Agenda and minutes

The Convener welcomed members to this, the first meeting of the new Education, Culture and Sport Committee.  He also welcomed Annette Bruton, the newly appointed Director of Education, Culture and Sport and highlighted the high level of experience and expertise which Mrs. Bruton was bringing to the job.  Mr. Peter Campbell was also welcomed to the meeting as the newly appointed Church of Scotland representative on the Committee.

The Committee were advised that Bucksburn Primary School had won a Golden Oak Award, for recycling a substantial quantity of old yellow pages per pupil in the school.  The school received a cash prize which was to be put towards recycling within the school.  Members of the Committee went on to express their thanks to all parents and staff for the successful opening of the new Airyhall School.  The Committee further noted that Culter Primary School had come second in the best school blog competition and had won ICT equipment for the school.  Also noted was the successful opening of Aberdeen Sports Village.

The Committee resolved:-

to concur with the remarks of the Convener and to

(i)         welcome Mrs. Bruton as the Director of Education, Culture and Sport;

(ii)        congratulate the schools noted above for their achievements; 

(iii)       welcome Mr. Peter Campbell as a member of the Committee; and

(iv)       thank all staff and parents for the successful opening of the new Airyhall School.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

            Councillors Jennifer Stewart and Kirsty West declared interests in the subject matter of the following article by virtue of their appointment as the Council’s representatives on the Northern Lights Project.  Neither of the members referred to considered that the nature of their interests required them to leave the meeting during consideration of the matter.

The Committee had before it a statement of Committee Business and a Motions List prepared by the Head of Democratic Services. 

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the dates on which a number of reports were expected;

(ii)        to note that members would welcome training on Curriculum for Excellence;

(iii)       to receive an update in the next information bulletin on the Peacock Visual Arts Northern Lights Project, and in the meantime to seek clarification from Directors as to which Committee this would be reported to in the new structure;

(iv)       to retain the motion by former Councillor Ramsay Milne (Surfaced Football Pitch in Mastrick) until he had been contacted to advise that it was proposed to remove the motion from the list, and to communicate through the Neighbourhood Community Planning Network to advise the Spring Group that this was the intention; 

(v)        that Councillor Laing would substitute Councillor Cooney on the informal Group looking at progressing Councillor Cormack’s motion (Parental Representation on the Education Committee), with Councillor Wisely also to be invited to future meetings;  and

(vi)       to otherwise note the statements.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, which advised of the current position of the Service Improvement Plan, which had guided the service through the realignment of city wide Council services.  The report advised that a service plan for 2010-13 would provide focus and direction for the service, with regards to actions and performance targets and would include any outstanding or ongoing actions from the service improvement plan.  The report further advised that objectives and outcomes from the single outcome agreement and the corporate plan would help formulate the priority actions of the service.  A timetable for the planning process was set out in the report. 

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       note the progress made in respect of the service improvement plan for Education, Culture and Sport;  and

(b)       approve the proposed course of action to produce an Education, Culture and Sport Service Plan 2010-13, for implementation on 1 April, 2010.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided details of HMIE inspections and quality indicators across the city.  The report advised that there had been 10 full HMIE inspections in the 2008/2009 session at Aberdeen city primary schools and four HMIE follow-through inspections.  Out of the four follow-through inspections, the report noted that three had been subsequently signed off from the inspection process and one primary school was subject to a further follow-through report.  In relation to secondary schools, the report advised that there had been two full HMIE inspections of Aberdeen schools, with one follow-through inspection and one Authority follow-through inspection also taking place.  It was noted that both schools which had been subject to the follow-through inspections had now been signed off from the inspection process.  With regards to special schools, three full HMIE inspections had been undertaken during 2008/09, with two follow-through inspections also taking place.  Both schools which had been subject to the follow-through reports had now been signed off from the inspection process.  Extracts from the follow-through inspection reports and an overview of the HMIE analysis were detailed in the report for all the inspections. 

The report went on to advise that there had been nine nursery class and 33 partner provider Care Commission inspections and eight HMIE nursery inspections.  In relation to the Care Commission inspections, the report advised that in general, the quality of nursery provision was consistently of a good or very good standard.  The new scoring which had been introduced by the Care Commission was detailed in the report and it was noted that the newly negotiated pre-school partnership terms and conditions allowed the Authority to cancel its partnership arrangements if partners did not address improvement objectives within the timescales set by HMIE or by the Care Commission.

Attached as appendices to the report were the outcomes of the HMIE and Care Commission inspections in pre-schools, primary, secondary, special schools and learning communities. 

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       note the trends in performance;  and

(b)       instruct that quarterly reports be presented to the Committee as part of the Education, Culture and Sport performance reporting framework.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to instruct officers to revise the format of the report in advance of the next submission to ensure that it was easier to read, and to note that this would include benchmarking against national performance;

(ii)        to note that a report on the inspection at Northfield Academy, including actions to be taken, would be submitted to the next meeting;  and

(iii)       to otherwise approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a joint report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport and the City Chamberlain, which provided information on the current total service budget and the current year revenue budget performance to date, based on the first quarter.  Areas of risk and associated management action were detailed in the report, with the areas of risk being out of authority placements; pupil support assistants; free school meals; pupil roll changes; the Sports Trust; and the effect of the current economic climate. 

Attached as an appendix to the report was the service budget report, which showed that expenditure levels appeared to be lower than might be expected.  This was explained as being mainly due to the pattern of spend within the service, as not all expenditure was on an even basis throughout the year. 

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       consider and note the report and the information on management action and risks that was contained therein;  and

(b)       that officers be instructed to continue to review budget performance and report on service strategies as required to ensure a balanced budget.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to request that information on the number of pupil support assistant posts which had been deleted from establishment be circulated to all Committee members;  and

(ii)        to otherwise note the report and approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which provided the Committee with an opportunity to review the list of working groups and sub-committees within its remit.  The report advised that as a result of the Council agreeing a revised committee structure at its meeting on 24 June, 2009 (article 7 refers), that the next stage of the process was to review the sub-committees and working groups within the former structure, with a view to streamlining the structure and utilising the new committees wherever possible.   The aim was to also achieve consistency in terms of the naming of these groups.  Attached as an appendix to the report was a list of sub-committees and working groups which would report directly to the Committee if retained.

As well as the sub-committees and working groups included in the appendix, the Committee were also requested to consider the membership of the cross party Gordon Highlanders Working Group, which had been established by Council on 24 June, 2009 (article 14 refers), as a result of a joint motion by Councillors Dunbar and Reynolds and the Lord Provost.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       consider the list of working groups and sub-committees in the appendix and determine which of these groups should be wound up;

(b)       for those remaining, agree the proposed renaming of the groups as either sub-committees or working groups, also detailed at the appendix;   and

(c)        for those remaining, make adjustments to membership and composition if required.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         that the Gordon Highlanders Working Group would comprise Councillors Boulton, Dunbar, Laing, Milne and Reynolds, the Lord Provost, Ronald Webster, Sir Peter Graham and Lieutenant-Colonel Tobin Duke; 

(ii)        to retain and rename the 50 Metre Pool Working Group, the Culture and Leisure Trust Shareholder Working Group, the Sports Strategy Working Group for one more meeting only, and the Sports Trust Working Group until the facilities had been transferred;  and

(iii)       to retain the current compositions of the working groups.

The Committee received an oral update from the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, who advised that 98% of pupils had achieved Standard Grade English and 99% had achieved Standard Grade maths, which was a high level of attainment for the session 2008/2009.  The Committee were further advised that there had been fewer pupils sitting SQA exams this year, due to a lower school roll.  Mrs. Bruton informed the Committee that a report detailing an in-depth analysis of the results, including details of higher entries and the number of subjects covered, would be submitted to the Committee at its next meeting in October. 

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note that a full report would be submitted to the next meeting including comparators with performance nationally;  and

(ii)        that a seminar be held for members on the Flisch analysis of exam results, and that all Committee members be invited to attend the analysis event.

With reference to article 7 of the minute of meeting of the Policy and Strategy (Education) Committee of 3 March, 2009, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, which provided an update on the progress of the development of the Learning Strategy.  The report advised that consultation had been carried out with regards to the strategy and that the feedback from the consultation was currently being incorporated into the strategy.  The consultation process had included two phases, with phase 1 consisting of 23 listening meetings and events over a six week period in May and June.  Phase 2 of the consultation focused on Fit for Purpose Schools and Learning Centres.  The report noted that a dedicated website, which contained all the relevant information and a questionnaire to allow people to submit their views, had also supported the consultation.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the progress made on consulting and engaging stakeholders on the draft Learning Strategy;

(ii)        to note that a consultation booklet was currently being finalised;  and

(iii)       to note that two further reports would be presented to the October meeting of the Committee, on a further update on the Learning Strategy and a companion report focusing specifically on Priority 4: Fit-for-purpose schools/learning centres. 

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, which detailed the revised Children Missing from Education (CME) Procedure.  The report explained that the previous Procedure had been in place since October, 2006 and that it was part of the Council’s obligations to ensure that children were safe and well.  Its purpose was to provide guidance and support when a child was thought to be missing from school without good reason.

The report provided a definition of children missing from education and noted that such children may be in need of help or support but unable to access it;  may be missing important experiences and opportunities to gain knowledge and skills;  and may be isolated from other children and adults who can help them.  In the case of a child missing from education and a professional having concerns of a child protection nature, the report advised that the Council’s child protection procedures would be used.  A breakdown of the number of CME cases from January to the end of July, 2009 was contained in the report and included referrals by Aberdeen City Council, referrals from other local authorities, names provided by the CME Unit and from a police authority.

Attached as appendices to the report were a copy of the revised procedure, which included guidance for Home School Liaison Officers and a CME referral form, and CME statistics from September 2006 to December 2008. 

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to refer the matter of Children Missing from Education in the travelling community to the Children and Young People’s Strategic Planning Group for consideration with a multi-agency input;  and

(ii)        to otherwise approve the revised procedure as set out in Appendix A of the report.

MATTER OF URGENCY

            The Convener intimated that he 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 as the proposed decant was taking place before the next meeting of the Committee and so a decision was required.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, which detailed the options for the transfer arrangements which were required to be put in place to support the transfer of pupils from Kaimhill School to Braeside School.   The transfer was taking place due to the construction of the new 3Rs Kaimhill School on the Kaimhill site. 

The report explained that for the majority of children involved in the decant, there would be a significant increase in the distance they would have to travel to school.  The Council currently operates a policy of providing transport for all primary pupils, regardless of age, who reside more than two miles from their identified school.  The report noted that due to the majority of the pupils who attended Kaimhill living within the agreed walking distance to Braeside, that there was therefore no requirement for the education service to provide transport for the pupils.  The report contained a formal assessment of the travel route, and attached as appendices to the report were (1) a report commissioned from the School Travel Plan Co-ordinator and (2) an analysis of feedback from consultation with parents in the Kaimhill Community.  It was noted that consultation had also been undertaken with elected members, Council officers and members of the school community. 

The report provided details as to the issues which had been assessed by the Education Service and provided details of the options available.  The identified safe walking route was detailed in the report, which included details of the route itself, the health benefits of walking and a statement from the Active Schools Co-ordinator. 

In relation to transportation by bus, five options were set out in the report:- 

            Option 1 – provide transportation for all P1-P7 pupils from Kaimhill School to Braeside School during the new school build (the current roll is around 185) – estimated cost £340,000.

            Option 2 – provide transportation for all P1-P3 pupils from Kaimhill School to Braeside School during the new school build, on the basis that the route is particularly challenging for younger pupils (approximately 85) – estimated cost £170,000.

            Option 3 – provide transportation for nursery pupils from Kaimhill School to Braeside School (current numbers are 40 in the morning and 20 in the afternoon) – estimated cost £170,000.

            Option 4 – provide transportation for all P1-P7 pupils and nursery pupils – estimated cost £510,000.

            Option 5 – provide transportation for all P1-P3 pupils and nursery pupils – estimated cost £340,000.

Health and safety issues relating to transportation by bus were detailed, as well as the associated procedures such as the identification and timing of pick-up  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

MATTER OF URGENCY

            The Convener intimated that he 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 avoid extra costs being incurred by the Council due to delays.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided the outcomes of the procurement of consultancy which had been undertaken throughout February and March 2009 and also provided details of the findings and recommendations provided by the appointed consultancy firm upon completion of the review phase of the project.  Details of the recommended approach for project progression and the implementation of an upgraded Wide Area Network connectivity solution for schools were also provided in the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to defer consideration of the report for one cycle.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, which provided an update on the draft Cultural Strategy for 2010-2015, “Vibrant Aberdeen”.  

The report advised that the Strategy had been developed by the Cultural Forum through various initiatives such as a Strategy Sub-Group and wider Forum workshop sessions and was to conclude with community consultation through various methods.   The draft Strategy aims were detailed in the report, and were intended to provide the strategic direction for the cultural community in Aberdeen.   The draft Strategy themes were also included in the report, namely:-  the creative economy;  cultural infrastructure;  learning communities;  and city vibrancy.   It was intended that the draft Strategy be submitted to the Committee at its meeting in October and that subject to Committee approval, it would then be put out for public consultation.   The consultation was planned to conclude in December, with the final draft Strategy then being submitted to Committee for approval in January, 2010.  

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the current status of “Vibrant Aberdeen”;

(ii)        to note the timeline for the development and consultation of the draft Strategy;  and

(iii)       to instruct officers to report progress on the development of the draft Strategy to the appropriate Committee.

With reference to article 7 of the meeting of Area Committee North of 18 November, 2008;  article 6 of the meeting of Area Committee Central on 19 November, 2008;  and article 4 of the meeting of Area Committee South of 20 November, 2008, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, which contained proposals relating to the development of the city wide Home Library Service.  

The report advised that two options had been looked at, namely (1) selected stock being delivered and returned by volunteers;  and (2) providing the Home Library Service to people in their own homes, using library staff on a specified route.  The report provided financial details for each option and it was noted that the volunteering option, in partnership with the WRVS, was the more expensive option due to the payment of travel expenses to each of the volunteers and a 10% management fee.  The report went on to advise that in relation to the second option, costs could be met from within existing annual revenue budgets.  It was noted in the report, however, that if alternative funding could be sourced in future years, it could become viable to reconsider the joint delivery of the service with WRVS and other partners. An appendix to the report which contained exempt information in terms of section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, as defined in paragraph 6 of Schedule 7(A) to the Act, which provided a detailed breakdown of the costs relating to the WRVS proposal, was listed as a separate item on the agenda.

The need to provide library services within Garthdee, while Kaimhill was being demolished as part of the 3Rs project, was highlighted in the report.   It was explained that it was proposed to use the mobile library vehicle to provide various stops in the Garthdee area between September, 2009 and January, 2011.   The mobile library was to provide the service, with reduced opening hours, and also to continue visits to sheltered housing, residential homes, house-bound, elderly and disabled people, as well as the existing fortnightly stops in Kingswells. 

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       having considered the cost and other implications of the two options, option two, using branch libraries including the Central Library and in the future community learning hubs, be accepted;

(b)       if (a) above is agreed, instruct that the delivery of a revised home library service to house-bound, elderly and disabled people in their own homes, residential homes or sheltered housing, be piloted from four branch libraries from January, 2010 and evaluated mid-2010 with a view to roll out to all libraries from January, 2011;  and

(c)        agree that the current mobile library service to residential homes and sheltered housing and the current home library service to house-bound, elderly and disabled people continue to be delivered, with minor amendment to the routes, from September, 2009 until January, 2011, and thereafter service delivery will be incorporated into the revised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, which provided an update on the progress of the Sports Strategy.

The report provided a brief background to the Strategy and advised that Fit for the Future was a partnership document which set out the priorities and direction for those working in sport and physical activity in the city.   It was noted that an initial draft Strategy had been completed and agreed by the Active Aberdeen Forum and the Sports Strategy Working Group in November, 2007, with the draft Strategy then formally being approved for public consultation by the Policy and Strategy Committee in December, 2007.   The report went on to advise that the formal public consultation had taken place over the summer of 2008, with the consultation including distribution of hard copies of the draft Strategy within a range of community facilities, an on-line web-based consultation and specific consultation sessions with targeted groups.   The final Fit for the Future Strategy was formally adopted by the Council at the Policy and Strategy Committee of 28 April, 2009, (article 19 refers) and since that time, a number of meetings had been held with key services within the Council in order to prepare an initial implementation plan for the first year of the Strategy.   It was noted that the Active Aberdeen Forum was to oversee and monitor the delivery of Fit for the Future and progress was to be reported annually through Aberdeen’s Community Planning Structure.   The report went on to advise that the formal launch of the Strategy was planned for late August or September, 2009, which would provide the platform for media involvement and an opportunity to raise public awareness of the Strategy.  

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       note the sport and physical activity strategy and summary document;

(b)       note the progress achieved in the development of the Strategy;  and

(c)        instruct officers to report progress on providing an update on the delivery of the Strategy to an appropriate Committee on an annual basis.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to request a report to the next meeting on the electronic booking system, for inclusion in the Information Bulletin;  and

(ii)        to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, which brought before the Committee a review of the criteria which were currently in place with regards to the Financial Assistance for Sports Organisations and presented options for criteria realignment to reflect Fit for the Future. 

The report provided a background to the scheme and explained that the Council currently provided support to sports organisations through the provision of a sports grant scheme.   Currently, three types of funding were available, namely (1) annual programme grants, which was a one-off payment designed to support the work of the organisation throughout the year;  (2) development grants, which were funds to develop sports activities in new directions;  and (3) project grants, which were sums which were available towards a wide range of sports events and activities taking place in the city.   The report further advised that applications were currently considered within the context of three main areas which were sports development impact;  community development impact;  and financial impact.   It was noted that the current criteria had been established in 1998 and that it was now considered an appropriate time to review the criteria of the scheme in conjunction with the launch of Fit for the Future. 

The report advised that it was the intention that the criteria be established to evaluate applications in the next financial year reflecting the five main objectives of the Strategy.   The objectives were (1) to promote and increase opportunities for participation in sport and physical activity for everyone in Aberdeen;  (2) to provide a comprehensive and high quality range of sports facilities in Aberdeen;  (3) to maximise social, educational, health and economic benefits of sports and physical activity in Aberdeen;  (4) to develop and sustain pathways which nurture local, regional and national sporting people to reach their potential;  and (5) to raise the profile of sport in Aberdeen.  The report advised that subject to Committee approval for the in-principle realignment of the criteria, further work would be undertaken by officers to develop the strands of the funding eligibility within the criteria, details of which would be reported to the next meeting of the Committee in October.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       approve the principle of realigning the criteria for Sports Grants against the objectives of the Sports and Physical Activity Strategy, “Fit for the Future”;  and

(b)       instruct officers to develop the details of the criteria and report back to the next Committee in October, 2009.  

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

            Councillor Corall declared an interest in the subject matter of the following article by virtue of his appointment as the Council’s appointed representative on the Chris Anderson Trust but did not consider that the nature of his interest required him to leave the meeting during consideration of the matter.

With reference to article 15 of the minute of meeting of the Resources Management Committee of 16 June, 2009, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, which presented applications for financial assistance from sports organisations.  

The report advised that should the recommendations be approved, a balance of £42,426 would remain in the sports budget for the year 2009/10.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to award funding of £1,000 to Aberdeen Secondary Schools Football Association to support the provision of organised football for pupils, both boys and girls, in all secondary schools in Aberdeen;

(ii)        to award funding of £7,000 to Aberdeen Sports Council, to support the work of the Sports Council providing support, both advisory and financial, to the member sports clubs in the city;

(iii)       to award funding of £2,500 to the Chris Anderson Trust, to support young people, both boys and girls, in the North East under the age of 18 years to develop their sporting talent by awarding grants to assist training, travel and participation in competitions;  and

(iv)       to award funding of £2,000 to Aberdeen Synchronised Skating, to assist in the participation in both the Scottish and British Open Championships and to also record the congratulations of the Committee to Aberdeen Synchronised Skating.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

            Councillor Collie declared an interest in the subject matter of the following item by virtue of his appointment as a Director of Sport Aberdeen.   Councillor Collie left the meeting during consideration of the item.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, which provided an update on the progress towards transferring the Council’s sports functions to Sport Aberdeen. 

The report advised that the overall project plan for the transfer identified a target date of 1 October, 2009, and a summary of progress against each of the key steps involved in the transfer was attached as an appendix to the report.   Details of the Memorandum and Articles of Association for Sport Aberdeen were provided in the report.  The report also advised that the documents had been submitted to the Office of the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR) and that they had been developed in conjunction with the Council’s legal advisers, Brodies.   The report went on to advise that OSCR had highlighted minor changes which had been reviewed by Brodies and these were detailed in the report.   The changes were in relation to various technical details and also affected the provisions relating to the quorum required for Directors meetings.   The report advised that under the existing provisions, a Directors meeting would only be quorate when two Directors were present and one of them had to be a Director who was also a Councillor.   It had been advised that if the business of the meeting was such that the Councillor would have a conflict of interest which would require them to absent themselves from the meeting this would then leave the other Directors unable to hold a board meeting at all.   It was therefore advised that the quorum be changed.   A revised copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association for Sport Aberdeen was attached as an appendix to the report.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       note the progress to date in transferring the Council’s sports functions to Sport Aberdeen;  and

(b)       approve the revised Memorandum and Articles of Association for Sport Aberdeen.  

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

- ANDREW MAY, Convener