Committees

A meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday 6 August 2009 at 10.30 am.

 

You are invited to attend the meeting and a note of the business to be considered is attached.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Michelle Morris
Assistant 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. Recess Powers

 

The Committee is asked to note that the Recess Powers granted by the Council at its meeting on 25 June 2009 have not been exercised in relation to the business of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee.

 

4. Revenue Budget Outturn 2008/09 and Monitoring 2009/10 

 

There is circulated Report No ECS-26-09 dated 25 July 2009 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the Revenue Budget outturn position for 2008/09 and the monitoring position on the 2009/10 Revenue Budget for the 3 months to 30 June 2009.

 

The Committee is invited to:-

 

i.  note the 2008/09 financial outturn position;
ii.  note the known pressures on the 2009/10 Revenue Budget as outlined in 
    the report;
iii. agree the corrective actions identified; and
iv. note the progress being made with the achievement of budget savings as 
    outlined in the report.

 

5. Capital Expenditure - Outturn 2008/09 and Monitoring 2009/10      

 

There is circulated Report No ECS-27-09 dated 24 July 2009 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the near final Capital outturn position for 2008/09, the monitoring position on the 2009/10 Capital Expenditure Budget for the 3 months to the end of June 2009, an overview of progress on Capital projects and information on other Capital matters.

 

The Committee is invited to:-

 

i.  note the content of the report and progress made in programme output  
    achieved with the approved Capital programme during 2008/09 and the 
    planned progress for the current financial year;
ii. that, to manage the overall Service Capital Programme for 2009/10 in terms
    of both cash flow and project delivery, an element of over programming
    has been introduced to the value of £1.363M, as agreed with the Finance
    Service and Housing and Property Service;
iii. agree a Consultancy Framework Contract agreement for future Asset
    Management options appraisal as detailed in the report;
iv. agree the proposed budget revision for Roy Bridge Primary School as
    detailed in the report; and
v. agree to request the Resources Committee to ring-fence £10,000 from the
    capital receipt generated by the sale of Newhall Primary School and that this
    sum be provided to the local community as a contribution towards the
    upgrade of the Resolis Memorial Hall.

 

6. Youth Work – Update and Future Development  

 

There is circulated Report No ECS-28-09 dated 26 June 2009 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport updating Members on progress in implementing the Council’s youth work policy and which sets the focus for future work plans.

 

The Committee is invited to:-

 

i.   note the progress and examples under each of the five key areas of work;
ii.  agree the future focus under each;
iii. note the examples of good practice;
iv. note the widening expectations of the national agenda for youth work;
    and
v. agree that further reports be brought to the Committee outlining the
    developing local work and the national agenda and its impact on the Council
    policies for youth work.

 

7. School Manual – Revised Governance Framework 

 

There is circulated Report No ECS-29-09 dated 23 June 2009 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport seeking approval to extend the scope of the existing Devolved School Management manual and to introduce a revised governance framework for this extended document.

 

The Committee is invited to agree:-

 

i.   the creation of a School Manual to replace the existing Devolved School
     Management manual and that this document be available by June 2010;
ii.  the principles and governance proposals as contained in the report;
iii. the review of the financial headings as identified in the report;
iv. the creation of the appropriate detailed administrative procedural and
    guidance notes for the headings detailed in the report; and
v. that the School Manual be a web based document that will be reviewed
    and updated annually with appropriate procedures in place to provide an
    audit trail of the changes made.

 

8. Recent Actions to Develop Shinty   

 

There is circulated Report No ECS-30-09 dated 10 July 2009 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on progress to implement the objective in the Council’s programme to promote shinty.

 

The Committee is invited to comment on the current programme for increasing numbers participating in shinty and to agree the details of the service level agreement with the Camanachd Association.

 

9. Curriculum for Excellence – Update 

 

There is circulated Report No ECS-31-09 dated 30 June 2009 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on progress on the implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence and which provides further information on the implementation strategy, communication to stakeholders, the deployment of teachers for development as funded by the Scottish Government, the plans for a Learning Festival and an update on the next generation of National Qualifications.

 

The Committee is invited to note the report and agree:-

 

i.   that further reports be submitted as appropriate; and
ii.  the secondment model for the five experienced teachers.

 

10. Curriculum for Excellence – Policy on International Education 

 

There is circulated Report No ECS-32-09 dated 26 June 2009 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport detailing the Education, Culture and Sport policy on International Education which will further contribute to the enrichment of the learning experiences for young people under the Curriculum for Excellence.

 

The Committee is invited to note the policy.

 

11. Curriculum for Excellence – Draft Learning and Teaching Policy 

 

There is circulated Report No ECS-33-09 dated 26 June 2009 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport reminding Members that the original Policy and Toolkit for Learning and Teaching was very well received by teaching staff and other stakeholders and has stimulated a range of very good practice in our schools.  It sets out the first revision of the Highland Learning and Teaching Policy which has been developed by the Curriculum for Excellence Learning and Teaching Group and which is co-ordinated by a Quality Improvement Officer.

 

The Committee is invited to note the Draft Learning and Teaching Policy.

 

12. Minutes of Meetings 

 

There are circulated, for noting, the minutes of the Education Transport Appeals held on 19 May 2009.