Agenda and decisions

The transparency statements will be recorded within the minute. 

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the minute as a correct record.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the committee business planner.

That Committee:-

Instructs the Chief Officer – Education and Lifelong Learning to issue a service update  to Members with a broad overview of the ongoing preventative work to tackle behaviour issues in schools, including progress against the national Behaviour Action Plan, any specific trends in respect of incidents, and any comparator figures with other local authorities if available.

The Committee resolved:-

to instruct the Chief Officer – Education and Lifelong Learning to provide a report to the next meeting of Education and Children’s Services to Members with a broad overview of the ongoing preventative work to tackle behaviour issues in schools, including progress against the national Behaviour Action Plan, any specific trends in respect of incidents, and any comparator figures with other local authorities if available.

This Committee:

1.     Notes that the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 came into force on 1 April 2025 and made the PVG scheme mandatory for everyone carrying out a regulated role with children and vulnerable adults

2.     Notes the importance of PVGs to safeguarding our young people

3.     Notes that Connect and Volunteer Scotland have provided guidance to parent councils and this has raised more question and concerns

4.     Notes that Aberdeen parent councils and PTAs who already struggle to get parental engagement are concerned by the ramifications of the changes on their operations including volunteer recruitment for school events, the additional administrative burden, and cost.

5.     Instructs the Executive Director of Families and Communities to write to the Cabinet Secretary of Education and Skills to ask for an extension of the grace deadline for parent groups and provide additional guidance including scenario planning to parent councils.

6.     Instructs the Chief Officer - Education and Lifelong Learning after consultation with the Interim Chief Officer - Governance to write to parent councils to confirm the date of requirement to have PVG checks in place.

The Committee resolved:-

1.    to note that the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 came into force on 1 April 2025 and made the PVG scheme mandatory for everyone carrying out a regulated role with children and vulnerable adults;

2.    to note the importance of PVGs to safeguarding our young people

3.    to note that Connect and Volunteer Scotland have provided guidance to parent councils and this has raised more question and concerns

4.    to note that Aberdeen parent councils and PTAs who already struggle to get parental engagement are concerned by the ramifications of the changes on their operations including volunteer recruitment for school events, the additional administrative burden, and cost.

5.    to instruct the Executive Director of Families and Communities to write to the Cabinet Secretary of Education and Skills to ask for an extension of the grace deadline for parent groups and provide additional guidance including scenario planning to parent councils; and

6.    to instruct the Chief Officer - Education and Lifelong Learning after consultation with the Interim Chief Officer - Governance to write to parent councils to confirm  the date of  requirement to have PVG checks in place.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)             to request that information on pupil attendance pre COVID, be included in future reports;

(ii)            to request that officers clarify the staff expenditure costs at page 33, table 13, quarter 4 of the report and send this information to the Lord Provost by way of email;

(iii)          for future reporting, to request that more information is included in relations to trends; and

(iv)          to note the report.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)             to note that a report would be brought to a future committee with information on child to adult transitions, which would summarise the work that had been progressed;

(ii)            to request that the use of appropriate wording be reviewed within the Aberdeen City Integrated Children’s Services Strategic Plan Annual Report, specifically the use of the word obesity;

(iii)          in relation to the number of young people between the ages of 11-25 and the local suicide rate, that information be included in a future report on work that was being undertaken to try and prevent suicides;

(iv)          to note the progress made in delivering the Aberdeen City Integrated Children’s Services Strategic Plan from April 2024 to date;

(v)           to note the changes evident in data sets released over the reporting period;

(vi)          to approve the Aberdeen City Integrated Children’s Services Strategic Plan Annual Report 2023/24;

(vii)         to delegate authority to the Executive Director Families and Communities to submit the Annual Report to the Community Planning Aberdeen Board for ratification; and

(viii)       to delegate authority to the Executive Director Families and Communities to submit the Annual Report to Scottish Government pending approval from the Community Planning Aberdeen Board.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)             to instruct the Chief Officer Education and Lifelong Learning to continue to support Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings and schools to implement continuous improvement in keeping with agreed Quality Improvement Frameworks approved at committee in July 2024; and

(ii)            to instruct the Chief Officer Education and Lifelong Learning to utilise learning from the National Thematic Report: Local authority approaches to support school improvement to inform the development of the Aberdeen City Council National Improvement Plan and Quality Improvement Framework for 2025/26.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)             to instruct the Chief Officer Education & Lifelong Learning to progress with a time limited (12 months) Early Intervention Service Test of Change at Riverbank School for younger primary school pupils, operational August 2025;

(ii)            to instruct the Chief Officer Education & Lifelong Learning to report back on progress in 2 committee cycles from commencement of service;  

(iii)          to instruct the Chief Officer Education & Lifelong Learning to report a full evaluation of the Test of Change within 4 committee cycles from commencement of service;

(iv)          to note that children attending the Early Intervention Service will have no/limited participation in their home school preventing them effectively accessing their education at that school; and

(v)           to instruct the Chief Officer – Education and Lifelong Learning to ensure that transport would be provided if found to be required in order for families to benefit from the intervention.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve travel for two officers to attend Regensburg in June 2025, and the estimated spend set out at section 4.1 of the report, with the purpose of the visit to support pupils to perform in Regensburg Citizen’s Festival.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)             to note the preferred option for taking forwards the Victorian Schools programme, as detailed within the Outline Business Case at Appendix A of this report; and

(ii)            to instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to incorporate the preferred option and programming and cost implications for the Victorian Schools Programme into the development of the School Estate Plan annual update report, to be presented to this Committee in September 2025.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)             in relation to a presentation by a care experienced young person, to request that the Chief Officer - Children’s Social Work and Family Supportshare the link to the presentation with all Councillors;

(ii)           to note that the Chief Officer - Children's Social Work and Family Support would engage with the new Participation Officer regarding obtaining young people’s views and details of experiences, and to investigate the possibility of engagement with elected members regarding their experiences;

(iii)          to note that the Chief Officer - Children's Social Work and Family Support would also investigate an approach for engagement with Elected Members and the Promise Scotland;

(iv)          to note the findings of the Bright Spots Report (October 2024); 

(v)           to approve the High Level Promise Plan in Appendix A; and

(vi)          to instruct the Chief Social Work Officer to update Committee on progress against the High Level Promise Plan within one calendar year