A COUNCIL’S ambitious target to pull all of its secondary schools out of special measures territory in two years has been met with a positive response from senior councillors.

At a meeting of Wrexham Council’s Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Committee yesterday, the plan to lift all high schools to a standard above being in special measures by September 2022 was revealed.

Currently, there are two of the nine facilities in Wrexham in special measures - Ysgol Bryn Alyn and Ysgol Clywedog - that will be visited on a term-by-term basis.

Of the remaining seven, it was a concern raised by Estyn in October that the majority of secondary pupils in the county are performing below the average for their counterparts in similar schools.

At the meeting, the ambitious aim was revealed by a Swyddog officer on the panel.

He said: “By September 2022 we are setting ourselves a goal that we have no secondary schools in special measures in Wrexham. That is our goal and it is highly aspirational when you look at the nature of the school reports and also the challenges. But we think that, by September, we should have no secondary schools in Wrexham that are in special measures or requiring significant improvement.”

He added that the schools must look at long term solutions.

He continued: “It will be a challenge but, a bigger challenge will be to make sure that no other slip into that category because there is no point in bringing one school up if another falls to the way side in the process.

“It is a very high aspiration, and a challenging one, but we have set that goal. Each school with have a different journey to get there but we will monitor them, support them and give regular feedback to the council through progress reports.”

He added that “you can bring a school out of special measures quickly” but the focus must be on making “sustainable changes for the better” and not simply patching over problems.

The vision was met with positive responses.

Cllr Phil Wynn said that the council must invest in Wrexham’s learners who are “the future of the borough” and that this target to improve education in the area for secondary pupils was welcomed and supported.

Brendan McDonald, a church representative, said: “I suppose it is aspirational because in some case new leaders and heads do need time to adjust – in some cases it can take years to get their message across.”