

But Cllr Lewington believed that an appendix could have been “potentially” added to the report with an updated position.

Mr Halstead said: “The audit is a snapshot in time.

“I honestly think for this meeting it should be the (Education) service themselves that should bring the report to committee in terms of where they are in delivery.

“They can give them the most up-to-date information you require.”

Service Manager for Education Support Services Sarah Quibbell said: “We didn’t want to clash with the headteacher recruitment service.”

Director of Corporate Service and s151 officer Jane Thomas said: “Committee is looking for assurance that things are being taken forward.

“The timing report may be a little later than you’d anticipate but the importance for you is to get the assurance that you have been provided by the headteacher, that progress is being made.

“Actions are being delivered in a timely manner.”

Independent lay member and committee Vice-Chairman John Brautigam, who was chairing the meeting, said: “I think the main concern of the councillors is that the school is get a bit of unnecessarily bad press because progress being made is not sufficiently recognised when the papers are made public.”

The committee noted the report.

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporting Service