Commenting on the Report on Staffing Levels in Dundee Schools - Education Committee Monday 26 October 2015

The report from the Director of Children and Families' Service paints a varied picture. It is positive that at a time of shortage of teachers across the country the Council has managed to compete more effectively for potential staff. It also positive that the 1412.5 teachers in post is more than the 1407 teachers counted in 2014. But the fact remains, this is still a significant drop from September 2013 when the Council had 1436 teachers in post.

The report is also selective about what it reveals. On class sizes it does not for example identify the number of classes currently being taught at maximum. In relation to ongoing shortages of supply teachers, neither does the report refer to how secondary schools are having to improvise supply cover nor how primary schools are covering the non contact time of primary teachers which they use towards preparation and marking.

At the meeting on Monday 26 October, we shall want reassurance that strategies are in place for Dundee to recruit the teachers it needs as competition for teachers sharpens between councils. Councils in the Highlands and Islands have recently had a summit with Angela Constance and have agreed to work together on recruitment and promoting alternative routes to teacher qualification. What are our plans for 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.'

It is significant that here in Dundee, this is the first year since 2011 that a year by year reduction in teacher numbers has been halted. It will take more than one year to be convinced that our SNP led Council now really means business on maintaining teacher numbers in our schools.

Council Make Grammatical Error in the Title of New Combined Education and Socal Work Service

At the Education Committee on Monday 28 September,  I asked Michael Wood, the Executive Director of Children and Families' Service, a question about punctuation. As Executive Director I asked why the service he heads apparently had decided to remove an apostrophe after the s in Families in the title of the amalgamated service? 

This omission was apparent in the title and body of the reports that he had brought to Committee. I understand that this will also be used on letter heads and the Council's website.

I had previously raised this matter in private with Michael Wood and had hoped that matter would have been sorted out without having to raise it at the Education Committee.

As the head of the service that is responsible for the teaching of reading and writing in our schools, I think our Executive Director of Children and Families' Service should lead by example. 

Interestingly, the Convener of Education, Councillor Stewart Hunter, avoided revealing whether he and the SNP group of Councillors had been responsible for, or were party to this decision.

I have sent a copy of the committee report to the Apostrophe Protection Society.

Commenting on Proposed Closure of Menzieshill High School at Education Committee 24 November 2014

Commenting at the Education Committee on Monday 24 November 2014 about the proposed closure of Menzieshill High School as part of the School Estate Review brought forward by Director of Education with the support of the SNP group of Councillors. 

Convener, (the SNP's Education Convener, Councillor Stewart Hunter) this report of the School Estate Review, has the structure of a playground joke. You have good news and bad news for parents and carers in Dundee. The good news is that the Council is proposing to build a new shared campus primary school in Whitfield combining under one roof St Luke's and St Matthew's RC Primary School, St Vincent's Primary School and Longhaugh Primary School. The bad news is that the Council is proposing to close Menzieshill High School and gamble that it has enough secondary school places for children in the combined area covering Lochee and the West End.

In my opinion, beginning the process of closing any school is a very serious business. As it says it in the marriage ceremony, 'it is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly'. Closing a secondary school which stands at the heart of its community as a school and recreation centre out of school hours must be a last resort and must be only when all the alternative strategies have been explored and rejected.

This sentiment is contained in the Scottish Government Guidance on School Closures contained in Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 Statutory Guidance issued on 1 August 2014.

In this case I am surprised and disappointed that you have been prepared to bring such a flimsy report to the committee and dismiss the achievements of pupils and teachers with such minimal written evidence.

So as I have said, I don't think the parents, carers, pupils and the teachers of Menzieshill High School are well served if we rely on one short paragraph and table showing comparative school roll 2008/9 - 2014/15 to begin the process of closing a school. All the report reveals is that the school roll has gone down by 10 pupils in the last year and 57 pupils in the last four years. That's the sum total of the evidence brought forward to support closure of a secondary school.

In fact when you (Education Convener Councillor Stewart Hunter) went to the press about this you provided some reference to additional evidence which you apparently have been privy to which led you to say - as quoted in the Council's official Press Release dated Friday 13 November:

“This is not an easy option to bring forward, but the situation shows no sign of improving and this will only hinder the education of pupils."
“It would be for the educational benefit of young people to attend Harris Academy in the future."
“If pupils go to the new build Harris Academy they will be offered the full curriculum. This is not the case at Menzieshill High at the moment because of the implications of such a small pupil roll."

So apparently the school estate issue has knock on effects to the breadth of curriculum on offer at Menzieshill High School but there is no mention of this in the report we have in front of us tonight.

This admission on your part also raises another important question. If Menzieshill High School cannot deliver a satisfactory breadth of curriculum, how is that any different from 2012/13 when it had just ten fewer pupils? If we accept your conjecture that the school is not delivering an adequate curriculum on your watch, why have you waited to bring this forward as an issue? There must be suspicion about why you delayed making this decision public until the later Autumn, after the Referendum. Importantly the Director of Education did not refer to the curricular shortcomings of small schools in his last annual Standards and Quality Report.

Convener, you are also quoted in that same Council press release as saying:
“Education officials work closely with officers from the city development department to carefully consider demographic trends and planning considerations."
“Numbers of pupils will not rise enough at the associated primary schools to offer an significant increase to the Menzieshill High intake."
I can also confirm that the secondary school identified for the Western Gateway is Baldragon Academy, so that development will have no impact on the roll."

There is no sign of these population projections in the report we have in front of us tonight. More worrying is that later on tonight, in the subsequent meeting of the Social Work and Health Committee, the Review of the Social Work Department Service Plan 2012-14 includes population projections for Dundee to 2032. These show that the under 15 population is projected to increase by 20% over the twenty year period to 2032. What difference will that significant growth in this age group make to the projected rolls of our primary and secondary schools in the city?

We need to know what cognisance has been taken of these trends in the Education Department and whether a move to six non denominational secondary schools down form seven would have sufficient capacity for the expanded demand for places. More specifically, in the context of the proposed joint catchment area for Menzieshill and Harris, can we say with confidence that all pupils living in the catchment area will be able to gain a place at the combined school? I am sure that parents and carers living in the current catchment area of Harris Academy will want to know the effects of current and future cohorts of Menzieshill High School pupils being shoe horned into their new school, will have on access to school places at the school and the quality of education.

Finally, Audit Scotland have criticised councils in Scotland in general and this council in particular for the absence of robust options appraisals when making important decisions. There is no options appraisal and apparently a quite Thatcherite There is No Alternative (TINA) response from the Director and the Administration of the Council. This report is therefore an inadequate response.

We should also examine the catchment area for the western gateway. Indisputably Menzieshill High School is closest geographically to the western gateway area and it is in my opinion it is the mark of a geographically challenged person to claim the this expansion area should continue to fall in the nominal catchment area of Ardler Primary School and Baldragon Academy. When you Convener confirmed that this was the case in the press release it was as though you were slamming the door shut on any initiative to support enlarging the potential roll of Menzieshill High School.

In the belief that it would be totally wrong to initiate the closure Menzieshill High School on the basis of single paragraph and a single table of historic pupil numbers in a report reviewing the school estate in the city, in a report that clearly identifies that the targeted school for closure is assessed as being in superior physical condition to two other secondary schools in the city, in the absence of any educational case for closure, and in the absence of an options appraisal, the following amendment is proposed:

2. Recommendations

ii First Bullet Point
Delete 
"the closure of Menzieshill High School (including the delineation of its existing catchment area within Dundee) to the new Harris Academy, and"

B

Insert
ii Third Bullet Point
"Invites the Director of Education to return to the Education Committee with a comprehensive report about the future of secondary Education at Menzieshill High School containing:
the projected rolls of primary schools in respectively the Menzieshill and Harris catchment areas;
an assessment of the impact of re-delineating the western gateway area from the catchment area of Ardler Primary School/Baldragon Academy to Camperdown Primary School/Menzieshill High School and
an education, pupil focused, options appraisal about the future of Menzieshill High School.

This motion was defeated by all the SNP Councillors voting against it in a block.

Need for Additional Report Before Approving Nearly £0.5m on Nursery Places for Under 3s

Click on image to enlarge

On Monday night at the City Development Committee, on the basis of a flimsy report, Councillors are being asked to approve borrowing of £464,659.00 to pay for:

13-6033 – Various Primary SchoolsProvision for Under 3 year olds

The works comprise alteration works to provide provision for under 3 year olds at Ardler, Ballumbie, Dens Road, Longhaugh, Mill O’Mains, Park Place and St Ninians Primary Schools.

There are no background papers just the contract costs.

Significantly there is no mention of this project on the agenda of the Education Committee which meets before the City Development Committee on Monday night. Apparently it will be on the agenda of the next Education Committee in May. This will be locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.

I appreciate that the pace of change is dictated by the Scottish Parliament's requirement that the Council make provision for 600 hours of nursery provision for 2 year old children where both parents are unemployed in August 2014. But this decision is being presented with inadequate information for Councillors to make up their minds and that can't be right. I have already been advised that the inclusion of Park Place Primary School in the list is wrong; it closed it as a Primary School in 2012. 

Here is my list of the things I think Councillors reasonably need to know now:

1. How many children are we planning to provide places for?
2. How robust are these numbers of 'qualifying' two year old children?
3. Why have the named schools been chosen for these developments?
4. Are there any other schools not needing major building alterations that will be involved in providing places for this additional group of younger children?
5. What is the basis for calculating that qualifying children will live closest to the schools that have been identified?
6. What pattern of nursery hours will be offered to help unemployed parents and carers back to work? What job can you do if your child's nursery place runs for just over three hours a day five days a week? Has any other configuration of hours been considered?
7. What steps are we taking to recruit additional Early Years Practitioners to provide the extra places?
8. Will there be time to do all the building work before mid August as well as obtain the Care Commission approvals?
9. What consultation has taken place with parents and carers?
10. Has an Equality Impact Assessment been completed?

It's still not too late to put his right and introduce a late item at the Education Committee on Monday night. I have written to the Education Convener and Director of Education to propose that.

Link to City Development Committee Agenda Monday 20 April 2014

Link to Education Committee Agenda Monday 20 April 2014

Education Committee Endorses Council Developing a Proposal to Bring Sistema to Dundee

Pictures from Sistema Scotland Project
in Raploch in Stirling

Last night the Education Committee unanimously agreed to instruct senior Council Officers to meet with representatives of Sistema Scotland and Optimistic Sound in Dundee to jointly prepare a detailed proposal for Sistema to establish one of their music programmes in Dundee.

Here is a copy of my contribution to the debate:

"Convener, I am pleased that you have signalled your support for Councillor Keegan's motion tonight and the opportunity his motion provides.

I hope now that we all believe that the potential benefit of bringing El Sistema to Dundee shouldn't be ignored. If Sistema Scotland and Optimistic Sound based in Dundee can bring in external funding to enhance what we already do to nurture musical talent in our city then that  must be worthwhile. Young people who would be engaged in the El Sistema immersive programme of music tuition and performance will bring a reward for themselves, their families and for their communities. 

And this viewpoint was emphasised not only in Clare Brennan's deputation to us tonight but also at the launch of the second Big Noise Orchestra in Govanhill in Glasgow in 2012 at which Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
'Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise Orchestra (in Stirling) is already transforming lives through music, and has the potential to improve confidence, wellbeing, health, education and community safety. The Scottish Government is committed to investing in programmes that can help to prevent health and social problems, which is why Sistema Scotland has our full support with funding coming from several different portfolios.'

Big Noise Govanhill is expected to make a real and positive difference to the community and the people who live there.

The Culture Secretary, Fiona Hyslop hailed Sistema Scotland’s work in Raploch as 'a fantastic example of how cultural activity can deliver real benefits to individuals, communities and wider society.'

She went on: 'It has improved the personal and social development of children in Raploch as well as their confidence, self-esteem, social skills and ability to concentrate, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact of the programme in Govanhill.'

So Convener, as you acknowledged, we are not being asked to try something that has not been tried before but something which has a proven track record over six years in Raploch in Stirling and now over two years in Govanhill. In Aberdeen their council are engaged in negotiations to bring El Sistema to their city.

I urge our senior officials and representatives of Optimistic Sound and Sistema Scotland to get on with their negotiations and secure Dundee a place in the queue.

Finally, since this is predominantly an educational programme, albeit with many other benefits, I hope the Education Committee will not be bypassed when the forthcoming report comes back to Council."

Links to Sistema Scotland and Optimistic Sound

Pupil Absences in Dundee Schools - Education Committee Monday 27 January 2014

I placed Pupil Absences in Dundee Schools on the Agenda of the Education Committee held on Monday 27 January because I think the thousands of missed school days in Dundee matters. 

The statistics published by the Scottish Government in December indicated the extent of pupil absences in Dundee Schools. Their table of results indicated that Dundee was the bottom of the league table of 32 education authorities on these measures.

These statistics showed that 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 per cent 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. Of course I know that averages like this mask wide variations between schools and pupils. Some pupils will have perfect attendance and so by implication some pupils must be absent for lengthy periods of time.

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.

This was reinforced by the publication of OECD international research about truancy. This report said that higher truancy rates in schools throughout Britain are leaving pupils lagging behind their peers in top-performing nations across Europe and the Far East. More specifically the research showed that a fifth of pupils in UK secondary schools admitted to skipping a least a day of lessons over a two week period period to the survey.

Right now we need some detailed explanation of what is going wrong and why the absence rate has apparently been creeping up in Dundee but decreasing elsewhere. I think we need to hear from the Director of Education about a way forward. We need to hear more how our schools, working with pupils and parents and carers, are tackling this issue. It surely needs to be much more than the Education Convener’s advocacy of taking some secondary pupils on visits to meet offenders in prison.

Judging by the avoidance of detail about Absences, apart from ‘Exclusions’ in the annual Standards and Quality Report also on the Agenda last Monday, it looks as though, if I hadn’t raised this there would not have been an opportunity for the Education Committee to engage with this important issue.

At the end of this item the Education Committee approved my motion:
which:

• instructs the Education Director to include absence issues including but not exclusively exclusions in the annual standards and quality report to the Education Committee and 
• recommends that strategies for absence reduction are given higher emphasis in the process of Annual Reviews and Extended School Reviews.

Free School Meals for Primary 1-3 Pupils in Dundee

On Tuesday 7 January, the Scottish Government announced that, with effect from January 2015, it will introduce free school meals for all pupils in Primary 1-3 pupils in Scotland.  This follows the planned introduction of free school meals in England from September 2012.

The announcement of the extension of free school meals to all pupils in primary school classes P1-3 in England was made back in September 2013. As a consequence, there was additional and proportional cash committed by the UK Government to the Scottish Government. It is disappointing that the Scottish Government took so long to make up their mind how they would use this additional funding, which has meant that the introduction in Scotland has been delayed by five months.

On Tuesday there was vigorous debate in the Scottish Government about whether free school meals was the best use of the additional funding, when a substantial proportion of children from households with the lowest incomes already receive free school meals. But now the decision has been made, in Dundee we will need to turn our attention to how best to implement this decision. Hopefully, offering free school meals to children in primary one to primary three in our schools will help promote learning because a hungry child is less likely to be receptive to learning than one who has had a regular nutritious lunch.

I trust that the Scottish Government will promptly inform our Council of the small print of their programme so that the Council can make the necessary arrangements to deliver an anticipated increase in school meals in our Primary Schools from the projected start date in January 2015. The practical arrangements should not be underestimated, as some of our heavily subscribed schools may struggle to serve a larger number of children a school lunch because of existing pressure on kitchen and dining hall accommodation. These schools already have multiple sittings to cope with the demand for school lunches.

I have written to the Director of Education, Michael Wood, to ask him to advise the Education Committee about this as soon as practicable. He has reassured me that once the details of the scheme are provided, he will advise the Education Committee of the arrangements for Dundee Primary Schools.

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.

Grove Senior Pupil Becomes Member of the Education Committee for 2013-14

At the Education Committee on Monday night, Lorna Allan, a senior pupil at Grove Academy joined the Committee for the first time. Lorna was nominated by the City Wide Pupil Representative Council to be to be the pupil member of the Education Committee for Session 2013/2014. 

Lorna is the second pupil representative on the Education Committee following a decision of the City Council held on 20th August, 2012 where it was agreed to seek nominations for parent and pupil representatives to join the Education Committee.

As the Pupil representative for 2012/2013 had left school, a new nominee was sought and Lorna was chosen by her peers.

Pupil and parent representation on the Education Committee was one of the Dundee Labour Party commitments in our manifesto for the local government elections in May 2012. I am therefore pleased to see this in practice and delighted that a Grove senior pupil will be a part of the Education Committee for 2013/14.

Commenting on ASPIRE Music, Art and Drama Project in Nine Primary Schools and Reduction in Music Fees

On the Education Committee's agenda next Monday (24 June 2013) are reports about the Aspire Project and Music Fees. 

The Aspire report outlines a potential Music, Art and Drama programme which would operate in a quarter of our Primary Schools in Dundee. Each of the nine primary schools selected would  be involved in either the Music, Art or Drama programme over the next two years. In each of these schools they would have some input from a professional musician, artist or actor. I hope that the funding bids to four external sources are successful so that the Aspire programme can go ahead and begin in August when the schools go back after the summer holidays. If Aspire is judged a success in the future, I hope it will be made available in every primary school in the city and not just the nine initially selected. 

I also welcome the separate proposal to reduce the cost of learning a musical instrument in the Council's Music Education programme which offers pupils opportunities to learn to play musical instruments and to take part in a variety of musical activities. In this proposal before us next Monday, the Education Committee will be asked to approve the removal of fees for individual tuition, currently £132 per pupil per year, but the retention of hire charges for musical instruments currently £78 per year. This latter charge is for personal use of a musical instrument such as a violin or trumpet so that the pupil can receive their small group tuition as well as practise on the instrument at home. I think this proposed cut in fees for pupils learning a musical instrument may help reduce one of the barriers to children taking part in learning to play a musical instrument and perform in the citywide bands and orchestras.

But I think we need to know that both of these proposals can really be afforded without sacrificing something else which parents and carers, pupils and teachers might more highly value in our schools. I have contacted the Education Directorate about a number of issues on which I am seeking clarification before the Education Committee meeting next week.

Councillor Kevin Kennan said:

"I am a supporter of the development of music art and drama in our schools. But there is no getting away from the fact that the Council is operating in a challenging financial climate so each spending decision is a tough choice between more of this and less of that. The fact that I have identified that does not mean I am against the potential widening of participation in music tuition in our schools. I am pointing out what this will likely have a cost elsewhere in schools and asking if this is a price worth paying?"

Reserved Places for Barnhill and Forthill Primary Schools and Grove Academy

At the Education Committee on Monday 25 February, the Committee considered a report on 'Retaining Reserved Places In Schools 2013/2014'. Councils can reserve places in schools in anticipation of children who may move into the catchment area of the school in-year. They must consider the overall demand for places at the school, and can only keep empty the number of places that they consider are reasonably required for pupils likely to move into the catchment area in the period up to and including the forthcoming school year.

The Committee papers contained the following list of proposed reserved places in school session August 2013 - June 2014. Addressing the Committee, I said:                                                                        

Click on table to enlarge

"I welcome this report. It addresses some of of the pinch points in demand for schooling in the city and tries to ensure that children whose families move into the school catchment area during the school year have a small number of reserved places potentially available at the Primary and 

Secondary schools in their area. On the basis of the criteria in this report, I believe that Forthill Primary School should also have 2 reserved places at P1 stage. At the Parent Council meeting last week, which the Director of Education attended, concerns were expressed about rising roll of the school. For people moving into the Forthill catchment area, the potential constraint would be in P1 where there the legal maximum is 25 whereas it is higher in P2 and above.

Forthill catchment area contains some new housing and with some recently built major new housing development such as the Ferryfields. It is a catchment area with a continuing reasonable level of turnover of homes as people move in and out.

Accordingly, I ask the Committee to approve this change to the list of reserved places for the next school year."

The Convener of the Committee, after consultation with the Director, accepted my proposal.

Additional Members of Education Committee Denied a Vote

At the meeting of the City Council on Monday night 20 August 2012, SNP Councillors blocked attempts to give voting rights to the proposed three additional members of the Education Committee. 

Councillors had been asked to approve proposals for two parental members drawn from the Parent Councils (one from nursery and primary school Parent Councils and one from the secondary school Parent Councils. Additionally, one senior Pupil drawn from the members of the city wide Pupil Council were to be invited to join the Education Committee. 

In the the Agenda Note before us, it was pointed out that 
"Having regard to the non-statutory status of the parent representatives and the pupil representative, they will be non-voting members of the Education Committee." 
In questions to the Senior Council staff, it became clear that there was no statute or regulation to prevent the proposed additional parent and senior pupil members of the Education Committee having a vote. It appeared that this form of words had been an attempt to deflect the blame for not granting voting rights from the majority SNP group of Councillors to some legal restriction.

In the light of this revelation, I asked the Education Convener, Councillor Hunter, to reconsider his stance and retain an equality between all the members of the Education Committee. As he was not willing to change his stance, I proposed an amendment that 


3(b) COMPOSITION OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE (AN140-2012)

The parent representatives and the pupil representative will be voting members of the Education Committee.

I made the following contribution to the debate:

"Convener, I welcome your proposal before us this evening as far as it goes but it is falls short in one key aspect.I think it is a sound idea to provide a pupil voice and more parental voices on the Education Committee. Our pupils are at the sharp end of many profound changes as a result of introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence and SQA examinations and it is a progressive idea to make a clear link between the City Wide Pupil Council and the Education Committee. While some Councillors are also parents of children currently in our schools, I think it is right to increase the number of parental voices on our Education Committee and through them make links with the multiple viewpoints from our network of parent councils. Convener this is very close to your sentiments published in the local press earlier today.

Of course, I could not but welcome this extension to the membership of the Education Committee, because a very similar proposal was contained in the Dundee Labour Manifesto, which we put before the voters in May 2012 elections in Dundee. I am glad that the SNP administration have been prepared to seek out good ideas, wherever these reside.

Where we differ is over the voting powers of these new additional members. The motion seeks to deny the additional members the opportunity to vote on matters of importance. I am worried that your proposal will disappoint the potential participants who may be loath to be second class members of the Education Committee. 

I once heard the accusation that some local government participation schemes might be likened to a toy phone. You may speak or shout down the phone but as it's not connected it does make much of a difference, it just allows the speaker on the phone to get whatever is perplexing them off their chest but of course it remains unresolved. 

Your proposal amounts to that kind of participation, appearing to be opening up avenues of influence for our parents and pupils but ensuring that on the 

occasions where we vote on an issue their views will not count.

I ask you therefore to support our amendment and make this a better proposal."

Unfortunately, all the SNP Councillors and the Conservative Councillor voted together and had enough votes to defeat the Labour amendment. The new additional members of the Education Committee will still have their places on the Committee but have been denied their votes.

Commenting on Proposals for Additional Pupil and Parent Members of the Education Committee

At the Full Council Meeting on Monday 20 August 2012, there is a proposal to extend the membership of the Education Committee by adding three further members; two parent council members and one senior pupil. 

One of the parents, would be nominated from the members of Nursery and Primary School Parent Councils while the other would be chosen from the ranks of the members of the Secondary School Parent Councils. The senior pupil member would be nominated from the members of the City Wide Pupil Council.

I think it is a sound idea to provide a pupil voice and more parental voices on the Education Committee. Our pupils are at the sharp end of many profound changes as a result of introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence so it is a good idea to make a clear link between the City Wide Pupil Council and the Education Committee. While some Councillors are also parents of children currently in our schools, I think it is right to enhance the voices of parents at the Education Committee and make a link through them with multiple viewpoints from our network of parent councils. 

Of course, I could not but welcome this extension to the membership of the Education Committee, because a very similar proposal was contained in the Dundee Labour Manifesto which we put before the voters in May 2012 elections in Dundee. I am glad that the SNP administration have been prepared to seek out good ideas, wherever these reside.

I do however have a question about the way the proposal has been framed. I wonder for example what these three additional members will think about their status as the only non voting members of the Committee unlike the two trade union and three religious representatives on the Committee?

  

I also think that to make a success of this development, we will need to think more about the agendas and the formality of the meetings. 

Often the Education Committee agendas are very thin and avoid matters that are really crucial. For example, the Agenda of the Education Committee on Monday night contains only two items; the approval of a £10,00 grant to the Prince's Trust Fairbridge Programme in Dundee and the reporting of contracts for school taxis which has already been approved during the recess. Important as these are, it's not very compelling stuff to come in for or what parents and pupils might most aspire to influence. Why isn't there a report on Monday about the SQA examination results in our schools? The pre-appeal statistics are apparently available and were quoted in the press by the Education Convener more than two weeks ago but are not being presented to the Education Committee on Monday. Now items like that might really interest and engage the parental and pupil member of the Committee.

I think the Council should also give consideration to relaxing the formality and procedures in our meetings if we want to really involve the new additional members. The way standing orders are rigidly enforced by Conveners often seems to be designed to stifle rather than facilitate a rigorous examination of proposals and a lively debate.

Adding a Pupil and Parental Voice on the Education Committee

I have written to Leader of the Administration, Ken Guild, whose position was confirmed at the Council meeting on Monday night 21st March 2012. While all eyes at the meeting were on which Councillors were made Lord Provost  and Committee Conveners, the Council was also invited to approve the two trade union and three religious representatives that are also members of the Education Committee. 

Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child provides that children and young people have a right to have their views taken into account in decisions made about matters that affect them. At a time when the voice of our young people in decision making in our City is facilitated through the Dundee Youth Council and the City wide Pupil Council, is it not time we took one more step further by inviting a nominee from our senior school pupils to join us in the Education Committee?

Scottish Labour in Dundee were convinced of the merit of this idea and put this in our manifesto for the local government elections. We proposed that the Education Committee should co-opt a parent representing the citywide group of Chairpersons of Parent Councils together with a senior pupil nominated by the City wide Pupil Council.

I would think there should be cross party support for this because two senior pupils were invited to join the Education Review Group by the last Education Convener and of course the SNP have been arguing for the inclusion of 16 year old voters in the forthcoming referendum on the  proposed separation of Scotland from the UK. Likewise there are compelling reasons for a stronger parental voice on the Education Committee. I have already checked with the Head of Legal and Democratic Services on the Council and he has confirmed that there is no legal impediment to what I have proposed.

I didn't want to be divisive so I  wrote to Ken Guild to propose this and invite him to bring forward a proposal to the Council meeting yesterday or the next Education Committee on 25 June.

In his reply to me Councillor Guild thanked me for my email and said:

"I am not hostile to the proposals which I think could be looked at as a review of the business of the Education Committee.  I have asked officers to gather information concerning non-elected membership of Education Committees or their equivalent in other Scottish local authorities."

Council Meetings Monday Evening 23 April 2012

Last night at a series of Council Meetings I made the following contributions:

Education Committee 
Item 1 - Additional Funding to Support the Delivery of Two Hours of Physical Education Monday 23 April 2012
"Convener, I don't think that you will be surprised to know that I have mixed feelings about this report. While this report includes some projects that are to be welcomed, none will lead to the immediate replacement of the 6.9 qualified PE teachers that were withdrawn before the Easter break. For example, installing artificial grass sports pitches at ten more Primary Schools is a worthy improvement to facilities. Of course I welcome the pitches planned for Barnhill and Forthill Primary Schools in my ward.  But new pitches won't make any impact on the supply of qualified PE teachers (removed in the SNP's budget in February this year - Labour had an alternative plan to fund retaining these important posts) to coach the children during the school day on those pitches. And remember that the quality minimum standard your party set was for each pupil to receive 2 hours of quality PE with a qualified specialist teacher."


Social Work Committee
Item 3 3 Social Care (Self-Directed Support)
"Convener the Director of Social Work was quoted in the local press as saying that he was concerned that the budget for this change was insufficient given that the would be potentially high transitional costs for the Council as services users become service commissioners in their own right and as a consequence there may be times when the Council is under an obligation to continue to fund an existing service with lower levels of occupancy or take up.


If the transformation is quicker than anticipated the transitional costs might peak earlier conversely as the Director observes, they may take longer than three years. If the changeover takes longer than three years, can unspent money in the specific change funds (only available for three years) be carried forward?"


I was assured that unused funds to cover the transitional costs for the Council would be carried forward if they were unspent in any year hopefully protecting Council Tax payers from the effects of an overspend.


City Development Committee

Item 3 - Seafield Road Broughty Ferry One Way  Order 2012

"Convener can we be reassured when planning the timescale for the introduction of this one way order, consideration is given to doing so during the summer vacation so that residents are familiar with the new road layout before the start of the new school year in the middle of August?"


The Convener agreed that this should be taken into account.

Item 1 - Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets (CWSS) Projects Commencing 2012-13
I asked that in relation to paragraph 4.3.a on 

Lowered Kerbs/Footway Improvements, new lowered kerbs should avoid creating places where water collects in a pool creating a hazard for pedestrians to avoid rather than take advantage of. I also pointed out that some of the existing dropped kerbs in Broughty Ferry were in poor condition and should be repaired before new ones were created. I agreed to send in a list of those that needed repairs.

I was reassured that consideration in the design of new new dropped kerbs would avoid water pooling.

Curriculum for Excellence in Dundee Must Provide Best Options for Our Secondary School Pupils

At the Education Committee tonight, I will be arguing that there is an alternative to the Director’s one size fits all flow charts and timetables for curriculum for excellence in our Secondary Schools.

Let’s not kid ourselves that it’s all under control and everything in the educational garden is lovely.  In recent workforce surveys many teachers in Scotland have indicated their lack of preparation for and confidence in delivering the new curriculum and preparing their pupils for the new examinations.  Although the recent letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Education is last minute, it offers some additional cash and some opportunities for opt outs from the new examinations.

The motion I will be presenting to the Committee tomorrow evening will provide an opportunity to pause and take stock rather than ploughing on regardless.

We need our secondary schools and their subject departments to honestly explore the possibility of deferring entering their pupils for the new exams and taking the existing Intermediate assessments instead. We must be guided by the overriding principle that we must always do what is best for our pupils who only get one shot at this.

We should not be over influenced by the Director’s grand design but rather take account of the reality of readiness in every department in every one of our secondary schools.  I am sure many subjects departments and many teachers are relatively confident about the big changes ahead and will take these in their stride. But it would be surprising if some departments in some schools would not benefit from the opportunity to make use of the special measures which the Cabinet Secretary for Education has made available for every secondary school in Scotland.

Finally, we need a report in early June that appraises councillors of the real choices that are to be put before pupils, parents and carers before the end of the summer term.

Community Use of Sports Hall at Eastern Primary School for Evenings and Weekends

On the Agenda of the Education Committee next Monday (26 March 2012) is a proposal to open up community use of the Sports Hall at Eastern Primary School. This would cover use outside school hours mainly in the evenings and at weekends. This sports hall was originally built as part of the Centenary Wing of Grove Academy but became part of Eastern Primary School when Eastern relocated to the 'old Grove' premises in August 2011.
For many sports women and men in teams and clubs, this news will be most welcome. It should mean that players in our amateur leagues can practise under cover which will be especially welcome during the winter.
Rather confusingly, in my opinion, the report refers to the Centenary Wing which in fact contains the Eastern Primary School Staff Room,  Dining Hall, Reception and Offices as well as the Sports Hall. In addition the some of the space in the 'Centenary Wing' is now used as office space for Sports Development and Education Advisory staff as well as our own Communities Officer for The Ferry, Carole Jenkins.
I have already written to the Depute Chief Executive for clarification that this proposal will not prevent the Sports Hall being used as a Polling Station for future elections.
Read or download the report and get in touch with me if there any matters that you would like me to clarify or take up.

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

Education Committee Decisions Last Monday

At the Education Committee last week (Monday 23rd January 2012) we took three key decisions.

The first was to approve the school holidays for the 2013/14. This follows the new pattern of holidays which incorporate the October holiday in the second and third weeks of October. It is helpful to declare school holidays a long time ahead as these days many parents and carers make holiday arrangements a long time ahead. This allows them to do so with the confidence that they know when they can arrange their family holidays without compromising the education of their children.

Secondly, the committee approved the four classroom extension to Kingspark School at a cost just exceeding £1m. I was fully behind this expenditure but had previously voiced concern that the council had put the cart before the horse by seeking planning permission for the proposed building work in advance of seeking approval from the Education Committee. The inclusion of architectural drawings at the Education Committee and the City Architect available on hand to answer questions, provided reassurance that a development was appropriate to the needs of the children with multiple and profound disabilities that attend Kingspark and the short timescale had not compromised proper preparation of the proposal.

Thirdly, the Education Committee were advised that following a period of consultation, the proposal for a standardised 33 period week in each of our nine secondary schools had been dropped because it had failed to persuade parents, carers and teachers of its merit. Incorporated in this design was a proposal for a daily twenty minute period of Tutor time where pupils would met their, Tutor or Key Adult. This is defined as follows in the documentation for Curriculum for Excellence: 'All children and young people should have frequent opportunities to discuss their learning with an adult who can act as a mentor, helping them to set appropriate goals for the next stages in learning.'

I asked for reassurance that the provision of each pupil's entitlement for a Key Adult would be honoured in each of our secondary schools notwithstanding the 33 period week proposal falling.

Most importantly I extracted a commitment from the Director of Education, that he would report to an early meeting of the Education Committee about the Council's proposals for the senior phase (S4-S6) and the new S3 running for the first time from August 2012. Most controversial in these changes is likely to be the restriction to six subject choices in the new National 4 and 5 exams to be taken at the end of S4. This is 25% fewer choices than the maximum number currently available with Standard Grades which are to phased out. We were also promised that, before the middle of February, parents and carers would be invited in to their child's secondary school for a briefing on the latest phase of implementation of curriculum for excellence. It is curious that the really important decisions about plans for what will takes place in the classroom, are kept at arms length from the Committee by the Convener of the Committee and the Director of Education. 

Cautious Welcome for Barnhill Primary School Extension

Dundee City Council's Draft Capital Plan was circulated on Tuesday 24th January and will be part of the Budget meeting on 9 February. 

The inclusion in the new Capital Plan of £1m for a 4 classroom extension to and refurbishment of Barnhill Primary School is welcome. I have been calling for this for a long time including raising it on the agenda of the Education Committee last March. 

This announcement is some recognition that more accommodation is required at Barnhill Primary School to fit in the rising number of children within the school's catchment area in Barnhill, Panmurefield and Balmossiie Brae. Parents and carers with pre-school children in this part of The Ferry will be relieved that, by the summer of 2014, the school will be able to accommodate more children. 

Of course it's really early days, and the detail in the report is thin. While £1m is welcome, this is only 20% of the money previously earmarked for future spending on refurbishing and extending the school. Bearing in mind that a similar amount of money was approved on a 4 classroom extension to Kingspark School at the Education Committee on Monday 23rd January, the refurbishment will be limited and certainly not on the scale of the extension and refurbishment at Forthill Primary School a number of years ago. 

I will be talking to members of the Parent Council and the Head Teacher about this. I hope we will be able to treat this as a down payment and get the Council to increase the budget so that not only will more classrooms be in place but the other facilities in the school, such as the already overcrowded dining hall, can be extended to help keep pace with the rising number of children in the school.