E a s t Lo th ia n Co u n c il
F o l l o w - u p In s p e c t i o n R e p o r t
1 8 D e c e mb e r 2 0 0 3
Contents
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Page
Introduction
i
1.
The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
1
2.
Changes in the operational context of the
Education Service
1
3.
Continuous improvement
2
4.
Progress towards the main points for action
7
5.
Conclusion
22
Introduction
The education functions of each local authority in
Scotland will be inspected between 2000 and
2005. Section 9 of the Standards in Scotland’s
Schools etc. Act 2000 charges HM Inspectorate of
Education, 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) 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.
The external auditor member of the inspection
team carries out a performance management and
planning (PMP) audit of the education functions
of the authority. The inspection team also
includes an Associate Assessor who is a senior
member of staff currently serving in another
Scottish local authority.
All inspections of the education functions of
educational authorities are followed up by
inspection teams, normally around two years from
the date of the original published inspection report.
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East Lothian Council
Follow-up Inspection Report
1. The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
The education functions of East Lothian Council were
inspected during the period March to May 2001 as part of
national inspection programme of all education
authorities in Scotland over a five-year period.
The local authority prepared and made public an Action
Plan in November 2001, indicating how it would address
the main points for action identified in the original HMIE
inspection report published in September 2001.
An inspection team revisited the authority in
September 2003 to assess progress made in meeting the
recommendations in the initial report.
2. Changes in the operational context of the
Education Service
Since the initial inspection of the education functions of
East Lothian Council in 2001, there had been changes
within the Council and the Department of Education and
Community Services.
As part of an ongoing review of management structures
within the Council, adjustments were made in
October 2002 to the management of the services for
which the Department of Education and Community
Services was responsible. Three new divisions, the
Policy, Planning and Development Division, the Pupil
Support Division and the Schools Division, were created
under the Head of Education Services. Three new
1
divisions, the Culture and Community Learning Division,
the Landscape and Countryside Division, and the
Facilities Division, were created under the Head of
Community Services. These changes provided an
improved management structure by clarifying the roles of
senior officers and ensuring a greater focus on providing
enhanced support and challenge to schools.
In May 2003 the Policy, Planning and Development
Division was incorporated into the Schools Division as an
interim measure pending further intended more
substantial restructuring. A new Education and
Children’s Services Department was established in
October 2003. This comprised the Education Services
responsibilities from the Department of Education and
Community Services and the Children and Families
responsibilities from the Department of Social Work and
Housing. The Community Services responsibilities were
merged with aspects of social work and housing to form a
new Community Services Department. These changes
were intended to provide closer integration of services for
children and ensure that key Council priorities were being
addressed more effectively. The impact of these changes
have yet to be confirmed.
3. Continuous improvement
Since the publication of the initial inspection report
management and leadership in the Department of
Education and Community Services had strengthened.
Structural changes had provided an increased focus on
promoting improvement and monitoring and tracking
performance. The Service Improvement Plan provided a
strategic vision for the future and set clear outcomes of
what is to be achieved. The overall management ethos
was now more responsive and placed increased emphasis
on partnership and raising achievement.
2
The Department had given high priority to improving the
education of disaffected young people. A report by
HMIE in June 2000 on the Leavers’ Unit had been very
critical of the unit’s provision for meeting the needs of
secondary pupils with social, emotional and behavioural
difficulties. The Department had responded by
strategically reviewing provision for these young people.
The Director chaired a multi-agency Discipline Task
Group to review best practice in schools in dealing
effectively with pupils exhibiting challenging behaviour.
Wide and detailed consultations led to the formation of a
multi-disciplinary 14+ Service. The Leavers’ Unit had
been disbanded and additional support provided to
schools to help them retain pupils on their role. A new
East Lothian Inclusion Service (ELIS) was created.
Arrangements for monitoring the attendance and location
of pupils had improved and most secondary schools were
making more use of flexible approaches to curriculum
design to meet better the needs of individual pupils. The
Department’s system of staged intervention targeted
resources more effectively to address identified need.
Pupils excluded from school were much less likely to be
out of school for lengthy periods and better arrangements
were in place to ensure that their education was not
disrupted unnecessarily. Staff in schools were now more
positive about the support available to them in
maintaining young people with social, emotional and
behavioural difficulties in an educational setting. There
had been significant improvements in the provision being
made for these vulnerable young people.
The Department had successfully reduced the rate of
pupil exclusions from schools. Between 2000 and 2002
the number of exclusions per 1000 pupils in secondary
schools had consistently decreased. In comparator
authorities there had been a consistent increase over the
same period. East Lothian had improved from a position
of having a higher rate of exclusion in secondary schools
than comparator authorities to a lower rate. Exclusion
3
rates had consistently been below the national average
and the gap had increased.
Successful steps had been taken to promote equality and
to help children looked-after and accommodated by the
Council benefit from education. Computers and software
had been provided to looked-after children, and
residential school staff and foster carers trained in how
they could be used to support children’s learning. In
addition, funds had been made available to help
individual children develop their core skills, prepare for
examinations and develop their interests more generally.
A majority of children looked after by the Council aged
16 or 17 who left care in 2001/2002 had qualifications in
English and mathematics at Level 3 or better.
Arrangements for the deployment and support of newly
qualified teachers (NQTs) had been strengthened. The
authority had taken on a significant number of additional
NQTs beyond their fully funded quota. In the primary
sector these teachers were deployed to provide additional
management time for teaching heads and greater
flexibility in staff deployment for non-teaching heads.
Staff were deployed to meet local needs and priorities.
This resulted in a range of benefits and improvements.
These included additional support for individual learners,
headteachers working more closely with staff to monitor
and improve approaches to learning and teaching,
increased parental contact, and more direct support for
strategies to raise attainment. In the secondary sector the
increased flexibility was used to retain a number of
seconded staff to support initiatives to promote social
inclusion. The more rigorous system for training and
support for NQTs had resulted in improved learning and
teaching for groups of pupils.
The authority had maintained a strong focus on
improving attainment. Between 2000 and 2002 the
percentage of primary school pupils attaining appropriate
4
5-14 levels1 for their stage had increased in reading and
writing, and, to a lesser extent, in mathematics. In
reading and writing, performance was the same as the
average in comparator authorities and slightly above that
achieved nationally. In mathematics, performance was
slightly below that in comparator authorities and in line
with the national figure. The rate of improvement in
reading and mathematics was in line with that in
comparator authorities, and in writing it was below. In
secondary schools, attainment at 5-14 had improved in
reading, writing and mathematics. However,
performance in mathematics had been consistently below
the average in comparator authorities. Performance in
reading and writing was slightly below that of comparator
authorities and slightly above the national average. The
rate of improvement in reading and mathematics was in
line with that in comparator authorities, and in writing it
was above. Although there was evidence of
improvement, the authority should continue to take steps
to raise attainment in schools to enable targets for levels
of attainment to be met and the benefits of early
intervention strategies to be sustained.
Over the last three years there had been continuous
improvement in the performance of pupils in National
Qualifications at all levels2. The overall rates of change
in the percentage of pupils gaining five or more awards at
Levels 3, 4 and 5 by the end of S4, 3 plus and 5 plus
awards at Level 5 by the end of S5, and 1 plus award at
Level 7 by the end of S6 were all above the national
average rates and the average for comparator authorities.
The percentages of pupils who gained an award in
English and in mathematics at Level 3 or better by the
end of S4 had both increased to slightly above the
1
Level A by end of P3. Level B by end of P4. Level C by end of P6. Level D by
end
of P7. Level E by end of S2.
2
Level 3 = Standard Grade at Foundation Level or Access 3
Level 4 = Standard Grade at General Level or Intermediate 1 at A - C
Level 5 = Standard Grade at Credit Level or Intermediate 2 at A - C
Level 6 = Higher at A - C
Level 7 = Advanced Higher or CSYS at A - C
5
average in comparator authorities and above the national
average. At Level 5, the percentage of pupils who gained
five or more awards or better by the end of S4 had
improved from well below, to in line with, the average in
comparator authorities. The percentage of pupils who
gained three or more awards at Level 6 by the end of S5
had increased from in line with the average in comparator
authorities and the national figure to slightly above the
comparator authority average and above the national
average. At Level 7, the percentage of S6 pupils who
gained one or more award had been continually above the
national average and that for comparator authorities. In
the last two years it had been well above.
The Department of Education and Community Services
had continued to give high priority to providing pupils
with opportunities for broader achievement through their
commendable Sports and Arts Strategies. This had
resulted in increased involvement of pupils in sports and
arts activities. The establishment of sports squads had
promoted excellence in performance and provided
training and coaching to enable talented pupils to achieve
higher skill levels in a range of activities.
Good progress had been made improving the quality of
accommodation and fabric of the buildings in all
secondary schools through a Public Private Partnership
(PPP) project. Plans were well advanced and the Council
was half way through a two-year PPP programme. At the
time of writing the construction company and facilities
management provider had gone into administration. A
new building company and facilities management
provider were being actively sought. This will impact on
the ability of the Council to meet its objective of
providing high quality secondary schools with easy
access to a swimming pool and all-weather sports
facilities.
6
4. Progress towards the main points for action
The initial inspection report published in September 2001
identified seven main points for action. This section
evaluates the progress the authority has made with each
of the main action points and the resulting improvements
for pupils and other stakeholders.
4.1 Schools should be provided with a more
focused set of policy priorities and be fully
supported in working towards their successful
implementation.
The education authority had made good progress towards
meeting this point for action.
The Department of Education and Community Services
had developed a clear and concise Service Improvement
Plan for 2003/2005. It built on the 2002/2004 plan and
was shaped by the Council’s aims. The plan related well
to the priorities set out in the Corporate and Community
Plans. The plan provided clear strategic direction and
priorities for the Service. It included a set of clear aims
which related to: the provision of a listening,
forward-looking Service; high quality services; priority to
vulnerable and disadvantaged groups; building on
existing good practice; and involving learners, parents
and other partners in achieving its goals. These aims had
been communicated to all staff and school board
members. It placed a strong emphasis on commitment to
raising attainment and social inclusion. Commendably,
the plan provided clear and measurable outcomes, which
were related to the National Priorities in Education. The
plan was a useful, practical, working document which
clearly identified what schools should include in planning
for improvement to ensure links between their
development plans and the Service Improvement Plan.
The department had undertaken a comprehensive audit of
policies and identified gaps in provision. A number of
7
key policies were then developed and introduced. These
include policies on Accessibility, Achieving Excellence,
Resource Allocation for Additional Educational Needs,
Consultation, Early Intervention, Exclusion, Learning and
Teaching for All, Child Protection and Health Education.
Such policies provided clear direction to school staff and
enhanced consistency in practice across the authority. A
catalogue of policies, procedures and guidelines had
recently been issued to staff. Further work to address
identified gaps was continuing and key policies on a
Framework for effective Learning and Teaching,
Assessment, Classroom Observation, Education of
Looked-after Children, and Education for Work and
Enterprise were in draft form.
Staff in schools had been supported in implementing
policies through visits by Education Officers, conferences
and briefings. Senior managers in the department should
continue to ensure that staff are fully supported in
implementing policies through the provision of clear
procedures and advice for putting them in place. The
authority recognised the need to provide policy
documents in a more consistent format and to enhance
procedures for systematically monitoring and evaluating
the implementation and impact of key policies.
The Department of Education and Community Services
had benefited from improved strategic direction through
the identification of clear aims, priorities and outcomes.
A more comprehensive policy framework had been
developed successfully and introduced to support their
achievement. Progress was good, but it was too early to
assess the full impact of some of the changes.
8
4.2 Building on recent improvements, the
authority should engage staff and other
stakeholders more productively in
decision-making. Steps should be taken to
provide full information on the results of
consultation and the reasons for decisions
taken.
The education authority has made very good progress
towards meeting this point for action.
Following the original inspection, the Department of
Education and Community Services had consulted
interested parties widely on a policy to involve key
stakeholders in decision-making. This policy formed the
basis of subsequent consultation exercises. These had
included well-organised consultations on a range of
initiatives such as the development of new quality
assurance procedures, the 2002 reorganisation of the
Department of Education and Community Services and
successive versions of the Service Improvement Plan.
The authority had also undertaken systematic
consultation as part of the development of several key
policies including, Learning and Teaching for All and the
Exclusion Policy. It had made good use of working
groups with appropriate representation from schools and
school boards to develop policy statements. These
groups had developed a range of policies including those
on Resource Allocation for Additional Educational
Needs, Early Intervention and Classroom Observation.
Overall, this range of approaches to consultation had
significantly increased the extent to which stakeholders
were involved in the processes of developing the work of
the authority.
Considerable progress had been made on strengthening
joint working and decision-making with a range of
partners. A key factor in achieving this improved
collaboration and communication had been the
re-constitution of the Chief Officer’s Group (Children’s
9
Services) under the chairmanship of the Director of
Education and Community Services. This group had met
with some success in promoting collaborative work
between agencies. The New Community Schools
initiative had been extended across the authority and
provision for vulnerable children, in particular
arrangements to support looked-after children, had been
enhanced through the resulting improvements in
joint-working between schools and other agencies. The
authority required to ensure that consultation and
communication with Finance and Transport Services
takes place at a sufficiently early stage in planning.
Headteachers and school boards were very positive about
the extent to which their views were now taken into
account in developing policy. Policies were normally
issued in draft form and reviewed in the light of
comments received before being finalised and published.
The level of feedback provided on the results of the
authority’s consultation exercises and the reasons for
taking decisions had improved considerably.
As a result of the enhanced level of consultation and joint
working across the authority, there was now more of a
shared understanding and common purpose. Staff felt a
greater degree of ownership of the authority’s policies
and this had contributed to more effective implementation
of policies to the benefit of pupils and families.
4.3 The authority should ensure that all
teaching and centrally deployed staff can benefit
from the programme of staff development and
review.
The education authority has made very good progress
towards meeting this point for action.
The Participants’ Guide to Employee Development and
Review which had been developed by the Department of
Education and Community Services was clear and
informative. It provided appropriate advice to allow the
10
review process to be implemented effectively. The
procedures adopted were consistent with the corporate
approach to Employee Development and Review. Levels
of participation by staff in the process were very good.
Almost all centrally deployed staff had taken part in an
annual review. All headteachers and almost all school
based staff had taken part in reviews.
Staff development needs were collated centrally and a
comprehensive directory of staff training opportunities
was published and made available on-line. The directory
was produced three times a year and focused
predominantly on staff development associated with the
National Priorities in Education, the Service
Improvement Plan, and a prioritised set of outcomes from
the Employee Development and Review process.
Employee Development opportunities were planned well
and had been received well by staff.
The Department of Education and Community Services
gained the Investor in People Standard in July 2002. This
further confirmed its commitment and approach to
service improvement through employee development.
The involvement of almost all staff in Employee
Development and Review, the improved quality of
information available from school reviews and the
evaluation of in-service courses were being used well to
provide targeted and focused development opportunities
for staff and secure continuous improvement.
4.4 The authority should improve the rigour of
approaches to measuring, monitoring and
evaluating performance and focus more on the
intended outcomes for pupils.
The education authority has made good progress towards
meeting this point for action.
The restructuring of the Department in 2002 included the
creation of a School’s Division which had responsibility
11
for acting as the main link between the authority and
schools. A small team of education officers had been
given the remit to monitor, evaluate and support the work
of schools. Their deployment to support and challenge
schools was clearly set out in the quality assurance
framework, Educating for Excellence. The Head of
Education had given a strong lead in developing this
framework which provided the basis for a revised pattern
of evaluation visits to schools. Each school was now
entitled to a minimum of three evaluation visits per year
from their link education officer. The system had been
operating for a year and there were indications that the
new pattern of visits provided a more efficient and
effective approach to deployment of the small team of
link officers. The more regular series of visits to all
schools placed officers in a stronger position to comment
on the work of schools and to identify good practice.
Discussions focused on school’s performance data,
school development plans and standards and quality
reports. Officers now used a consistent agenda and
reporting format during these visits. Links between staff
in the School’s Division and Pupil Support Division had
been strengthened following the restructuring of services.
The revised arrangements provided a greater clarity of
role for link officers. The evaluation visits had resulted
in a greater understanding of self-evaluation at school
level and improvements in the quality of some school
development plans and standards and quality reports. As
well as meeting with the headteacher during their visits,
link officers were beginning to meet with staff and pupils
to track the impact of planning for improvement on the
work of the school. This should be developed further.
Following each visit, schools received a written report
which was clear, constructive and evaluative. This was
particularly marked in the secondary sector. The focus
was very much on link officers supporting school
self-evaluation and challenging headteachers to provide
evidence to support their judgements.
12
The development of computerised systems for sharing
and collating the information collected during school
visits had helped the authority begin to identify good
practice and ensure that schools in need of greater support
received it. In order to further develop the process, link
officers should follow up key points more systematically
in subsequent visits and have an increased focus on
educational outcomes for pupils. Commendably, some
education officers had visited other education authorities
to share practice and develop their skills in supporting
and challenging schools. They had also attended a recent
national staff development course run on quality
assurance. This placed them in a stronger position to take
on their quality assurance role.
Very good progress had been made to support and
challenge staff in partnership and local authority
nurseries. All staff had been provided with training on
self-evaluation using the performance indicators in
The Child at the Centre3 and on self-evaluation of
practice against the requirements of the Care Standards
Commission. Early years staff had developed a
structured approach to reviews which included a prereview discussion and a detailed and helpful review
report with a series of action points against each of the
indicators in The Child at the Centre. These points for
action were subsequently included in the Centre’s
development plan. Staff should continue with their plans
to collate evaluations from these visits to identify patterns
of strengths and development needs across the authority.
The School’s Liaison Group, chaired by the Head of
Education, met monthly and provided an important forum
for officers and managers to discuss issues arising from
the school visits, share ideas and target support to
identified schools. Where a specific school had been
identified, there was evidence of a high level of support
from education officers and improvements in the aspect
3
The Child at the Centre – Self-evaluation in the Early Years (SEED, 2000).
13
being developed. The targeting of behaviour support
staff to schools with high levels of exclusions
demonstrated the increased sharing of expertise between
staff in the Pupil Support and School’s Divisions.
At the time of the original inspection, the authority had
recently established an Education Standards and Quality
Panel (ESQP) to provide scrutiny of quality issues. The
work of the Panel had moved forward considerably and
there was evidence of detailed discussion across a broad
spectrum of issues. These included performance
indicators, examination statistics, benchmarking,
attendance and exclusions data and reporting on school
development plans. Education officers were asked to
report on action taken following discussions on ‘schools
causing concern’ and the findings of HMIE inspections.
The work of the Panel provided an effective forum for
elected members to discuss and scrutinise performance
issues with headteachers and senior officers. Elected
members confirmed that reports provided for the Panel
were increasingly evaluative and rigorous. Concerns, for
example, over patterns of exclusions and attainment
levels had led to invitations to secondary headteachers to
address the Panel. This had been constructive and helpful
in securing improvement.
Overall, the steps taken to monitor schools’ and pupils’
performance had had an impact on the quality of the
service provided to pupils and families, and continuous
improvement. The revised framework for quality
assurance provided a sound basis on which to continue to
increase the extent to which the authority challenged
schools to improve performance. The system had moved
forward but the capacity of the small number of staff at
the centre to undertake the developing quality assurance
role was a key issue in further development.
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4.5 The authority should systematically evaluate
the impact of initiatives on improving pupils’
educational experience and achievement.
The education authority has made good progress overall
towards meeting this point for action.
There has been an increased awareness of the need to
systematically evaluate the impact of initiatives
introduced by the authority and identify the improvement
as a result of resources being allocated to particular
projects. This had become more embedded in practice.
More systematic evaluation had been built into the
planning and implementation of new initiatives. Given
the size and capacity of the Council to undertake such
activities, an appropriate mix of evaluation by external
consultants and centrally deployed staff had been
introduced.
All staff development in-service training courses had
been evaluated to assess the quality of provision. Most
staff who attended centrally led staff development
evaluated it as good and very good. New procedures had
been established to further evaluate the impact and
benefit of participation in courses after a period of six
months and thereafter one year. There were already some
good examples of positive outcomes from in-service
courses. The in-service course on Solution Focused
Approaches to Improving Behaviour had provided
additional strategies to support “Better Behaviour-Better
Learning” in schools. The course on developing
leadership skills in People Management provided a range
of ways to improve learning and teaching.
More systematic evaluation had been built into the
implementation of the Science Strategy which resulted in
the introduction of a revised 5-14 science programme in
schools across the authority. Project outcomes for the
pilot scheme were identified and a monitoring group
established to evaluate progress. Increased confidence in
15
staff teaching science and increased motivation in pupils
had been identified. Through the teaching of science
pupils had been given increased opportunities to use
computers and complete investigations as part of
learning. Work was ongoing to assess fully the impact on
pupils’ attainment.
Visits by education officers had taken place in individual
schools to monitor and evaluate the Modern Languages
Initiative. This resulted in benefits to pupils through
subsequent decisions taken to increase staff training and
the use of specialist language teachers in primary schools,
and re-introduce foreign language assistants in secondary
schools.
Good progress had been made in evaluating a programme
to improve reading in P4 to P7 in a sample of schools.
An education officer and peer reviewer visited schools to
evaluate and report on progress. There were benefits of
increased attainment for pupils involved. Good practice
has since been shared across schools in the authority.
An effective evaluation of the impact of the authority’s
Information and Communications Technology initiative
on learning and teaching had been carried out in a sample
of schools. Strengths in provision and points for
development were identified in each school and used as a
basis for future planning. Results were shared with other
schools to enable them to evaluate and improve their own
practice.
Various internal and external evaluations of the New
Community Schools initiative had been used to review
provision and progress. As a result, a revised and
improved model of development had been established
and implemented in the roll-out of the initiative. A range
of baseline data was being developed to form the basis
for evaluation of the impact of the revised model.
16
A review of the work of teachers supporting 5-14
developments had led to an improvement in arrangements
for their management and greater focus for their work.
Evaluation of an initiative to improve attainment in
problem-solving in mathematics in a school cluster
showed some evidence of increased attainment and the
initiative had been rolled out to targeted schools.
Discussion with external consultants had taken place to
establish a more formal evaluation of the initiative. Plans
to evaluate the impact of a range of other initiatives
including the Building Bridges project to improve
standards in reading, the Assessment and Development
programme, and provision to meet the additional support
needs of learners in schools were being developed.
Progress had been made in developing a culture and
practice of rigorously monitoring and evaluating the
impact of initiatives introduced by the authority. Steps
had been taken to build in procedures to monitor and
evaluate the impact of initiatives at an earlier stage of
their planning and development. Where initiatives had
been effectively monitored, there were improvements in
provision for pupils, more effective learning and
teaching, and increased attainment. The increased
availability of base line measures and management
information from the Management Information Centre
(MIC) placed the authority in a stronger position to
measure improvement, particularly in pupils’ attainment.
4.6 A management information system should
be established for the collection, analysis and
reporting of performance data to inform
decision-making and help target resources
where needs are greatest.
The education authority has made good progress towards
meeting this point for action.
Significant progress had been made in establishing and
developing the Management Information Centre (MIC).
17
It was led well by the Information and Research
(Statistics) Team Leader. The MIC held a wide range of
databases of information including attainment and
examination statistics, attendance/exclusions data, early
years data, budget information, school contacts, incidents
and complaints, outcomes of school evaluation visits, and
summary information from HMIE reports and authority
reviews.
Good progress had been made in using the information
held in the databases to provide performance reports.
These provided schools with a clear and detailed analysis
of trends and patterns in performance, including
benchmarking with other schools and authorities, and
value added information on levels of attainment. Within
the secondary sector, headteachers had found the
information in the profiles useful in helping them to
target departments and discuss value-added measures.
Plans were in place to develop similar information for
primary schools.
Information provided by the MIC was used effectively by
the Director and education officers in discussion with
headteachers as part of Employee Development and
Review and for the school evaluation visits as part of the
policy on Achieving Excellence. Good use had also been
made of a range of management information in the
production of Standard and Quality reports both in
schools and on a whole-authority basis, and in the
development of the Service Improvement Plan.
A useful start had been made in the use of management
information to target resources more systematically
towards identified needs and secure improvement. Good
examples included the use of exclusion information to
target resources leading to a subsequent reduction in
exclusions, absence management information to identify
where appropriate supportive action was necessary with
improvements in attendance, and management
18
information on attainment to support and review the P4 to
P7 reading programme.
Work was well advanced to establish an infrastructure,
which would allow headteachers to access performance
management information via the intranet. This should
ensure a greater consistency in the provision of
information and facilitate schools in sharing information
and identifying potential areas of good practice. The
Information and Statistics Team which had responsibility
for the development and maintenance of MIC had
usefully engaged in a self-evaluation process to determine
the extent to which the information held within the centre
was accessed and used by centrally deployed staff. The
outcome of the evaluation was very positive. It also
established a number of areas for development, which
were currently informing the future direction of the
Centre.
Good progress had been made towards the establishment
and use of a coherent management information system
within the Department of Education and Community
Services. The range and quality of data available to
officers had been significantly strengthened since the
time of the initial inspection. They were now in a much
stronger position to use data to inform decision-making
and have focused discussions with headteachers on
patterns of attainment as well as areas of strength and
under-achievement. Areas for further development had
been identified. These included greater integration of
databases held in other divisions of the Service, greater
use of management information in decision-making and
performance review, and continued training of staff.
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4.7 The authority should continue to work with
schools to identify and disseminate good
practice with a view to raising pupils’ attainment
and the quality of learning and teaching.
The education authority has made very good progress
overall towards meeting this point for action.
School and centrally deployed staff now had a heightened
awareness of the importance of sharing good practice
across the authority to raise pupils’ attainment and
improve the quality of learning and teaching. A new
programme of headteacher seminars had been introduced
in session 2002/2003. This programme covered a wide
range of topics and much of the advice given was based
on existing good practice in the authority’s schools.
School staff had given presentations on topics such as
aspects of school management, reporting on standards
and quality, target-setting, and tracking attainment.
The authority had also disseminated good practice to
schools through a series of publications. A Discipline
Task Group had published Celebrating Success - Striving
for Excellence. This document, based on existing best
practice across the authority, gave schools good advice on
managing issues of pupil care, welfare and discipline.
Schools had also benefited from advice issued by the
authority on the teaching of English language and
mathematics. These documents were based on existing
best practice as developed through co-operative work
within cluster groups of primary and secondary schools.
A number of authority policy documents had been
produced by working groups of practitioners selected
because of the quality of their work in schools. This
source of expertise had strengthened and given credibility
to Department policies.
The sharing of good practice across schools had been
strengthened by the revised approach taken by education
link officers in the programme of schools visits. Visits
20
included the explicit aim of identifying and recording
good practice. Education officers could now more
readily identify specific examples of good practice and
put schools into contact with each other to spread the
practice identified. They had become more effective than
previously in this role and there were instances where the
resultant contact with other schools had positively
influenced developments. As the programme of school
visits progresses, education officers need to meet a wider
range of staff within schools to be able to identify more
good practice at first hand. The Department of Education
and Community Services had begun to use the findings of
school visits to compile an electronic database of good
practice and intended to make this available to schools.
The authority had continued a number of appropriate
procedures for spreading good practice, including the
system of lead teachers for secondary school subjects and
regular meetings of headteachers from the different
sectors. The meetings of headteachers of pre-five
establishments was particularly effective for this purpose.
Sharing good practice was a main item for each meeting.
These were held in different pre-5 establishments on a
rota basis, which allowed headteachers to see at first hand
examples of the range of approaches being taken across
the sector. Plans were in place to publish regular
newsletters on best practice. In September 2003, the first
of a series of annual events to celebrate success and
disseminate practice across the authority had been held.
Senior staff acknowledged the need to make the
dissemination of good practice still more systematic and
more firmly embedded in the everyday approach of those
working closely with schools. Nevertheless, the
improved level of sharing of good practice across the
authority’s schools had already proved effective in raising
the overall quality of educational provision, to the benefit
of pupils’ learning and attainment.
21
5. Conclusion
There was strong evidence to show that the capacity of
the authority to add value to, and ensure continuous
improvement in, schools had increased since the initial
inspection. Leadership and management had improved.
There was an increased focus on monitoring and tracking
performance, and promoting improvement.
A clear set of aims for the Service had been established
and communicated to all staff and school board members.
The Service Improvement Plan provided clear strategic
direction and priorities for the Service. The policy
framework had been strengthened and clearer guidance
provided to staff on their implementation. Very good
progress had been made to improve processes for
consultation and provide feedback on the reasons for
decisions taken. This had resulted in greater shared
understanding and common purpose within the authority.
Approaches to quality assurance had been revised and
strengthened. Focused school review visits were carried
out regularly and provided effective support and
challenge to schools. Positive steps had been taken to
increasingly monitor and evaluate the impact of
initiatives introduced by the authority. These had
demonstrated improvements in learning and teaching, and
pupils’ attainment in a range of areas. Good progress had
been made in establishing a Management Information
Centre (MIC) which provided improved data to support
school review and enhance decision-making.
22
High priority had been given to social inclusion and
successfully improving education for disaffected young
people. A more coherent service to support schools meet
the needs of pupils with social, emotional and
behavioural difficulties had been developed. The rate of
pupil exclusions from schools had been reduced.
Steps had been taken to promote equality and provide
additional help to children who were looked-after and
accommodated by the Council benefit from education.
Since the publication of the initial inspection report,
pupils’ attainment had continuously improved, but a
sustained focus on raising attainment further was
required.
The Department of Education and Community Services
was clearly committed to continuous improvement and
had increased its capacity to do so since the initial
inspection. As a result of the overall considerable
progress made by the authority, HMIE will make no
further visits to the education authority in connection
with this inspection. The authority should provide HMIE
with a progress report on the development of the PPP
project by 30 September 2004.
Ian Gamble
HM Chief Inspector
Directorate 5
18 December 2003
23
How can you contact us?
Copies of this report have been sent to the Chief
Executive of the local authority, elected members, the
Head of the Education Service, 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 the address
below or by telephoning 0131 244 0746. Copies are also
available on our website: www.hmie.gov.uk
Should you wish to comment on or make a complaint
about any aspect of the inspection or about this report,
you should write in the first instance to Ian Gamble,
HMCI at:
HM Inspectorate of Education
Directorate 5
1-B95
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ
A copy of our complaints procedure is available from that
office and on our website.
If you are still dissatisfied, you can contact the Scottish
Public Services Ombudsman directly or through your
member of the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Public
Services Ombudsman is fully independent and has
powers to investigate complaints about Government
Departments and Agencies. She will not normally
consider your complaint before the HMIE complaints
procedure has been used. Instead, she will usually ask
you to give us the chance to put matters right if we can.
24
Complaints to Scottish Public Services Ombudsman must
be submitted within 12 months of the date of publication
of this report.
The Ombudsman can be contacted at:
Professor Alice Brown
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
23 Walker Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7HX
Telephone number: 0870 011 5378
e-mail: enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk
More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be
obtained from the website:
www.scottishombudsman.org.uk
Crown Copyright 2003
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.
25
Definition of terms used in this report
HM Inspectors use published criteria when making judgements about the work of a
school. These performance indicators relate judgements to four levels of performance.
This report uses the following word scale to make clear the judgements made by
Inspectors:
very good
good
fair
unsatisfactory
major strengths
more strengths than weaknesses
some important weaknesses
major weaknesses
This report also uses the following words to describe numbers and proportions:
almost all
most
majority
less than half
few
over 90%
75-90%
50-74%
15-49%
up to 15%
The work of HM Inspectorate of Education
HM Inspectors undertake first-hand, independent evaluations of the quality of
education. We publish our evaluations in clear and concise reports. Our inspections and
reviews monitor how well schools, colleges and other providers of education are
performing, and promote improvements in standards, quality and attainment in
education.
We ensure that inspection and review activities include the full range of pupils or
students in an educational establishment, giving due regard, without unfair
discrimination, to disability, gender, religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and
linguistic background.
Each year we also investigate and publish reports on key aspects of education. Our
collation, analysis and publication of the evidence and conclusions from all evaluations
identify and promote best practice in improving standards and quality. We draw on the
results of our evaluations, and our overall knowledge of the system, to provide
independent professional advice to the Scottish Ministers, relevant departments of the
Scottish Executive and others.
Further information on the work of HM Inspectorate of Education and its role in
Scottish education is available on our website. You will also find easy access to our
inspection and review reports and wide range of other publications.
http://www.hmie.gov.uk