NEWPORT’S schools and services for young people are good, according to a new report.

A report by inspection body Estyn, published yesterday, looked at Newport council’s services for children and young people and rated them ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘adequate’ or ‘unsatisfactory’.

Areas inspected include school results, special or additional needs provision, support for school and health of youngsters.

They are assessed on outcomes, such as pupil results in school, provision, what is available for young people, and howgood leadership and management is.

Newport was awarded one ‘excellent’, seven ‘goods’ and two ‘adequates’.

The ‘excellent’ was awarded for its support for school improvement, saying the council challenges schools rigorously, shares information well and has ‘good, and in some cases, excellent’ support for headteachers and governors.

Cabinet member for education, David Atwell, added: “We’re very pleased at the hard work the department has put in and across the schools. Everybody has worked extremely hard and I think it’s reflected through this report.”

Cllr Atwell said if schools are not performing, headteachers are called to meetings with officers from the education department to discuss how improvements can be made and what can be done to address any issues.

Overall, Estyn ranked Newport as ‘good’, and the council has been asked by Estyn for two ‘best practice’ case studies on its information network School Secure and its School Improvement MA, run with the University of Wales, Newport.

All councils in Wales are being inspected by Estyn in this way. The council’s last inspection was in 2008, but since then the marking system and criteria have changed.

Two recommendations made by Estyn were to further improve rates for attendance, exclusion and young people not in education, employment or training, and to develop its use of data to measure the impact of services to young people to help plan for the future more effectively.

The council now has 70 days to produce an action plan addressing the recommendations.