Minutes of Meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 18 September 2008 at 10.30 a.m.
Present
Mr W Fernie, Ms L Munro, Lady Thurso, Mrs D MacKay, Mrs I Campbell, Dr A Sinclair, Mrs J Urquhart, Mr M Finlayson, Ms M Smith, Mrs M E Paterson, Mr C Fraser, Mr E Hunter, Mr D Hendry, Mr H Wood, Mr E McAllister, Mr K MacLeod, Mr R A C Balfour, Mr L Fraser, Ms J Douglas, Dr M E M Foxley, Rev A Glass, Rev D C Meredith
Non-Members also present:
Mr J Rosie, Mr G M Smith, Mr J McGillivray, Mr W Ross, Mr R Durham, Mr A Rhind, Dr D Alston, Mr H Fraser, Miss J Campbell, Mr D Fallows
In attendance:
Mr H Fraser, Director of 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 G Watson, Community Development Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Mrs B Dunthorne, Finance Manager, Finance Service
Mr A Clark, Active Schools Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Ms L Jones, Health Promoting Schools Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Ms N Murray, Catering and Cleaning Manager, Education, Culture and Sport
Ms E Johnston, Policy 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
Prior to the commencement of business, the Chairman welcomed the appointment of Miss Catriona Burns as Youth Convener.
Members also praised Inverness Leisure staff for their handling of the evacuation of the Leisure Centre following the electrical fire on 13 September 2008. Despite the fire being small, equipment had been damaged and extensive and complex repairs were required. It was therefore unlikely that the pools would be able to reopen before the start of October. However, Inverness Leisure had recently revised its insurance and it was anticipated that the cost of the repairs and loss of income would be covered.
Rev D C Meredith opened the meeting with prayer.
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr A M Millar, Mr B Gormley and Mr J MacDonald.
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-40-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which set out the Revenue Budget monitoring position for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 July 2008. At this stage, there was a projected overspend of £736,000 and the significant budget pressures were outlined together with the proposed remedial actions.
Rising fuel and energy costs continued to have a detrimental impact on the budget, particularly in relation to the Catering trading account. Every option to ensure the trading accounts broke even would be investigated but, if this proved unsuccessful, it would be necessary to look at alternative ways as to how the additional costs would be off-set.
The Committee NOTED the budget pressures and the corrective actions identified to address them and AGREED to report back to Members on how any negative variance that might arise on the Catering and Cleaning Accounts would be absorbed by the Education, Culture and Sport Revenue Budget.
4. Capital Expenditure 2008/09 - Monitoring
There had been circulated Report No ECS-41-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing detail of the net expenditure position for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 July 2008 and which included projected year-end estimates based upon the Education, Culture and Sport Service approved Capital programme. It also included information on Public Private Partnership Contracts and Schools curricular equipment purchases and identified a projected underspend of £827,000.
The purpose of the Major Fabric Improvement allocation was to address structural defects within the school estate. However, it would also assist with the management of projected underspends and a list of projects, which could be commenced at relatively short notice, was proposed. Members emphasised the need to ensure Capital Programme underspends were reallocated and that their input would help to ensure value for money and that resources were maximised.
The Committee NOTED the capital expenditure outturn position and revised budgets and AGREED the implementation of the proposed Major Fabric Improvement projects in order to manage potential slippage within the overall Education, Culture and Sport programme.
5. Fourth Employee Survey – Interim Report
There had been circulated Report No ECS-42-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out an interim report on the Education, Culture and Sport Service response to the fourth employee survey carried out over November and December 2007.
Communication was important, not only with staff but with Members, particularly of developments in their local area. Disappointment was also expressed at the percentage of staff speaking highly of the Council as an employer and the level of morale within the Service.
The Committee NOTED the Corporate improvements with the Employee Survey; and AGREED:-
i. the proposals for developing Education, Culture and Sport Service specific
improvements as outlined in the report;
ii. in relation to Communication, it be borne in mind to advise Members of
issues occurring within their Ward; and
iii. to assist in gauging employee satisfaction, Members be informed of the
number of Education, Culture and Sport staff who had taken part in strike
action on 22 August and the forthcoming day of action on 24 September
2008.
6. Initial Report on Scottish Qualifications Authority Examinations Performance
There had been circulated Report No ECS-43-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport outlining key information arising from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) examination diet of 2008. The results obtained by pupils in S4-S6 together with Looked After Children and Gaelic Learners were detailed although Members were advised that the data was subject to alteration following appeals and other modifications.
Teachers and pupils were thanked for their efforts. The results demonstrated that Highland was one of the best places to educate children and young people and a comparison of the data against other areas was requested. However, the need to prioritise improvements in the attainment of Looked After Children was stressed and further information on their examination performance was sought. The benefits of bilingualism were well known and, in this regard, an investigation to gauge how well those who had gone through Gaelic Medium Education had progressed was requested. In turn, this could result in more funding being provided to encourage bilingualism at a much earlier stage. It was also acknowledged that there were other examinations which young people took and information on this too was sought.
The Committee NOTED the outcomes of the SQA examinations and AGREED:-
i. the examination performance of Looked After Children be detailed in the
Statutory Performance Indicator report due to be considered at the
Education, Culture and Sport on 15 January 2009;
ii. investigation take place into the level of success achieved by Gaelic
Learners in SQA examinations;
iii. that when considering SQA examination performance, other examinations,
including those relating to vocational courses, be also taken into account;
and
iv. Members be informed of the percentage of Highland schools in the top
quartile compared to other Councils.
7. Class Size Reduction P1 to P3 – Progress Report
There had been circulated Report No ECS-44-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport giving a progress report on the implementation of the Scottish Government’s policy to reduce maximum class sizes to 18 in P1 to P3. The benefits of reduced class sizes and the situation, at present, in Highland were outlined. A significant amount of preparatory work was required in order to gather relevant information, including projected school rolls, and a further update was to be reported to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee on 13 November 2008 at which time there would be a detailed implementation plan for Members to consider.
In acknowledging the benefits, the financial implications of such a proposal gave concern especially at a time when the Council was facing major funding challenges. Some schools, for example, would require capital investment if class sizes were to be reduced.
The Committee NOTED:-
i. the progress made to date in implementing class size reduction to 18 in P1
to P3 inclusive in all Primary Schools;
ii. the commitment to bring a more detailed report to the Education, Culture
and Sport Committee outlining indicative costs for full implementation, an
implementation timetable and more accurate information on school rolls
once the school census figures had become available.
8. Safeguarding Rural Schools
There had been circulated Report No ECS-45-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport giving details of a draft response to the Scottish Government consultative document on the proposed changes in legislation to safeguard rural schools and also to improve school consultation procedures.
To emphasise that Highland was an attractive place to live and work, care should be taken in the response not to give a negative impression. It was also requested that a full explanation be provided as to what was meant by stakeholders to avoid any dubiety. In relation to the suggestion that the period between publishing the consultation outcome and the date of the formal decision be shortened from the proposed 28 days to 14, Members expressed concern that this would have a detrimental effect, particularly given the consequences to rural communities of the subject matter of these consultations.
The Committee AGREED the draft response to the Scottish Government’s proposed changes in legislation to safeguard rural schools and to improve school consultation procedures, subject to the following changes:-
i. in relation to the response to Question 14, Anything Else, the wording in
the first sentence “within the next decade there will be significant
demographic changes within the Highlands. At the same time……” be
removed together with the wording in the second sentence “Sometimes
these objectives conflict and ….”; and
ii. that the Scottish Government’s recommendation in relation to the
timescale for the period between publishing the consultation outcome and
the formal decision by elected members remain at 28 days, and not 14 as
suggested in the response.
9. Progress Report – “Your Choice to Healthy Living” Initiative
There had been circulated Report No ECS-46-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport concerning the progress of the Your Choice to Healthy Living initiative and the newly revised Your Choice Implementation Plan which brought together all the school meals and nutrition, physical activity and other health related initiatives.
The Committee NOTED the progress of the Your Choice to Healthy Living Initiative.
10. Implementation of the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition)(Scotland) Act 2007
There had been circulated Report No ECS-47-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport concerning the planned implementation of the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition)(Scotland) Act and the successful progress in increasing uptake of school meals in Highland.
In welcoming the increased uptake of school meals, the various issues surrounding the Council’s legal duty in ensuring food and drinks provided on school campuses met the nutritional requirements set out were explored. Guidance notes were to be provided assisting school groups on what could be sold in tuck shops etc and guidance was available on the Healthy Living website, together with initiatives, to encourage healthy packed lunches. Canteens were constrained in relation to the numbers they could accommodate but alternative methods of operation were being investigated. In assessing local circumstances, it was also important not only to consider the effect of mobile campus retailers but those fixed retail outlets in close proximity to schools.
The Committee NOTED the significant increase in school meal uptake since 2000/01 to date and AGREED:-
i. to apply the provisions of the Act in all Highland school campuses from
January 2009; and
ii. a further investigation into local circumstances and bye laws on the location
of both fixed and campus mobile food and drink retailers in the vicinity of
schools.
11. Trialling and Consultation on Curriculum for Excellence Health and Wellbeing
The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee was one of seven authorities in Scotland officially trialling the Curriculum for Excellence Health and Wellbeing Outcomes and Experiences. In this connection, there had been circulated Report No ECS-48-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the approach being taken in Highland to ensure that partners and stakeholders had an opportunity to engage in the process.
The Committee NOTED the trialling in Highland schools of the Curriculum for Excellence Health and Wellbeing Outcomes and Experiences and AGREED a further report on the results of the trialling be submitted to the next Education, Culture and Sport Committee on 13 November 2008.
12. Development of a Highland Lifestyle Survey
There had been circulated Report No ECS-49-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport indicating that a proposed Highland Lifestyle Survey had been developed by a multi-agency steering group over the last year for pupils in P7, S2 and S4. The Steering Group was now at a stage to implement the survey on a bi-annual basis and was seeking approval to proceed. The main purpose of the survey was to provide data to assess performance against key outcomes in the For Highland’s Children’s Plan.
The trends highlighted by the survey were to be monitored and would enable benchmarking data to be established. Members welcomed the drop in the number of young people using alcohol and tobacco and gave their support to young people in choosing healthier lifestyles. In regard to the survey’s wording, it was requested that it be amended to avoid any suggestion that young people automatically consumed alcohol.
The Committee AGREED the questionnaire for implementation as a bi-annual survey for pupils in P7, S2 and S4 subject to the amendment of Question 22 so that the statement “I didn’t drink any alcohol” was first on the list of options rather than last.
13. Fit For Girls
There had been circulated Report No ECS-50-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport indicating that the Youth Sport Trust, sportscotland and the Scottish Government had made funding available to the Council to raise awareness of girls’ issues in sport by providing advice, funding and support to Physical Education Teachers, Active Schools Co-ordinators and other Education, Culture and Sport staff to improve girls participation in Physical education, physical activity and sport.
The Committee AGREED:-
i. to accept the offer of funding and training from the Youth Sport Trust;
ii. the steps to be taken to roll out training to Physical Education staff, Active
School Co-ordinators and other Education, Culture and Sport service staff;
and
iii. that the various issues influencing teenage girls, and their participation in
sport, be taken into account.
14. Review of Administrative and Clerical Support Staff
There had been circulated progress Report No ECS-51-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on the review of administrative and clerical support staff across the Education, Culture and Sport Service including the outcomes of the information gathering phase and details of the design and implementation phases that would be undertaken over the next 6 to 12 months.
The Committee NOTED:-
i. the progress made with the review of administrative and clerical support
staff; and
ii. that further progress reports would be brought to Members throughout
the period of the review.
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
13 August 2008 (28kb) ;
ii. NOTED the Minutes of the Education Transport Appeals Committee held on
13 August 2008; and
iii. NOTED the Minutes of the Duncraig Trust Scheme Sub Committee held on
3 September 2008.
In relation to the development of a Highland Sports Strategy, currently being considered by Sport and Activity Working Group, it was confirmed that it was still proposed that this would be brought to the meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee on 13 November 2008.
The meeting ended at 12.30 p.m.