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.

Proposed Temporary Closure of King Street for Carriageway Resurfacing Works from 26 October 2015

Dundee City Council propose to make an Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of facilitating carriageway resurfacing works.  The Order is expected to be in force for 2 weeks from 26 October 2015.  Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months.

The effect of the Order is to prohibit temporarily all vehicular traffic in King Street from Westfield Road to Lawrence Street (Phase 1) and from Lawrence Street to Fort Street (Phase 2).

Only one phase will be closed at any time.  No work will be carried out at the weekend and therefore the road will be open.

An alternative route will be available via Westfield Road, Brook Street and Brown Street (Phase 1), and via Church Street, Brook Street and Fort Street (Phase 2).

Please forward any comments you may have regarding this proposal to Mark Cobb, Network Management Team, City Development Department, Dundee House, 50 North Lindsay Street, Dundee  DD1 1LS, no later than five working days prior to the commencement date.  If you have any queries please contact Mr Cobb on 01382 433082.

The Foodbank: Britain's Hidden Hunger - Dundee Featured BBC1 Wed 7 October 11:05pm - 12:05pm

Later today there will be a late night screening of The Foodbank: Britain's Hidden Hunger on BBC1 on Wednesday 7 October 2015 11:05pm - 12:05pm. It features the busiest Foodbank in Scotland, right here in Dundee.


Programme Notes from The Radio Times
Documentary looking at the growing numbers of people requiring emergency food in Britain. The stories of the people who received help from Scotland's busiest foodbank in Dundee are explored, including a man who cannot afford food after being the victim of a robbery, and a single dad who cannot feed his four-year-old son after a long period without work.

Network repeat of programme screened on BBC Scotland last week.

Dundee Food Bank
c/o Full Gospel Church
58 Constitution Street
DUNDEE DD3 6NE
Telephone: 01382 226372
Email: info@dundee.foodbank.org.uk
Website: http://dundee.foodbank.org.uk/

School Alert for Proposed Temporary Closure of Seafield Road Broughty Ferry from Monday 19 October 2015

Earlier this month I alerted readers of my blog to the proposed temporary closure of Seafield Road for the replacement of the gas mains. Work is expected to start on Monday 19 October and last for for eight weeks.

Link to full details of the proposed road Closure

This essential work to renew the gas mains in Seafield Road will begin during the second week of the October school holidays.

Many pupils and their parents may be affected by this 8 week road closure, given the proximity of the road works to three of our Ferry Schools. I have therefore alerted the Head Teachers of Eastern Primary School, Grove Academy and Forthill Primary School. More specifically, I was concerned that the closure of Seafield Road will affect some of their pupils' Safe Routes to School and is likely to disrupt some car journeys to all three of these schools. It will of course unfortunately disrupt the lives of residents of Seafield Road who may well experience temporary access difficulties while their gas main is updated.

Go Dundee Learning Journey 2015 – City of Design Saturday 7th November 9.30am-4pm

GO DUNDEE have confirmed that the 2015 Learning Journey will take place on Saturday 7th November from 9.30am to around 4pm and that the event will celebrate Dundee’s achievement of UNESCO ‘City of Design’ status. This year participants will be visiting the following venues:

• Dundee Waterfront – including view of engineering works from RRS Discovery
• DC Thomson – Kingsway East HQ
• High Mill gallery – newly opened visitor attraction at Verdant Works
• Maggie’s Dundee – cancer care centre in building designed by Frank Gehry

Go Dundee is again organising this event in partnership with Dundee Science Centre as part of the Dundee Science Festival 2015.  This year they are making a particular effort to encourage people from all the city’s various communities to take part in this event.  They are delighted that the Whitfield Community Choir has kindly agreed to perform at lunch time.  

Lunch will be provided at Verdant Works.

Many thanks to Xplore Dundee (formally National Express Dundee) for generously agreeing to provide the bus for the Learning Journey.

Booking
This event is free to attend but numbers are limited so booking is essential.
Booking starts on Friday 2nd October at 12.00 – phone the Dundee Science Festival number 01382 228800.

Commenting on Thefts from NHS Tayside over 5 Years

On the basis of Freedom of Information Requests, it is regrettable to learn that over £400,000 of losses to NHS Tayside over the last five years were attributable to theft.

Whether it is lead stolen from roofs or equipment and furnishings removed from wards and surgeries, every pound spent on replacements is a pound not available for spending on the treatment of patients. 

Those who chose to deliberately or opportunistically steal from the NHS are stealing from us all as we all contribute to the cost of the NHS through our National Insurance contributions and taxes. 

Having said that, the budget of NHS Tayside is in excess of £640 million per year and they are a major owner of buildings in many locations. Seen it that light, the figure of £80,000 attributed to thefts per year (averaging out the reported annual losses from the five year total) suggests good security of NHS Tayside premises and sensible oversight of their movable property which I don't think intrudes on the treatment of patients.

Proposed Temporary Closure of Seafield Road for Gas Main Renewal Beginning 19 October 2015 for 8 weeks

 

Dundee City Council propose to make an Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of facilitating gas main renewal works.  The Order is expected to be in force for 8 weeks from 19 October 2015.  Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months.

The effect of the Order is to prohibit temporarily all vehicular traffic in Seafield Road from Davidson Street to Fintry Place (Phase 1) and Fintry Place to Balgillo Road (Phase 2).

Only one phase will be closed at any time.

An alternative route will be available via Davidson Street, Cedar Road, Forthill Road and Balgillo Road for northbound traffic, and via Balgillo Road, Forthill Road, Fort Street, Queen Street, Church Street and Seafield Road for southbound traffic.

Please forward any comments you may have regarding this proposal to Mark Cobb, Network Management Team, City Development Department, Dundee House, 50 North Lindsay Street, Dundee  DD1 1LS, no later than five working days prior to the commencement date.  If you have any queries please contact Mr Cobb on 01382 433082.

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.

Welcome for Additional Bus Shelter on Balgillo Road

This morning Council staff have advised that: "a bus shelter has been installed on Balgillo Road near to its junction with Forthill Road.

The shelter was previously located on Dundee Road opposite Ralston Road but apparently saw very little usage, therefore the decision was made that its new location was of far greater benefit to bus users. Currently there is no power to the shelter but this will follow in the next weeks as part of an electrical installation programme at various bus shelters."

Bus users who contacted me about the need for a bus shelter had complained about the lack of protection from the weather at this well used stop. Hopefully they will be pleased with this relocated shelter.

WW100 Events in Dundee Saturday 26 September 2015

On Saturday I attended two of the events that had been organised in Dundee to mark the centenary of the Battle of Loos in which men from Dundee died. 

Like so many of the battles waged along the Western Front in WW1, only a short distance of territory was gained at the cost of the lives of so many young men from our city.

Commemorative Parade & Service
On Saturday in City Square, in Dundee over 1,000 people attended the service at 12 noon which which has been preceded by a parade of around 250 from the current armed services and 300 veterans.  Members of the public lined the parade route and watched the service on a large screen on the High Street. 


Special guests included Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay and the First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon. The service was particularly poignant for The Prince of Wales – who is Royal Colonel of The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, which suffered significant losses at Loos, and his Great Uncle (brother of the late Queen Mother) – Captain the Honourable Fergus Bowes-Lyon – who died on the third day of fighting. 

The Guns of Loos
At 7pm I was at Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) for a special screening of ‘The Guns of Loos’, a silent film which hadn’t been shown since the 1930s. The Great War Dundee partnership, in association with DCA, had commissioned a new live musical score for the film by one of the UK’s leading silent film composers and performers, Stephen Horne. I think the performance of the musical score was the world premier.

Link to commemorative booklet about the Battle of Loos

Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Open Day Sunday 27 Sept 2015

Murray Brown, Coxwain of Broughty Ferry Lifeboat said:

"We invite everyone to come to our open day this Sunday 27 September 2015. 

There will be lots to see and do, including a chance to see round the lifeboat itself if the weather is fair enough for this to be safe. Folk can also meet the crew and enjoy refreshments and a barbecue. 

It is vitally important to us to establish and maintain close links with the local community. Just like Wave 102, we are here to serve the local community and we appreciate the support we get from Dundee’s local radio station, helping us to keep in touch with the people of Dundee. 

It is only through community support that RNLI volunteers can provide the essential service of saving lives at sea."

SQA Admit That 2015 Higher Maths Exam Was Too Hard

The fairness of the Higher Maths examination, which pupils sat in May 2015, is an issue that won't go away. The Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) gave evidence to the Education and Culture Committee meeting at the Scottish Parliament this week.

Dr Janet Brown, Director of the SQA informed the Committee that the Higher Maths paper had been written along the same guidelines as exemplar and specimen papers, and the "structure and nature of questions within it was part of the course and was explained to teachers". But, she added, it became "very obvious" that the exam had been "a standard which was over and above what we had anticipated". She also confirmed that the pass mark had been reduced to 33.8% to compensate.

Scottish Labour’s Opportunity Spokesperson Iain Gray said the statement showed the SQA “still don’t get it” and that parents and students affected will take “no comfort” in the fact the results were adjusted. He called for the Government to review what had gone wrong.

“They now need to face up their responsibility and ensure that people can have confidence in the SQA and its exam system,” he said.

Traffic Restrictions Brown Street, (Brook Street to King Street) for Road Resurfacing Work September 2015

The City Council has recently notified householders and businesses in Brown Street, Broughty Ferry (Brook Street to King Street) that their street will be closed for Carriageway Resurfacing Work from Saturday 26 September 2015 and will last for approximately 2 weeks. 

The Contractor for the works is Tayside Contracts. 

In the interest of public safety, a road closure will be implemented and through traffic will be diverted via Brook Street, Fort Street, King Street and reverse. 

On-street parking will not be allowed on the section of carriageway being worked on. Vehicular access to properties with driveways and off street parking areas will be maintained although they ask for vehicular traffic movements to be kept to a minimum and advise that delays may be experienced. 

I am advised that weekend working should minimise any restrictions on access to and from the Brown Street Health Centre car park Monday to Fridays during the contract period.

Please note that pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained throughout the works.

If you have any queries regarding this matter please contact Les Grubb, Road Maintenance Partnership, by telephoning 01382 434000.

Dundee University Scottish University of the Year

On Friday the University of Dundee was named Scottish University of the Year in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2016. 

This annual award was based on an in-depth review of higher education in Britain.

Alastair McCall, editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide, wrote:
“The University of Dundee is the epitome of what a good university should be. It provides an outstanding education and university experience for its students, is a key driver in the regional and national economy, and its researchers – particularly in the medical field – are pushing back the boundaries of knowledge and the treatments available to the wider benefit of society.”


Professor Sir Pete Downes, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee said:
"Our success follows a sharp rise in our overall ranking in the Good University Guide’s league table, we have risen eight places to 37th in the UK rankings and to fourth in Scotland. We are now the top university in Scotland under The Times and The Sunday Times analysis of the National Student Survey outcomes for teaching quality, ranking ninth-equal in the UK."

This is a significant and well deserved accolade for the University of Dundee and is another positive indicator of the renaissance of Dundee. Congratulations to the all the academic and support staff on their collective achievement.

BERA Grant from the Council Approved

At a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee of the Council on Monday evening 14 September, the Committee agreed a grant of £3000 to Broughty Ferry Education and Recreation Association (BERA) for 2015/16.

I was pleased to take the opportunity to address the Committee and make a short statement in support of the continuing work of BERA and their contribution to promoting adult learning in Broughty Ferry. I also reminded the Committee that, while most welcome, much if not all of this of grant would return to the Council in rental payments for school premises.

The following extracts from the Committee Report clarify the grant and the valued service that the BERA volunteers contribute to our community:

"This contribution towards the running costs of the organisation (BERA) will enable them to continue to provide a wide ranging evening learning provision in local community areas, which is very well attended.

3.0 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 3.1 The grants can be met from the Department’s 2015/16 Revenue Grants Budget (Adult Learning Support Fund). 

4.1 Broughty Ferry Education and Recreation Association is a voluntary Adult Education Association. The volunteers work in partnership with Dundee City Council to provide evening education, recreation and leisure opportunities for the residents of Broughty Ferry and the wider environs. 2014/2015. .... The group are running three evening sessions across two venues, Grove and Forthill Schools, not only does this organisation provide learning opportunities it also promotes community access to Schools."