TWO years on from a damning report which saw its education department placed into special measures, a Valleys council has been told standards are still not good enough.

Control over education will not be given back to Blaenau Gwent council and its education department will remain in special measures, according to an Estyn inspection report released today.

Council leader Hedley McCarthy insisted the authority would be "unrelenting" in its mission to quicken the pace of school improvement and "will not falter in the face of any difficult decisions, however contentious."

Independent assessors are also being brought in to look at all council functions after last month's Wales Audit Office report said the authority was inconsistent and weak in how it plans, organises and delivers services.

In 2011, the council was stripped of executive powers over education, placed in special measures and a board from Neath Port Talbot council was set up to run the department.

Four Welsh Assembly Government commissioners were appointed to bring standards up to scratch, although that number was reduced to one in December.

Today's report blasts the pace of improvement as too slow and says school leaders, council officers and managers have not been held to account for performance.

The percentage of pupils getting the equivalent of GCSE grades A* to C in maths and science is the worst in Wales, while the number of children leaving primary school with "below functional literacy levels" is higher than the Welsh average.

The report also described elected members' previous behaviour as negative and said it had an impact on progress.

Inspectors said safeguarding procedures were a "serious cause for concern" more pupils are being excluded, the leadership of council services for children is "unstable"; support for special needs is unsatisfactory and the authority does not build enough capacity in schools to manage challenging behaviour.

The report said elected members of all parties "have made significant progress in recognising the impact of their negative behaviour on progress, and have changed the way they work".

This follows criticism in the 2011 report which said some members and head teachers actively worked in opposition to improvement proposals, and scrutiny was often sidetracked by political point scoring.

At the time the WAO launched an investigation into the council as a whole and the authority narrowly avoided being taken over by Welsh Government.

"The leadership of the education and leisure directorate at Blaenau Gwent has been in a state of flux for a number of years," today's report said.

"The quality of leadership has not been consistent or effective enough and officers have not taken timely and prioritised action to bring about improvement."

The council has 50 days to draw up an action plan to fix the issues highlighted.

Blaenau Gwent has high level of pupil funding

BLAENAU Gwent has the second highest level of funding per pupil in Wales and has the second biggest budget for additional learning needs.

Despite this, support for special needs pupils is unsatisfactory and the authority is unable to measure those pupils' progress.

"The authority is beginning to develop a few of the basic requirements needed to deliver services for pupils with additional learning needs," said the report.

"Too many head teachers are unclear about the level of support schools will receive, or how the authority will hold them to account in relation to outcomes for pupils with additional learning needs."

Some improvements made - inspectors

THE authority had improved in some areas, the report said, including attendance in secondary schools rising to above average and, as a result of the work of the regional consortium's school improvement service, the authority has more accurate information about school performance and is beginning to tackle underperformance more systematically.

The council is tackling surplus places, has a wide provision for youth support services and has established helpful partnerships with neighbouring authorities, such as Newport council, with which it shares chief education officer, James Harris.

He said: "All those involved in the delivery of education in Blaenau Gwent Council both centrally and in schools recognise the need for an urgent and significant improvement in performance.

"The challenge is significant but there are clear signs that progress is being made and improving educational performance remains as a top priority for the council."

ARE YOU A PARENT OF A BLAENAU GWENT PUPIL? Let us know what you think of this report at emma.mackintosh@southwalesargus.co.uk or call 01633 777206