Education improvement plan agreed

Rhyl High School was placed in special measures last week

Plans to modernise Denbighshire's troubled education system have been approved by the council's cabinet.

It endorsed policies which it says will address a "vast range of issues" including surplus and deficit places and head teacher vacancies.

The council was severely criticised by schools watchdog Estyn in a damning report of its education system in 2007.

Council leader Hugh Evans said: "We know that we have to change and modernise education in the county."

The policies were agreed by the council on Tuesday.

The authority claims the model will also address infant and junior school amalgamation, community use of schools, mobile accommodation, promoting bilingualism, as well as admissions and transport.

'Key priority'

Councillor Evans, added: "Every local authority in Wales needs to modernise education.

"What we want in Denbighshire is to ensure that every child in the county has the best education possible and improving standards is a key priority for us.

"We know that we have to change and modernise education in the county.

"Improvements in education can not be sustained without changes to the way education is provided and we have consulted widely on these policies over recent months".

Last week, the county saw Rhyl High school placed in special measures after Estyn said the quality of teaching was significantly below average for Wales.

In 2006, Blessed Edward Jones Catholic high school was also judged to be failing, but improved enough to be taken out of special measures by June last year.

A damning Estyn report into the state of education services in the county in 2007 eventually led to the ousting of former council leader Rhiannon Hughes.

The authority was later forced to submit an action plan for improvement to the Welsh Assembly Government.