Grove Academy Top State School in Tayside - 20th in Sunday Times Ranking

Congratulations to staff and pupils of Grove Academy for achieving their top twenty place in the Sunday Times list of Top 50 Scottish State Secondary School published today. 


Their ranking of 20th place in Scotland was up 4 places from 2010. 


The top 50 table also shows that Grove is not only the top performing school in Dundee but also within Tayside.

Ferry Local Community Planning Partnership Meeting Next Week

THE FERRY LOCAL COMMUNITY PLANNING PARTNERSHIP 

MEETING

THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2011 – 6.00 PM

PANMUREFIELD CHURCH 

BROUGHTY FERRY

Local Community Planning Partnerships have been established in each Dundee City Council Ward since 2008. The main purpose of these bodies is to ensure that Community Plans are devised and implemented in response to the locally identified needs in each Ward and to improve the co-ordination of Dundee City Council services with those of our other public and voluntary sector partners.

The meetings are open to members of the public where issues of community concern can be raised in relation to items on the agenda through the chair of meeting.

If you wish to attend and would like further information about the meeting or the Community Planning Partnership, please use the contact details shown below.

A G E N D A

1.         WELCOME AND APOLOGIES

2.         PREVIOUS MINUTE AND MATTERS ARISING 

3.         COMMUNITY PLAN 2012-2015

4.         DUNDEE LOCAL PLAN - MAINS ISSUES (ANDY MULLHOLLAND, CITY DEVELOPMENT)

5.         DEPARTMENT/AGENCY/ORGANISATION UPDATE

6.         COMMUNITY ISSUES RAISED BY MEMBERS OF PUBLIC

7.         DATES AND TIMES OF 2012 MEETINGS

           

Carole Jenkins 

Communities Officer The Ferry

Tel  438594 (Tues, Wed only) 

Email carole.jenkins@dundeecity.gov.uk

Remembrance Day 11 November 2011

Ninety three years ago at 11 am on 11 November 1918 the Armistice, which brought the end to hostilities in the First World War, came into effect. 


Our two minutes silence at 11:00 today 
"commemorates the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts"

Countdown to 2011 Switching On Broughty Ferry Christmas Lights Thursday 24 November 2011 from 6:00 pm

Its just two weeks to go before the switching on of the Christmas Lights in Broughty Ferry on Thursday 24 November 2011.


Assemble at 6pm for live music, carol singing, Radio Tay, street artists and children's entertainment. Mulled wine and Scott Brothers burghers will also be available. 


The switching on of the lights ceremony will be performed by Lord Provost John Letford at 7pm.

Free Weekend Pass for Historic Scotland Attractions 26/27 November 2011

What better way to celebrate St Andrew's Day than free passes to some of Scotland's most stunning attractions?

Click here to register for a free weekend pass that grants two adults and up to three children free entry to 42 fascinating Historic Scotland sites for 26/27 of November 2011.

Could 'Trixi' Mirrors Save Lives in Dundee Streets?

Trixi mirrors are the latest road safety development to help keep cyclists safe on our roads. They can give drivers of large vehicles a view of their blind spot - the corridor down their left where cyclists become invisible.


They are named after Beatrix Willburger, a Swiss young woman who was killed by a lorry turning left. Her father has since promoted the use of the mirrors at junctions.


They are relatively low costs improvements requiring no wiring or digging up the highway to install. 


Right now Trixi mirrors are being trialled in London. I have written to Neil Gellatly, Head of Transportation in the City Council to ask him to keep an eye on the trial down south and consider installing these at busy junctions in the city.

2400 Incapacity Benefit Claimants in Dundee to be Removed From Benefit Entirely

A study published yesterday by independent academic researchers from Sheffield Hallam University will make for grim reading for many of the 9880 claimants of incapacity benefit in Dundee. 

In the light of benefit reforms introduced by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government in Westminster, the researchers have estimated the effect of these changes place by place. 

They estimate that 2400 folk, nearly a quarter of the total, will be removed from social security benefits entirely and will need to rely more on family, friends and charity. 1400 will be transferred to claiming time limited Job Seekers Allowance as they search for work. They add that, 

"Although some incapacity claimants will re-engage with the labour market, there is little reason to suppose that the big fall in claimant numbers will lead to significant increases in employment.  Incapacity claimants often face multiple obstacles to working again and their concentration in the weakest local economies and most disadvantaged communities means they usually have little chance of finding work." 

Not only will this have a negative effect on the individual claimants and their families directly involved but it will also reduce the money that is available in the Dundee economy to buy goods and services.

This is bad news for claimants of Incapacity Benefit and bad news for our city.

Estimated impact of incapacity benefit reforms by district, county and region, 2011-2014

Place	Incapacity claimants February 2011		Estimated impact of benefit reforms 2011-2014
	number	as % of working age	Reduction in incapacity claimants	Removed from benefits entirely	Increase in JSA claims	Additional compulsory labour market engagement
Scotland	277,410	8.1%	115,000	65,000	36,000	100,000
Dundee	9,880	10.4%	4,300	2,400	1,400	3,500

Source Christina Beatty and Steve Fothergill, November 2011, "Incapacity Benefit Reform: The local, regional and national impact", Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research Sheffield Hallam University

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.

Olympic Flame in Dundee 12 June 2012

The route of the Olympic Torch has just been confirmed as it wends its way thoughout Great Britain to the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games on Friday 27 July 2012. 


On Tuesday 12 June next year a relay of Olympic Flame bearers will carry the torch from Aberdeen to Dundee. 


There will be an Olympic Torch evening celebration in the city that night. 


The next day the torch will carried over to Fife.


This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Olympic Torch.

The Future of Universities and Colleges in Tayside: A Public Meeting

Last night I attended a public meeting at the University of Abertay.


'The Future of Universities and Colleges in Tayside: A Public Meeting' 
had been called to discuss:


"The Government's proposals for reforming education for 16+ year olds will have a significant impact for universities and colleges. Student and staff groups are holding a public meeting where members of parliament from across the political spectrum, teaching unionists and student unionists will be in attendance - this meeting is the chance for YOU to have your say."


The meeting heard how the Hands Off Abertay campaign had formed to combat the SNP government's clumsy plans for a forced merger between Abertay University and the University of Dundee by the end of October. While it was clear that the immediate threat of a forced merger had been removed by the Scottish Government, many speakers warned that the longer term plans of the government, still included a reduction in the overall number of further education colleges and universities in Scotland through mergers and takeovers.


Students from NUS Scotland and Angus and Dundee Colleges also contributed to the debate and emphasised the educational damage inflicted by the current cuts to the budgets for Angus College and Dundee College. This had already led to a significant cut in college courses and the number of student places available.  Support to students through bursaries had also been reduced. 


These cuts in our local Further Education Colleges will unfortunately reduce the number of college places available each year for our school leavers. This reduction in opportunities will also have a damaging knock on effect in our Universities. By reducing the number of students who can undertake an access course in a further education college, the Scottish Government is thereby reducing the flow of students who may be able to progress to a University course.


This all seemed a long way from the ambitions stated in the SNP governments latest consultation paper on post school learning: 
Putting Learners at the Centre: Delivering our Ambitions for Post-16 Education

Mounting Cost of Not Spending a Penny in Broughty Ferry

Automated public convenience still not working 1st November 

In March when our award winning staffed public toilets in the Queen Street Car park were closed as part of the cuts, we were promised that there would be a replacement Automated Public Convenience (APC) in place for summer visitors.


Work to install the automated public convenience did not however begin until the end of August. On Tuesday, more than two months later, a trench is finally being dug in the car park for the water and drainage connection to the automated public convenience. But as the APC has been on site and partially installed since the end of August, I presume our public money has been wasted paying the leasing charges while it can't be used. 

I have written to David Dorward, the Council's Chief Executive, to clarify the responsibility for the lengthening delay to 'spend a penny'  and the mounting cost to council tax of paying for a facility that has not yet been fully installed. 

Ken Guild, Leader of the Council and also a Broughty Ferry Councillor, can hardly feel flushed with success from this initiative.

Dates of Consultation Meetings About 33 Period Week

Yesterday the Education Director, Michael Wood announced the dates of the consultation meetings about the proposed 33 period week throughout our nine secondary schools in Dundee. 

Each meeting will begin at 7pm and is open to parents and carers of any child that attends the relevant secondary school and any of its feeder primary schools.

Secondary School	Consultation Date	Education Officer Attending
Braeview	22 November	Michael Wood
Baldragon	15 November	Paul Clancy
Craigie	17 November	Paul Clancy
Grove	14 November	Michael Wood
Harris	23 November	Danny Webster
Morgan	24 November	Kenny McKeown
Menzieshill	23 November	Tracey Stewart
St John’s	21 November	Iris Thomson
St Paul’s	16 November	Tracey Stewart

For more information about the proposed 33 period week see also my earlier blog report.

Please note that when the Education Committee considered this at its 27 September meeting it agreed that, despite misgivings, the proposal should go out to consultation with parents and carers, pupils and teachers.

Progress with Software and Hardware Upgrades in Dundee Schools

At the Council Meetings on Monday 31st October, there were reports to consider from Ged Bell, Head of the Information Technology (IT) Division of the Council. 


Rightly, he and his team were praised for the excellent work it had undertaken to facilitate the move of council staff to Dundee House over the summer.


I thought that it was also important to clarify how far IT investment was reaching into our schools. To maximise readiness for the world of work and further education, it's clearly important that our school pupils are learning on current versions of software running on up to date computers.


In answer to my questions, Ged Bell confirmed that almost all classrooms in our schools had been provided with an electronic whiteboard, data projector and desktop computer. After the meeting, in an email, he also confirmed that 98% of Schools' PCs have Windows 7 installed and this will reach 100% by the Christmas break.  


This impressive achievement has been the result of a continuing investment in IT in our schools.

Response to Publication of HMI Report on St Paul's RC Academy

The Report by Her Majesties Inspectors (HMIs) on St Paul’s RC Academy was published on Tuesday.  


While the report acknowledges that the school is a caring community, it's summary of the school performance against quality indicators, identifies significant weaknesses:

"Here are the evaluations for St Paul’s RC Academy:

• Learners’ experiences - satisfactory
• Improvements in performance -  satisfactory
• Meeting learning needs - weak

We also evaluated the following aspects of the work of the school:

• The curriculum - weak
• Improvement through self-evaluation - weak"

The report also concludes that:

"We discussed with staff and the education authority how they might continue to improve the school. This is what we agreed with them.

• Raise expectations and improve the consistency of young people’s learning experiences and achievements.
• Improve arrangements to meet the learning needs of young people, including those requiring additional support.
• Improve the curriculum to meet the needs and entitlements of all young people.
• Develop consistent and rigorous approaches to self-evaluation.

As a result of our inspection findings we think that the school needs additional support and more time to make necessary improvements."

This is a very disappointing first HMI report on one of our new flagship PPP secondary schools in the city; most importantly because the attainment and achievement of the school's pupils is apparently not being sufficiently nurtured and exploited. Councillor Liz Fordyce, the Education Convener of the Council, needs to immediately reassure parents and carers and members of the Education Committee what 'additional support'  will be provided to St Paul's RC Academy so that it can make the necessary improvements. She will however be judged not on her words but on her deeds and the effect of these. In this financial year she has already removed one of the of the Depute Head Teacher posts in St Paul's. When she and her SNP colleagues published their cuts in the Education budget earlier this year she claimed that £4.5 million reduction in the budget would improve educational outcomes in the city.

Councillor Kevin Keenan, said:

"St Paul's RC Academy is in my constituency. As a local Councillor I am really concerned by the performance of St Paul's RC Academy as reported in their HMI report. Like Councillor Bidwell, I want to know what actions will the Education Convener put in place from this month to begin to improve this school? In my role as Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, I will write to the Chief Executive of the Council and the Director of Education to ensure that this report is on the Agenda of the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee on 14 December 2011.   However, action is required now to address the shortfalls identified in this Report."

A copy of the full letter from HMI is available on the Education Scotland websitewww.educationscotland.gov.uk or by clicking this link http://www.hmie.gov.uk/ViewEstablishment.aspx?id=12197&type=3.