Commenting on Dundee Schools Having the Highest Absence Rate in Scotland

Official statistics published last week by the Scottish Government include figures for the attendance and absence of school pupils. 

In 2012/13 the percentage attendance in Scottish local authority schools ranged from the highest 95.5 per cent (East Renfrewshire) to the lowest 92.3 per cent (Dundee City). This means Dundee has the highest pupil absence rate in Scotland in the last complete school year. A 3.2% difference may not seem much but translated into days missed over a year it stacks up. In fact it means that on average, every pupil in Dundee misses more than one week more than pupils in East Renfrewshire. No wonder the exam results are better in East Renfrewshire.

Looking more closely at the figures for Dundee, it means that on average each pupil in Dundee misses fifteen days or three weeks of schooling a year. This adds up to almost one year of schooling lost by every pupil during their 5-16 compulsory school years.

It is very disappointing that Dundee Schools are at the bottom of the national league table for their absence rate. Any day of absence from school is a day of missed learning opportunities. If we want to increase the attainment of our pupils, we need to reduce the number of days at school that are lost through absence for reasons that are avoidable.

Right now we need some explanation of what is going wrong and why the absence rate has been increasing in Dundee but decreasing elsewhere.

I have written to the Council's Committee Clerk to ask that this issue is discussed at the next meeting of the Education Committee. This can't be allowed to be brushed under the carpet. The Education Directorate need to explain how they intend to bring down the number of lost days of learning in our schools.

My Response to Baillie Rod Wallace's Misleading Statement about Resolving Parking Issues at Forthill Primary School

In the Evening Telegraph on Friday 9 March, Baillie Rod Wallace gave the misleading impression that I, amongst others, had blocked an investigation into an examination and response to parking issues at Forthill Primary school. In fact, I supported an amendment that widened the scope of the review that he had requested. I think it is hard to justify investigating these difficulties in only one primary school in the city when this problem is obviously much more widespread. Even in the other three schools in The Ferry there are also parking problems aplenty and many expressions of parental and carer concerns about child safety at and around the school gates. 

The Education Committee on Monday 27 February agreed overwhelmingly to establish a working group to examine and respond to these issues citywide. The School Parking and Pupil Safety Working Group will be chaired by the Chief Executive and he has lost no time in arranging its first meeting later this month. 

Broughty Ferry will be well represented with the Head of Forthill Primary School, the Chair of the Parent Council of Eastern Primary School and me already confirmed members of the group. As part of this review, we have been promised a risk assessment of every school in the city which will allow us to prioritise the order of the schools we focus on. Bearing in mind that Forthill is the largest Primary School in Dundee and its well publicised parking and road safety issues, I am confident that it will be at or very near the top of that list. 

Parents and carers of children attending Forthill Primary School should be assured that the safety of their children is also high on my agenda for action.Laurie Bidwell Ferry Councillor

Safer Internet Day 2012 and Internet Safety Competition

Tuesday 7 February, is Safer Internet Day in the UK. Safer Internet Day 2012 is celebrated worldwide and this year is an opportunity to encourage users young and old to "discover the digital world together safely".


An inspirational array of activity is taking place nationwide, coordinated by the UK Safer Internet Centre (www.saferinternet.org.uk), with all activities focusing attention on empowering all generations to safely benefit from the opportunities that the internet offers.


To coincide with Safer Internet Day 2012 the Scottish Government is running an Internet Safety competition for children at school. parents and adults.
Please click on the link below for:

Competition Brief

Competition Entry Form
Scottish Government Internet Safety Leaflet

Should we Delay the Introduction of the New National Exams in Dundee Secondary Schools?

Now that the 33 period week has been abandoned in Dundee, parents and carers and members of the Education Committee need to know how our nine secondary schools are planning the new S3, which will run for the first time from August 2012. We also need to know how the senior phase, S4-S6, will be structured. The first students undertaking the new S4 on Curriculum for Excellence will begin their studies in August 2013. This year of study will lead up to the examinations, National 4 and 5, in May 2014.
Earlier this week, East Refrewshire Council announced that they had decided to delay by a year putting their secondary pupils in for the new National 4 and 5 Examinations. Current S2 pupils in Dundee will be amongst the first to sit these in June 2014. Teachers' leaders have also voiced concerns that many secondary teachers do not feel adequately prepared for the next phase of implementing the Curriculum for Excellence. This is not a vote of confidence in the Scottish Government’s plans for the Curriculum for Excellence which frankly seem to be unravelling.
In Dundee we need to know whether the Education Convener, Liz Fordyce has a Plan B for our secondary schools? More specifically, will she give an absolute guarantee that the resources are in place and that teachers in all our nine secondary schools will be ready for the next phase of the introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence and preparing their pupils for the new examinations? If not, will she stand by her pupils and give their teachers an additional year to prepare for the new examinations while continuing with Standard Grades? This would allow one more year of preparation for our secondary teachers. 
While I appreciate that she is standing down as a Councillor in May, I hope, for the sake of the pupils involved, she is looking further ahead. It's not Liz Fordyce's education which is at risk, nor mine. We can’t afford to gamble with the education of our children.

Support Dundee Born and Read

The Evening Telegraph is running a great campaign,

Dundee Born and Read

They are trying to collect over 5000 books for school children in Dundee.

Too many children in our city are growing up in homes with few if any books. This is important. We know that children who grow up in households where books are plentiful go further in school than those children growing up without books. Developing good reading habits at home, which starts with being read to, helps children get ready for school and not start school at a disadvantage. Having books at home helps enhance literacy and learning.

I want to not only congratulate D C Thomson on this public spirited initiative but to also to urge Ferry folk to generously support it.

Donations of new or second hand books suitable for youngsters aged 3 to 12 are wanted. Please deposit these in the drop off boxes at our Branch Library in Queen Street. Schools in the city will then distribute the books.

Jenny Marra MSP is also supporting the campaign and drawing attention to it in the Scottish Parliament. 

Commenting on the Next Round of Education Cuts in Dundee

The announcement on Thursday 12 January of the Council's planned cuts of £0.7 million in Education in 2012/13 is to be regretted. This needs to be seen against the backdrop of 99 fewer teachers in our schools as a result of the £4.7 million cut to the budget in the 2011/12 financial year. To add to the woes of our schools, most of next year's cuts will also fall directly on our schools.

The removal of visiting Music and PE teachers from our primary schools will effectively narrow the curriculum for many children. Expecting every primary class teacher to take their own class for PE is a backward step. At a time when we are conscious of trying to encourage all young people to adopt a more physically active lifestyle, I have serious doubts as to whether our primary schools will be able to fulfil the government's standard of two hours of quality PE for each child each week.

The reduction in the number if visiting instrumental teachers will further cheese pare at our once outstanding schools' music service in our city. Starting music tuition a year later is a backward step because music makers need to start young. Reducing the instrumental tuition by a year risks lowering the number of our young people who may engage in the Dundee Schools' orchestras and bands and reduce those that might enter for SQA examinations in music. 

At the Policy and Resources Committee on Monday 9 January, the Leader of the Council, Councillor Ken Guild, informed us that he had written to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, John Swinney MSP, to let his know that he had accepted the financial deal on offer from the government. Part of that deal includes a commitment by the Council to maintain teacher number in Dundee. When our SNP led Council cuts Music and PE teachers, there is a risk that the council will incur a financial penalty which will lead to even more cuts in our schools

On top of these additional cuts, the effect of reducing the pay of short term supply teachers is making it difficult to recruit them.  Between August 2011 and January 2012 nearly a quarter of the requests for supply cover from our Secondary Schools were unable to be met. This represents another stealth cut that will affect the quality of teaching and learning in our schools. 


Dundee children and young people deserve better!

Unexplained Absences in our Schools Need Explanation and Action

The publication of statistics about 'unexplained absences' of pupils in Dundee schools reveals a very varied picture. 

While the total number of these absences across the city has apparently reduced from previous years there are still huge differences between schools. But the total number of unexplained absences in our schools remains unacceptable.

I notice that Barnhill Primary School in The Ferry, has the lowest rate of unexplained absences. With 415 pupils it had 126 in the year.  This works out on average at much less than one unexplained absence per pupil per year. 

On the other hand, I notice that Rowantree Primary School, with 258 pupils and 4920 unexplained absences would appear to have the highest rate in the city. That works out on average at 19 unexplained absences per pupil per year - nearly two weeks schooling a year. 

Rowantree Primary School's rate of unexplained absences is 63 times the rate at Barnhill Primary School. Now how can differences like this be explained or tolerated?

It would be too easy to jump to the conclusion that this is all down to parents and carers and their attentiveness to notifying their child's primary school for their reason for an absence. Perhaps there are more reasons for such wide differences which I think merit some thorough investigation.

Since unexplained absences involve both teachers and administrative staff using a computer programme to record information about attendance, perhaps there are differences in how this is undertaken between staff and between schools? Have some of our schools had significant absences in their administrative staff that has affected their ability to accurately record what is going on? 

Whatever the explanation, every day of unexplained absence is a day of learning at school which is lost. When children return to school after an absence, their return may often mean that their teacher's time is diverted from the rest of the class so that they can bring the returning pupil up to speed. Of course no one minds if this absence is for a reason that is essential or could not be prevented. In the case of unexplained absences there is a suspicion that many of these may be unnecessary.

I hope these statistics will be raised with Head Teachers and also with Parent Councils to see how they think we can reduce the number of unexplained absences in all our schools to a more acceptable level.

Criminal Offences in and in the Vicinity of Dundee Schools 2010/11

Statistics about criminal offences in, and in the vicinity of, Dundee schools have been published by Tayside Police following a Freedom of Information request.

Tayside Police's crime recording system indicate:

203 offences committed in 2010 and 

118 offences during 2011 (up to and including 14 October). 

This is an alarming picture. 

Any crime committed in or around our our schools is something to be concerned about. And some of the offences committed are indeed very serious and very concerning. These include: fire raising, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of drugs and indecent assault. 

Tayside Police warned however that: 

'In relation to the above figures, the following factors should be taken into consideration:

1. Some incidents may well have occurred outwith normal school hours or during weekends or holidays when the premises are empty.
2. Some incidents may be described and therefore reported as taking place at a school when they may in fact be completely unrelated to the organisation - for example a disturbance outside the premises.'

Taken together with the refusal of Tayside Police to break down the crime statistics to each of the 46 primary and secondary schools in the city (excluding Kingspark School and Nursery Schools), it is difficult to know whether there any potential hot spots in terms of neighbourhoods where schools are located or any particular schools to be concerned about.

Where offences have been committed in our schools during school hours, I commend our Head Teachers who have summoned Tayside Police to intervene in response to these.

There is however no room for complacency. The safety of our pupils and staff in our schools must be our priority.

I have written to the Director of Education to ask him to add this report to the agenda of the Education Review Group who will be meeting next week. I want to know whether there is anything the Director believes would help make our schools safer places to learn and work.

A Gamble with the Future of our Children?

At the Policy and Resources Committee tonight, Councillors are being asked to approve a new round of enhanced early retirement for Teachers in Dundee schools. 


Judging by the interest in previous rounds of early retirements, there may well be be many inquiries from serving teachers about taking up this new offer. 


But can we afford to reduce our number of serving teachers any further?


Since this time last year we know that there are 99 fewer teachers working in our schools. The Director of Education's comments in the Courier last week indicate that he thinks there is scope for a further reduction in teacher numbers as we have a favourable pupil teacher ratio compared with other councils in urban areas.


Additionally, the Scottish Government have threatened financial penalties if teacher numbers were not maintained year by year by local authorities.


So how much lower does Councillor Ken Guild (Leader of the Council and Convener of the Finance and General Purposes Committee) think teacher numbers can fall without incurring financial penalties?


And how much lower does Councillor Liz Fordyce (Convener of the Education Committee) think teacher numbers can fall without damaging attainment and achievement in our schools?


I think we need reassuring answers to these questions before we can take a decision to approve this new round of early retirement of teachers. Anything less would I think be a gamble with the future of our children.

Some Questions on Teacher Posts in Dundee for Councillor Fordyce

Returning to the issue of 99 fewer teachers in Dundee, I challenge SNP Education Convener Liz Fordyce to answer a series of related questions.


While she pretends that the number of teachers we employ in our city doesn't make a difference to the quality of education we provide, her own SNP government in Holyrood has been urging and funding councils to maintain teacher numbers.

In October 2010 the Government's Cabinet Secretary for Education, Mike Russell said:

 "To avoid further shrinkage of our teacher workforce, we need local authorities to do what they can not to allow further drops in teacher numbers.  […]  We need local authorities not to look on each retiring teacher as an opportunity to save money, but to recruit recently qualified teachers." 
(Scottish Parliament Education, Lifelong Learning & Culture Committee 2010 b)

Does Councillor Fordyce think that Mike Russell is misguided in encouraging and financing the maintenance of our teacher workforce?

"In November 2010 the Scottish Government and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) agreed to:

• ensure that are enough vacancies as there are teachers completing their probationary year in June 2011
• to reduce teacher unemployment
• to provide an extra £15m in the local government settlement for teacher employment (Swinney 2010)

(Quoted in briefing on Teacher Numbers from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre)

Does Councillor Fordyce think that the Council will be financially penalised by the Scottish Government for reducing the number of its teachers despite receiving more grant to stabilise teacher numbers?

On the agenda of the Policy and Resources Committee of the Council meeting next Monday is a proposal to renew the Council's scheme to provide financial incentives to encourage the early retirement of more of our teachers. 

Is the Education Convener prepared to commit to filling the posts of retiring teachers in Dundee with a recently qualified teacher?

If not, it seems likely that this  new scheme will have the effect of further reducing the number of teachers in our schools in Dundee.

99 Fewer Teachers in Dundee Schools

This autumn there are 99 fewer teachers working in our schools in the city compared with 2010. 

In the last twelve months Dundee City Council has the unenviable reputation of being responsible one of the largest reductions in its teaching workforce compared with the other councils in Scotland. 

Figures contained in a response to a Freedom of Information Request have revealed that the budgeted teacher numbers are 1393 teachers 2011/12 compared with 1492.2 teacher posts in 2010/11. The effect of this reduction will be felt in every school in Dundee.

This performance is not what the SNP promised at the May 2011 elections to the Scottish Parliament. 

In their Teachers' Manifesto May 2011, they committed to:

• 'Bring stability to teacher numbers by ensuring councils stick to the agreed minimum number of posts.
• Ensure there are enough posts for every post-probationer and enough additional positions to reduce teacher unemployment'

 A reduction of 99 posts is by no stretch of the English language stability.

 You can't reduce the number of teachers in our schools by 99 posts or 6.6% without having a negative effect. Dundee deserves better.

The Reads and the Read-Nots - Implications for Dundee?

Yesterday the National Literacy Trust published a study about the reading habits of children and young people in the UK. 
Their research of 18,141 children revealed a polarised nation of young readers with 1 in 6 reporting that they don’t read a single book in a month, while 1 in 10 say they read more than 10 books in a month.

This divide between the “reads” and the “read-nots” is concerning because the research shows reading frequency has a direct link to attainment, as 8 in 10 children who read over 10 books a month are above average readers compared with just 3 in 10 of those who rarely read.
Fresh approaches are urgently needed to encourage young people to read more. However, the number of children who never read a book suggest our schools and libraries have a challenge on their hands.

The research also found that:

• 77% of children who read for longer than an hour at a time are above average readers, while just 4% who read for over an hour are below the level expected of them.
• Only 30% of children who read for up to 10 minutes at a time are above average readers, with 20% below the reading expected level for their age.
• Text messages are the most popular thing for children to read outside of class with 60% saying they read texts outside of class.
• Children who read text messages but not fiction books are twice as likely to be below average readers compared to those who also read fiction (10% versus 5%). 

National Literacy Trust Director, Jonathan Douglas, said:
"Our new research shows that 1 in 6 children don't read a book in a month, and we are worried that they will grow up to be the 1 in 6 adults who struggle with literacy to the extent that they read to the level expected of an eleven-year-old, or below."

I have written to Michael Wood, Director of Education, to ask him to put this report on the agenda of the next meeting of the Council's Education Review Group. I think there are some important issues for us to examine in relation to promoting reading amongst children and young people in our city.

West End Schools' Progress - Slow, Quick-Quick Slow

At the Education Committee tonight, members will be asked to approve the tender for the building for the replacement West End Primary Schools. This will bring together St Joseph's Primary School and Park Place Primary School and Nursery School onto a shared campus on the former Logie Secondary School site on Blackness Road.

This is most welcome step in building new schools in the city. In two years time,

children in the catchment areas of both schools will enjoy state of the art school buildings and facilities that are fit for the 21st century. It also another important milestone in the Council financed school building programme which was initiated while Labour led the Council 2007/9. This was part of the capital plan which the Labour led administration bequeathed for the city. In the two years since the SNP have run the council, significantly they have not added any major school building projects to the Council's Capital Plan when it has been reviewed. Indeed, at the last meeting of the Education Committee, they refused to bring forward a feasibility study on extending and refurbishing Barnhill Primary School.

While progress has been significant with improving the West End primary schools, I wish we could see more progress with the replacement of Harris Academy. Unfortunately, this has been quagmired in the delays by the Scottish Government's Scottish Future's Trust. The SNP promised in May 2007 that they would match Labour's Public Private Partnership government funded school building programme 'brick for brick' and find a cheaper way to procure new schools. Unfortunately their recipe for cheaper procurement did not work. It seems that the Scottish Future's Trust is aptly named only ever talking about things that remain tantalisingly in the future. Readers may remember that Joe Fitzpatrick MSP Dundee West went on Newsnight Scotland and promised that Harris Academy would be rebuilt by the elections next month. Not only has this scheme not progressed even to a start on site, but the SNP's Scottish Future's Trust has yet to build even one school in Scotland let alone one in Dundee. If we are to avoid two tier set of school buildings in Dundee, we need a continuing programme of school building and school refurbishment in the city.

This is a time for parents and carers as well as teachers to distinguish between rhetoric and reality. They should be able to clearly see who is responsible for progress in school rebuilding in the West End; who is responsible for the quicks and who for the slows.

The Effect of Reduced Teacher Numbers on Children's Education in Dundee

I am very concerned about the negative effect on children's education of the £4.3 million cuts in Education that the SNP are introducing in their budget for Dundee Schools for April 2011 - March 2012.

By requesting this item is placed on the agenda of the Education Committee on Monday, I have provided the only opportunity for the Education Committee to consider the impact of these changes before they are considered at the Budget meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee in February.

I think the most likely effect of their package of cuts will be a end to the improving exam results in Dundee Schools, maybe some slipping back in performance. This is to be regretted , especially at a time when exam grades will be so important for school leavers as they compete for places at college and university or for their first job.

I hope the Education Committee, will send the Education Convener to think again.

Unauthorised Absences in Dundee Schools 2009/10

Commenting on figures for Unauthorised Absences in Dundee Schools 2009/10 made available as a result of a Freedom of Information Request.

The figures for unauthorised absences in Dundee schools are unacceptably high. Neither politicians in the city, nor schools, nor education directorate can be complacent about this. Every day a child is absent from school is a day of learning lost. Not only that, but when a child returns to school following a period of absence there is inevitably some disruption to teaching and learning in a class.

Parents and carers have prime responsibility to ensure that their child attends school. Schools have a responsibility to make sure education is engaging and relevant for pupils and of course to inform parents if their child has an unauthorised absence from school.

In some city schools the figures suggest that the total number of days lost is uncomfortably and inexplicably high. For example, in St Paul's Academy there were 8703 days lost to unauthorised absence in 2009/10. This averages out to about 8 days per pupil. This translates into 4% of schooling lost over the year. Of course averages disguise wide variation. So if, as I assume, the majority of pupils at St Paul's have very low rates of unauthorised absence in a year, then it follows that some of their pupils must have missed considerable chunks of their schooling without authorisation.

So, while I concede that there is a joint responsibility between parents and schools, what is the Education Convener, Liz Fordyce, going to do about this?

SNP's Education Convener Should Explain her Education Cuts to Parents

Yesterday, I challenged the SNP's Education Convener to explain her proposed 19 education cuts to parents and carers in the city. I suggested that early in January, she should hold meetings across Dundee to explain the changes she is introducing to parents and carers whose children will be on the receiving end of these.

The SNP's cuts in the city will involve reductions in key parts of the education service and I think all schools will be affected. The Education Convener, Councillor Liz Fordyce needs to spell out what each of her nineteen cuts will involve. So far she hasn't explained the impact of what each of these will represent on the ground for the education of our children. This needs to be clear primarily to parents and carers as well as opposition councillors like me.

In last week's local papers the Education Convener, was asked about her city campus idea. This will apparently see senior pupils move round the city to take some of their higher examination courses at schools other than their own. On Wednesday last week, Councillor Fordyce revealed that she had not yet considered the transport arrangements and costs of moving senior pupils around the city. On Thursday, she also admitted that the coordinated timetabling necessary between the nine secondary schools in the city had yet to be worked out too.

Another area needing clarification is the impact of the early retirement savings. How many fewer teacher will be working in our schools as a result of these changes and how will each school be affected? For example, I understand that there will be an overall reduction in the number of support for learning teachers in primary and secondary schools. This will reduce the help available to children with learning difficulties. These are certainly not 'back office' jobs.

So I think Councillor Liz Fordyce should get out and explain her programme of cuts to parents in the city. I and my colleagues in the Labour Group are of course prepared to attend the meetings with parents I am urging her to organise. Before she says that we will need to wait until after the Council's budget on Thursday 10 February, parents do need to be informed now. All these changes may affect the school parents want to send their child to from August 2011. If parents want to send in a placing request to the Council, these need to be submitted by Monday 7 February.

Disastrous Double Whammy of Cuts in Education in Dundee

Despite Labour opposition, last night the SNP Council approved the cuts in Education imposed by John Swinney for a Council Tax freeze and also gave notice of their £4.5 million cuts that will be contained in their February budget.

This is a disastrous double whammy of cuts in Education in Dundee.

It's difficult to believe that these cuts have been carefully considered. According to the Chief Executive last night, SNP Councillors only saw and approved their City Council budget cuts at the second meeting of the Changing for the Future Board held yesterday afternoon.

I shall take up the offer from the Leader of the Council, to meet with, Liz Fordyce, the SNP's Convener of Education. I think parents in the city would expect that she should be able to supply me with a detailed written briefing on each of the 19 cuts she has chosen. If I am not satisfied with the details I receive, I shall demand to see the Director of Education.

This is just another disaster for Education in the City following the 6% reduction in the education budget this financial year. I don't think parents in the city will agree that an Education budget cut for next year of £4.5 million is a success.

School Attendance Friday 3 December

On Friday 3 December six of the nine Secondary Schools reopened in the city following inclement weather which had closed all of the schools in Dundee. The following attendance figures have been supplied by the Director of Education, Jim Collins:


Craigie High School
150-200 pupils (21%) and 63 teachers (93%)

Grove Academy
500 pupils (47%) and 75 teachers (92%)

Harris Academy
400 pupils (36%) and 83 teachers (92%)

Morgan Academy
190 pupils (21%) and 67 teachers (91%)

St John's High School
100-150 pupils (14%) and 59 teachers (83%)

St Paul's Academy
80 pupils (8%) and 74 teachers (96%)

In addition
142 teachers from the three closed schools were able to report to the above schools.

Statement to the Education Committee - blanket school closures & staged reopenings

Earlier today I wrote to the the Education Convener, Councillor Liz Fordyce.

I wrote:
"Given the exceptional weather last week and the blanket school closures and the staged re-openings on Friday and today (Monday) I think it is important that you make a statement to the Education Committee tonight. In particular, I think parents and the members of the Education Committee want reassurance that lessons have been learned and solutions applied from last week and today which will improve how our schools operate tomorrow.

I have received numerous complaints this morning from parents across the city directly or passed on from my Labour Group colleagues. These have focused on the dangerousness of roads and paths outside our schools, the absence of school crossing patrollers and limitations on the scope for their work because of snow accumulations

More specifically I think parents will want to know:

• how the safety of our children is ensured in the environs of schools including pavement clearing and gritting and the attendance of crossing patrol staff or when they are missing police officers;
• processes of communication with parents and staff of arrangements for the closing and reopening of our schools and other education establishments and
• use of the GLOW intranet for engaging pupils in their learning during a period of one week's lost schooling."

Liz declined to do make a statement to the Education Committee.

All Dundee Schools Intend to Open on Monday 6 December

Dundee City Council is intending to open all nursery, primary and secondary schools on Monday (December 6). This is dependent on weather conditions over the weekend.


Gritting and snow-clearing will continue over the weekend. Priority routes in the city are all passable and intermediate routes around schools are being treated.