A meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 9 November 2006 at 10.30 a.m.
A note of the business to be transacted at the meeting is appended.
Yours faithfully,
Alistair B Dodds
Director of Corporate Services
Declarations of Interest – Members are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting. Any Member making a declaration of interest should indicate whether it is a financial or non-financial interest and include some information on the nature of the interest. Advice may be sought from Officers prior to the meeting taking place.
Business
1. Apologies
2. Successes
3. Blas 2006 Festival
There is circulated Report No ECS 59/06 dated 30 October 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing Members with a performance overview of Blas, the Festival celebrating Highland Music, which took place in September 2006 and which details the considerable advances and developments made by Blas in its second year. There will also be a presentation by Mr Arthur Cormack, Director of Feisan nan Gaidheal.
The Committee is asked to consider and comment on the 2006 Blas festival and to make suggestions to the Blas board that might help the festival to improve and to be even more successful in 2007.
4. Revenue Budget 2006/07 Mid Year Review and Monitoring
There is circulated Report No. ECS 60/06 dated 18 October 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on Revenue Expenditure in the Education, Culture and Sport Service for the period 1 April to 30 September 2006 and the projected year end position. It also outlines progress to date in achieving the Service’s £6.8M savings target and provided details of issues relating to devolved school budgets.
Members are asked to:-
(i) approve the recommended actions to manage the projected overspend;
and
(ii) note that a further progress report will be brought to the Committee’s
next meeting by which time there will be greater clarity in relation to the
achievement of the savings target figure.
5. Capital Expenditure 2006/07 - Monitoring
There is circulated Report No ECS 61/06 dated 26 October 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing capital monitoring information on the Education, Culture and Sport Service for the period 1 April to 31 October 2006, the status of the PPP1 programme and progress on the PPP2 programme.
The Committee is asked to note the report and to homologate the decision to progress repairs to Golspie Swimming Pool as detailed in the report.
6. Service Capital Programme Review 2006/07-2010/11
There is circulated Report No ECS 62/06 dated 30 October 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing detailing of a proposed review of the Education, Culture and Sport Service Capital Programme against the background of Corporate and Service Capital Expenditure Management requirements. The report also provides the detail of a bid to the Council’s Budget Working Group for additional flexibility funding for year 5 of the programme (2010/11).
The Committee is invited, as detailed in the report, to agree:-
(i) the revised Capital Programme;
(ii) the bid to the Council’s Budget Working Group; the uses of the
additional School Building Improvement Fund monies with finalised
allocations being agreed by the Director of Education, Culture and
Sport in consultation with the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the
Committee once final costings are known.
7. Education, Culture and Sport Statutory Performance Indicators 2005/06
There is circulated Report No ECS 63/06 dated 26 October 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport outlining the Statutory Performance Indicators for the Service and the key issues arising from the 2005/06 performance data.
The Committee is invited to:-
(i) note that the annual Education, Culture and Sport Quality and Standards
report is due to be considered by the Committee early in 2007;
(ii) note the Service’s Statutory Performance Indicator outcomes for
2005/06; and
(iii) agree that a further report on the Education, Culture and Sport Service’s
national benchmark position of 2005/06 be submitted following the
publishing of data by Audit Scotland early in 2007.
8. Outcome of Statutory Consultation on the Proposal to Transfer Gaelic Medium Secondary Education from Millburn Academy to Inverness Royal Academy
There is circulated Report No ECS 64/06 dated 12 October 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which details the outcome of the statutory consultation to consider the transfer of Gaelic Medium secondary education from Millburn Academy to Inverness Royal Academy.
The Committee is invited to agree the recommendation to the Council to:
(i) transfer secondary Gaelic Medium education from Millburn Academy to
Inverness Royal Academy, starting with pupils entering S1 for Gaelic
Medium education from August 2007; and
(ii) continue the provision of secondary Gaelic Medium education at Millburn
Academy for those pupils who started secondary education prior to
August 2007 until such as time as these pupils complete their secondary
school education.
9. Education, Culture and Sport Service Structure Beyond April 2007
There is circulated Report No ECS 65/06 dated 31 October 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on the proposed management structures for the Education, Culture and Sport Service from April 2007. The report reflects the need to restructure so that the Service can position itself to deliver services at Ward, Area and Highland wide level and proposes a timescale for the various stages of the review of structures. Detailed personnel issues will be addressed through the Resources Committee.
The Committee is invited to agree:-
(i) to adopt the Education, Culture and Sport Management Structures
outlined in the report from April 2007; and
(ii) that the Director take a report back to Committee early in 2007 which
brings Members up to date with the review of Management Structures.
10. Administration of Medicines in Schools
There is circulated Report No ECS 66/06 dated 26 October 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport describing the work of a multi disciplinary, multi agency Steering group and which makes recommendations regarding the policy and procedures for NHS Highland and the Highland Council with regard to the administration of medicines in schools.
The Committee is asked to agree to:-
(i) adopt the Scottish Executive Health Department guidance document as
policy within the Highland Council;
(ii) support, where necessary, the development of additional processes and
documentation within the Highland Council; and
(iii) support the current work plan for the multi disciplinary, multi agency
Steering Group.
11. National Youth Work Strategy Consultation
There is circulated Report No ECS 67/06 dated 16 October 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport seeking homologation of the Council’s response to the National Youth Work Strategy Consultation issued by the Scottish Executive. The consultation closed on 1 November 2006 and the response is contained as Appendix A.
The Committee is asked to homologate the response to the consultation and to agree that any additional points made be sent to the Scottish Executive.
12. Scottish Schools Digital Network
Glow, the new name for the Scottish Schools Digital Network, is a national schools internet, digitally linking Scotland’s 800,000 educators and pupils. Glow is funded by the Scottish Executive and managed by Learning and Teaching Scotland in partnership with Research Machines. Teachers and learners are at the heart of Glow. Glow provides a set of powerful online tools so pupils and teachers can work together and securely at any location or time.
A presentation will be made to Committee to illustrate the potential of this initiative which will be rolled out to Highland schools over the next two years.
13. Minutes of Meetings
There are circulated the following Minutes of the Meetings:-
(i) EducationTransport Appeals Committee held on 21 September 2006
(for noting);
(ii) Annual General Meeting of the Local Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff
held on 24 October 2006 (for approval);
(iii) Education Transport Appeals Committee held on 25 October 2006
(for noting); and
(iv) Duncraig Castle Working Group Minute held on 25 October 2006
(for approval).