Temporary Closure of Drumsturdy Road from Monday 19 September 2016 for 10 Days

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 10 days from 19 September 2016.  Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months.

The effect of the Order is to prohibit temporarily all vehicular traffic in Drumsturdy Road between Kellas Road and Lammerton Bridge.

Pedestrian access and vehicular access to premises will be maintained where possible.

An alternative route will be available via B978 Kellas Road, South Kingennie Road and B961 Drumsturdy Road.

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.

Grove Doors Open Day 10:30am - 2:30pm Saturday 17 September 2016

International Literacy Day 2016

Today is the UNESCO designated International Literacy Day 2016.

In the graphic prepared by Education Scotland (see above), there is an admission that the UK has one of the lowest literacy rates in the developed world with one adult in six living with poor literacy. This statistic challenges us to think about what goes on in our schools and what we can offer adults that want to improve their literacy.

It is positive then, that as part of the Attainment Challenge programme of work in our primary schools, literacy has a very prominent place. This includes the citywide introduction of a common phonics based approach, Read Write Inc., to teaching reading. Initial observations about pupil progress have been promising.

Help for adults in Dundee wanting to improve their basic skills is available through Discover Learning 

Email discover.learning@dundeecity.gov.uk 

Tel 01382 666665

Find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/discoverlearningdundee

Website http://www.discoverlearning.org/literacies

Talk to Grove Academy S4 Modern Studies Classes

Yesterday I gave a talk about the role of a City Councillor to a class of S4 pupils at Grove Academy who are studying for their SQA qualification in Modern Studies. 

I am repeating this presentation to a parallel class later today, Thursday 8 September 2016.

After my presentation, the pupils asked me a number of probing questions including:

• Why I had not claimed any expenses in 2015/16
• Why the 33 period week was approved because they did not appreciate the later lunch breaks on Monday to Wednesdays and
• Why I had joined the Labour party?

I finished by encouraging them to engage in local politics because proportionately young adults 18-30 and women are under represented as Councillors. 

I enjoyed meeting these well motivated learners and responding to their thoughtful questions. I wish them all the best when they take their N4/5 examinations.

Help to Keep Oor Oor Wullie Lifesaver in The Ferry

During the Oor Wullie Bucket Challenge over the summer many folk have admired the "Life Boatman Wullie" down at the pier as part of the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail. All 70 of the braw statues have now been withdrawn from their various locations and are coming up for auction.
In response, a save Oor Lifesaver Wullie campaign has begun in The Ferry with a JustGiving crowd funding page being set up by Ewan Philp who is both one of the Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Crew as well as a very active member of Broughty Ferry Traders' Association. Hopefully, the crowd funding will provide the cash to successfully bid for the "Life Boatman Wullie" when it comes up for auction on Tuesday 13th September at the Dundee Rep. All of the money raised to pay for the sculpture will go to The ARCHIE Foundation’s Tayside Children’s Hospital Appeal. Any surplus funds will be split evenly between The ARCHIE Foundation and the RNLI. 

So far £5,292 has been raised, which is just over half the target. Please help to raise tthe remainder by next Tuesday.

Link to the Crowd Funding JustGiving Donation Page

Trip Hazard on Beach Steps - Watch Your Step

On Wednesday a constituent brought to my attention a defect at the top of the set of concrete steps between the Esplanade and the Beach.

As you can see, one of the tiles at the top of the steps has become detached and is sitting at a crooked angle. The seating of some of the tiles in the same row has also become exposed.

As these steps are relatively new, I hope that the original contractor can be deployed to refix these tiles during what would amount to the defects liability period.

I trust that now that I have reported this, whomsoever is responsible can remove this potential trip hazard speedily. 

In the meanwhile, please watch your step!

Dundee Flower and Food Festival Friday 2 to Sunday 4 September 2016

Dundee Flower and Food Festival is on Friday 2 to Sunday 4 September 2016 in Camperdown Park, Coupar Angus Road, Dundee DD2 4TF

Guests include

• Carole Baxter from BBC’s Beechgrove Garden will be at the Festival on Friday 2 September
• Jak O’Donnell from STV’S cookery show Jak and Eddie’s Best of Scottish Food will be demonstrating in the Scotch Lamb PGI Cookery Theatre on Friday 2 September
• Jean-Christophe Novelli will be demonstrating in the Scotch Lamb PGI Cookery Theatre on Saturday 3 September
• The Incredible Spice Men (Cyrus Todiwala and Tony Singh) will be demonstrating in the Scotch Lamb PGI Cookery Theatre on Sunday 4 September.

Highlights

• The Scottish Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Show will be held at the Festival for a second year attracting growers from The North of England and Scotland.
• The Garden Design Showcase will again feature a garden constructed by apprentices from the Council’s Neighbourhood Services.  Visitors to the Festival will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite garden, in the Peoples Choice Awards.
• Competitions include, The Dundee Cake Competition, Scotch Broth Competition, the World Potato and Gladioli Championships.  Competitors can still enter these and other competitions being held at the Festival, details on the website.

Music Stage and Showground Entertainment

• Musical entertainment on Friday is provided by a variety of Dundee school bands and community groups
• Irish musician Sharon Shannon, will be playing at the Festival on Sunday, she is best known for her work with the accordion and for her fiddle technique.  Her 1991 album Sharon Shannon is the best selling traditional Irish music album ever released there.
• On Saturday and Sunday, The Clann who are ‘Scotland’s premier Highland Warriors‘ will be appearing at the Festival. Saturday and Sunday also feature exciting falconry displays.
• Scottish Highland Dancing features in the showground on Sunday.

Link to the Programme and Advance Tickets

Late and Lengthy Guidance for Teachers Issued with Letter from Cabinet Secretary for Education

On Monday morning, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, John Swinney, issued a letter to all teachers in Scotland along with links to three separate documents:

A Statement for Practitioners from HM Chief Inspector of Education August 2016 (6 Pages)

Benchmarks Numeracy and Mathematics Draft, August 2016 (43 pages)

Benchmarks Literacy and English Draft August 2016 (49 pages)

In his letter he says, 

"I accept in the last few years, that time (of teachers) has become cluttered by a plethora of guidance and advice that, however well intentioned, has led to increased workload, confusion and duplication. I am determined to tackle that problem."

While he promised to deliver this to teachers by the beginning of the new school year, he must be embarrassed that he has missed his target by two weeks with two of the documents unfinished and only issued in draft. Issuing almost one hundred pages of additional guidance may also suggest that he has not made a good start in simplifying and clarifying the priorities for our school teachers.

Clearly more documentation will need to be considered when the final versions of the Benchmarks for Maths and English are eventually circulated. I think, the length and ambition of the new documents mean that it will be difficult for our Head Teachers to find collective time to work out with their staff what this means for their schools until the next CPD days in November. 

This is a disappointing start from the Cabinet Secretary for Education.

Link to Guidance and Benchmarks

Pedal for Scotland Cycle Challenge Sunday 11 September 2016 - Please Sponsor Me

On Sunday 11 September 2016 I will be taking part in the Pedal for Scotland 55 mile cycle ride between Glasgow and Edinburgh. 

Please sponsor me. 

I am fundraising for Tushinde Children's Trust - Charity Registration No. SC041330. 

Tushinde supports vulnerable children in the Mathare slums in Nairobi. These children have often lost one or both of their parents to HIV and are being brought up by kinship carers. In response, Tushinde organises child sponsorships which promote positive education and health outcomes.

Link to Tushinde's August Newsletter

Donate now - link to my Just Giving Fundraising Page

Singing, Skating and Dancing Sensation from Dundee Schools Music Theatre Performing Starlight Express

On Friday night I attended a  very entertaining and professional performance of Starlight Express by Dundee Schools' Music Theatre (DSMT).

At a packed Gardyne Theatre, the very talented young players sang and danced their way through a series of lively routines. As a regular at these shows, this is what I have come to expect from DSMT. But on this occasion, the staging required the cast to roller skate as well. 

All the young players danced in their skates, sang in their skates and acted on their skates and in motion. In fact, exploiting a tricky loop down to and up from the orchestra pit had us on the edge of our seats.

Thank you DSMT for such a fun night at your music theatre..

Commenting on Lack of Spare Places in Dundee Primary Schools to Cope with A Rising Number of Children

The figures obtained from the City Council support the warnings I have issued in recent years. I have made it clear to the Council that it is continuing to reduce capacity in our primary schools through school mergers and school closures while the number of school pupils in Dundee is continuing to rise. This is a recipe for disappointment for parents and carers when they can't get their child a place in school. 

Bearing in mind that our Primary schools and Nursery schools will need extra places to cope with a doubling of nursery hours by 2020, the Council can't be complacent about this. New school buildings or conversions take a long time, 4-5 years, to put in place. 

When the next School Estate Review is published in the Autumn, we will be able to see whether Councillor Hunter is continuing to ignore warnings that he is gambling with the future of our school children by failing to change direction. I don't want Dundee to be known as Dundee City of Portable Classrooms.

Dundee Pupils Excel in Barnum at Dundee Rep

On Friday night I was at Dundee Rep where I thoroughly enjoyed a very entertaining and 'professional' performance of Barnum.

Senior pupils from our eight secondary schoools, who make up the company of Dundee Schools' Music Theatre, were the actors, singers and dancers who combined so wonderfully on stage.

Marceli Guziewicz played the demanding role of Phineas Taylor Barnum. He was on stage for most of the night with a confident presence and credible characterisation. Other stand out performers were Ava Hickey who played Charity Barnum, Jessica Sommerville who played the ringmaster and Tobenna Ogwuda who sang so brilliantly.

The company however all deserve praise for their dancing, singing and their juggling, clowning, acrobatics and other circus skills.

Even by the high standards of Dundee Schools' Music Theatre, this was an outstanding performance.

Commenting on Attendance, Absence and Exclusion in Dundee Schools

The Report before the Children and Families' Service Committee on Monday 22 August 2016 about Attendance, Absence and Exclusion in our schools has some progress to report. I think it is important to recognise that the trends on attendance rates and exclusions are at last moving in a positive direction.  

There is however, clearly much to be done particularly in reducing the rate of exclusion of looked after children in our City.   In the latest figures, the exclusion rate for looked after children is 15% compared with non-looked after children at 2%. This cannot be right.  On Monday night therefore, I want to hear more about how we are going to narrow this gap.

One of the other issues which is not mentioned in the report is about lateness. Unfortunately persistent lateness is still an issue for a significant number of pupils in our primary and secondary schools. I know some of our schools have specific initiatives to try and break the cycle of starting school late and thereby disrupting learning several days in every week. In future, I think lateness should also be reported along with attendance, absence and exclusion.

Finally, I think parents and carers whose children attend regularly and punctually and are not excluded would like to know more about how our schools are providing constructive alternatives to exclusion within school in a way that does not disrupt the learning of the majority of pupils who want to learn.

Temporary Closure of Brown Street Broughty Ferry from Tuesday 16th August 2016

THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984
THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY
being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of carriageway resurfacing works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Brown Street, (from No.77 Brook Street to the North side of Long Lane) Broughty Ferry, Dundee.

This notice comes into effect on Tuesday 16th August 2016 for five working days.

Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.

The terms of the DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL (DUNDEE (ONE WAY TRAFFIC) CONSOLIDATION) 1987 will require to be suspended where they relate to ONE WAY TRAFFIC in Long Lane for the duration of the above

Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Brook Street/Fort Street/King Street/ and reverse

For further information contact (01382) 433168.

Mike Galloway
Director of City Development

Ferry Food Fayre Sunday 14 August 2016 12:00-16:30

Once again, Food and Hospitality members of the Broughty Ferry Traders Association have got together to showcase the wealth of the food and hospitality available in Broughty Ferry. The event is has grown after the overwhelming popularity of the 2015 event and promises to give locals and visitors an opportunity to meet their local food producers and find out more about where their food comes from.

The event, at the Best Western Woodlands Hotel on Sunday 14 August 2016, is free and features opportunities for the public to get involved with competitions including The Great Broughty Bake Off and The Great Broughty Shake Off for cocktail lovers. There will also be demos, raffles, tastings and talks.
 
The event has been co-ordinated, again by Clementine Co-owner and BFTA Committee Member, Jan McTaggart:
"Last year’s Ferry Food Fayre was incredibly popular. In fact, it was much, much busier than we had expected! It was lovely that so many folk turned out to support our new event – which showed that there’s quite an appetite for this kind of thing. So, we knew we simply had to do it again... but bigger and better!"
 
The Woodlands Hotel has made everything possible by providing the whole of the ground floor including the restaurant, bar, library and outside areas which means that there will be separate spaces for the talks and demos, the Bake Off display and for the stalls. Scott Brothers are doing a barbeque outside and the Woodlands Hotel Head Chef is opening up his kitchen for a unique, behind the scenes experience where customers will be able to buy food directly from the people who cooked it. Like last year, the Ferry’s incredible cafes will be there – including new business Lulu’s Gluten Free Goodies – so everyone will be able to enjoy some cake!
 
This year the organisers of the Food Fayre encouraging people to enjoy the walk to the Woodlands to help avoid traffic congestion in the area. It also means that they’ll be able to enjoy the offerings from Ogilvy Vodka and Aitkens Wines! And for people who really need to take the car- they’ve got some willing volunteers from the Traders' Association who will help direct the traffic around the car park entrance. They’ve also had the kind offer of a free mini bus from Barnhill Travel – so they may be able to offer some free transport too.