Labour Seeking to Keep Smaller Classes for S1 and S2 Maths and English Classes in all our Secondary Schools

Later today Labour Councillors will be proposing our alternative proposals at the Council's annual budget meeting. In Education, we are proposing to reinstate classes of twenty for English and Maths in the first two years in five secondary schools in the City where the SNP administration are proposing to withdraw these. They propose to introduce larger classes for Maths and English - up to a maximum of 33 - in Harris Academy, Menzieshill High School, St John's RC High School, Morgan Academy and Grove Academy.

It seems common sense that English and Maths are central to success in examinations at school and beyond. In Secondary school, competence in Maths and English is required in order to engage with the rest of the curriculum. So smaller class sizes in these subjects makes sense in S1 and S2. In fact the SNP ruling group of Councillors agree with this assessment because they are retaining smaller claszses for Maths and English in St Paul's RC Academy, Baldragon Academy, Craigie High School and Braeview Academy. If it's good for the pupils in those four Secondary schools, surely it will make a negative difference in the five secondary schools where it is being withdrawn.

In recent years Dundee pupils have performed much better in Maths and English in SQA examinations. Six years ago a quarter of pupils were ending their schools days without English and Maths at Foundation Level in Standard Grade. Steadily this figure has improved in all of our secondary schools and our overall performance is now above the national average and on a par with our comparator councils. If our amendment to the budget is not accepted, we run the risk, that improvements in the overall examination results in our schools are halted and start to slide backwards. I don't think parents and carers with children in the five secondary schools that will lose out will think this is wise. Why are their children subject to cutting corners in Maths and English lessons?

I think parents and carers and teachers will be very disappointed if the ruling group of SNP Councillors won't accept our amendment to their revenue budget. We have uncovered a pot of cash which they had overlooked. Money set aside for paying DEROL (the operators of the incinerator at Baldovie)  for ash from the incinerator when none has been produced since the major fire shut it down in May 2012. Furthermore, there is no definite date for the DEROL reopening in the new financial year. So there must be up to £600,000 available. 

Out of the ashes, let's put some of that money to work paying for smaller class sizes in English and Mathematics in all our secondary schools.

Dundee Peer Educators Share their Project at Scottish Learning Festival

Yesterday I attended the Scottish Learning Festival 2012 in Glasgow. This annual event aims to inspire and transform learning and teaching to help improve the life chances of all young people.

I was delighted to find that one of the innovative developments in our city; Peer Education Project: Health Buddies in Schools was one of the seminars in the programme. This involved Teaching and Community Learning staff along with six of the peer educators, pupils from Braeview Academy and Morgan Academy. This was I think the only seminar that day that involved pupils being an integral part of the presentation. 

Amy Burnett from Braeview Academy presenting

Our Council staff from Schools and The Corner gave an informative overview of why and how the project came about. Then six of our senior pupils, three each from Braeview and Morgan offered insights into their experience of undertaking their training and then delivering a health education message to young people lower down in their schools. 

The six pupils were excellent ambassadors for the city and our secondary schools exhibiting in their presentations an abundance the four capacities enshrined in the curriculum for excellence:
"to be: 

• a successful learner, 
• a confident individual, 
• a responsible citizen and 
• an effective contributor."

Morgan Academy Participation in Tablet Computer Piloting

On Friday 8 June, with my colleague Councillor Georgia Cruickshank, I visited Morgan Academy. We met the Head Teacher, Stephen Shaw and Senior Computer Science Teacher James Harris for a briefing on the school's participation in the national pilot programme using tablet computers and wi-fi access.
I think this development has the potential to create more opportunities for pupils to engage with information and communications technologies and gain expertise in using these responsibly and creatively. This latter point is important in a city where we are have nationally recognised courses in time based art and digital animation at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Computer Games Technology at Abertay University which underpin the celebrated cluster of computer gaming and animation companies in Dundee.


We were reassured that the school, in conjunction with the Council's IT service, is making sure that the new network will be secure and safe for pupils before the system goes 'live'. 
I hope it won't be long before we are extending the pilot to all our secondary schools in the city, including Grove Academy in my own ward.