Calls have been made for Welsh Government ministers to commission an inquiry into the “ineffective support and advice” offered by Wrexham Council to Ysgol Morgan Llwyd.

Yesterday the Leader reported Estyn inspectors had determined the school has made insufficient progress on recommendations.

A monitoring report published by Estyn following a visit to Ysgol Morgan Llwyd found the school needs to make significant improvements.

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales will be increasing the level of follow-up activity as a result of the latest visit, with staff at the school required to produce an action plan that shows how it will address the recommendations.

Now John Morris, an education consultant and former Ofsted inspector, says he shares the concerns of parents that the local education authority has failed in their “duty of care” to the school management team, staff, pupils and parents by offering ineffective advice and support to enable the school to tackle key issues.

Mr Morris said: “I had been contacted by a number of parents with children at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd expressing their concerns regarding the position of the headteacher, Carwyn Davies.

“Mr Davies had been on secondment to the local authority for a period of nearly six months up to the end of December 2016. He resigned from the LEA last week.

“Parents and carers at the school were at that time concerned that the headteacher from a leading school in the authority, which is increasing its intake, had been seconded away from the school.

“It was evident from the classification of the school by Estyn “colour coding” in 2016, that the school management team were experiencing difficulties in addressing key issues.

“The concerns expressed by many parents that the absence of the headteacher for such long periods and the lack of clarity regarding the reasons for the “secondment” could have a detrimental impact upon academic achievement levels, personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils at all levels within the school were not addressed by the education authority.

“It is evident from the report that the authority have failed to support the inexperienced acting headteacher and the senior team.

“The report notes that despite their best efforts the inexperienced team lacked the necessary experience to lead a large school staff to address key issues, particularly of achievement at key stage 4 to reach the levels expected.

“How can the authority justify taking the headteacher on secondment to work as an adviser within the local authority, without plans in place to replace him with an individual with the experience and strategies to address the key issues of weakness identified by the Estyn team, in 2014 and 2017?

“Within recent years, other secondary schools within the Wrexham authority have suffered badly from inappropriate leadership both within the schools and particularly from officers of the local authority, resulting in schools being placed in special measures.

“The poor performance of schools in the area such as Rhiwabon, Clywedog, Rhosnesni High and Bryn Alun has resulted in falling rolls within those schools and children transferring to other schools both within and outside of Wrexham.

“I have to ask the key question, whether the lack of management and advisory support to the temporary management team at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd is a deliberate attempt by the Wrexham local authority to stem the growth for Welsh medium education.

“Figures currently available show clearly that the authority response to the increased demand for Welsh medium education at primary level in the borough is failing to meet parental needs, with a large number of families being refused placement at Welsh medium primary schools in the area.

“In view of the recent Estyn report the local authority must ensure that the support for the “inexperienced management team” will be appropriate in order to have the necessary impact upon current levels of performance.

“The parents need to know as a matter of priority when a new permanent headteacher will be appointed

“In common with many parents I consider that Kirsty Williams should commission an enquiry into the ineffective support and advice offered by the Wrexham Council education team to Ysgol Morgan Llwyd which has resulted in increased monitoring by Estyn of the school’s performance.”

Cllr Phil Wynn, lead member for education, said: “Through the local authority and GwE – the regional school improvement service – targeted and specific support has been provided to Ysgol Morgan Llwyd in order to assist the school in addressing the recommendations of its report.

“This will continue as the school works to further raise standards.

“The council is committed to Welsh language education as is demonstrated in the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan and as evidenced by the growing demand for Welsh medium education in the primary sector.”