Angus Council
28 August 2007
Contents
Page
Introduction
i
1.
The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
1
2.
What are the challenges for the Council?
1
3.
Key features of attainment and achievement of learners
2
4.
What impact has the authority had in meeting the needs of other
stakeholders?
7
5.
How well is the authority led?
9
6.
What is the Council’s capacity for improvement?
11
Appendices
Appendix 1 – Quality indicators
13
Appendix 2 – Performance information
14
Introduction
The education functions of each local authority in Scotland were inspected between
2000 and 2005. A second cycle of inspections began in 2006 taking a proportionate approach
using the findings of the original inspection and other information subsequently available.
Section 9 of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 charges HM Inspectorate of
Education (HMIE), on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, to provide an external evaluation of the
effectiveness of the local authority in its quality assurance of educational provision within the
Council and of its support to schools in improving quality. Inspections are conducted within a
published framework of quality indicators (Quality Management in Education 2) 1 which
embody the Government’s policy on Best Value.
Each inspection is planned and implemented in partnership with Audit Scotland on behalf of the
Accounts Commission for Scotland. Audit Scotland is a statutory body set up in April 2000,
under the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000. It provides services to the
Accounts Commission and the Auditor General for Scotland. Together they ensure that the
Scottish Executive and public sector bodies in Scotland are held to account for the proper,
efficient and effective use of public funds.
1
Quality Management in Education 2 (HM Inspectorate of Education 2006) is a framework of self-evaluation for Local
Authority Education Services.
i
1. The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
HMIE inspects the education functions of all 32 councils within Scotland as part of its
commitment to inspect and report on the quality of education and to help secure
improvement. HMIE first inspected Angus Council in April 2002. A follow-up report was
published in September 2004 to evaluate progress made since the original inspection in 2002.
It concluded that the authority had made consistently good progress in meeting the main
points for action. In May 2004, the Education Department achieved Investors in People
recognition.
As a result of consistently high performance, this inspection took the authority’s current
Standards and Quality Report of 2006 as its starting point. The report was prepared by the
Education Department following consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including
learners. The performance of the authority was evaluated against the quality indicators (QIs)
from the HMIE framework for self-evaluation Quality Management in Education 2. The
evaluations from this process were supplemented with additional evidence from HMIE
inspections.
2. What are the challenges for the Council?
Angus contains a mix of rural and urban areas and covers an area of 2,182 square kilometres
extending north and east of the City of Dundee towards the Eastern Cairngorms and along the
coastline to Montrose. There is a population of around 109,000 people, of whom almost
23,000 are under the age of 18. The population is expected to remain static to the year 2011.
The proportion of children aged under 16 years within the authority is projected to decrease
by 9.3% over the next eight years. Angus contains a mix of rural and urban communities
with one in four residents living in a rural area. Levels of unemployment are in line with
comparator authority 2 figures but slightly below the national average. Employment rates in
agriculture and manufacturing are higher than the national average but employment in
finance and business is lower than Scotland as a whole. Jobs in the service sector account for
almost seven out of ten jobs in Angus. Average earnings are some 6% lower than the
national average.
At the time of the inspection, the Council was led by the Scottish National Party. The full
Council met once every six-weeks. The Council had nine Committees, each of which also
met on a six-week cycle. The Education Committee had a membership of 11 elected
councillors, two teacher representatives and two church representatives. The Education
Committee oversaw all aspects of the Education Department’s work, including the
Community Learning and Development Service.
An election took place during the inspection process and key changes were made to the
political landscape of the authority. A new ruling group called the Angus Alliance was
created. The group was based on a four-party coalition comprising six Independent
councillors, five Conservative councillors, three Liberal Democrat councillors and two
Labour councillors. The existing committee structure, including the Education Committee,
was retained.
2
The term ‘comparator authorities’ refers to the group of education authorities which are comparative to each other in terms of
socio-economic and demographic factors.
1
The Council had identified the continued need to improve pupils’ attainment across the
authority particularly from S1 to S4 in secondary education. The Education Department had
stated its commitment to increase partnership working with stakeholders at all levels of the
service.
3. Key features of attainment and achievement of learners
Over the five-year period from 2002 to 2006 pupils’ attainment in mathematics and writing
had risen significantly in the first two years of secondary. By S6, pupils’ attainment in
Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) examinations at Higher level was slightly above
national levels. Across the authority, the proportion of pupils gaining entry to higher
education remained significantly above national and comparator authority averages.
Over the last four years pupils’ attainment in mathematics, reading and writing across
primary schools had continued to be broadly in line with comparator authority averages.
During the same period of time, following a specific focus by the authority and schools, there
had been considerable improvement in the level of pupils’ attainment in writing and
mathematics at S1 and S2. In both areas, levels of attainment were well above comparator
authority levels. Pupils’ attainment in reading had improved at authority level as a result of
improved approaches to the teaching of reading and was now in line with comparator
authorities.
From 2003 to 2006, levels of attainment at Level 3 3 by the end of S4 were slightly below
comparator authority and national averages, although they were consistently above the
national average by the end of S6. A dip in performance in 2006 has meant that the
proportion of pupils achieving five or more awards at Levels 4 and 5 was below comparator
authority and national averages. At Levels 6 and 7 performance by the end of S6 was broadly
in line with comparator authority averages and slightly above the national average. At S5,
performance at Higher was in line with comparator authorities for pupils attaining three or
more awards at this level. Across the authority, the proportion of pupils gaining entry to
further education remained significantly above comparator authority and national averages.
Inspections of education provision in Angus since 2004 indicated a consistently good level
of performance.
All aspects of pre-school provision, including quality of programmes, children’s progress,
meeting needs and leadership were judged to be good or very good in almost all inspections.
In almost all primary schools evaluations were good or very good, particularly for pastoral
care, equality and fairness, attainment in English language and partnerships with parents and
the community. Areas for further development in a small number of primary inspections
included aspects of learning and teaching and self-evaluation. Inspection evaluations in
secondary schools were good overall. In the period since 2003, six of the authority’s
eight secondary schools had been inspected. Most evaluations were good or very good.
3
2
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Levels:
7: Advanced Higher at A-C/CSYS at A-C
6: Higher at A-C
5: Intermediate 2 at A-C; Standard Grade at 1-2
4: Intermediate 1 at A-C; Standard Grade at 3-4
3: Access 3 cluster; Standard Grade at 5-6.
Pastoral care was found to be very good or good in each school. In two of the schools,
aspects of leadership, meeting needs, attainment and self-evaluation were identified as areas
for further development. As a consequence of the consistently good level of provision found
in the schools inspected, HM Inspectors undertook follow-through inspections in only a few
Angus schools. In the follow-through inspections, almost all schools concerned had achieved
all of the main points for action. During the same period, community learning and
development (CLD) inspections highlighted a number of key strengths across the authority
including very good strategic leadership, effective engagement of young people and adults in
community learning and imaginative youth work opportunities. The recent follow-up report
on CLD in Forfar reinforced the existing strengths while highlighting the continued need to
build capacity within the service.
The authority provided very effective support to improve the quality of learning and
teaching and raise levels of attainment and achievement.
The authority placed a strong emphasis on involving staff, pupils and parents in improving
school performance. The senior management team and Educational Development Service
(EDS) staff worked closely with pre-school centres, the eight cluster groups of schools across
the authority and individual schools to provide a consistently high level of support and
challenge. In the pre-inspection survey of headteachers, almost all agreed that the authority
was effective in disseminating good practice about how to improve the quality of education.
The team of Quality Improvement Officers (QIOs) was held in high regard by headteachers
who felt that they successfully evaluated and challenged the performance of establishments.
Headteachers were unanimous in their view that the Director and Senior Education Managers
were very supportive, forward thinking and fair. EDS staff were proactive in highlighting
and modelling examples of good practice across the authority. This provided establishments
with strategies for improving aspects of their work through discussion and organised visits by
staff. The Education Development Officer and seconded group of Early Years Practitioners
provided well-judged support and challenge to pre-school classes and partner centres by
evaluating the quality of work, providing advice and delivering very good staff development
activities. Good practice was highlighted regularly through the pre-school newsletter,
headteacher meetings and staff development courses. Staff across the authority were actively
involved in developing new approaches to learning and teaching through initiatives such as
the critical skills programme, the use of collaborative learning techniques and the
introduction of new approaches to assessment. Commendably, arrangements were in place to
involve all staff in the ongoing training programme on the use of collaborative learning
approaches.
3
Features of good practice: Quality assurance procedures and partnership
arrangements with pre-school centres
Education Development Service (EDS) staff provided high quality support and challenge
to nursery classes and pre-school partner groups. The authority made effective use of
workforce development funding to enable staff in the private and voluntary sectors to
access appropriate staff development activities including formal qualifications to Scottish
Vocational Qualifications Level 4. This provided staff with the necessary skills,
knowledge and understanding to provide high quality educational experiences for young
children. The Additional Support Needs Team worked closely with schools and
pre-school partner centres to ensure that the children with additional support needs were
identified and supported effectively. Inspection evidence from HMIE and Care
Commission reports indicated that the quality of pre-school education was of a
consistently high standard.
More detailed information is available at www.hmie.gov.uk.
Across the authority, staff spoke enthusiastically about the Effective Learning and Teaching
in Angus policy and could describe the impact that this was having on improving the quality
of learning experiences in schools. In the pre-school sector, the development of new
approaches to planning, assessing and reporting on children’s learning were being introduced
to all nursery classes and partner centres to ensure that learning activities took appropriate
account of individual needs. Assessment is for Learning 4 (AifL) techniques were being used
widely in primary schools and a number of secondary schools. The authority had made
extensive efforts to nurture an appropriate culture through the publication and
implementation of the effective learning and teaching guidelines and through the publication
of a separate assessment policy leaflet. All establishments had been involved in an initial
review of current practice and curriculum programmes in the light of the Curriculum for
Excellence 5 programme. Primary and secondary schools had increased the emphasis of
Enterprise Education by raising pupils’ awareness of the world of work through well-planned
and purposeful class-based activities and work placement experiences at secondary level.
The authority had developed close links with Angus College to increase the opportunities for
S3 and S4 pupils to take part in vocational training. Plans were in place to open two
vocational training centres within secondary schools by August 2007 and to extend the
programme across all secondary schools.
4
Assessment is for Learning (AifL) is a Scottish Executive Education Department development programme which outlines key principles
which connect assessment with learning and teaching.
5
The Curriculum for Excellence programme outlines the purposes and principles of the curriculum 3-18 to provide a framework within
which improvement to Scottish education can and should be made.
4
Features of good practice: Implementation and impact of Effective Learning
and Teaching in Angus policy
The authority placed a very strong emphasis on the promotion of effective learning and
teaching approaches across all establishments. Headteachers spoke enthusiastically about
the implementation and impact of the recent policy on improving the quality of learning
and teaching. Recent inspection evidence reinforced the fact that the policy had been
implemented successfully across schools and that teachers were using an increasingly
effective range of teaching approaches. All teaching staff were taking part in an ongoing
programme of staff development activities on collaborative learning approaches. This was
conducted in partnership with North Lanarkshire Education Department. It reinforced
parallel developments relating to the Assessment is for Learning programme and
Curriculum for Excellence. Initial evidence from recent inspections indicates that the use
of collaborative learning strategies were having a positive impact on teacher confidence
and classroom practice.
More detailed information is available at www.hmie.gov.uk.
The authority had successfully introduced effective measures to monitor pupil progress at
individual and group level, with a clear focus on identifying and taking action in relation to
the lowest achieving 20% of pupils. Headteachers were actively involved in an ongoing
programme to monitor and evaluate all aspects of the school’s work in conjunction with
named QIO staff. Pre-inspection reports compiled by QIOs and Senior Education Managers
were accurate and highlighted a clear understanding of the strengths and developmental needs
of schools. The Director, Senior Education Managers and the QIO team had strong links
with schools. They were actively involved in supporting and challenging schools. In the
pre-inspection survey of headteachers, almost all agreed that the authority had helped them to
develop a systematic approach to self-evaluation. The authority had also developed rigorous
approaches to tracking and analysing schools performance data in primary and secondary
schools, including SQA results. The statistical analysis of SQA results were used to set the
agenda for frank and open discussions about secondary school performance at whole school
and departmental level. Senior staff had taken immediate action to tackle the recent dip in
pupils’ attainment at S4 by meeting with all headteachers and promoted staff to identify
barriers to learning. They had reviewed and improved the procedures to monitor and track
pupils’ progress and increase the focus on attainment during school visits. In recent years,
schools had increased the focus on attainment at 5-14 levels and this had resulted in improved
levels of attainment by the end of S2 across the authority.
The authority had been very successful in resourcing schools to a high standard.
During interviews, headteachers spoke very positively about the authority’s approach to
delegating funding directly to schools. The authority had made good progress in reviewing
and improving the school estate through an ongoing programme of refurbishment and
new-build. A rolling programme was in place to ensure a high quality of provision of
information and communications technology (ICT) for all schools. This included the
provision of interactive whiteboards in 50% of all primary classrooms and the introduction of
voting kits to all primary schools. Teachers were making increasingly effective use of ICT to
support and extend pupils learning across key areas of the curriculum. Staff tutors provided a
broad range of support to teaching staff through the authority’s comprehensive continuing
5
professional development (CPD) programme. The authority had been at the forefront of
developments in moving image education as part of a four year pilot programme.
Features of good practice: Moving image education – an alternative
approach to literacy teaching
The Brechin cluster of schools had taken part in a four-year pilot project using Future
Learning and Teaching funding. The computer-based project for pupils from P6 to S2 was
a collaboration between Angus Council, the Angus Digital Media Centre, Apple
Education, the British Film Institute and Scottish Screen. The impact of the project was
increased creativity and improved pupil skills in cooperative and collaborative learning. In
addition to increased development of pupils’ talking and listening skills, an evaluation of
the project by the University of Glasgow identified improvements in aspects of writing.
The project will be now rolled out to clusters across the authority from August 2007.
More detailed information is available at www.hmie.gov.uk.
The authority had put considerable effort into improving the life chances of vulnerable
learners.
Across all sectors, pupils with additional support needs were well supported. Recent
inspection reports of secondary schools had highlighted the consistently good quality of
support for pupils with additional support needs.
Clear processes for identifying pupils’ additional support needs ensured provision was well
matched to needs. The development of increased provision for pupils for whom mainstream
school does not best meet their needs, had improved the learning experiences of these pupils.
Increased resources had been allocated to support pupils with social, emotional and
behavioural needs in secondary schools, in order to reduce exclusions and improve outcomes
for these pupils. The School and Family Support Service helped pupils and families who
were experiencing difficulties, for example, through the mediation process and by supporting
pupils back into school after exclusions. In addition, the approaches to monitor and
follow-up absences provided a very good link between home and school, and schools valued
this support which reduced the amount of time pupils missed classes. Principal teachers for
additional support needs in primary schools helped staff in schools develop the specific skills
and understanding to provide an appropriate curriculum and approaches to learning for
pupils. This included support in developing individualised educational programmes (IEPs)
and in creating the appropriate learning environment, which improved progress for pupils
with language and communication disorders.
In response to The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (ASL),
the authority had worked closely with partners in health and social services to take forward
multi-agency planning to meet pupils’ needs. The multi-agency steering group had taken
forward a revised Support for Learners Policy built on the already well-established staged
approach to intervention. The policy was well implemented across the authority’s schools.
Pupils were encouraged to participate in meetings and decision-making about their learning,
and transitions were carefully planned. The authority had made very good progress in
identifying pupils who would need a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP). Further work was
6
required to ensure that all social work staff and health professionals working directly with
children understood their responsibilities in relation to the Act.
Features of good practice: Multi-agency training
Staff from Angus Council Education Services had worked effectively with colleagues
from social work and external agencies such as NHS Tayside to develop a comprehensive
inter-agency training programme to support work with vulnerable children and their
families. A notable feature of training was the strong emphasis on the importance of a
multi-agency approach and the agreement of all agencies to lead training events where
they had the most expertise. Participants noted a greater involvement in inter-agency work
and an increased knowledge of areas such as behaviour support.
More detailed information is available at www.hmie.gov.uk.
Pupils who were looked after 6 were supported by a link teacher who monitored their
achievements and worked closely with schools to ensure appropriate progress was being
made in school. Commendably, all looked after pupils had an IEP which ensured that their
progress towards learning targets was regularly reviewed and challenged. A number of
initiatives, including alternative routes to accreditation of learning through Award Scheme
Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN) had focused on improving learning and
achievement for pupils for whom it was more appropriate. Very good links with Angus
College provided a range of vocational opportunities for pupils which were also accredited
through National Qualifications (NQs). The authority worked closely with school staff and
Angus College to analyse the progress and achievements of lower attaining pupils, or pupils
who had additional support needs. Progress was being made in developing joint service
teams, including CLD, health and social work representation to provide support for
vulnerable children and families in local areas. The more established projects had been
successful in engaging pupils and parents in activities to support their engagement and
progress in school. However, further development was required to make a notable impact on
vulnerable families across the authority. Young people were very positive about the learning
experiences available to them outwith school, and their achievements through this learning.
Inter-agency work by No. 1 for Youth project involved partnership working with the
Fire Service, Tayside Health and Alcohol. This project had developed innovative media
work using local radio to involve young people and partners in multimedia training. Many
young people in schools and youth groups had been supported to engage effectively with
public agencies to improve services for young people and this had contributed positively to
their personal and social development. Facilities for youth work were well located and of a
high standard.
4. What impact has the authority had in meeting the needs of other
stakeholders?
The authority demonstrated a very high commitment to engaging with parents. Parents
were actively involved in authority decision-making, had purposeful opportunities to be
6
The term ‘looked after’ in this report includes all children looked after or looked after and accommodated by the Council.
7
involved in their children’s learning, and had access to a range of opportunities for their
own learning through volunteering and family learning.
The authority had made significant efforts in recent years to ensure that parents were
effectively involved in the work of individual schools and also in the work of the education
authority as a whole. Over a period of two years, staff worked in partnership with parents to
develop a Council Parental Involvement Policy which was launched in August 2005. The
implementation of that policy had been made a service priority, and as a result of this good
work, Angus Council’s Principal School and Family Support Worker had been seconded to
the Scottish Executive to help prepare for the implementation of the Scottish Schools
(Parental Involvement) Act 2006. The authority had recently established a Parental
Involvement Action Group involving parent representatives from all school clusters and
certain key primary, secondary and centrally-deployed staff. The group had been chaired by
the Director, and had overseen the production of helpful support materials to implement the
Act. Schools had made effective use of the support materials to set up productive meetings
with parents to agree the arrangements for parental representation in their own locality. The
authority expected this process to be completed by August 2007.
The authority also consulted parents through a Parental Sounding Board, and by way of focus
groups established for specific consultation exercises. The results of this consultation,
including very helpful suggestions made by parents about how to improve, were published
within the Council’s Standards and Quality Report of 2006 for education. As a result of
these efforts, parents were positive about the work of the education authority and satisfied
with the quality of education their children received. A majority of School Boards and Parent
Associations agreed that they had opportunities to influence the aims and plans for education
through consultation. Most agreed that the authority was good at letting them know about
new initiatives to improve education in the Council area.
Features of good practice: Parental involvement
The authority had been proactive in developing productive and purposeful partnership
arrangements with parents. The Director had taken a strong lead in this area and had been
very well supported by senior staff and schools. The Director’s Parental Sounding Board
had ensured regular and thorough consultation with parents over a wide range of issues.
Parents had been engaged and involved in planning the implementation of national
initiatives and legislation such as the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006
and The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. The school
family support service had successfully supported many families to ensure children were
able to attend and benefit from school. This service had also ensured that the views of
parents who did not always have the confidence to respond to consultations were included
and considered.
More detailed information is available at www.hmie.gov.uk.
Parents had access to a wide range of learning opportunities to support their children’s
education. Most School Boards or Parent Associations agreed that the authority provided
good opportunities for parents and carers to access adult learning. Three hundred and fifty
parent volunteers were working within the Active Schools initiative, and around 75 parents
were providing sports coaching in a voluntary capacity. The authority paid for coaching
8
qualifications for interested parents. The authority had good links with local sports clubs that
broadened the range of sporting activity available, and encouraged children and young people
to pursue sport in their local community. Further learning opportunities were provided by the
School and Family Support Service and through integrated community schools and CLD.
Adult learners had been well supported to make significant progress in their personal, family,
working and community lives. Work with ICT with the 50+ group was highly innovative.
However, accommodation for adult learning needed to be improved further.
Features of good practice: 50+ initiative
Angus Community Learning and Development Service had worked closely with a number
of partners from the private and public sectors, to develop a highly innovative programme
to link learners from the ages of 50+ with information and communications technology
(ICT). The learners had developed their own website and forum for consultation with the
50+ group in Angus. The programme had also stimulated learners to return to learning
and many learners now attend college and undertake computing courses. The programme
had also developed inter-generational links with Monifieth High School as well as with the
Council’s museums and libraries services. Participants on the programme noted
significant improvements in health and social interaction as well as achievements in
learning.
More detailed information is available at www.hmie.gov.uk.
5. How well is the authority led?
The Shared Vision statement was well understood. Senior officers and EDS staff provided
high quality support and challenge for schools and actively encouraged innovation and
step change. There were effective systems in place to share best practice and ensure that
staff were well supported in developing their skills as leaders of learning. The impact of
these approaches had been the development of a shared culture of continuous
improvement.
The authority had developed Towards a Shared Vision for education during 1999/2000 in a
process involving education authority staff and a significant number of diverse stakeholders.
The vision was deliberately designed to have a lasting impact, and its stability had ensured a
very high degree of acceptance, and a belief amongst staff that it still provided direction to
their work. Senior staff consistently reinforced the vision through communications, written
policies, and by their approach to their own duties and responsibilities. Service priorities
were clearly stated within annual service plans. For the Education Service as a whole this
included improving learning and teaching to ensure improved attainment and wider
achievement. This had been supported by developments such as the Effective Learning and
Teaching Policy and the focused use of attainment data to monitor pupils’ progress and
analyse performance trends. Inclusion was also a major service priority supported through
extensive training, provision of equipment and discussion. Staff across all sectors were very
aware of these priorities and their impact on the work of establishments and learners. Local
managers felt empowered by the authority’s approach to delegated responsibility. They
believed that there was an appropriate balance between centrally-driven policy and local
9
flexibility. They appreciated the openness and transparency demonstrated by senior staff
which secured significant levels of commitment to new developments and approaches. The
Director and senior staff were highly visible in the authority, and were considered
approachable and supportive.
Senior officers within the Council provided very effective leadership and direction. Almost
all headteachers surveyed agreed that the authority was well led. Strategic priorities for
improvement were agreed through a consultative group of officers, school and CLD
representatives. The priorities were closely linked to the Council’s Best Value Improvement
Plan. Headteachers and managers in community education were very clear about what the
authority was aiming to achieve and their role in working together to achieve this. Planning
took very good account of the impact of previous plans, stakeholder views, and information
about performance and improvement. Senior managers took difficult decisions when
required to achieve improvements, and worked closely with staff and communities to ensure
full support for these difficult decisions, for example, school rationalisation programmes.
Communication between senior managers and schools and services was strong. Through
participation in working groups, meetings and visits to schools, senior managers knew
headteachers and school staff well. A range of effective communications ensured all
members of staff were informed and involved in authority-wide issues and initiatives. The
authority’s financial management systems were very good. Headteachers were positive about
the level of funding they received and the authority’s financial commitment to supporting the
improvement of learning and teaching by delegating funds directly to schools. Progress had
been made in the development of a systematic approach to risk management, but further
development was required to link risk management to planning and further involve partners
and stakeholders in the process.
Senior managers had sought to develop a culture of partnership and teamworking
within Education Services. As a result, there was strong partnership work and teamworking
evident in the integrated community schools, early years, CLD and additional support for
learning. These partnerships had also drawn in additional external funding from a variety of
sources. Partnerships in these areas placed a strong emphasis on developing leadership
capacity and inter-agency working. This resulted in a strong focus on appropriate leadership
that related closely to specific areas of work. Senior staff had actively sought to increase the
leadership capacity of partnerships by using staff from both the private sector and other
public agencies. For example, staff from health services had taken the lead role in the
development and delivery of a training programme on health. Senior management had taken
an effective role to develop leadership capacity. A wide range of opportunities has been
made available to staff to provide effective leadership training. That training had included
reference to the need to work with and across a number of different agencies through
secondments. However, many of the partnerships were still at an early stage of development
and their sustainability in the longer term had not yet been clarified. Internal partnership
working and leadership across corporate departments was not yet as well developed as
partnership work with external agencies to the Council. Senior managers had identified the
continued need to ensure that succession planning was given appropriate emphasis across all
levels of the department.
The Director and Senior Education Managers had worked closely with establishments, EDS
staff, professional services and support agencies to establish an effective culture of support
and challenge. Senior managers and EDS staff knew their schools well and provided a robust
10
level of support and challenge while retaining a relationship based on mutual respect.
Headteachers valued the quality of support provided by senior managers and the procedures
for seeking views on enhancing the quality of learning and teaching and the work of the
service. Authority staff actively encouraged creativity, innovation and step change within
establishments while maintaining a key focus on ensuring effective learning and teaching
approaches designed to meet the needs of all learners. The recently restructured team of
QIOs worked with cluster groups of schools and were recognised by headteachers as
instrumental in supporting new initiatives and in providing a consistent level of challenge to
schools. The Director and Senior Education Managers were committed to the process of
continuous improvement in schools and CLD. Senior staff had been effective in supporting
schools to implement new initiatives such as collaborative learning. They had identified the
continued need to identify more effective ways of reducing duplication of effort by sharing
out innovative work across the authority.
6. What is the Council’s capacity for improvement?
The senior management team were held in very high regard across the authority because
of their approachability and commitment to all aspects of the service. The authority had a
clear capacity for improvement.
Angus Council had achieved Investors in People recognition in June 2006. The Education
Department had achieved recognition in April 2004. The authority participated actively in a
range of national initiatives including AifL and Curriculum for Excellence. Pre-school staff
were regularly used to exemplify good practice at a variety of national conferences. Senior
Managers and authority staff were actively involved in national developments including
membership of Executive Advisory Groups, work as HMIE associate assessors, and
secondments to national bodies such as Scottish Executive policy divisions and Learning and
Teaching Scotland.
The senior management team had been in place since the establishment of the Council. The
Director and Senior Education Managers worked very closely together to promote the work
of the authority and ensure consistency in the quality of work across all sectors. All
headteachers in the staff survey agreed that the Director and Senior Education Managers
showed high levels of commitment to improving education. Almost all staff at all levels
agreed that the authority was well led and that senior managers lived the shared vision and
had been instrumental in establishing a culture of continuous improvement. The Council had
a clear commitment to provide high quality educational experiences for all learners. It had
identified the continued need to build on the existing strengths in attainment and achievement
by ensuring high quality learning and teaching approaches. It was also committed to building
on the current quality of partnership working to meet the needs of all learners.
Taking into account the overall quality of the authority’s self-evaluation and the strong
commitment to continuous improvement demonstrated by staff at all levels, HMIE has a high
degree of confidence in the authority’s capacity to improve still further.
11
Key strengths
•
The impact of the shared vision on the work of establishments and the strong leadership
and direction from the Director of Education and Senior Education Managers.
•
The role of the senior management team and EDS staff in providing effective support and
challenge, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and sharing good practice.
•
The authority’s success in promoting effective partnerships with parents through
consultation.
•
The focus on effective learning and teaching and the impact of the successful learning
and teaching policy on improving learning across schools.
•
The mechanisms through which key resources including funding were delivered directly
to schools and establishments.
•
The impact of partnership working arrangements on the quality of pupils’ learning,
particularly in the early years sector and for pupils with a range of additional support
needs.
Areas for continued improvement
The authority had identified the continued need to raise attainment, ensure consistency in the
quality of learning and teaching across establishments and maximise the impact of
joint-working arrangements. It should also continue to implement fully the vocational
centres within secondary schools to maximise the quality of attainment and achievement,
particularly for young people at risk of not proceeding to further education, employment and
training.
What happens next?
As a result of the very high level of performance achieved by the authority and confirmed by
this inspection, HM Inspectors will make no further reports in connection with this
inspection. The District Inspector will continue to monitor progress as part of his regular
work with the authority.
Annette Bruton
HM Chief Inspector
Directorate 5
August 2007
12
Appendix 1
Quality Indicators
Quality Indicator
Improvement in performance
Impact on learners
Impact on parents/carers and families
Vision, values and aims
Leadership and direction
Developing people and partnerships
Leadership of change and improvement
Evaluation
Good
Very good
Very good
Very good
Very good
Good
Very good
Note
The quality scale used in inspections is indicated below. Further details are provided on the
inside cover of this report.
Old level
Very good
Good
New level
Excellent
Very good
Good
Adequate
Fair
Weak
Unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory
Description
Outstanding, sector leading
Major strengths
Important strengths with some areas for
improvement
Strengths just outweigh weaknesses
Important weaknesses
Major weaknesses
13
Appendix 2
Performance information
Attendance
Table A.1: Percentage Attendance
Primary:
2004
2005
2006
Angus
95.7
95.8
95.6
CA Average
95.7
95.8
95.6
National
95.3
95.0
95.0
Secondary:
2004
2005
2006
Angus
91.6
91.8
91.7
CA Average
91.5
91.4
91.6
National
90.2
90.1
90.5
2004
2005
2006
Angus
63.4
61.4
60.1
CA Average
66.8
66.4
65.1
National
64.2
64.1
63.8
Staying on Rate
Table A.2: Percentage of pupils staying on to S5 (Post Christmas)
Pupil Destinations
Table A.3: Percentage of pupils entering each destination
Higher Education:
2004
2005
2006
Angus
32
34
30
CA Average
30
30
31
National
29
31
30
2004
2005
2006
Angus
33
32
34
CA Average
21
21
23
National
21
21
23
Training:
2004
2005
2006
Angus
3
4
5
CA Average
3
3
3
National
5
5
5
Further Education:
14
Employment:
2004
2005
2006
Angus
18
21
18
CA Average
29
30
30
National
25
27
26
2004
2005
2006
Angus
12
7
10
CA Average
7
8
9
National
13
10
11
2004
2005
2006
Angus
2
2
1
CA Average
4
4
3
National
3
3
2
2004
2005
2006
Angus
1
1
2
CA Average
6
3
2
National
4
3
2
Unemployed and seeking
employment or training:
Unemployed and not seeking
employment or training:
Destination unknown:
Exclusions
Table A.4: Total number of exclusions and exclusions per 1,000 population
Primary:
Angus
2004
Per 1,000
Total
Per 1,000
Total
Per 1,000
120
13
115
13
123
14
7
4,478
Secondary:
Angus
11
8
5,319
2004
13
9
5,779
2005
15
2006
Total
Per 1,000
Total
Per 1,000
Total
Per 1,000
566
80
710
100
486
69
CA Average
National
2006
Total
CA Average
National
2005
66
33,465
105
71
35,513
112
72
36,136
115
15
SQA Attainment
Table A.5: Results in Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) National Qualifications
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) levels
Level 7: Advanced Higher at A-C/CSYS at A-C
Level 6: Higher at A-C
Level 5: Intermediate 2 at A-C; Standard Grade at 1-2
Level 4: Intermediate 1 at A-C; Standard Grade at 3-4
Level 3: Access 3 Cluster; Standard Grade at 5-6
Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving by the end of S4
English at Level 3
or better
Mathematics at
Level 3 or better
5 + at Level 3 or
better
5 + at Level 4 or
better
5 + at Level 5 or
better
16
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
94.0
93.4
94.5
93.1
92.2
CA Average
94.4
94.2
94.4
95.0
95.0
National
93.4
93.7
93.7
93.6
94.0
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
92.1
92.8
93.4
93.8
90.3
CA Average
94.5
93.8
94.0
93.9
94.5
National
92.6
92.6
92.5
92.1
92.9
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
91.4
90.8
91.4
90.8
88.9
CA Average
92.6
92.1
92.2
92.1
91.7
National
90.8
90.7
90.8
90.2
90.7
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
79.9
77.9
78.4
78.7
76.1
CA Average
81.2
79.8
80.7
79.4
80.0
National
76.7
76.4
76.6
76.1
76.8
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
36.4
38.7
35.7
35.7
33.1
CA Average
38.6
37.9
38.4
37.5
37.8
National
33.9
34.0
34.6
34.2
34.8
Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving by the end of S5
3 + at Level 6 or
better
5 + at Level 6 or
better
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
26.0
24.4
27.3
24.1
23.4
CA Average
26.4
25.5
25.5
25.1
24.2
National
22.8
22.6
22.7
22.7
21.7
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
10.3
9.8
11.0
10.6
10.9
CA Average
10.6
10.8
10.4
10.9
10.7
National
9.3
9.6
9.4
9.9
9.7
Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving by the end of S6
English and
Mathematics at
Level 3 or better
5 + at Level 3 or
better
5 + at Level 4 or
better
5 + at Level 5 or
better
1 + at Level 6 or
better
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
92.7
91.8
91.6
92.2
92.2
CA Average
94.4
94.2
93.8
93.1
93.2
National
92.3
92.3
91.6
91.8
91.7
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
91.3
89.7
91.6
91.1
91.7
CA Average
93.4
93.5
93.5
92.9
93.1
National
90.9
91.1
91.3
91.2
91.4
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
79.5
77.8
81.0
79.2
79.7
CA Average
83.6
84.5
83.1
82.0
82.4
National
77.9
78.6
78.6
78.4
78.5
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
48.8
48.6
49.1
49.9
49.8
CA Average
52.3
53.3
52.2
51.4
51.3
National
45.7
46.9
47.2
47.1
47.6
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
47.9
45.5
45.8
46.6
45.3
CA Average
49.4
48.6
47.7
47.4
46.1
National
43.7
43.6
43.5
43.1
43.0
17
3 + at Level 6 or
better
5 + at Level 6 or
better
1 + at Level 7 or
better
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
33.7
32.6
31.5
35.5
32.3
CA Average
35.7
35.4
34.4
33.8
32.4
National
31.0
30.7
30.6
30.1
30.0
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
21.1
20.7
21.0
23.2
21.0
CA Average
23.1
23.0
22.7
22.3
22.0
National
19.7
19.6
19.6
19.4
19.7
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Angus
12.3
14.0
13.7
15.0
13.5
CA Average
14.1
13.8
13.9
13.8
14.0
National
11.6
11.9
12.3
12.1
12.5
Notes
(1) CA average denotes comparator authority average.
(2) Comparator authorities for Angus include:
Comparators
Highland
Dumfries and Galloway
Moray
Scottish Borders
South Ayrshire
Rating
*****
*****
*****
****
****
‘Extremely Close’
‘Extremely Close’
‘Extremely Close’
‘Very Close’
‘Very Close’
(3) Caution should be exercised when making comparisons with comparator authority
averages if there are a number of authorities that are not extremely or very close.
18
How can you contact us?
If you would like an additional copy of this report
Copies of this report have been sent to the Chief Executive of the local authority, elected
members, the Director of Education, other local authority officers, Members of the
Scottish Parliament, Audit Scotland, heads of the local authority educational
establishments, chairpersons of the local authority School Boards/Parents Associations
and to other relevant individuals and agencies. Subject to availability, further copies may
be obtained free of charge from HM Inspectorate of Education, Directorate 5, Denholm
House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA or by
telephoning 01506 600256. Copies are also available on our website: www.hmie.gov.uk.
HMIE Feedback and Complaints Procedure
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of education authority inspections you should
write in the first instance to Annette Bruton, HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education,
Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to our
Complaints Manager, HMIE Business Management Unit, Second Floor, Denholm House,
Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA. You can also
e-mail HMIEComplaints@hmie.gsi.gov.uk. A copy of our complaints procedure is
available from this office, by telephoning 01506 600200 or from our website at
www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints
procedure, you can raise your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
(SPSO). The SPSO is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about
Government departments and agencies. You should write to the SPSO, Freepost EH641,
Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also telephone 0800 377 7330 (fax 0800 377 7331) or
e-mail: ask@spso.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be
obtained from the website: www.spso.org.uk.
Crown Copyright 2007
HM Inspectorate of Education
This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except for commercial purposes or in
connection with a prospectus or advertisement, provided that the source and date thereof
are stated.
19