Issue - meetings

The Committee resolved:-

(a)      to request that officers provide a demonstration for Members on Power BI and school profiles;

(b)      to note that the Interim Director of Children’s and Family Services had undertaken to circulate research in relation to mentoring and experience of a working environment;

(c)      to note the content of the service Self-Evaluation and Plan contained in Appendices A and B;

(d)      to instruct the Interim Chief Education Officer to implement the proposed Aberdeen City National Improvement Framework Plan 23/24;

(e)      instruct the Interim Chief Education Officer to maintain a review of the 23/24 Plan in light of any impacting national legislative or policy provisions through the education reform agendas and advise Committee of any required changes in due course;

(f)       to note recommendations 2.4 and 2.5 of the report and the instruction to work with MCR Pathways to “address data issues”;

(g)      to note section 3.14 of the report which suggests that, by agreeing to officer recommendations, MCR Pathways programme would no longer be funded centrally by Attainment Challenge Funding and instead paid for by participant schools PEF allocation, should they wish to continue with the programme;

(h)      to instruct the Interim Director of Children’s and Family Services to report back to Committee outlining which of the participating MCR Pathways schools are agreeable to support the programme via their respective PEF allocation;

(i)       to note the suggestion that Attainment Challenge funding be diverted to in part accelerate phase 2 of the Abz Campus; and

(j)       to instruct the Interim Director of Children’s and Family Services to report back to committee detailing specific deliverables on how Phase 2 of Abz Campus, the expansion of the edge of care pilot to St Machar Academy, and the expansion of Pathways co-ordinators will support a larger group of care experienced young people before any agreement by Committee to support this change in allocation of Attainment Challenge funding.

The Committee had before it a report by the Interim Director of Children’s and Family Services which sought approval to implement the refreshed Aberdeen City Council National Improvement Framework Plan for 2023/24 following submission of the Self-Evaluation and Plan to the Scottish Government.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the content of the service Self-Evaluation and Plan contained in Appendices A and B;

(b)      instruct the Interim Chief Education Officer to implement the proposed Aberdeen City National Improvement Framework Plan 23/24;

(c)      instruct the Interim Chief Education Officer to maintain a review of the 23/24 Plan in light of any impacting national legislative or policy provisions through the education reform agendas and advise Committee of any required changes in due course;

(d)      note the evaluative reports on MCR pathways included in Appendices C and D of the report; and

(e)      instruct the Interim Chief Education Officer to work with MCR Pathways to address the data issues to inform a further review in March 2024 to help shape a longer term and sustainable approach to the delivery of mentoring for young people.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to request that officers provide a demonstration for Members on Power BI and school profiles;

(ii)       to note that the Interim Director of Children’s and Family Services had undertaken to circulate research in relation to mentoring and experience of a working environment;

(iii)      to approve recommendations (a), (b) and (c);

(iv)      to note recommendations (d) and (e) of the report and the instruction to work with MCR Pathways to “address data issues”;

(v)      to note section 3.14 of the report which suggested that, by agreeing to officer recommendations, MCR Pathways programme would no longer be funded centrally by Attainment Challenge Funding and instead paid for by participant schools Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) allocation, should they wish to continue with the programme;

(vi)      to instruct the Interim Director of Children’s and Family Services to report back to Committee outlining which of the participating MCR Pathways schools were agreeable to support the programme via their respective PEF allocation;

(vii)     to note the suggestion that Attainment Challenge funding be diverted to in part accelerate phase 2 of the ABZCampus; and

(viii)    to instruct the Interim Director of Children’s and Family Services to report back to Committee detailing specific deliverables on how Phase 2 of ABZCampus, the expansion of the edge of care pilot to St Machar Academy, and the expansion of Pathways co-ordinators would support a larger group of care experienced young people before any agreement by Committee to support this change in allocation of Attainment Challenge funding.