SENEDD members have called for urgent action to address "significant concern" raised by Estyn inspectors into Flintshire Council's education services.
This week, education watchdog Estyn published the findings of an inspection of Flintshire County Council's education services, highlighting weaknesses in a number of key areas and issuing five recommendations for improvement.
Among the recommendations were calls for the council to strengthen strategic planning to address the risks posed by school budget deficits, improve the long-term financial sustainability of schools and tackle safeguarding concerns identified during the inspection.
The council said it will draw up an action plan setting out how it will address these recommendations, and Estyn will monitor progress against this plan during a series of follow-up visits.
Sam Rowlands, Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd for Fflint Wrecsam, said the findings would cause concern for parents across the county.
"I was very concerned to hear about the results of the inspection, which means Estyn will be closely monitoring Flintshire's education service every term," he said.
Mr Rowlands pointed to concerns raised by inspectors about standards in Flintshire's secondary schools.
"It was worrying to read that in the past four years 10 of Flintshire's 11 secondary schools required further intervention after inspection, with two requiring Special Measures, two requiring Significant Improvement and two requiring Estyn Reviews," he said.
The inspectorate also highlighted concerns around school finances, an issue Mr Rowlands said reflected wider pressures facing local authorities.
"It was also concerning to hear from the report that concerns had been raised about school deficits and the financial sustainability of schools," he added.
Mr Rowlands said councils needed greater financial support to help protect frontline education services.
"It's disappointing that education is once again coming under the spotlight as we all know the financial constraints local authorities are under.
"I firmly believe that local councils need to be properly funded so that their education services do not have to be monitored by the schools' inspectorate."
Despite his concerns, the Senedd member welcomed the council's commitment to responding to the findings.
"I do find the report very alarming, especially for parents in Flintshire, but I am pleased that Flintshire Council is taking action and is now drawing up a plan to deal with Estyn's five recommendations."
Under Estyn's follow-up arrangements, Flintshire County Council's education service will now be monitored regularly as it works to address the issues identified by inspectors and implement an improvement plan.
Nigel Williams MS, Reform UK's Member of the Senedd for Fflint Wrecsam, demanded immediate action from both the local authority and Welsh Government.
He said: "This is not just an administrative failure; it is a systemic betrayal of pupils, parents, and hardworking teachers across Flintshire.
"As someone who grew up in Flintshire and went to Flint High School, seeing our schools in this state is deeply personal. For my old school to be placed in special measures, with Estyn finding serious safeguarding concerns, rampant bullying, poor behaviour management, and a situation where pupils do not feel safe, is completely unacceptable."
He added: "This is not an isolated problem. When six out of ten inspected secondary schools require formal follow-up, the rot runs straight to the core of the local authority.
"For years, councils and the Welsh Government have hidden behind glossy self-evaluations and endless committees while standards fell, school deficits mounted, and neurodiverse children were left without timely support.
"Reform's stance is straightforward: public services must deliver real results, not warm words and bureaucratic excuses. Parents deserve to know their children are safe, teachers deserve the leadership and backing to maintain discipline, and pupils deserve a quality education. We will not let this report be swept under the carpet."
The MS has called on Flintshire County Council and the Welsh Government to adopt a six-point plan aimed at improving standards and restoring confidence in the county's education services.
His proposals include publishing a time-bound recovery plan with clear milestones and named accountability, providing regular progress reports to parents, and establishing independent oversight of safeguarding, attendance recording and behaviour management.
Mr Williams is also calling for earlier intervention to address school budget pressures, reforms to reduce delays in support for children with Additional Learning Needs (ALN), and stronger backing for teachers alongside greater accountability for senior leaders.
The council is expected to be subject to regular monitoring by Estyn as efforts are made to address the concerns identified in the inspection findings.
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Neal Cockerton, Flintshire Council's CEO, said: “The Estyn report on the council’s education service specifically makes five recommendations, acknowledges the pressurised environment the service is working in and the steps being taken to continue to deliver high quality education services to our schools.
“The five recommendations set out in the report by Estyn have already started to be built upon and the areas strengthened. I, and officers in the service, take seriously the matters raised in the report and are fully committed to taking action to address them as we work closely with Estyn.
“Staff within both services have and continue to work incredibly hard and this has been noted within both reports. I take this opportunity to thank them for the work they continue to carry out with our children and young people.”
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