Agenda and minutes

The agenda and reports associated with this minute can be located at the following link:

http://committees.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=143&MId=3077&Ver=4

The Convener advised the Committee of a number of good news stories as follows –

·        Playing Naturally in Schools – Grounds for Learning, the Scottish Programme of the UK charity Learning through Landscapes, had been awarded funding from the Scottish Government to help schools to develop play provision.  The Playing Naturally in Schools project was aimed at creating more natural play spaces in playgrounds and the Council was successful with three applications, Quarryhill, Woodside and Walker Road primary schools.  This would provide an opportunity to develop the outdoor play provision, and raise the profile of the importance of play in schools.  It was hoped that the project would act as a catalyst to improve play spaces so that all children would benefit from the creation of more natural outdoor environments, where they could play and enjoy learning.

·        Robert Burns World Federation – North of Scotland Festival 2013 – Ferryhill Primary pupils won the P4, P6 and P7 competitions, and a number of other pupils from the school who took part received medals for their poetry performances at the Festival, which was held at Cults Academy on 9 March 2013.  The poetry trophies were won by Jachin Safforo (primary 4), Finn Allan (primary 6), and Weronika Kukulska (primary 7).  The three pupils had been invited to take part in the National Festival to be held in Dunfermline on 27 April 2013.

·        Rock Challenge 2013 Event – this event was recently held at the AECC and featured eight north east schools in a unique evening of entertainment.  The Bucksburn team won the award for positive inclusion, and the Iain Alley award for stage crew, for their performance “Before it’s Too Late” based on Cinderella.  The Hazlehead team won the NHS Grampian award for make up design for their performance of “Man is Not Truly One, But Two” based on Dr Jeckyll.

·        Star Awards – a number of Education, Culture and Sport staff had been nominated for Star awards: Andrew Jones and Denise Forman – customer focus and outstanding leadership of the team that organised the first ever Aberdeen Learning Festival in February 2013; Pre School ASN Services – best support; Irene Pace – 25 years’ service to Aberdeen Adventure, being a model of reliability, moral foundation and professionalism with an incredible depth of knowledge; and the Lifelong Learning Team and Art Development –the first local authority SQA approved centre to deliver a volunteering skills award in Scotland.

·        National Quiz on Europe – a team of four primary six pupils from St Peter’s Roman Catholic School won the local heat of a national quiz on Europe organised by the award winning Scottish European Educational Trust.  The team would now compete against thirty other local authority teams in the national final in May 2013, to be held in the Scottish Parliament.

·        Aberdeen Adventure – Jono Buckland (Programme Manager) who was runner up in the Youthlink Scotland National Youth Worker of the Year; Jonathan Kitchinng (Team Leader) won the Aberdeenshire Sports Council 2012 Coach  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

The Convener proposed that item 9.1 of today’s agenda (Provision for Children with Additional Support Needs - article 21 of this minute refers) be considered with the press and public excluded.

The Committee resolved:

in terms of Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to exclude the press and public from the meeting for item 9.1 of the agenda (article  21 of this minute) so as to avoid disclosure of information of the class described in paragraph 9 of Schedule 7(A) to the Act.

The Committee had before it a request for deputation from Mr Gary Forsyth (Chair, Torry Academy Parent Council) in relation to item 6.1 of today’s agenda (Preferred Site for Proposed Replacement School for Kincorth and Torry Academies).  The request had been received in terms of the Council’s Standing Orders.

The Committee resolved:

to agree to hear Mr Forsyth in relation to item 6.1 of the agenda (Preferred Site for Proposed Replacement School for Kincorth and Torry Academies) as the first item of business of this day, and to consider the corresponding report immediately thereafter.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education which presented alternative sites for the building of the proposed replacement school for Kincorth and Torry Academies.  By way of background, the report advised that the Council had been awarded £22 million as a contribution towards the cost of a new secondary school by the Scottish Futures Trust, and that a further £10 million had been allocated as part of the Non Housing Capital Programme at the budget meeting of Council (article 1 of the minute of the budget meeting of Council of 14 February 2013 refers).

With reference to article 3 of this minute, the Convener invited Mr Forsyth to address the Committee.  Mr Forsyth outlined his concerns in relation to the report before members, in particular that he did not feel that there would be a way back from this decision in the future and that the report was too focused on the planning aspects of the sites, and not the educational benefits that a new school would present.  He advised that the Parent Council was not opposed to a new building to replace Torry Academy, but that they had concerns around the officers’ recommendation for the proposed site.  He continued that they did not want to delay the process and were acutely aware of the funding issues, and therefore would propose (1) that a comparative educational assessment be undertaken prior to consultation, with Torry and Kincorth Academies being benchmarked in order that it was clear what the benefits of the new school would be, (2) that four sites be considered (Bobby Calder Park, Tullos, Kincorth Academy and Abbotswell Road), and (3) that the final decision on this matter be taken by full Council.

Members asked a number of questions of Mr Forsyth and officers, in particular, the Director of Education, Culture and Sport clarified that any delay or substantial change to the project would result in the Scottish Government reallocating the funding.  Mrs Gorman further advised that the educational benefit statement would be part of the formal consultation process, and that any comparative statement would be about two old schools being replaced with a new school, and not based on the site of the school.  The Convener thanked Mr Forsyth for his contribution.

Members then heard from Councillors Kiddie and Finlayson as local members, in terms of Standing Order 32(1).  Councillor Kiddie highlighted his main concerns (1) that Torry was a regeneration area, (2) that Wellington Road was highly congested, (3) that subsidised transport may only apply to those who live over three miles away from the new school, (4) that there was no direct bus route between Torry and the proposed site for the new school, (5) that staff and parents already faced significant challenges in getting pupils to attend a local school, and (6) that 56% of parents in Torry did not have access to a car, and therefore may find it difficult to attend parents’ evenings.  He concluded that he  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Committee had before it the minute of its meeting of 31 January 2013.

The Committee resolved:

to approve the minute as a correct record.

The Committee had before it the minute of its additional meeting of 7 February 2013. 

The Committee resolved:

to approve the minute as a correct record.

The Committee had before it the minute of meeting of the Culture and Sport Sub Committee of 10 January 2013. 

The Committee resolved:

to note the minute.

The Committee had before it a statement of pending and outstanding committee business, prepared by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

The Committee resolved:

(i)         to delete items 1 (School Estate Review - action 1 only), 2 (Sistema Scotland), 7 (Newhills Primary School – action 1 only), 12 (Provost Skene House) and 15 (Internal Audit Report – Tesco Gift Cards) from the business statement;

(ii)        to note the verbal updates provided in relation to items 6 (Move to a Cultural Trust), 7 (Newshills Primary School – Scottish Futures Trust) and 99 (Community Centres); and

(iii)       to otherwise note the updates as contained within the business statement.

Reference was made to article 16 of the minute of meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 19 March 2013 at which time members considered a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which advised of a proposal to utilise identified spare capacity in city educational establishments to host small business start ups.  The Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee had given approval for officers in that Service to develop a detailed proposal, alongside officers form the Education, Culture and Sport Service, and had approved spend for the initiative from an underspend in the Business Gateway contract.

The Committee had before it on this day, the aforementioned report, which recommended that the Education, Culture and Sport Committee agree to the development of a detailed proposal.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice Convener, moved:

that the Committee instructs officers to develop a detailed proposal.

Councillor Townson, seconded by Councillor McCaig, moved as an amendment:

to recommend to the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee (a) that in view of the level of risk in relation to security, that it instruct officers to abandon consideration of Northfield Academy or any other “operational” academy in regard to a Neighbourhood Community Business Pilot; and (b) that in the event of the replacement school for Kincorth Academy and Torry Academy going ahead, and the Torry Academy building thus becoming surplus, that it instructs officers to research and report back on the feasibility of such building being utilised as a community facility offering affordable business units encouraging start up of small businesses and developing it as a centre serving the whole city, linking with schools helping to deliver multiple elements of enterprise in education, in line with the Curriculum for Excellence.

The votes cast were as follows:  for the motion (15) – the Convener; the Vice Convener; and Councillors Boulton, Carle, Crockett, Greig, Malik, Milne, Nathan Morrison, Stewart, Taylor and Young; and Mr Maclean, Mr Nicoll and Mr Paul; for the amendment (7) – Councillors Cameron, McCaig, May, Noble, Samarai, Stuart and Townson.

The Committee resolved:

to adopt the successful motion.

With reference to article 8 of the minute of its meeting of 31 January 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the Head of Finance which advised members of the current year revenue budget to date for the Service, and outlined any areas of risk and management action being taken in this regard.

The Finance Partner confirmed that the earmarking of sums for Tullos Pool and community learning and development (CLD) building works were to enable these sums to be accrued to the financial year 2012/13.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       note the forecast outturn on the revenue budget, and the information on the areas of risk and management action contained therein;

(b)       instructs officers to continue to review budget performance and report on service strategies; and

(c)        approves the earmarking of sums of £200,000 at year end in respect of Tullos Pool and CLD building works

The Committee resolved:

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 9 of the minute of its meeting of 31 January 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which detailed the capital spend to date for Service projects included within the non housing capital plan.

The report recommended –

that the Committee note the current position.

The Committee resolved:

to approve the recommendation.

With reference to article 3 of the minute of its meeting of 7 February 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which advised as to the current situation in relation to capacity at St Peter’s Roman Catholic School, and presented a number of options as to the way forward.

Officers confirmed that the cap for primary 1 would be reintroduced.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       considers the options for providing additional accommodation at St Peter’s Roman Catholic School; and

(b)       instructs officers to implement option 2(B) (namely, to provide additional accommodation on site in leased temporary units, increasing the outside play space by 1,040 square metres by reconfiguring the school boundary).

The Committee resolved:

to instruct officers to implement option 2(B) as detailed within the report (namely, to provide additional accommodation on site in leased temporary units, increasing the outside play space by 1,040 square metres by reconfiguring the school boundary).

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which sought approval in relation to intake numbers for a number of primary and secondary schools in the city, and reserved places in named secondary schools for children likely to become resident in the zone of these schools during the school year.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       agrees that the secondary year 1 intakes, and reservation of spaces for children likely to become resident in the zone during the school year as follows:

Aberdeen Grammar School 180 (10 reserved spaces)

Bucksburn Academy 120 (4 reserved spaces)

Cults Academy 180 (10 reserved spaces)

Harlaw Academy 180 (4 reserved spaces);

(b)       agrees that the secondary year 2 intake and reserved spaces for session 2013/14 will be set at the level previously agreed for their entry into secondary year 1, and that the secondary year 3 intake and reserved spaces for session 2013/14 will be set at the level previously agreed for their entry into secondary year 1;

(c)        agrees to limit the primary one intakes of the following schools for August 2013, to ensure that the number of classes within each school does not exceed the following:

Hanover Street – 8 classes

Heathryburn school – 10 classes

Kaimhill school – 8 classes

Kingswells school – 15 classes

Manor Parkschool – 9 classes

Mile End school – 14 classes

Seaton school – 9 classes;

(d)       agrees to apply the class size maximum of 18 pupils for primary 1 and primary 1/2 composite classes in Muirfield school, as per paragraph 5.4.7 of the report; and

(e)       to instruct the School Service Managers to closely monitor the number of pupils transferring to the identified capped schools in August 2013, relative to the roll limits being recommended.

The Committee resolved:

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which recommended that members approve a number of cultural awards from the Cultural Awards Programme, in the “Aspire” category.

The report recommended –

that the Committee agree the allocation of cultural awards to the total value of £60,610, as follows:

The Committee resolved:

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which presented a proposal from Aberdeen International Youth Festival to fully fund five placements to attend an opera residency, utilising funds from the Mary Garden Fund which formed part of the Common Good Budget.

The report recommended –

that the Committee approves  the Aberdeen International Youth Festival proposal to use the Mary Garden Fund to support up to five promising young singers from Aberdeen to attend an opera residency.

The Committee resolved:

to approve the recommendation.

With reference to article 2 of the minute of meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee of 15 January 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which brought members up to date with proposals for the alternative delivery of museum provision during temporary closure of Provost Skene’s House as a measure to facilitate the demolition of St Nicholas House.

The report recommended –

that the Committee instructs that the Tollbooth Museum opening hours be increased during 2013/14 from seasonal summer hours only to the entire year.

The Committee resolved:

to approve the recommendation.

With reference to article 12 of the minute of its meeting of 2 June 2012, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided an update on work undertaken by officers to investigate the delivery of a first phase project working with Sistema Scotland.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       instructs officers to develop the operational model and wider business plan with Sistema, and potential funding partners;

(b)       instructs officers to progress the development of “Big Noise Torry” with the local community;

(c)        instructs officers to report back to committee in due course; and

(d)       refers the report to the Finance and Resources Committee of 25 April 2013 to consider the funding requested to progress the financial and funding model.

The Committee resolved:

to approve the recommendations.

MATTER OF URGENCY

The Convener intimated that she had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, that the following item of business be considered as a matter of urgency to enable the proposal to be progressed without delay.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which presented site appraisals which had been undertaken in relation to the proposed new Museums’ Collection Centre.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       notes that the site at Granitehill scored highest when marked against the agreed criteria detailed in the site options appraisal for the new Museums’ Collection Centre;

(b)       agrees that should the ongoing negotiations with the University of Aberdeen result in other comparable options that meet the Council’s requirements, enable closer partnership working, and ensure that the Museums’ Collection Centre be opened on time, that a report be brought to this Committee at the earliest opportunity; and

(c)        refers the report to the Finance and Resources Committee of 25 April 2013, to request approval for the site to be transferred to the Education, Culture and Sport account, with the agreement on the exact boundaries having been agreed in advance between Education, Culture and Sport, and Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure.

The Committee resolved:

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 15 of the minute of its meeting of 31 January 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which presented an application for financial assistance from RGU:Sport.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       awards RGU:Sport – Volunteer for Sport Programme £10,000; and

(b)       instructs officers to redefine the sports grant criteria and put together a range of promotional material and events to publicise the sports grants currently available more widely throughout the city; this would also include identifying capacity to support community sports clubs and organisations through the application process.

The Committee resolved:

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which updated members on the proposal to renovate and create an adventure park on the field on Fairley Road, adjacent to Adventure Aberdeen.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       notes the progress of the project; and

(b)       instructs officers to develop a detailed costed proposal, and report back to a future meeting.

The Committee resolved:

to approve the recommendations.

In relation to the decision taken at article 2 of this minute, the press and public were excluded from the meeting for consideration of the following item of business.

With reference to article 16 of the minute of its meeting of 22 November, 2013, the Committee heard from the General Manager (Asset Management) who provided an update on the current situation in relation to identifying a suitable site for the new school.

The Committee resolved:

to instruct officers to report back on options now available to the Council, including making a formal recommendation on the selection of a site.

- JENNIFER LAING; Convener