Here is your Tuesday update, covering:
- Cardiff's citywide budget consultation now underway
- St Cadoc's Primary School receives praise from Estyn
- Flexibility and choice for care users and care deliverers
- Music Icon Ed Sheeran boosts local youth music education with surprise visit to launch new foundation
Cardiff's citywide budget consultation now underway
Cardiff residents are being urged to take part in a budget consultation which opened today, helping to shape the future of essential council services in the city.
Thanks to a better-than-expected settlement from Welsh Government, Cardiff Council has seen a projected £60 million budget gap reduce to £23.4 million for 2025/26.
Despite this improved financial outlook, several factors, including inflation and rising demand for services, mean the cost of delivering essential services like education, social care and dealing with the housing emergency, continue to rise.
To address the £23.4 million budget shortfall, the council is proposing a combination of measures including efficiency savings, some service changes, increased fees and charges, and a rise in council tax.
A public consultation on these proposals opened today, and runs until Wednesday, February 5, 2025. In it, residents are being asked for their views on potential changes to services and funding priorities.
St Cadoc's Primary School receives praise from Estyn
St Cadoc's Primary School in Llanrumney has been praised for its welcoming and inclusive environment following a successful inspection by Estyn the Education Inspectorate for Wales.
In its report, Estyn highlights the school's strong leadership, positive learning culture, and effective teaching practices. Inspectors commended the school for fostering a happy and safe environment where pupils thrive, behave exceptionally well and form strong relationships
Key Strengths Highlighted in the Report:
- Positive relationships between pupils, staff, and the wider school community are identified as a particular strength. Older pupils regularly support younger peers with activities such as reading and play.
- Effective Teaching: Most lessons feature clear learning intentions, effective questioning, and a supportive environment that encourages thoughtful, reflective learning. Pupils, including those eligible for free school meals or with additional learning needs, make good progress overall.
- Focus on Literacy: The school's efforts to develop pupils' literacy skills are particularly successful, with strong progress in oracy, reading, and writing.
Headteacher Rachael Fisher who was appointed in April 2022, is noted for her assured leadership, clear vision, and commitment to raising standards through high expectations and a strong moral purpose.
She said: "At St Cadoc's, we are incredibly proud of this report, which recognises the dedication of our staff, the hard work of our pupils, and the support of our families. Our strong sense of community, rooted in shared Catholic values, allows our pupils to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. We remain committed to building on this success and ensuring that every child at St Cadoc's continues to flourish."
Flexibility and choice for care users and care deliverers
A new way of providing care for people in Cardiff is delivering real benefits for those receiving the support as well as the carers delivering it.
For over a year, Cardiff Council has been working with Community Catalysts CIC, an organisation that specialises in working with local authorities to help local people provide care and support in the community by establishing micro-enterprises that help people to remain independent and support their wellbeing.
Community Catalysts work with individuals who want to establish a very small business providing care and support in the community, ensuring that the correct quality assurance is in place, such as DBS checks, public liability insurance, safeguarding policies and that the micro-enterprise is well run and sustainable.
Micro-enterprises are then added to the "Small Good Stuff " online directory where people looking for care services can look for a provider suited to their needs.
Home Hearted Care is one such micro-enterprise, run by Selena Richards, a former child-minder who developed an interest in pursuing a career caring for adults and providing in-home support during the pandemic.
Music Icon Ed Sheeran boosts local youth music education with surprise visit to launch new foundation
Ed Sheeran surprised young people from four Cardiff-based organisations when he made a whirlwind tour of the city to launch his new foundation, stopping off at Fitzalan High School, Eastmoors Youth Centre in Splott, and the city-centre youth project Grassroots.
Accompanied by his longtime songwriting partner and Aloud Ambassador, Wales-based Amy Wadge and leaving a trail of inspiration and excitement in his wake, Ed kicked off the surprise tour with a special guest appearance during Fitzalan High School's assembly. The event featured performances by pupils and Only Boys Aloud, who have previously worked with the school and Amy during a song writing project in 2020.
The visit culminated in a show-stopping moment when Ed performed two songs on stage and gave the chance for pupils to ask him questions during a lively Q&A session.
From there, Ed and Amy headed to Eastmoors Youth Centre, where they met with Ministry of Life Education music students, an alternative provision of informal music and media opportunities for young people who have moved away from mainstream education.
Ed sat down with staff from the project and discussed the barriers young people face when trying to engage with music education before walking in on 35 astonished young people and joining them in a jam. He was also treated to standout performances from young local talents, including Jessika Kay and Kors.