A meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday 22 May 2008 at 10.30 am
You are invited to attend the meeting and a note of the business to be considered is attached.
Yours faithfully
Alistair Dodds
Chief Executive
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 for Absence
2. Successes
Recent successes in the Education, Culture and Sport Service will be tabled at the meeting.
3. Revenue Budget 2008/09 - Monitoring
There is circulated Report No ECS-18-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which sets out the Revenue Budget monitoring position for the period 1 April 2008 to 30 April 2008 and the progress to date with the achievement of the 2008/09 savings and efficiencies.
The Committee is asked to note the potential budget pressures and the progress to date with the achievement of the 2008/09 savings target of £5.074m.
4. Education, Culture and Sport Service Plan 2007-2011
There is circulated Report No ECS-19-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport outlining the proposed objectives and supporting actions which will deliver the Council’s Programme for Administration and the statutory and core functions of the Service for the period 2007-11. The report seeks approval of the draft which might be subject to minor changes once the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Corporate Plan is completed.
The Committee is invited to agree the Education, Culture and Sport Service Plan for 2007-2011 and that annual review on the Plan’s progress be reported to Committee.
5. Implementation of Youth Work Policy - Review
There is circulated Report No ECS-20-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport recommending changes to the implementation of the Youth Work Policy, following on from consultation with Members at Ward level.
The Programme for Administration commits to placing a youth worker in each of the twenty-nine associated school groups (a secondary school catchment area) in Highland.
The Committee is asked to agree that:-
i. from the additional resources within the Education, Culture and Sport Service, a budget of £5,000 is allocated to each Ward Manager to be ring-fenced for youth work activity;
ii. where, for reasons of deprivation and size, Associated School Groups have an additional 0.5 FTE allocation (Wick, Lochaber, Tain and Alness Wards), the decision on whether to use this resource for additional staffing or project work being left to Ward Managers in consultation with Ward Members and local Education, Culture and Sport staff;
iii. the Programme for Administration commitment to have a youth worker in each Associated School Group continues to be implemented; and
iv. this enhanced approach be reviewed to assess its impact and establish the “added value” provided through the use of additional funding provided by the Scottish Government as part of the regular Programme for Administration commitment updates.
6. Consultation on Gaelic Medium Primary School provision in Skye and in Lochaber
The Council has agreed in the Gaelic Language Plan 2007-2011 to progress the development of all Gaelic Medium Education Primary Schools.
The Committee is invited to remit to the Gaelic Committee to consider and agree the terms of a consultation paper on the future of Gaelic Medium Education on the Isle of Skye and in Lochaber.
7. Adult Basic Education - Update and Future Work Plan
There is circulated Report No ECS-21-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport summarising Adult Literacies work through the Highland Adult Literacies Partnership and Adult Basic Education Team and seeks approval to carry out a programme of activity which will further support learners’ needs throughout Highland.
The Committee is invited to comment on the work of the Highland Adult Literacies Partnership and Adult Basic Education Team and agree to:-
i. the areas of work identified in the report;
ii. the development of stronger links with the NHS and Job Centre Plus;
and to note that:-
iii. a future report will be presented in light of the emerging new arrangements for literacies partnerships; and
iv. the existing ring fenced funding for Highland Adult Literacies Partnership is now part of the Single Outcome Agreement settlement.
8. Support for Speakers of Other Languages
There is circulated Report No ECS-22-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport summarising the work undertaken by the Adult Basic Education Team and the Community Language Assistants Team to support inward migrants to Highland whose first language is not English.
This meets the Programme for Administration commitment that “We will welcome migrants and their families settling in our communities and will increase English language tuition to assist their integration”.
The Committee is invited to comment on the work of the Adult Basic Education Team and the Community Language Assistants and to agree that the Council pursues an application for future European funding, through the community planning partnership, to continue the service provided by the Community-based Language Assistants from 2009 and to support the English for Speakers of Other Languages provision managed through Highland Adult Literacies Partnership.
9. Youth Music
There is circulated Report No ECS-23-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the background and current status of Youth Music opportunities in Highland and which includes the Youth Music Initiative, the Council’s Instrumental Tuition Service and Regional Music Groups. It recommends acceptance of funding from the Scottish Arts Council for year six of the Youth Music Initiative.
Youth music provision helps deliver a number of the Programme for Administration commitments, in particular encouraging growth of festivals, developing the cultural industries and building on the Highland Promise.
The Committee is asked to:-
i. agree the acceptance of Youth Music Initiative funding of £543,024 for year six of the Scheme; and
ii. note the successes and commitment of the young people of Highland to music of all its genres.
10. Highland 2007 - Legacy
There is circulated Report No ECS-24-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport presenting an update on work to ensure that a positive legacy is developed from Highland 2007 including partnership proposals and criteria for consideration for use of the Council’s ongoing financial input.
The report links closely with a paper on assisting the delivery of the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliver “2009, The Year of Homecoming”, considered at the Highland Council meeting on 8 May 2008, as well as the Programme for Administration commitment to “endorse the Year of Homecoming 2009 and to develop a Highland strategy to make sure we play a major role in the celebrations” and to the delivery of several other commitments in the Programme for Administration.
The Committee is asked to note the intention to bring the formal evaluation report of Highland 2007 to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee on 7 August 2008 and to agree:-
i. to support the delivery of the proposed legacy functions of Highland 2007 by the remaining project staff until the 30 March 2009;
ii. to review the potential functions and structure that might deliver the long term legacy of Highland 2007 following the publication of the findings of the formal evaluation of the project;
iii. to maintain ongoing dialogue with potential partners to establish the functions and delivery mechanism for the long term legacy of the project and to secure the necessary financial contributions from all partners to build upon the success of Highland 2007;
iv. the draft guidelines and application form for the Highland 2007 Legacy Fund; and
v. the proposed outline allocation of the Highland 2007 Legacy Fund of £600,000;
vi. that the Highland 2007 Legacy fund should be themed to prioritise events and projects that link to the Homecoming Scotland celebrations in 2009; and
vii. the membership of the Highland 2007 Legacy Fund Group which will review applications and approve the award of funding.
11. A Curriculum for Excellence
There is circulated Report No ECS-25-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport updating Members on progress regarding the implementation of A Curriculum for Excellence. The programme is now at a significant stage in terms of implementation and has major implication for the provision of courses and qualifications in schools.
This development is a major contributor to a number of key commitments in the Programme for Administration.
The Committee is invited to note the report and comment on the Service implementation strategy and seek further reports as appropriate.
12. Standards and Quality Report 2005-2008 Incorporating National Priorities Progress Report 2006-07
There is circulated Report No ECS-26-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport giving the Committee, Parent Councils and other stakeholders an overview of the progress which Highland schools are making in improving the Standards and Quality of Education Provision. It relates primarily to school session 2006/07 within the context of the three year Service Plan 2005/08 now nearing completion. It is also based on the structure of the National Priorities for Education framework and identifies points for future action and refers to the work of Community Learning and Leisure teams.
The report referred to in paragraph 2.1 of the report is circulated separately as Book A.
The Committee is invited to note the report and to agree:-
i. the action proposed to seek further improvement in the key identified areas of the report; and
ii. that copies of the Standards and Quality Report are distributed to Parent Councils, schools and libraries and placed on the Council’s website for information.
13. Post-School Psychological Service
There is circulated Report No ECS-27-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport indicating that the Scottish Government has requested that all Scottish Councils develop a Post School Psychological Service and has provided funding for the equivalent of a full time Educational Psychologist from April 2008 – March 2011. The report outlines the plans to build on the pilot project within Highland Council Psychological Service to develop a Post School Psychological Service.
The Committee is invited to note this new development and agree to receive further reports on the progress of the Post School Psychological Service More Choices/More Chances Agenda which seeks to ensure young people leaving school move into education, employment and training.
14. Integrated Transport Co-ordination Unit
There is circulated Joint Report No ECS-28-08 by the Directors of Education, Culture and Sport and Transport, Environmental and Community Services recommending the creation of an integrated Transport Co-ordination Unit within Transport, Environmental and Community Services to manage passenger transport, with public and all home-to-school routes being integrated in the first phase. A future report to the appropriate Committees will outline the proposals to include the management of the Social Work transport functions and the Council’s minibus fleet within this integrated Unit.
The Committee is invited to agree:-
i. the transfer of all operational responsibility for home-to-school transport from the Education, Culture and Sport Service to an integrated Transport Co-ordination Unit within Transport, Environmental and Community Services;
ii. the proposed staffing structure;
iii. that the budget transfers between the Education, Culture and Sport Service and Transport, Environmental and Community Services;
iv. the creation of a Service Level Agreement and to instruct the respective Directors of Education, Culture and Sport and Transport, Environment and Community Services to modify the document as appropriate on an ongoing basis; and
v. the performance management proposals as detailed in the report.
15. Minutes of Meetings
There are circulated the following Minutes of Meetings:-
i. Sport and Activity Working Group held on 11 March 2008 (for approval);
ii. Education Transport Appeals Committee held on 11 March 2008(for noting);
iii. Local Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff held on 25 April 2008 (to follow) (for approval); and
iv. Sport and Activity Working Group held on 30 April 2008 (for approval).