Minutes of Meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 22 May 2008 at 10.30 a.m.
Present:
Mr W Fernie, Mr B Gormley, Lady M Thurso, Mrs D MacKay, Mrs I Campbell, Dr A Sinclair, Mr M Finlayson, Ms M Smith, Mrs M E Paterson, Mr A M Millar, Mr E Hunter, Mr D Hendry, Mr H Wood, Mrs E McAllister, Mr R A C Balfour, Mrs G Sinclair, Mr L Fraser, Mr A S Park, Ms J Douglas, Dr M E M Foxley, Rev D C Meredith, Mr J McDonald, Miss G Slider
Non-Members also present:
Mr G Farlow, Ms L Munro, Mr J Rosie, Mr G M Smith, Mr R Coghill, Mr J McGillivray, Mr W Ross, Mrs C Wilson, Mr A Rhind, Mr D Chisholm, Mrs A MacLean, Dr D Alston, Mrs I McCallum, Mr J Laing, Mrs M C Davidson, Mrs P Munro, Mr R Pederson, Mr G Rimell, Mr B Murphy
In Attendance:
Mr H Fraser, Director of Education, Culture and Sport
Mr B Alexander, Head of Integrated Children’s Services, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr D MacDonald, Head of Education Services, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr R MacKenzie, Head of Support Services, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr I Murray, Head of Community Learning and Leisure, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr B Hemming, Estate Strategy Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr T McCulloch, Quality Improvement Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr C Phillips, Lifelong Learning Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr G Watson, Community Development Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Mrs B Dunthorne, Finance Manager, Finance Service
Mr D Summers, Transport Development Officer, Transport, Environmental and Community Services
Mr N Bolton, Music Project Development Officer, Education, Culture and Sport
Ms E Johnston, Policy Officer, Education, Culture and Sport
Ms J Simmons, Adult Literacies Strategy Officer, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr J Allison, Principal Administrator, Chief Executive’s Office
Miss J Maclennan, Committee Administrator, Chief Executive’s Office
Mr W Fernie in the Chair
Business
An asterisk in the margin denotes a recommendation to the Council. All decisions with no marking in the margin are delegated to the Committee.
Preliminaries
Rev D C Meredith opened the meeting with prayer.
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Ms K MacNab, Mr A Torrance, Mr C Fraser and Rev A Glass.
2. Successes
The Committee NOTED a circulated list of recent successes in the Education, Culture and Sport Service.
3. Revenue Budget 2008/09 – Monitoring
There had been circulated Report No ECS-18-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting 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. It was also reported that the unaudited outturn for 2007/08 showed a lower than predicted deficit which was attributable to corrective management actions and budget holders prudently managing the budget.
Concern was expressed at the effect that escalating fuel costs would have on the budget, especially in relation to school transport in rural areas. For these issues to be explored in greater detail it was requested that the Transport, Environmental and Community Services Committee should consider a report with the intention of encouraging other rural Councils to join with Highland Council to lobby Highlands and Islands MSPs for their support to put pressure on MPs and the Scottish Government. Clarification was also sought as to the exact overall savings projection in the Revenue Budget, both in 2008/09 and in the long term, arising from the Highland Council’s decision not to amalgamate Roy Bridge and Spean Bridge Primary Schools.
The Committee NOTED the potential budget pressures and the progress to date with the achievement of the 2008/09 savings target of £5.074m and AGREED:-
i. that the revenue consequences of retaining Roy Bridge Primary School be
clarified; and
ii. to recommend that the effect of increased fuel costs be the subject of a
report to the Transport, Environmental and Community Services
Committee with a view to a joint approach being made by fellow rural
Councils to lobby Highlands and Islands MPs and MSPs.
4. Education, Culture and Sport Service Plan 2007-2011
There had been circulated Report No ECS-19-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport outlining the proposed objectives and supporting actions which would help deliver the Council’s Programme for Administration and the statutory and core functions of the Service for the period 2007-11. The report had taken into account the further work undertaken on the Corporate Plan and the Single Outcome Agreement but would be subject to minor changes once the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Corporate Plan was completed.
Amongst the points raised in discussion were the following:-
- The Service Plan should take into account risks such as pandemic flu and the contingency arrangements which the Service could make.
- The Council’s commitment to ensure the implementation of the play strategy should be included.
- Minor works should be devolved to Ward level for determination, given that Ward Members were in the best position to make decisions.
- Concern was expressed that the draft plan stated that a revised 5 year
Education, Culture and Sport Capital programme was to be approved by the Highland Council at its meeting on 26 June 2008 rather than by the Committee and some expressed the view that Education, Culture and Sport Committee Members had the knowledge of the criteria on which to prioritise and determine the Capital Plan.
- It was impossible for a Corporate Plan to be considered comparing conflicting demands from various Services.
- The revised Capital Plan due to be considered in June took into account previously agreed priorities and emerging pressures and there was no decision at this stage to change the pattern of spend.
Dr M E M Foxley, seconded by Mr A M Millar, MOVED that the revised 5 year Education, Culture and Sport capital programme come to the next Education, Culture and Sport Committee for debate, discussion and decision.
As an AMENDMENT, Mr W Fernie, seconded by Mr D Hendry, moved that the current position be maintained with the Education, Culture and Sport capital programme being determined by the Highland Council at its meeting on 26 June 2008.
On a vote being taken, the MOTION received 13 votes and the AMENDMENT received 8 votes and the MOTION was therefore CARRIED - the votes having been cast as follows:-
For the Motion:-
Lady M Thurso, Mrs D Mackay, Mrs I Campbell, Dr A Sinclair, Mrs M E Paterson, Mr A M Millar, Mr H Wood, Mrs E McAllister, Mr R Balfour, Mrs G Sinclair, Dr M E M Foxley, Mr J MacDonald, Rev D C Meredith
For the Amendment:-
Mr W Fernie, Mr M Finlayson, Ms M Smith, Mr E Hunter, Mr D Hendry, Mr L Fraser, Mr B Gormley, Miss G Slider
The Committee AGREED, with the exception of the reference to the approval of the Education, Culture and Sport capital programme by the Council at its meeting on 26 June 2008, the Education, Culture and Sport Service Plan for 2007-2011 and that the annual review on the Plan’s progress be reported to Committee subject to the following amendments:-
i. the Service Plan take into account eventualities such as an outbreak of
pandemic flu and the effect of schools requiring to close for long periods of
time as a result; and
ii. the Service Plan include reference to the Play Strategy.
5. Implementation of Youth Work Policy - Review
It was recalled that, at the Education, Culture and Sport Committee on 17 January 2008, it had been agreed to put on hold the recruitment of youth workers to allow a review of the Youth Work Policy to be undertaken. In this connection, there had been circulated Report No ECS-20-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport recommending changes to the implementation of the Policy, following on from consultation with Members at Ward level.
The report contributed to the Programme for Administration’s commitment to placing a youth worker in each of the twenty-nine associated school groups (a secondary school catchment area) in Highland.
Youth work was affected, particularly in rural communities, by a lack of facilities and it was suggested that the use of schools would help alleviate this situation.
The Committee AGREED that:-
i. from the additional resources within the Education, Culture and Sport
Service, a budget of £5,000 be allocated to each Ward ring-fenced for
youth work activity;
ii. where, for reasons of deprivation and size, Associated School Groups had
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 be 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 continue to be implemented;
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; and
v. the possibility of making facilities in schools available to rural communities be
investigated.
6. Consultation on Gaelic Medium Primary School Provision in Skye
and in Lochaber
The Highland Council had agreed in the Gaelic Language Plan 2007-2011 to progress the development of all Gaelic Medium Education Primary Schools. Expressions of interest for the provision of Gaelic Medium Education had been received from communities in Skye and Lochaber and it was proposed that the Gaelic Committee be asked to prepare the draft consultation documents with the Education, Culture and Sport Committee thereafter approving the public consultation documents at its meeting on 7 August 2008.
Some interest had also been expressed by parents in Skye concerning Gaelic Medium Secondary School provision and it was suggested that the consultation might also incorporate this interest.
The Committee AGREED:-
i. that consultations be undertaken on the future of Gaelic Medium Primary
Education in Skye and Lochaber, the Skye consultation paper also
considering secondary Gaelic Medium Education; and
ii. to remit to the Gaelic Committee to prepare the terms of draft consultation
papers.
7. Adult Basic Education – Update and Future Work Plan
There had been 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 (ABE) Team and seeking approval to carry out a programme of activity which would further support learners’ needs throughout Highland. A video presentation of a sample group of students, a volunteer tutor and a representative of one of the ABE Team’s partners was shown highlighting the benefits that could be achieved through teaching literacy and numeracy skills and offering individuals access to English learning tuition.
The report contributed to a number of aspects identified in the Programme for Administration, particularly building “a skilled and confident Highlands” as well as a number of national strategies.
The Committee AGREED to:-
i. the areas of work identified in the report;
ii. the development of stronger links with the NHS and Job Centre Plus;
and NOTED that:-
iii. a future report would be presented in light of the emerging new
arrangements for literacies partnerships; and
iv. the existing ring fenced funding for Highland Adult Literacies Partnership
was now part of the Single Outcome Agreement.
8. Support for Speakers of Other Languages
There had been 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 was not English.
This met 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” as well as a number of national strategies.
The Committee AGREED that the Council pursue 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 had been 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 including the Youth Music Initiative, the Council’s Instrumental Tuition Service and Regional Music Groups. It also recommended acceptance of funding from the Scottish Arts Council for year six of the Youth Music Initiative.
Youth music provision helped 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.
Having commended the work done to date, the Committee:-
i. AGREED the acceptance of Youth Music Initiative funding of £543,024 for
year six of the Scheme; and
ii. NOTED the successes and commitment of the young people of Highland to
music of all its genres.
10. Highland 2007 - Legacy
There had been 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 was developed from Highland 2007 including continuing partnership proposals with core funding bodies and criteria for consideration for use of the Council’s ongoing financial input.
The report linked closely with a paper on assisting the delivery of the Scottish Government’s commitment to “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 NOTED the intention to bring the formal evaluation report of Highland 2007 to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee on 7 August 2008 and AGREED:-
i. to support the delivery of the proposed legacy functions of Highland 2007
by the remaining project staff, subject to the approval of the Resources
Committee, until 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;
v. the proposed outline allocation of the Highland 2007 Legacy Fund of
£600,000;
vi. that the Highland 2007 Legacy Fund be themed to prioritise events and
projects that linked to the Homecoming Scotland celebrations in 2009;
and
vii. the Convener, Vice Convener, Mr W Fernie, Dr M E M Foxley and a
nominee to be proposed by the Labour Group be appointed to the
Highland 2007 Legacy Fund Group to review applications and approve the
award of funding.
11. A Curriculum for Excellence
There had been 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 was at a significant stage with a number of developments underway. There were major challenges in delivering the Programme which had considerable implications for the provision of courses and qualifications in schools.
This development was a major contributor to a number of key commitments in the Programme for Administration.
In recognising the importance of effective delivery of staff development to ensure the Programme’s successful implementation, the Committee NOTED the report and AGREED further reports be considered by the Committee on various aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence as appropriate.
The Committee adjourned for lunch at 1.15 p.m. and resumed at 2.00 p.m.
12. Standards and Quality Report 2005-2008 Incorporating National
Priorities Progress Report 2006-07
There had been 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 were making in improving the Standards and Quality of Education Provision. It related primarily to school session 2006-07 within the context of the three year Service Plan 2005-08 now nearing completion. It was also based on the structure of the National Priorities for Education framework and identified points for future action and referred to the work of Community Learning and Leisure teams.
The report referred to in Paragraph 2.1 of the report was circulated separately as Book A.
Various elements were discussed in detail and it was felt that, as part of the scrutiny process, it would be beneficial for the information to be broken down to Ward level and for trends to be identified.
The Committee NOTED the report and AGREED:-
i. the action proposed to seek further improvement in the key identified
areas;
ii. that copies of the Standards and Quality Report be distributed to Parent
Councils, schools and libraries and placed on the Council’s website for
information; and
iii. that performance statistics be broken down to an Associated School Group
level with information thereafter being provided to relevant Ward meetings.
13. Post-School Psychological Service
There had been circulated Report No ECS-27-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport indicating that the Scottish Government had requested that all Scottish Councils develop a Post-School Psychological Service and had provided funding for the equivalent of a full time Educational Psychologist from April 2008 – March 2011. The report outlined the plans to build on the pilot project within Highland Council Psychological Service to develop a Post-School Psychological Service.
Those from disadvantaged groups requiring to access the Post-School Psychological Service could find travelling costs prohibitive and it was requested that the possibility of providing some form of financial assistance be investigated.
The Committee NOTED this new development and AGREED to:-
i. receive further reports on the progress of the Post School Psychological
Service More Choices/More Chances Agenda which sought to ensure young
people leaving school moved into education, employment and training; and
ii. give consideration to the provision of travel expenses to individuals in need
of financial assistance who were accessing the post-school psychological
service.
14. Integrated Transport Co-ordination Unit
There had been 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 would 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 AGREED:-
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. subject to the approval of the Resources Committee, the proposed staffing
structure;
iii. the budget transfers from the Education, Culture and Sport Service to
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, Environmental
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
The Committee dealt with the following Minutes of Meetings, copies of which had been circulated, as follows:-
i. APPROVED the Minutes of the Sport and Activity Working Group held on
11 March 2008;
ii. NOTED the Minutes of the Education Transport Appeals Committee held on
11 March 2008;
iii. APPROVED the Minutes of the Local Negotiating Committee for Teaching
Staff held on 25 April 2008; and
iv. APPROVED the Minutes of the Sport and Activity Working Group held on
30 April 2008.
The meeting ended at 2.50 pm.