Committees
A meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday 11 March 2010 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. Revenue Budget 2009/10 – Monitoring
There is circulated Report No ECS-13-10 dated 19 February 2010 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which sets out the Revenue Budget monitoring position for the period 1 April 2009 to 31 January 2010, highlighting known budget pressures and proposed compensatory savings measures. Details of progress with the achievement of the outstanding budget savings targets for 2008/09 and 2009/10 are also provided.
The Committee is asked to:-
i. note the budget pressures outlined in section 2 of the report;
ii. note the corrective actions outlined in section 3 of the report;
iii. note the progress being made with the outstanding budget savings
targets outlined in section 4 of the report; and
iv. agree that further compensatory savings be identified in order to achieve
a balanced budget by the end of the financial year.
4. Capital Expenditure 2009/10 – Monitoring
There is circulated Report No ECS-14-10 dated 1 March 2010 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which sets out the Capital Programme net expenditure position for the period 1 April 2009 to 31 January 2010 and identifies a projected underspend within the programme of £2.258m. The report also includes:-
- information on the opening of Mallaig Pupil Hostel on 1 March 2010;
- a progress report on the redevelopment of Lochaber High School;
- a progress report on the replacement of Wick High School;
- a proposal to increase the budget for the new Aviemore Primary School as a result of ground conditions and topography;
- an update on progress with the development of the new primary school at Milton of Leys and a request for Members’ approval for the revised budget estimate for the project;
- a progress report on the development of the new combined school replacing the existing Maryburgh Primary School and Conon Bridge Primary School;
- an update on progress with identifying sites for the new stand-alone Gaelic Medium schools in Fort William and Portree; and
- a proposal to transfer the Lochaber High School Phase 1 temporary gym to the Black Isle Education Centre.
The Committee is invited to:-
i. note the content of the monitoring statement;
ii. note the opening of the Mallaig School Residence as set out in paragraph
2.1 of the report;
iii. approve the funding of four new mobile library vehicles by transferring the
current revenue budget for lease payments to the loan charges budget to
meet the repayment of the associated capital purchase debt;
iv. approve the production of a cost benefit analysis on the future
investment at Wick High School, as set out in paragraph 2.2 pf the report;
v. approve an increase in budget of £0.895m for Aviemore School from
£10.6m to £11.545m as set out in paragraph 2.3 of the report;
vi. note the programme for the new Milton of Leys Primary School as set out
in paragraph 2.4 of the report and approve a revised budget totalling
£9.35m;
vii. approve the start of site option appraisal exercises to identify appropriate
sites for new stand-alone Gaelic Medium Primary Schools in Fort William and
Portree; and
viii.approve the transfer of the temporary kit-pack gym from Lochaber High
School to the Black Isle Education Centre (BIEC) at a cost of £0.130m as
set out in paragraph 2.7 of the report and that the project cost be met
from the funding for the development of the BIEC within the approved
ECS Capital Programme.
5. HMle (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education) Reports
There is circulated Report No ECS-15-10 dated 19 February 2010 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the summary outcomes of HMIe inspections of primary and secondary schools in Highland.
The Committee is invited to note the positive reports on schools in Highland and the improvement in quality of grades within the “Improvement through self-evaluation” indicator.
6. Curriculum for Excellence Assessment
There is circulated Report No ECS-16-10 dated 19 February 2010 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the background to changes in assessment needed following the publication of the final Curriculum for Excellence Framework documents.
The Committee is invited to:-
i. agree that 5-14 attainment data cease to be submitted from August
2010, to be replaced based a system based on Curriculum for Excellence
Principles;
ii. note the need for a system that will assure standards throughout schools,
and that discussions on additional funding to manage the introduction and
maintenance of such a system are currently underway at national level;
and
iii. note the shift in emphasis to assessment which will involve children and
young people in the assessment process and in the recognition of
their wider achievement.
7. Review of Leisure, Recreation and Development Opportunities for
Young People
There is circulated Report No ECS-17-10 dated 1 March 2010 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which explains that “Strengthening the Highlands”, the Programme of the Council, has a comprehensive set of commitments in relation to services for children and young people, one of which is to review leisure, recreation and development opportunities available to young people. The report presents an analysis of the findings of an audit of provision and suggests key themes that would require to be tackled to improve the range, availability and uptake of opportunities for young people. It recommends that consideration be given to establishing short-life working groups, chaired by the Children’s Champions, to consider actions as a result of the audit.
The Committee is invited to:-
i. comment on the key themes identified from the audit, as set out in the
report; and
ii. agree that the Education, Culture and Sport Service take the lead on
bringing together Council Services, community planning partners and
young people through working groups led by the three Children’s
Champions, to prepare reports on proposed actions addressing the key
themes and for the groups to report before the end of 2010.
8. University of the Highland and Islands Centre for History –
Academic Leadership Post
There is circulated Report No ECS-18-10 dated 1 March 2010 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport seeking approval to commit £30,000 in 2009/10 from the Chief Executive’s Corporate Development Fund in support of an Academic Leadership post within the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Centre for History.
The Committee is invited to approve the proposal to commit £30,000 in 2009/10 from the Chief Executive’s Corporate Development Fund in support of an Academic Leadership post within the UHI Centre for History, dependent on the balance being found to complete the funding package.
9. Statutory Consultations – Proposed School Closures
There is circulated Report No ECS-19-10 dated 18 February 2010 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport seeking approval to carry out statutory consultations in relation to the proposed closure of the following schools:-
- Uig Primary School
- Borrodale Primary School
- Achaphubuil Primary School
- Achnasheen Primary School
- Glenborrodale Primary School
The Committee is invited to agree that:-
i. statutory consultations be carried out in relation to the proposed closure
of Uig Primary School, Borrodale Primary School, Achaphubuil Primary
School, Achnasheen Primary School and Glenborrodale Primary School in
accordance with the requirements of the Schools Consultation (Scotland)
Bill; and
ii. the outcomes of the consultations be reported to the Education, Culture
and Sport Committee on 5 August 2010.
10. Future Development of the Education, Culture and Sport Estate -
Greater Fort William Area
There is circulated Report No ECS-20-10 dated 3 March 2010 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the outcome of the option appraisal exercise that was carried out in respect of future pre-school and primary school provision in the Greater Fort William Area. The report also seeks Member approval to carry out the related statutory consultations in accordance with the statutory requirements of the School Consultation (Scotland) legislation.
The Committee is invited to note the outcome of the option appraisal exercise relating to future pre-school and primary school provision in the Greater Fort William area and agree that statutory consultations be undertaken in respect of the following options:-
i. a new combined school amalgamating the former Fort William Primary
School and Upper Achintore Primary School on a new site; and
ii. a new combined school on a joint campus basis amalgamating the former
Fort William Roman Catholic Primary School, Lochyside Primary School and
Caol Primary School on the site of the existing Caol Primary School.
11. Education Transport Appeals
There is circulated Report No ECS-21-10 dated 1 March 2010 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which asks Members to approve revisions to the process for considering and determining education transport entitlement.
The Committee is invited to:-
i. agree that the following procedures be adopted for considering requests
for free school transport below the statutory distances of 2 miles (under
8 years of age) and 3 miles (8 years of age and over):-
- that the initial assessment of the route, and the decision, be taken by officials in Transport, Environmental and Community Services based on a risk assessment framework as outlined in Appendix 3 to the report;
- that the risk assessment framework be based on the Local Authorities Road Safety Officers Association guidelines;
- if the initial decision by officers is subsequently challenged then a review of education transport entitlement be considered by a Sub-Committee of Members; and
ii. note that, in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders, the decisions
of Appeals Committees are final within the Council.
12. Minutes of Meetings
There are circulated, for noting, the Minutes of the Education Transport Appeals Committee held on 14 January 2010.