Documents
Agenda
Standard Items
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Items Of Business
Apologies
Apologies from members.
Councillors Cameron and Perrie and I Keith.
Declarations of Interest
Members are asked to declare an interest in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest.
There were no declarations of interest intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting.
Report by Directors of Finance & Resources and Children's Services.
1
There was submitted a joint report by the Directors of Finance & Resources and Children's Services for the service for the period 1 April to 13 November 2015.
DECIDED:
(a) That the budget position be noted; and
(b) That it be noted that there had been net budget re-alignments of £691,700 processed since the last report primarily related to the transfer of Healthy Lifestyles budgets to Leisure Services, transfers to the corporate landlord, the transfer of IT budgets to Finance and Resources and the reallocation of previously agreed savings partially offset by an adjustment to salary budgets for the impact of the Living Wage and additional funding received in relation to the Curriculum for Excellence.
Report by Director of Finance & Resources
2
There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources for the service for the period 1 April to 13 November 2015.
DECIDED: That the report be noted.
Report by Director of Children's Services
3
There was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to the Service Improvement Plan 2015/18 for Children’s Services. The report detailed key achievements over the period 1 April to 30 September 2015; provided an update on delivery of the Service Improvement Plan action plan as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report; and assessed service performance in the scorecard of core performance indicators as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report.
DECIDED:
(a) That the progress made in terms of Children’s Services service performance be noted;
(b) That the progress made in terms of actions and performance detailed in the action plan be noted; and
(c) That it be agreed that progress on Service Improvement Plan implementation be reviewed in spring 2016.
Report by Director of Children's Services
4
Under reference to item 12 of the Minute of the meeting of this Board held on 14 May 2015 there was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to issues raised and comments made in the course of the consultation exercise and recommendations to progress the proposal.
The report intimated that, in line with legislative requirements, a formal consultation on the proposal to relocate Foxlea Pre-5 and Community Learning Centre to a new build St Paul’s Primary School had been held. Responses to the proposal were positive and supportive and were detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. Education Scotland had also been consulted on the proposal in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. The response received was supportive of the Council’s proposal and was attached to the report as Appendix 4.
DECIDED:
(a) That the issues raised through the formal consultation, detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted;
(b) That the comments made by Education Scotland in relation to the educational benefits of the proposals, detailed in Appendix 4 to the report, be noted;
(c) That the relocation of Foxlea Pre-5 and Community Learning Centre to a new build St Paul’s Primary School on the site of the existing establishments be approved;
(d) That the development of detailed project proposals, including project design, fully developed project costing, financial assessment and funding approach for construction of the new campus be approved; and
(e) That it be noted that the new facility would be delivered by the Council’s property services section, augmented by external consultants as required.
Report by Director of Children's Services
5
Under reference to item 13 of the Minute of the meeting of this Board held on 14 May 2015 there was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to issues raised and comments made in the course of the consultation exercise and recommendations to progress the proposal.
The report intimated that, in line with legislative requirements, a formal consultation on the proposal to relocate Bargarran Primary School and St John Bosco Primary School and Nursery Class to a new shared campus had been held. Responses to the proposal were predominately positive and supportive and were detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. Education Scotland had also been consulted on the proposal in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. The response received was supportive of the Council’s proposal and was attached to the report as Appendix 4.
DECIDED:
(a) That the issues raised through the formal consultation, detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted;
(b) That the comments made by Education Scotland in relation to the educational benefits of the proposals, detailed in Appendix 4 to the report, be noted;
(c) That the relocation of Bargarran Primary School and St John Bosco Primary School and Nursery Class to a new shared campus on the site of the existing schools be approved;
(d) That the development of detailed project proposals, including project design, fully developed project costing, financial assessment and funding approach for the construction of the new campus be approved; and
(e) That it be noted that the new facility would be delivered by the Council’s property services section, augmented by external consultants as required.
Report by Director of Children's Services
6
Under reference to item 4 of the Minute of the meeting of this Board held on 20 August 2015 there was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to issues raised and comments made in the course of the consultation exercise and recommendations to progress the proposal.
The report intimated that, in line with legislative requirements, a formal consultation on the proposal to relocate Spateston Pre-5 Centre to a refurbished St Anthony’s Primary School had been held. Responses to the proposal were positive and supportive and were detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. Education Scotland had also been consulted on the proposal in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. The response received was supportive of the Council’s proposal and was attached to the report as Appendix 4.
DECIDED:
(a) That the issues raised through the formal consultation, detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted;
(b) That the comments made by Education Scotland in relation to the educational benefits of the proposals, detailed in Appendix 4 to the report, be noted;
(c) That the relocation of Spateston Pre-5 Centre to a refurbished St Anthony’s Primary School be approved;
(d) That the development of detailed project proposals, including project design, fully developed project costing, financial assessment and funding approach for the refurbishment be approved; and
(e) That it be noted that the refurbishment would be delivered by the Council’s property services section, augmented by external consultants as required.
Report by Director of Children's Services
7
There was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to the inspection by Education Scotland of Ferguslie Pre-5 Centre, Paisley, undertaken during November 2015, as part of a national sample of pre-5 education.
A copy of the inspection report together with quality indicator evaluations, published by Education Scotland on 22 December 2015, was appended to the report. The inspection report had identified five key strengths and one area for further improvement. It was noted that Education Scotland would make no further visits in connection with the inspection. An improvement action plan would be developed and shared with parents, indicating how the point for action of the inspection report would be addressed. The report stated that the pre-five centre would be supported in its improvement and arrangements would be made to inform parents of the progress made by the pre-five centre in addressing the main point identified for action within two years of the publication of the report.
DECIDED: That the key strengths and one area for further improvement identified in the Education Scotland report on Ferguslie Pre-5 Centre, Paisley be noted.
Report by Director of Children's Services.
8
There was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to the allocation of funding to meet the national targets for physical education in primary and secondary schools.
The report intimated that one of the Scottish Government manifesto commitments in 2011 was to deliver at least two hours of physical education in primary schools and at least two periods of physical education (PE) in secondary schools for pupils in S1-S4 by 2014. In March 2012, following the joint commitment by the Scottish Government and CoSLA, all 32 local authorities agreed an action plan with Education Scotland and sportscotland in which they committed to ensuring all their schools met the target by 2014. sportscotland had invested £3.4 million across all local authorities in 2013/14 to help deliver this commitment which Education Scotland had supplemented by a further £2.4 million package of national initiatives to increase the support available to local authorities and teachers.
Renfrewshire Council and sportscotland had put in place a partnership agreement and action plans for the period 2015/19 to support physical education across all primary and secondary schools. On this basis sportscotland had offered Renfrewshire Council further support and investment of £51,000 for the year ending 31 March 2016.
The report detailed how Renfrewshire Council had utilised the funding in 2013/15 and proposals for the use of funding in 2015/16.
DECIDED:
(a) That it be noted that in 2014 the national target in the delivery of physical education across all Renfrewshire schools had been met;
(b) That the report on use of funding in 2013/15 be noted;
(c) That the allocation of £51,000 from sportscotland, over the next financial year 2015/16, to ensure continuous progress in the delivery of high quality physical education in primary and secondary schools be approved; and
(d) That the continued employment of a Physical Education Lead Officer to build capacity and improve the skills of primary teachers in relation to the teaching of physical education, and to support those schools where additional equipment for physical education was required, be approved.
Report by Director of Children's Services
9
There was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to the Public Inquiry into Historical Child Abuse in Scotland and the National Confidential Forum.
The report intimated that on 17 December 2014 the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning announced that in terms of the Inquiries (Scotland) Act 2005, a public inquiry would be undertaken into the historic abuse of children under 18 years and that a consultation process would take place involving survivors and others in relation to the terms of reference and the appointment of a suitable Chair. The draft terms of reference for the Inquiry were announced on 28 May 2015 and Susan O’Brien QC had been appointed as the Inquiry Chair.
The Inquiry commenced on 1 October 2015 and had been requested to report to Ministers within four years of the date of commencement. Details of the scope and purpose of the Inquiry were contained within the report.
It was noted that historic abuse was a key focus of the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee annual conference held in September 2015.
In 2011, the Scottish Government announced its intention to establish a national acknowledgement forum to recognise the experiences of adults who were in institutional care as children. The intention was to build on the positive work of the “Time to be Heard” Pilot Forum which reported in 2011 and focused on the experiences of adults who had been placed in Quarriers.
Following a consultation on the proposal in 2012, the National Confidential Forum (NCF) was set up in 2014 as part of the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014. The NCF had been holding hearings since January 2015 and people who had spent time in institutional care as children had been invited to come forward and share their experiences, both good and bad. This would form an important record about children in care in Scotland in the past and the Head of the NCF would report annually to inform everyone what had happened over that year.
Renfrewshire Children’s Services were undertaking a review of records and exploring options to publicise the work of the NCF to ensure that those eligible to participate were made aware of this.
DECIDED: That the report be noted.
Report by Director of Children's Services
10
There was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to the publication of the joint thematic review of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in Scotland by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and the Care Inspectorate.
The review report was published on 26 November 2015. The main findings were positive and identified that there was strong evidence that MAPPA was well established across Scotland and that Responsible Authorities discharged their duties effectively through joint working and information sharing.
The review report made 10 recommendations which required a multi-agency response facilitated by the Scottish Government to set policy and a strategic framework to strengthen the future delivery of MAPPA in Scotland. It also highlighted 17 areas for development across key processes that could be delivered locally and at an operational level and these were detailed in the report.
The Scottish Government and Responsible Authorities would be asked to provide an action plan in response to the recommendations and progress against the plan would be monitored, and findings published in line with HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and Care Inspectorate annual reporting processes.
DECIDED:
(a) That the publication of the joint thematic review of MAPPA in Scotland on 26 November 2015 be noted; and
(b) That the work planned or undertaken across North Strathclyde Community Justice
Authority and Renfrewshire Council to meet these recommendations or areas for development be noted.
Report by Director of Children's Services
11
There was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to the provision of modern language in Renfrewshire Schools.
The report intimated that in May 2012 the Scottish Government published the “Language Learning in Scotland a 1+2 Approach” document, which set out 35 recommendations in relation to language learning across Scotland. The Scottish Government’s aspiration was that all young people would learn two languages, in addition to their mother tongue.
This aspiration had a significant impact on education and the model used for language acquisition in Scotland. To support this local authorities had developed a strategy for the delivery of 1+2 in their schools.
Renfrewshire Council had been allocated £243,000 for session 2015/16 to facilitate the strategy and assist the development of this new model of language acquisition.
DECIDED:
(a) That Renfrewshire Council’s Children’s Services’ significant progress to date in
response to the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce a 1+2 approach to modern language teaching be noted; and
(b) That the allocation of £243,000 provided by the Scottish Government, from the
£7.2 million across Scotland, to support the development of the 1+2 approach across Renfrewshire’s schools be noted.
Report by Director of Children's Services
12
There was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to the National Improvement Framework, published by the Scottish Government in January 2016, a copy of which formed the appendix to the report.
The framework set out how evidence would be gathered to help improve attainment in schools with a focus on six key drivers of improvement: school leadership; teacher professionalism; parental engagement; assessment of children’s progress; school improvement; and performance information.
The framework would result in evidence being gathered and an annual report being published by the Scottish Government. Local authorities would play a key role in providing the information to the Scottish Government.
DECIDED: That the report and implications for Renfrewshire Council’s Children’s Services be noted.
Report by Director of Children's Services
13
There was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to the Scottish Attainment Challenge announced by the Scottish Government on 2 February 2015 backed by an Attainment Scotland Fund of £100 million over four years to drive forward improvements on educational outcomes in Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities.
The report intimated that Renfrewshire Council was committed to ensuring that children get the best start in life and were able to achieve and attain to the highest level. The early years strategy and tackling poverty recommendations demonstrated this commitment through the significant investment made in each of these areas. Very good progress was being made as exemplified by the recent publication of the Glasgow University evaluation of Families First.
In August 2015 the Scottish Government announced that five primary schools in Renfrewshire, Glencoats, St Fergus, St Catherine’s, St David’s and Gallowhill, would receive Scottish Attainment Challenge funding of between £20,000 and £80,000 over a four-year period and planned spend would focus on improving attainment in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing in these schools.
The report highlighted the provision of additional resources which would compliment the work already being effectively implemented across all Renfrewshire schools.
DECIDED:
(a) That the Scottish Government announcement of the new Scottish Attainment Challenge be noted;
(b) That the allocation of funding to five schools in Renfrewshire be noted; and
(c) That the planned areas of school improvement and focus across the five schools identified in Renfrewshire be noted.
Report by Director of Children's Services
14
There was submitted a report by the Director of Children’s Services relative to the annual report of Renfrewshire Council’s Adoption and Fostering Panel 2014/15.
The annual report, attached as an appendix to the report, set out the work that had been dealt with by the panel over the year 1 October 2014 to 30 September 2015 and set it in the context of the broader issues pertaining to looked after and accommodated children. The report made reference to the progress being made regarding Renfrewshire’s own foster carers with five new carer households being registered in 2014/15.
The annual report considered the future work of the panel, the current work with the Scottish Government on improving timescales for adoptive placements and the outcome of the inspection of the Fostering and Adoption Service by the Care Inspectorate. It provided an update on the development of the Renfrewshire Fostering Service and detailed the new fostering training plan for both new and experienced carers.
Reverend Clark raised the matter of the Council working with ‘Home for Good’ and it was proposed that the Director of Children’s Services meet with Reverend Clark to discuss this matter. This was agreed.
DECIDED:
(a) That the annual report of the Fostering and Adoption Panel 2014/15 be noted; and
(b) That the Director of Children’s Services meet with Reverend Clark to discuss the matter of the Council working with ‘Home for Good’.
Visit to Furth
15
The Director of Children’s Services intimated that the presentation on the visit to Furth was not available due to staff illness and that the presentation would be delivered at the next meeting of this Board to be held on 10 March 2016.
DECIDED: That it be noted that this presentation would be delivered at the next meeting of this Board to be held on 10 March 2016.
Present
Councillors B Brown, Glen, Henry, Lawson, Mack, M Macmillan, I McMillan, McQuade, Murrin, J Sharkey, M Sharkey and Williams and Reverend Clark and J Nellaney.
Chair
Councillor Henry, Convener, presided.
In Attendance
P Macleod, Director of Children's Services, G McKinlay, Head of Schools, M Dewar, Acting Head of Service, J Trainer, Acting Head of Early Years and Inclusion, K McDonagh, Education Officer (Improvement) and J Thomas, Head of Ferguslie Pre-5 Centre (all Children's Services); and D Forbes, Finance Manager and E Currie, Senior Committee Services Officer (both Finance & Resources).
Obituary
Prior to the start of the meeting, the Convener referred with sadness to the recent death of Donna Stevenson, Acting Head Teacher of Paisley Grammar School. The Convener paid tribute to Donna and on behalf of the Council, the Convener extended condolences to Donna's family and friends.
Sederunt
Councillor Mack left the meeting during consideration of the following item of business.
Sederunt
Councillor M Macmillan left the meeting during consideration of the following item of business.
Sederunt
Councillor Mack re-entered the meeting during the following item of business.
Attendance
Declarations of Interests
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