A meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 25 January 2007 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. Highland 2007 Progress Update
There is circulated Report No ECS1/07 dated 10 January 2007 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport presenting the Highland 2007 programme for January to April 2007 and introducing a presentation by Mrs Fiona Hampton, Project Director of Highland 2007 and the Lifescan Monster Street Party.
The Committee is asked to note the report.
4. Revenue Budget 2006/07 - Monitoring
There is circulated Report No ECS2/07 dated 16 January 2007 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 November 2006 and the projected year end position.
Members are asked to:-
(i) note the extent of the budget pressures facing the Education, Culture
and Sport Service entering the final quarter of the financial year;
(ii) agree to support the actions outlined in the report to address these
pressures; and
(iii) note that some of the budget pressures identified will have an impact
on the current projections being utilised in the preparation of the
2007/08 Education, Culture and Sport Revenue budget.
5. Capital Expenditure 2006/07 – Monitoring
There is circulated Report No ECS307 dated 12 January 2007 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 30 November 2006 together with information on the status of the PPP1 and progress on the PPP2 programme.
The Committee is asked to note the report and to homologate the decision to award the contract for demountable units at Gergask and Broadford Primary Schools.
6. Education, Culture and Sport Service Structure Beyond April 2007
There is circulated Report No ECS407 dated 16 January 2007 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport building on the new management structures agreed at Committee in November 2006 and proposing changes in management arrangements for the Quality Development Team, the Support for Learning Team, the Community Learning and Leisure Team, the Support Services Team and for Gaelic.
The Committee is asked to agree to:-
(i) adopt the Education, Culture and Sport Management Structures as
detailed in the report from April 2007; and
(ii) to request a further report on the Education, Culture and Sport
Management Structures and Services for Children and Young People
be submitted to the Committee’s meeting on 8 March 2007.
7. Highland Archive Strategy
There is circulated Report No ECS507 dated 11 January 2007 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport outlining progress in implementing the Highland Archive Strategy. It informs Members of the submission of a Stage 2 bid to the Heritage Lottery fund for the hub Highland Archive Centre and identifies the next steps required.
The Committee is asked to:-
(i) note current progress towards the implementation of the Highland
Archive Strategy;
(ii) note the submission to the Heritage Lottery Fund of a Stage 2
application for the Highland Archive Centre; and
(iii) approve the early appointment of Records Manager and Education and
Outreach Officer.
8. Education, Culture and Sport Statutory Performance Indicators -
Comparison with other Councils 2005/06
There is circulated Report No ECS607 dated 11 January 2007 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing information on comparison of Education, Culture and Sport Service Statutory Performance Indicators with other Scottish Councils for financial year 2005/06. It also identifies areas where the Service performs well and those where performance needs to be improved.
The Committee is invited to note and comment upon the Service’s Statutory Performance Indicator national benchmark outcomes for 2005/06.
9. Lifelong Learning Strategy Consultation – A Highland Response
There is circulated Report No ECS7/07 dated 11 January 2007 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport giving details of the current Scottish Executive consultation on its Lifelong Learning Strategy, the deadline for responses being 12 February 2007. The report describes the process being used to formulate a response and secure its approval.
In commenting on the consultation response outlined in the presentation to Committee, Members are also asked to:-
(i) note the outcomes of the Lifelong Learning Consultation event; and
(ii) agree that the final response, incorporating Members’ comments, be
agreed by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport in consultation
with the Chairman and Vice Chairman.
10. Outcome of Consultation on a Site for a New Aviemore Primary
School
There is circulated Report No ECS8/07 dated 16 January 2007 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport detailing the outcome of the statutory consultation undertaken in connection to the identification of a site for a new primary school for Aviemore.
Members are asked to:-
(i) note the outcome of the formal consultation process as detailed in the
report; and
(ii) agree to recommend to the Council that the new primary school with
community facilities be constructed on the Grampian Road site
provided a satisfactory legal agreement with regard to the ownership
of the site can be concluded between the Council and the Aviemore
Community Company.
11. School Transport Re-tendering
There is circulated Report No ECS9/07 dated 16 January 2007 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the final position in regard to the school transport re-tendering exercise for the period January 2007-December 2011. The report also proposes that discussions should take place with the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services in regard to the possible establishment of a monitoring capacity for school transport and public service transport provision.
The Committee is asked to:-
(i) note the final position in regard to the outcome of school transport re-
tendering for the period January 2007 – December 2011; and
(ii) agree that officers of the Education, Culture and Sport Service enter
into discussions with colleagues in Transport, Environmental and
Community Services in order to identify a way of establishing a
performance monitoring function.
12. National Priorities Progress Report 2005/06
There is circulated Report No ECS10/07 dated 16 January 2007 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing an overview of the progress which Highland Schools are making in improving the Standards and Quality of Education Provision during school session 2005/06 in relation to the National Priorities for Education and to identify points for future action.
The Committee is asked to note the National Priorities Progress Report 2005/06 and to agree:-
(i) the action proposed by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport to
seek further improvement in key identified areas of the Report; and
(ii) copies are distributed to School Boards, schools and libraries and placed
on the Council’s website for information.
13. Consultation on Home Education
There is circulated Report No ECS11/07 dated 12 January 2007 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport advising Members of the current consultation relating to guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home and the Council’s proposed response to the consultation process.
The Committee is invited to comment on the proposed Authority response to the consultation process.
14. Parental Involvement - Head Teacher and Depute Head Teacher
Appointments Procedures
There is circulated Report No ECS12/07 dated 21 December 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport advising Members on the Scottish Executive consultation paper “The Draft Parental Involvement in Head Teacher and Depute Head Teacher Appointments Regulations 2007”. It seeks comment on the draft response to the consultation and suggests that draft Highland Appointments Procedures be discussed with parent bodies.
In commenting on the draft response to the consultation the Committee is asked to agree:-
(i) the Director of Education, Culture and Sport submit the response to
the Scottish Executive on behalf of the Highland Council;
(ii) that further consultation with parents on the Head Teacher and
Depute Head Teacher appointments procedures process take place at
a series of meetings between January and March; and
(iii) that draft proposals on new appointment procedures for Head Teacher
and Depute Head Teacher posts be progressed through the Local
Negotiating Committee for Teachers and be brought back to the
Education, Culture and Sport Committee for approval.