Agendas, reports and minutes

Minutes of Meeting of the Education Committee held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday 27 February 2020 at 12.05 pm.

Present:

Mrs C Caddick (Substitute), Mrs I Campbell, Mrs M Cockburn, Mr J Finlayson (Chair), Mr L Fraser, Mr K Gowans, Mr A Graham, Mr T Heggie (Vice Chair), Ms E Knox, Mr G MacKenzie, Mrs I MacKenzie, Mr S Mackie, Mr R MacWilliam, Ms L Munro (Substitute) (Skype), Mrs F Robertson, Mr G Ross, Mr A Sinclair, Ms N Sinclair (video conferencing)
    
Religious Representatives:

Ms S Lamont, Mr W Skene    
    
Non-Members also present:

Mr R Balfour, Mr R Bremner (video conferencing), Mrs G Campbell-Sinclair, Mrs M Davidson, Mr R Gale (video conferencing), Mr A Henderson, Mr A Jarvie, Mr B Lobban, Mr D Mackay, Mrs A MacLean, Mr D Macpherson, Mr J McGillivray (video conferencing), Mr C Smith
    
In attendance:

Ms D Manson, Chief Executive
Ms K Lackie, Executive Chief Officer Performance and Governance
Mr A Gunn, Interim Chief Officer Resources and Transformation
Mr B Porter, Head of Resources
Ms N Grant, Interim Head of Education
Ms K Henry, Senior Manager Early Years
Ms B Brown, Strategic Quality Improvement Manager
Mr N Engstrand, Change Team representative
Ms C McGonigal, Change Team representative
Ms J MacDonald, Change Team representative
Ms F Shearer, Area Care and Learning Manager (South)
Ms L Bailey, Project Manager, ASN Transformation Project
Mr M Mitchell, Finance Manager
Ms R Bell, Policy Officer
Ms J Douglas, Care and Learning Alliance (Third Sector)
Ms G Newman, Highland Children’s Forum (Third Sector)
Ms S Blyth, Highland Parent Council Partnership
Miss J Maclennan, Principal Administrator, Chief Executive’s Office
Miss M Murray, Committee Administrator, Chief Executive’s Office

Also in attendance:

Ms K Cormack, Head Teacher, Dingwall Academy
Mrs S Lundberg, Dingwall Academy
Mrs M Kinsman, Dingwall Academy
Dingwall Academy Signing Choir

An asterisk in the margin denotes a recommendation to the Council.  All decisions with no marking in the margin are delegated to the Committee.

Mr J Finlayson in the Chair

Preliminaries

Prior to the commencement of formal business, the Chair highlighted that young people from Inverness Royal Academy were hosting a stand in the Members’ Lounge to raise awareness of LGBT History Month and speak to Members about some of the work carried out by the LGBT and Global Citizenship groups in their school.  It was added that in 2019 Highland had reached the top ten of the Stonewall Education Index as one of the best local authorities for tackling anti-LGBT bullying and celebrating differences in its schools.

In addition, he provided an update regarding Park Primary School in Invergordon, which had suffered extensive fire damage earlier in the week, and thanked school staff for the safe evacuation of children from the building once the alarm had been raised.  Since the fire, the main focus of parents, the wider community and the Council had been to support the whole school community.  The Chief Executive had visited the site after the fire and had hosted a parents’ meeting, attended by over 200 parents, at Invergordon Academy on Tuesday evening.  Plans for both the short and longer term were being looked into but at present the main actions were:

• all P1-7 pupils would be accommodated at Invergordon Academy;
• nursery children would be accommodated at South Lodge Primary School;
• the above arrangements would be in place until Easter;
• High Life Highland was coordinating offers of donations for children and families, and donations should be taken to Invergordon Leisure Centre;
• the Council was making cash payments of £100 to parents to help with replacing coats, bags, shoes etc;
• additional staff and support were being put in place to make the next week or so a positive experience for pupils and staff; and
• arrangements for separate access, dining, play space etc were all in hand.

Any further information would be shared as it became known.

The Chair also drew attention to a list, which had been tabled, of outstanding achievements by pupils and schools.  He explained that he was keen to see the good work of young people in Highland recognised at all Committees, and that this would be a standing item on future agendas.

The Committee NOTED the updates and the list of outstanding achievements.

Business

In terms of Standing Order 9, the Committee AGREED to take item 6 as the first item of business.

6.    Dingwall Academy – Highland Deaf Education
Acadamaidh Inbhir Pheofharain – Foghlam Buidhre na Gàidhealtachd

Ms K Cormack, Head Teacher, Dingwall Academy, provided a verbal presentation during which it was explained that Dingwall Academy was recognised as one of the leading schools in terms of deaf education provision.  It had recently become the base for Highland Deaf Services, headed up by Mrs S Lundberg.  In addition, there was specialist provision in the school for deaf education, and Mrs M Kinsman was a valued member of staff within that service.

Deaf education was integrated within the school and enriched it as a result.  Every S1 pupil experienced a taster programme in British Sign Language (BSL) and pupils were able to choose it as a subject in future years.  BSL was recognised as a language in its own right and, when looking at the numbers for uptake of languages in the school, Gaelic and BSL were the highest.  BSL lessons were immediately active and pupils enjoyed learning it.  Lobbying had taken place for BSL to be recognised as a qualification and from next year it would be offered at level 5.  BSL was also offered to staff, and every department had a member of staff who had taken part in an introductory course.

Mrs Lundberg had been involved in the 1+2 Languages initiative and had developed a programme of work that had been taken up by 39 primary schools and 19 secondary schools in Highland in its first year.  In addition, it had been purchased by 13 local authorities across Scotland for use in their schools.

The Signing Choir was very much part of the school and included both deaf and hearing pupils.  It was open to everyone, whether studying BSL or not.  Ms Cormack then handed over to Mrs Lundberg who provided further information on BSL, explaining that it was based on context rather than vocabulary, and introduced a performance by the Signing Choir of George Ezra’s “Shotgun”.

During discussion, Members commended the Signing Choir for their performance and wished them every success in the future.  It was commented that BSL was integrated into the whole approach of inclusion within the school and featured in all Dingwall Academy functions.  The Signing Choir was a current example of the outstanding achievement that had been in place in Dingwall Academy for many years, and special thanks were expressed to Mrs Lundberg and Mrs Kinsman for their efforts.  When Education Scotland or the Scottish Government were looking for guidance on BSL matters, Dingwall Academy was at the top of the list.   In terms of SQAs, Members welcomed the fact that lobbying had come to fruition and Dingwall Academy would be able to offer BSL at level 5 next year.  It would be the first school to do so, just as it had been the first school to include BSL in the curriculum as a modern language.

The Committee otherwise NOTED the presentation.

1.    Apologies for Absence
Leisgeulan

Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr G Adam, Mr A Christie and The Very Rev S Murray.

2.    Declarations of Interest
Foillseachaidhean Com-pàirt

The Committee NOTED the following declarations of interest:-

Item 8 – Mr K Gowans, Mr A Jarvie and Ms E Knox (all non-financial)
Item 12 – Mr A Graham (financial)

3.    Role and Remit of the Education Committee
Dreuchd agus Raon-ùghdarrais Comataidh an Fhoghlaim

There had been circulated Report No EDU/01/20 dated 17 February 2020 by the Executive Chief Officer Performance and Governance.

During discussion, Members commented that the school estate capital programme was not included in the functions of the Committee as set out in the report, and it was suggested this be addressed as it was something the Committee should have oversight of.

In response, the Executive Chief Officer Performance and Governance explained that a corporate landlord model had been implemented whereby all the Council’s assets were looked at together.  In terms of scrutiny, the intention was that this would take place at the Housing and Property Committee as well as at Area Committees.  Likewise, the capital programme was a matter for the full Council so all Members would have the opportunity for input.  However, she acknowledged Members’ comments and it was confirmed that they would be considered as part of the ongoing Governance Review.

Members were encouraged by the response, and it was hoped that a mechanism could be put in place to allow Education Committee input to the capital programme.  The school estate could not be ignored when looking at education in general, and the importance of including the Education Committee was reiterated.  It was added that the capital programme was not just about buildings; the purpose was to provide buildings which were then used as schools to educate Highland’s young people, and that linked it to the Education Committee.

The Committee otherwise NOTED the report.

4.    Membership of Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers
Ballrachd Comataidh Barganachaidh Ionadail airson Thidsearan

* The Committee APPROVED the membership of the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers as follows:-

Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee (recommendation to full Council)
Vice Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee (recommendation to full Council)
Chair of the Education Committee
Vice Chair of the Education Committee
Mr A Christie
Mrs M Cockburn
Ms E Knox
Mr G MacKenzie
Mr S Mackie
Mr A Sinclair

5.    Appointment to SEEMiS LLP Board
Cur an Dreuchd gu Bòrd SEEMisS LLP

The Committee AGREED to appoint Mr T Heggie to the SEEMiS LLP Board.    

7.    Analysis of Secondary School Interim Attainment
Mion-sgrùdadh de Bhuileachadh Eadar-amail Àrd-sgoile

There had been circulated Report No EDU/02/20 dated 18 February 2020 by the Chief Executive.

During discussion, the following issues were raised:-

• reducing bureaucracy in schools would enable teachers to teach, enhance learning and improve attainment overall, leading to better outcomes in the future.  It would also reduce stress amongst teaching staff, and it was necessary to work smarter and make better use of technology.  In response, the Chair confirmed that tackling bureaucracy in schools was being looked at nationally as well as locally;
• the pre-Committee workshop had been very helpful, and it was suggested they should take place more regularly;
• disappointment was expressed that there was no mention in the report of secondary schools in the Inverness city area, Millburn Academy being a potential model of good practice that could be rolled out across Highland;
• the need to share best practice and improve communication between schools was emphasised;
• it was important, when trying to close the attainment gap, not to lose sight of the high achievers;
• Curriculum for Excellence had led to a deterioration in the choice of subjects being offered in Highland schools, and it was not helpful that some regions could offer certain subjects and others could not;
• it was necessary to seek more help and support in terms of bringing in better practice in Highland;
• reference was made to the variances in practice in primary schools, and it was suggested that there was a need for a blueprint.  In response, the Chair emphasised that there was a national curriculum, Curriculum for Excellence, and there were very clear guidelines in that respect.  However, it was also necessary to take into account the different context of different schools;
• the data in the report was somewhat confusing and it would have been helpful to have more time to talk it through at the pre-Committee workshop;
• primary attainment was a priority in terms of ensuring that extra pressure was not placed on secondary schools due to pupils not having the necessary skillsets;
• as well as being ambitious for Highland’s young people, it was necessary to be ambitious for teachers as they were central to improving attainment;
• it would be helpful to receive feedback at ward level on the Associated School Group (ASG) attainment sessions.  In response, the Chair explained that it was intended to create a toolkit and provide feedback at Area Committees to allow local scrutiny of performance;
• the language and aspirations were the same as in previous initiatives, and it was necessary to ask why it was going to be different this time.  However, Members recognised the passion of the officers involved and wished them every success;
• it had been understood that Grade A Higher passes were increasing in Highland, and information had been sought from the Strategic Quality Improvement Manager in that regard;
• Curriculum for Excellence had presented huge opportunities to personalise the curriculum for people who otherwise might not have attended school at all;
• the previous Care, Learning and Housing Committee did not place enough emphasis on educational items, and the introduction of a dedicated Education Committee was welcomed.  It would provide an opportunity for Member scrutiny that had been lacking in recent times, it was important to take that opportunity;
• Alness Academy had been used as an example for the purposes of the report, but it would be helpful to provide Members with the same information for the secondary schools in their wards to allow them to begin to carry out their scrutiny role;
• in response to the points raised regarding scrutiny, the Chair commented that there needed to be an acceptance that all Members had a responsibility in that respect, and he welcomed the fact that there were CPD opportunities and seminars planned to upskill Members;
• it was requested that ASG leads attend Ward Business Meeting within the next month or two to talk to the attainment data, particularly for the benefit of non-Committee Members who also needed to understand how they could use it to provide scrutiny;
• being in the fourth quartile in terms of performance was unacceptable and it was necessary to take responsibility and move forward in a way that was going to improve the situation as quickly as possible;
• reporting mechanisms needed to improve dramatically and immediately, and information was sought on how it was intended to manage data flow after the follow-up report to the May Committee, including how regularly information would be provided and how flexible the new system would be in terms of responding to what the data showed;
• identifying trends at an early stage would allow solutions to be found and resources to be targeted at problem areas;
• some Members still felt unclear as to how they could contribute to improving the attainment rate;
• it was necessary not only to share information but to develop relationships, and Members and officers needed to work together as colleagues.  That had very much been the theme at the pre-Committee workshop, which was encouraging, but it was important to put it into practice;
• to improve tariff scores, it was necessary 1) to improve the quality of education provision; and 2) to offer a wider choice of subjects, particularly at Higher level.  When it came to UCAS tariff points, Highland children were between 80 to 100 points below those from comparable Councils that offered a wider choice of subjects, thereby placing them at a disadvantage;
• attention was drawn to the Attainment versus Deprivation charts in the report, and concern was expressed that, in pursuit of closing the attainment gap, the attainment of higher performing pupils was being lowered.  It had previously been reported that Highland had more equal outcomes that other authorities.  However, the performance of children from both deprived and privileged backgrounds was below national levels and it was necessary to raise the performance of all pupils;
• it was necessary to have a clear plan and focus, empower teachers, and impress parents and carers with the improvements they saw in their children;
• children developed at different stages in their school life, and they grew in knowledge, skills and confidence throughout the school year because of the teachers, classroom assistants and everyone else that supported them in within school; and
• getting the best for Highland’s children should be the Council’s number one priority.

In responding to the points raised, the Interim Head of Education confirmed that arrangements would be made for Education Improvement Team representatives to visit Ward Business Meetings and/or Area Committees.  In addition, she undertook to prepare, in consultation with the Chair, a Committee Work Plan around attainment and the four key priorities that had been identified at the workshop, and she sought Members’ support in taking that forward.

The Chief Executive commented that young people in Highland were amazing, and it was necessary for Members and officers to work together to promote their talents, abilities and skills and develop an approach that not only recognised attainment but achievement and inclusion.  The earlier performance by the Dingwall Signing Choir and the stand in the Members’ Lounge hosted by Inverness Royal Academy pupils were examples of some of the best inclusive practice in Scotland, and it was important to bring balance to the Education Committee and recognise the whole child.  It was also important to work with parents, carers and partners to enable Highland’s children to be the best they could be.

With regard to reported attainment in Highland, she explained that children’s attainment had not been properly represented in terms of the moderation activity that had been carried out, some schools having been overly robust when making judgements about where a child was in their attainment journey.  The Chair added that consistency of assessment and judgement by teaching staff was key, and this was something that needed to be worked on.

Thereafter, the Committee:-

i.    scrutinised and NOTED the position in respect of attainment of the young people in the Highlands;
ii.    NOTED that, as a result of attainment meetings, Head Teachers and central officers would agree actions for improvement;
iii.    NOTED that a follow-up meeting of this Committee would take place in May 2020, when the performance of individual schools would be scrutinised along with the school actions for improvement for session 2020/21 in relation to the recently published Best Value Assurance Report;
iv.    AGREED the future actions to raise attainment and achievement for all young people across the Highlands;
v.    AGREED that arrangements be made for Education Improvement Team representatives to attend Ward Business Meetings and/or Area Committees as appropriate; and
vi.    AGREED that a Committee Work Plan be prepared in consultation with the Chair.

8.    Additional Support Needs (ASN)
Feumalachdan Taice a Bharrachd

Declarations of Interest: 

The following Members declared non-financial interests in this item but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that their interests did not preclude their involvement in the discussion:

Mr K Gowans – parent of a child with ASN
Mr A Jarvie – employed by Inclusion Scotland
Ms E Knox – Non-Executive Director of CHIP+

There had been circulated Report No EDU/03/20 dated 24 February 2020 by the Chief Executive which accompanied a presentation during which parents present were commended for highlighting to Members so vividly what was recognised as a key issue.  This would be the first in a series of reports to Members informing them of progress in ensuring ASN resources were used more effectively and that there was a model in place meeting the needs of all pupils.  An extensive engagement process had taken place and it was clear that the current allocation model was not meeting the social, emotional and behavioural needs of young people.  One of the proposals therefore being considered was upskilling Pupil Support Assistants (PSAs) to give them a counselling qualification.  

During discussion, the following issues were raised:-

• the pressure placed on teachers and PSAs was acknowledged and anything that could be done to support them with the changes that would be required was vital;
• it was questioned whether the salaries of PSAs were high enough given that they were shaping the future of young people;
• while having PSAs with counselling qualifications was welcomed, not all PSAs would want to be upskilled.  In this regard, assurances were sought, and provided, that the upskilling of PSAs would not be at the expense of Mental Health practitioners; 
• the fact that there would be no PSA redundancies was welcomed but a plea was made to keep PSAs informed if there was a need for them to change location.  Furthermore, assurances were sought that any vacancies that did arise would not be used for vacancy management to meet budget pressures;
• Highland Council might have more PSAs than other local authorities but it also had significantly fewer ASN teachers so any benchmarking exercise had to take this into consideration;
• the review should take as long as was necessary but concern was expressed that the timescale to consult on the preferred model and report back to the next Education Committee was tight;
• the time and effort that had been taken to engage with stakeholders was commended and, as a result, the data gathered had been qualitative.  Over 5000 parents, teachers and pupils had taken part in often frank discussions and it was important, given the level of concern, that due cognisance was taken of all the issues raised and that they helped shape the final decisions made;
• reference was made to the survey and it was disappointing that 25% of staff felt that the learning needs of children and young people were not being met, despite the considerable amount of financial resources allocated.  Reference was made to other statistics too, including that 25% of primary and 43% of secondary school parents did not agree that their children received the help they needed to do well.  Officers were commended for their frankness of reporting;
• in response to a question, it was confirmed that the risk of duplicate survey responses being received from the same person was negligible;
• there was support for making Children’s Plans more child-friendly and less bureaucratic;
• there had been concern at the pace of transformational change of ASN and this had led to a disconnect between parents and the Council.  Accordingly, the proposal to reconnect with parent groups was fully supported;
• the identification of the failings, and the root causes, of the current process was a good step forward.  The existing model had been put in place only four years previously and had been lauded as a model which would solve everything.  It was therefore difficult for the public and parents to understand what had changed and there was a perception that inefficiencies of the process were now seen as inequalities of resource;
• more careful analysis was needed to ascertain if the current provision was ensuring the needs of pupils with the highest levels of ASN were being met as there were parent groups who would question this;
• part of the reason that the current model had not worked was because it had not been adhered to and it would be important that did not happen again with the new model;
• a “one-size fits all” model would not work in Highland;
• it was essential for Members to trust the process and the officers carrying out the work.  However, of even more importance was the need to keep the public fully aware of what was happening;
• whilst a holistic and collaborative approach should be adopted there would remain a need to challenge and interrogate outcomes;
• speed of diagnosis was vital to ensure timeous and appropriate support was put in place.  Until that took place there would be a detrimental impact on both families and fellow pupils, with teachers having to spend more time with pupils with undiagnosed ASN;
• it was pleasing to see that cognisance had been taken of the importance of ensuring the wellbeing of staff;
• assurances were sought that officers were now confident that they were having the interactions that were required;
• as a new Committee there would be some Members who were less experienced and knowledgeable.  They would have to rely on reports to provide detail and it was hoped additional information would be provided in the report to the next meeting of the Committee;
• it was questioned how future savings would be delivered by a combination of ongoing effective financial governance and Workforce Planning;
• information was sought as to the equality impact assessment approach being followed; and
• it would be useful to compare the Highland model of assessment with elsewhere.  In this regard, information was sought as to how information on best practice was shared with other Local Authorities.  However, caution was urged as to how data was interpreted given Highland’s uniqueness in terms of the number of schools and their locations, and the consequential limited mobility of its workforce.

The Committee:-

i.    NOTED the contents of the report;
ii.    NOTED that a Members workshop would take place to continue engagement in developing the new ASN model;
iii.    NOTED that consultation on the preferred model would take place between now and mid-April; 
iv.    NOTED that a next steps report would be presented to the Education Committee on 21 May 2020; and
v.    AGREED that details of the equality impact approach that would be followed be circulated.

9.    Review of Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers (LNCT) Agreement 23: Appointment Procedures – Head Teachers and Depute Head Teachers    (PP 32-33)
Ath-sgrùdadh air Aonta 23 Comataidh Barganachaidh Ionadail airson Thidsearan: Modhan Cur an Dreuchd – Ceannardan agus Iar-Cheannardan

There had been circulated Report No EDU/04/20 dated 6 February 2020 by the Chief Executive.

Members generally welcomed the proposal to include an Education official on the final interview panel for Head Teachers and Depute Head Teachers.  However, there were other issues which Members felt needed to be reviewed such as the chairing of interviews, the composition of the panel, the need for a trained pool of Members and how to prepare parents to take part in the process.  The appointment of a Head Teacher was important to a community and time should therefore be taken to do a root and branch review of the entire process.  In addition, there had been an evident decline in the number of applicants for Head Teacher posts and it would be beneficial to look at how more high calibre candidates could be encouraged.  Furthermore, there was no Member input to the appointment of Acting Head Teachers, some of whom might then be appointed to the position permanently, and this also merited consideration.

The Committee:-

i.    NOTED the position in relation to the ongoing review of LNCT 23: Appointment Procedures – Head Teachers and Depute Head Teachers; and
ii.    AGREED that a report looking at LNCT 23, taking into account all the points raised during discussion, be presented to the Education Committee on 21 May 2020.

10.    Early Years Update
Fios às Ùr mu Thràth-bhliadhnaichean

There had been circulated Report No EDU/05/20 dated 18 February 2020 by the Chief Executive.

During discussion, the following issues were raised:-

• updates on specific Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) capital projects could be obtained outwith the meeting;
• it was fundamental that local updates were provided to Elected Members;
• in response to a query, it was confirmed that that there was capacity to deliver the expansion of ELC in all settings by August 2020;
• concern was expressed that the expansion of ELC would generate additional traffic.  However, it was explained that this would be addressed by Safer Routes to Schools; 
• the regular Committee reporting of the ELC programme was commended; and
• the table providing an analysis of the 84 ELC capital projects and the risk rating that had been applied would be useful at Ward Business Meetings. In this regard, the Chair undertook to have ELC Board Minutes from each area circulated to Members.

The Committee:-

i.    NOTED the update provided in relation to Early Years and Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) expansion;
ii.    NOTED the status of ELC capital projects and the risk management actions being taken; 
iii.    AGREED that updates be provided to Ward Business Meetings and Area Committees as a matter of course; and
iv.    AGREED that ELC Board Minutes from each area be circulated to Members.

11.    Review of the proposal to discontinue provision of education at Stoer Primary School, re-assigning its catchment area to that of Lochinver Primary School
Ath-sgrùdadh air a’ mholadh gus solar foghlaim aig Bun-Sgoil an Stòir a sgur, a’ cur na sgìre-sgoile ri Bun-Sgoil Loch an Inbhir  

There had been circulated Report No EDU/06/20 dated 5 February 2020 by the Chief Executive.

In discussion it was suggested that the current “mothballing” should continue as there was divided opinion within the community about the future of the school.  In time, there might be a demographic change or more interest in requisitioning the building for community education purposes, and a repeat of school closures in remote areas, as had happened in Highland in the ‘80s and ‘90s, should be avoided.  However, cognisance was taken of the children’s feedback, that the proposal had been parent led and that there was no evidence available to suggest that the school would be sustainable.  Closure would allow formal consultation to take place with the community regarding the building’s future and would avoid deterioration of its fabric.

* Thereafter, having considered the further representation received, the Committee AGREED TO RECOMMEND to the Council that education be discontinued at Stoer Primary School and its catchment transferred to that of Lochinver Primary School.

12.    Statutory Consultation – Gaelic Medium Catchment Proposals for the Plockton Associated School Group
Co-chomhairle Reachdail – Molaidhean Sgìre-sgoile Foghlam tron Ghàidhlig airson Buidheann Sgoiltean Co-cheangailte a’ Phluic

Declaration of Interest: Mr A Graham declared a financial interest in this item on the grounds of being an employee of Bord Na Gaidhlig and left the Chamber during discussion of the item.

There had been circulated Report No EDU/07/20 dated 7 February 2020 by the Chief Executive.

The Committee AGREED to proceed to statutory consultation on the basis of the Proposal attached to the report.

The meeting concluded at 4.10 pm.