Orkney Islands Council
March 2005
Contents
________________________________________
Page
Introduction
i
1.
The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
1
2.
The Education Service: operational context
1
3.
Strategic management of the service
12
4.
Consultation and communication
18
5.
Operational management
22
6.
Resource and financial management
26
7.
Performance monitoring and continuous
improvement
32
8.
How well does the authority perform overall?
46
9.
Main points for action
49
Appendices
Performance information
Inspection coverage
Quality indicators
51
56
59
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 Education1) 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 inspection team also includes an Associate
Assessor who is a senior member of staff
currently serving in another Scottish local
authority.
1
Quality Management in Education (HM Inspectors of Schools, 2000) is a framework of self-evaluation for
Local Authority Education Departments.
i
_______________________________
Inspection of the education functions of
Orkney Islands Council
1. The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
The education functions of Orkney Islands Council were
inspected during the period September and October 2004
as part of a five-year national inspection programme of
all local authorities in Scotland.
The inspection team interviewed elected members and
officers of the Council. The inspection team also
attended meetings, visited schools and other
establishments in the authority and met with staff,
chairpersons of School Boards and other key
stakeholders of the Education Service. A summary of
inspection activities is given in Appendix 2.
On behalf of HM Inspectors, an independent company
issued and analysed responses to questionnaires to
headteachers of all educational establishments within the
authority and to the chairpersons of the School
Boards/Parents’ Associations and to partnership
pre-school establishments.
2. The Education Service: operational context
Social and economic context
Orkney Islands Council is the smallest local authority in
Scotland and serves a population of 19,000 people. The
age profile of the population is broadly similar to
Scotland as a whole. However, the proportion in the
younger age group is projected to decrease at twice the
1
rate for the whole of Scotland, which will have
implications for school rolls. The population of those of
working age is also projected to decline faster than in
Scotland as a whole, whereas the proportion above the
working age is expected to increase by more than the
projected national figure.
The Council serves a community which is widely
dispersed across the 18 inhabited islands. More than half
of the total population live in the two principal towns of
Kirkwall and Stromness. The rich cultural heritage
fosters a strong sense of identity within the island
communities. The principal island (known as the
Mainland) has a good road network which is linked via
causeways to the southern islands of Burray and South
Ronaldsay. Almost all of the other populated islands are
served by regular ferry services and several are also
served by air links. The remoteness of some schools is a
significant factor in the authority’s management of
educational provision. In particular, ensuring appropriate
staffing levels in the remoter island schools presents a
considerable challenge for the authority.
Other features of the social and economic context include
the following.
2
•
The unemployment rate in Orkney of 1.9% is lower
than Scotland as a whole (3.5%). However, it
showed a substantial increase (18%) in the year to
June 2004 in contrast to a decrease of 9% for
Scotland. The proportion of the working population
in employment (87%) is significantly higher than the
Scottish average (74%).
•
Compared to Scotland as a whole, a higher
percentage of the population are employed in
agriculture and fishing (10%) and a lower percentage
in manufacturing (6%), and finance and business
(7%).
•
Between 2000 and 2003, the percentage of pupils in
primary schools entitled to free school meals (FME)
had increased from 16% to 22%, which was well
above the average for comparator authorities and
above the national average of 20% in 2003. Over the
same period, the FME percentage for secondary
schools had also shown a slight increase from 11% to
13%. It was consistently above the average for
comparator authorities (9%) and below the national
average (16%).
•
Of the few pupils currently looked after by the
Council almost all (92%) leaving care had achieved
basic literacy and numeracy skills, a level which was
well above the national figure of around 30%.
Political and organisational context
Orkney Islands Council had 21 independent councillors.
The Council had seven standing committees as well as
the full council. The committee system operated on the
basis of five cycles per annum. The Education
Committee had policy and decision-making
responsibilities in relation to the provision of educational
services in schools, nurseries, further education colleges
and special education units. Members of the Education
Committee shared the Council’s strong commitment to
education.
The Recreation and Cultural Services Committee was
responsible for matters relating to the provision of social,
cultural and recreational facilities and activities,
including the provision and management of the
Community Education service, library and archive
service, facilities for recreational and sporting activities,
arts and cultural centres and museums.
The Council’s corporate strategy, A Vision for Orkney
(2002), set out its priorities in several key areas. A
number of these had implicit links with education
3
including social inclusion, lifelong learning, sport and
leisure, and heritage and arts. The principles which
guided educational service plans and priorities were
given as:
•
social inclusion - education is for all;
•
holistic education - education is about the whole
person;
•
lifelong learning - education is for life;
•
ownership - the vision of education, and its delivery,
is the shared responsibility of all its stakeholders.
The aims of Orkney Islands Council demonstrated a
strong commitment to social inclusion. These aims were
linked to clearly stated objectives:
•
to equip young people with the knowledge and skills
required to make informed decisions in relation to
health and lifestyles;
•
to assist people and organisations to participate in the
lives of their communities; and
•
to provide financial and other support to encourage
initiatives by local communities.
The Council’s commitment to promoting opportunities
for young people to participate in sporting and cultural
activities was among the priorities in the Education
Service Improvement Plan.
The Council’s management structure comprised the Chief
Executive, Assistant Chief Executive and six Directors,
each with responsibility for Finance and Housing,
Development and Protective Services, Education and
Recreation Services (E&R Services), Community Social
Services, Technical Services and Harbours. The Director
4
of E&R Services was supported by a team of four
Assistant Directors whose responsibilities were
community and recreation, pre-12 education,
post-12 education and children’s services, respectively.
E&R Services had responsibility for all aspects of
education, including early years provision, outdoor
education and community learning and development, as
well as libraries, the arts and sports, and aspects of
cultural development. In addition, E&R Services
retained responsibility for further education provision at
Orkney College and the training provider, Grainshore
Training Centre.
Educational provision and performance
Orkney Islands Council was responsible for around 2,900
school-aged pupils and some 340 pre-school aged
children. There were two secondary schools, four junior
high schools and 17 primary schools. Three of the junior
high schools catered for pupils from P1 to S4 and the
fourth, from P1 to S2. Designated provision for pupils
with additional support needs was located within
Kirkwall Grammar School, Glaitness Primary School,
and Papdale Primary School. Pre-school education was
provided by the authority in nursery classes within
16 primary schools and four junior high schools, and by
two partner providers. All of the schools had School
Boards or Parents’ Associations.
The Council provided a pre-school place for all threeand four-year old children whose parents wished it. The
Accounts Commission Statutory Performance Indicators
(SPIs) for 2002/2003 show that 100% of three- and
four-year-old children took up pre-school places
compared to the national averages of 94% and 98%.
The Council gave a high priority to maintaining schools
in rural communities, including those on more remote
islands. It had recently merged Glaitness Aurrida School,
5
a special school, with Glaitness Primary School. The
Council had no immediate plans for further
rationalisation. SPIs for 2003 indicated that in the
primary sector, 57% of schools had occupancy levels
between 61% and 100% which was below the national
average of 62%. The occupancy levels of the secondary
and junior high schools varied considerably, with two
having occupancy levels of less than 40% and one with
an occupancy of between 81% and 100%. These
occupancy levels reflected the Council’s commitment to
retaining schools in the remoter island communities.
In 2003/2004, running costs were £3,544 per pupil for
primary schools and £5,202 per pupil for secondary
pupils, compared with national averages of £2,586 and
£3,770 respectively. Maintaining the relatively large
number of small schools in remote locations, and the
associated costs of itinerant specialist teachers and
instructors were significant factors contributing to the
overall higher running costs for Orkney schools.
The Council’s allocation to the revenue budget for
education was £17,401,500 in 2001/2002, £18,593,000 in
2002/2003 and £20,752,000 in 2003/2004. In addition,
the Council received direct grants under the National
Priorities Action Fund amounting to £744,945 in
2002/2003 and £790,494 in 2003/2004.
The following commentary draws on key performance
information about the schools in the Council provided
in Appendix 1.
Staying on rate and school leavers’ destinations
•
6
Between 2002 and 2004, the percentage of pupils
staying on beyond the compulsory school leaving age
had declined slightly from 69% to 67%. The figures
were above the national average, and broadly in line
with the average for similar authorities.
•
In 2002 and 2003, the percentage of school leavers
entering higher education was well above both
national rates and the average in comparator
authorities. It had declined in 2004 to below both
averages. The percentage entering full-time further
education had increased from 19% in 2002 and 2003
to 24% in 2004. The figures were in line with or
slightly below the averages for comparator authorities
and for Scotland as a whole in 2002 and 2003, and
above both averages in 2004. Over the period 2002
to 2004, the percentage entering employment had
shown a 5% increase and was consistently above the
average nationally. It was below the average for
comparator authorities.
Attendance and absence
•
Between 2001 and 2004, attendance figures in
primary schools had been above the averages for
similar authorities and nationally. In secondary
schools, attendance was consistently well above the
national average and the average for comparator
authorities.
•
Over the period 2001 to 2003, the rates of exclusions
varied between one and two per 1,000 pupils in
primary schools and between ten and 17 per 1,000
pupils in secondary schools. These rates were
consistently well below average rates in comparator
authorities and national rates.
5-14 performance
•
The average performance of Orkney primary schools
in reading, writing and mathematics was above the
average for comparator schools and above the
national average.
•
From 2001 to 2003, the percentage of primary pupils
achieving or exceeding appropriate levels of
7
attainment for their stage in reading had shown an
improving trend. It had levelled off in 2004.
•
The percentage of primary pupils attaining or
exceeding appropriate levels of attainment for their
stage in writing had increased between 2001 and
2003, but had dipped in 2004.
•
The percentage of primary pupils achieving or
exceeding appropriate levels of attainment for their
stage in mathematics had shown an improving trend
from 2001 to 2004.
•
In secondary schools, between 2001 and 2004,
attainment in reading had improved overall. The
percentage of pupils achieving or exceeding
appropriate attainment levels by the end of S2 was
consistently well above the average in comparator
authorities and the national average.
•
In writing, over the same period, attainment had
fallen sharply in 2002, but had recovered in 2003 and
2004. The percentage of pupils achieving or
exceeding appropriate attainment levels by the end of
S2 was generally well above the average for the
comparator authorities and the national average.
•
Attainment in mathematics, starting from a lower
base level, had shown a substantial increase (18%)
between 2001 and 2004. The percentage of pupils
achieving or exceeding appropriate attainment levels
by the end of S2 had increased from below the
average for comparator authorities in 2002 to well
above average in 2004. It was consistently above the
national average.
SQA examination performance
•
8
From 2000 to 2004, overall attainment by the end of
S4 was, for almost all measures, better than average
performance nationally and the averages for
comparator authorities. The percentage of pupils
who achieved five or more National Qualification
(NQ) awards at Level 32 or better and Level 4 or
better was consistently above the average for
comparator authorities and well above the national
average. The percentage of pupils who achieved five
or more Level 5 awards or better was broadly in line
with the average for comparator authorities and well
above the average nationally.
•
Performance at Levels 3, 4 and 5 by the end of S4
showed no consistent trends of improvement over
the five-year period.
•
By the end of S5, from 2000 to 2003, the percentage
of pupils gaining three or more and five or more NQ
awards at Level 6 or better was generally above the
average of comparator authorities and the national
average. In 2004, performance in both measures had
declined sharply to below both the comparator and
national averages.
•
By the end of S6, from 2000 to 2004, the percentage
of pupils gaining three or more and five or more
awards at Level 6 or better was above the average for
comparator authorities, other than in 2002 when it
was below. It was consistently above, and
sometimes well above the national average for both
measures.
•
The percentage of S6 pupils gaining one or more NQ
awards at Level 7 by the end of S6 was consistently
2
Level 1 = Access 1. Level 2 = Access 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 at A-C.
9
well above the average in comparator authorities and
nationally. It showed a substantial increase in 2004.
•
Over the five year period, there were no identifiable
trends of improvement in key measures of attainment
by the end of S6. This broadly reflected the situation
for comparator authorities and nationally for
equivalent figures.
School inspection evidence
In the period from June 2001 to September 2004, HMIE
inspected and reported on one special school, two
partnership pre-school establishments and four primary
schools, three of which had nursery classes. In addition,
HMIE inspected and reported on one secondary school
and two junior high schools, with primary classes and
secondary classes to S4 only.
In all the primary schools inspected, the quality of the
teaching process was good and accommodation was good
or very good. In three schools, climate and relationships
and partnership with parents were good or very good. In
almost all of the primary schools and primary classes
within junior high schools, the overall quality of
attainment in English language was good or very good
and in mathematics it was good.
The overall quality of attainment in the secondary and
junior high schools inspected was good at S1/S2 and
S3/S4. It was very good at S5/S6 in the secondary
school. The quality of pastoral care was very good in all
three schools. The quality of accommodation and
facilities was consistently good or very good, as was the
partnership with parents. The structure of the curriculum
was good in all three schools and arrangements to
support pupils’ learning were consistently good or very
good.
10
The quality of leadership varied considerably across the
schools inspected. Although leadership was good or very
good in the majority of schools, in three schools it was
fair and in one it was unsatisfactory. The arrangements
for self-evaluation were fair in four schools and
unsatisfactory in one. The authority had responded
promptly to addressing identified weaknesses in
leadership by providing, where necessary, additional
support for headteachers.
In the nursery classes inspected, most children were
making good progress. Staff had good relationships with
children and supported them well. In the majority, staff
ensured an appropriate balance between free play and
more structured activities.
The authority’s pre-inspection reports provided very
detailed and useful information about the schools, using
the full range of nationally agreed quality indicators. The
reports showed that education authority staff had a good
overall knowledge of standards and quality in the
schools. HMIE had carried out follow through
inspections in four schools to evaluate the progress made
in addressing main points for action in published reports.
In three schools, staff, with the support of the education
authority, had made good progress in addressing the main
points for action. In one school, one main point for
action remained to be satisfactorily addressed.
Community learning and development
inspection evidence
HMIE published an inspection report in March 2002 on
community learning and development in the Westray and
West Mainland area of Orkney. The inspection report
concluded that overall the authority provided a good
service. It commended the effective way in which staff
worked to overcome the geographic difficulties. The
report identified five main points for action. HM
Inspectors returned in November 2003 to assess the
11
progress made in responding to these main points for
action. They concluded that the authority had taken
significant steps to address them.
3. Strategic management of the service
Vision, values and aims
Performance in this area was good. The Education
Service Improvement Plan 2002-2005 clearly articulated
the Council’s vision for education. It emphasised the
importance of giving all pupils a broad and rich
education which prepared them for their future lives. It
also acknowledged the importance of all those with a
stake in education working together for the benefit of
children and young people.
The aims of the Education Service focused on improving
standards of attainment and achievement and enabling all
learners to follow an appropriate curriculum. In 2001,
the Education Service had sought the views of a range of
stakeholders, including staff in schools, parents and
pupils, on the appropriateness of both the vision and
aims. The aims informed the priorities in the Service
Improvement Plan and school development plans, and
reflected the National Priorities for school education.
The Improvement Plan had preceded the corporate plan A
Vision for Orkney. The vision for lifelong learning
within the corporate plan reflected fully the underpinning
principles of the Education Service. There was also a
general correspondence with the key principles of social
inclusion, survival and sustainability within Orkney 2020,
the community plan.
Most (87%) headteachers and most (82%) School Board
chairpersons responding to the survey indicated that the
service had successfully communicated its vision and
aims for the development of education. The impact of
the vision and aims on teaching and non-teaching staff
12
beyond headteachers varied across schools. Recent
circulation of a school calendar had raised their profile
but more reference to them in documentation and other
presentations would embed them more fully in
stakeholders’ awareness. Stakeholders recognised that
the Education Service was genuinely committed to
inclusion and was working hard to achieve it. However,
while most staff expressed strong support for educational
inclusion, it was not yet entirely accepted as a
fundamental principle by all teachers. Some
headteachers were at an early stage in taking forward
their rôles and responsibilities as senior officers of the
authority. In a few schools, some key aims of the
Council relating to quality improvement had not yet been
implemented effectively.
As the Director took the lead rôle in the corporate
planning processes, he was able to extend the influence
of the vision, values and aims of the Education Service
across the Council. As active members of corporate
strategic groups such as the Children’s Services Plan
implementation group and the Childcare Partnership,
other senior education managers were able to share their
visions and values. The Department’s main strategic link
was with the Department of Community Social Services,
which took the lead in a number of joint initiatives,
including the programme for integrated community
schools. Joint working had resulted in positive outcomes
for children and young people within the ongoing work
of Children’s Services. The integrated community
schools programme was beginning to benefit pupils in the
two secondary schools. However, it had yet to have
significant impact on pupils in primary schools and junior
high schools. Joint working with the Department of
Development and Protection on arts and heritage
activities was very good. There was scope for more joint
strategic planning in these areas.
13
Leadership and management
The overall effectiveness of leadership and management
of Education and Recreation Services was good.
The Director was highly respected by elected members,
colleagues in Council services and staff in schools. He
was very successful in engaging the commitment of staff
in the Department. He and other senior officers went to
schools regularly, and staff found them approachable and
responsive. The Director demonstrated a sound
understanding of educational issues and had determined
appropriate priorities. Implementation of plans had
sometimes been too slow. The Director gave a strong
lead in promoting quality assurance within the authority.
He was directly involved in analysing and discussing
pupils’ attainment with headteachers, moderating the
outcomes of school self-evaluation and observing
learning and teaching. These activities had given him a
good grasp of standards and quality across the authority.
While other members of the Directorate team also
engaged in quality assurance activities, the balance of
their duties needed to be adjusted to enable them to
develop further their responsibilities for strategic
management.
Almost all (91%) headteachers agreed that senior
managers of the Education Department were highly
committed to the promotion of quality. Stakeholders
believed that all the senior management team were
competent, committed and hard working. The three
Assistant Directors working within pre-school and school
education demonstrated a good balance of skills. Despite
a heavy workload, the Assistant Director for secondary
education had brought about improvements in a number
of areas. He had strong management links with Orkney
College and had had a very positive impact on
developments at the Grainshore Centre. Pupils had
benefited from the alternative approaches to delivering
the secondary curriculum provided by this provision.
14
The Assistant Director for pre-school and primary
education had developed a good understanding of the
priorities for the Education Service and had supported the
Director well in taking forward matters of audit,
evaluation and the development of leadership in primary
schools. He provided helpful comment on school
development plans and assistance with development
activities, including the sharing of good practice. The
Head of Children’s Services was a convincing advocate
for the needs of young people. She had worked hard to
develop the service as a source of good practice.
Children’s Services had developed significantly under
her leadership. They supported schools well.
Overall, senior officers had been required to spend
considerable time on operational issues such as staffing
which would have been more appropriately carried out by
administrative staff. Because of the capacity within the
Department, they were also required, on occasions, to
engage in a relatively high degree of crisis management.
For example, two of the Assistant Directors had stepped
in to act as temporary headteachers to ensure that the
needs of pupils were safeguarded. They succeeded in
carrying out their main tasks as well as these additional
activities as effectively as they could, but at significant
cost to their own professional development. The Council
had not managed to resolve difficulties in addressing the
balance of duties of senior officers. However, it had
recently restructured posts within the department, and
employed other staff to take on some of the senior
officers’ duties. The new Service Improvement Officers
(SIOs) and the Assistant Directors were to take a stronger
lead in monitoring and improving quality in schools.
These developments had the potential to enable senior
officers to engage in appropriately challenging activities
and achieve a greater impact on the quality of education
in schools.
The work of senior managers had been reviewed within
the Council’s scheme. While they had had good
15
opportunities to attend conferences and engage in
networking with colleagues in other authorities, they
required more formal extended training in aspects of
quality improvement and management. A good start had
been made to developing joint training with another
island authority. Officers valued opportunities for
reflection on the nature and context of their work. An
external evaluation of their leadership characteristics had
assisted them in identifying individual strengths and
development needs. However, senior managers needed
to develop a more systematic approach to evaluating the
effectiveness of their own leadership and management,
drawing more widely on the views of stakeholders.
Elected members and the Chief Executive expressed a
high level of confidence in the leadership of the Director
and a deep appreciation for the work of E&R Services.
The elected members needed to develop further their
responsibility for ensuring an appropriately challenging
corporate context for the work of the Department.
Policy development
The authority’s approach to policy development was
good. Authority staff had developed a wide range of
policies and related guidance which covered most areas
of provision. These included useful policies on
monitoring and evaluation, school development planning,
standards and quality reporting, and staff review and
development. Staff in schools had been fully involved in
the development of policies. However, in the preinspection survey less than half of the headteachers
(35%) agreed that the authority had produced an
appropriately useful range of policies, backed up by clear
procedures for putting these policies into action. E&R
Services had recently developed a comprehensive index
of policies, which it had issued to all schools on a CDROM. Together with access through the authority’s
intranet, this had increased headteachers’ awareness of
the range of policies available.
16
The authority’s guidance on a range of administrative and
health and safety issues gave useful direction to schools
to support pupils and staff. It included guidelines for risk
assessment within schools, the administration of
medicines and the management of substance misuse. The
authority had devised effective and clear arrangements
for managing possible emergencies.
The quality assurance and improvement policy set out
clearly the processes by which the authority and schools
would work together to promote high standards of
educational provision in Orkney. The policy included
useful advice on using a range of evidence for
self-evaluation, and outlined the rôle of authority staff in
auditing and monitoring the quality of each school’s
work. The policy was currently being reviewed to reflect
recent changes in staffing structure, including the
deployment of the new SIOs. The inspection evidence
indicated variable impact of the policy on improving
schools’ approaches to self-evaluation. Schools had a
useful proforma for recording data as part of their
self-evaluation. E&R Services needed to ensure that all
headteachers fully understood and implemented their
rôles in respect of assuring the quality of pupils’
education.
The policy for support for learning provided sound
advice to staff on a range of issues including inclusion,
the placement of pupils and partnership with parents.
The policy was disseminated to schools in a series of
practical leaflets. The revised policy framework had led
to considerable improvements in the provision of support
for pupils.
The policy on race equality set out clearly the context
together with expectations and duties for all authority
staff to ensure that the provisions of the Race Relations
(Amendment) Act 2000 were met. Progress on the
implementation of the related action plan had been slow.
17
A number of areas of the curriculum were well supported
by useful policies and guidelines. The policy for
mathematics 5-14 contained important practical advice
on curriculum content and learning and teaching.
Authority staff had supported programmes in
environmental studies and expressive arts with a range of
helpful resources and materials. Recently issued
guidance on health-promoting schools and on planning
and delivering programmes of drug education built on a
number of good initiatives already in place. Policies on
early literacy and early numeracy were shortly to be
issued to schools.
E&R Services, with the full support of school staff, had
produced a range of helpful policies and guidelines which
supported the work of its establishments. It was in the
process of strengthening the quality assurance framework
and should ensure that it and other policies are well
understood and implemented in all schools. The
authority needed to establish a timetable for the
systematic review and updating of all its policies.
4. Consultation and communication
The authority’s procedures for consultation were very
good. In drawing up the current Service Improvement
Plan, authority staff used a good range of approaches to
ensure that they responded to the views of stakeholders.
Senior authority staff, including the Director, consulted
extensively with headteachers, school staff, school
boards, parents, secondary pupils, business groups and
members of the wider community. Each group received
useful written feedback on the results of the consultation
and on the actions the authority proposed to take.
In March 2003, the authority carried out a full and
helpful survey to gather the views of parents, staff and
pupils about the quality of the ethos of its schools. The
overall findings of this survey had been shared with
18
headteachers and generally made available on the
authority’s website. In addition, each group consulted
had received feedback on their respective schools. The
authority responded well to the consultation and had
taken prompt action to deal with a number of concerns
expressed.
In the pre-inspection survey, the majority (52%) of
headteachers and heads of establishments thought that the
authority consulted with them effectively. Just under half
thought that they were consulted effectively on the
priorities in the Service Improvement Plan. The majority
(55%) of School Boards felt that through consultation
they could influence the authority’s aims and plans for
education. However, the inspection team judged that
these responses were not consistent with the range of
mechanisms for effective consultation which the
authority had put in place, including the following
positive features.
• Senior authority staff consulted regularly with the
headteachers of all schools at termly Education
Service Managers meetings. These meetings offered
an effective means for the authority to discuss
proposed initiatives and consult on a range of issues.
In addition, senior authority staff also met
headteachers at cluster group meetings. These
meetings provided very good opportunities for
headteachers to discuss educational issues and share
good practice in the context of schools of similar size.
•
The authority took effective steps to consult with
individual School Boards. The Director and senior
authority staff gave significant personal commitment
to regular attendance at School Board meetings to
gather and respond to the views of members.
•
Consultation exercises on a Best Value review of
primary and secondary schools, a recent school
19
•
amalgamation and on a proposed joint headship
initiative were systematic and thorough.
Authority staff involved elected members effectively
in consultations, and kept them well informed of the
results.
There were helpful mechanisms for consulting and
reaching agreements with union representatives through
the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers (LNCT),
teachers’ associations and other unions.
Communication was good overall. The Director was
widely viewed by headteachers and school staff as
accessible and an effective communicator. He and his
senior officers met regularly with headteachers to discuss
educational issues and share information.
The authority had taken effective steps to communicate
the content of the Service Improvement Plan (SIP) to all
relevant stakeholders. It had produced a helpful
summary of the plan which had been distributed to a
range of groups including all non-teaching staff in
schools, School Board members and parents. In the
pre-inspection survey, all headteachers thought that the
SIP effectively made clear to them the authority’s aims
and educational priorities.
School Board chairpersons were also positive about
communication and contacts with the authority. Almost
all (91%) thought that they had access to good
information about the quality of education across the
Orkney Islands Council area and were aware of what the
school had to do to implement the authority’s plans. All
were aware of how their school was performing.
Other notable features of communication included the
following.
• A series of helpful leaflets for parents gave useful
guidance on a range of issues including pre-school
20
education, services for children with visual or hearing
impairments, instrumental tuition and the work of the
Psychological Service.
•
Authority staff communicated effectively with
elected members and kept them well informed
through clear committee papers and formal and
informal meetings. Elected members received
regular and helpful information on the authority’s
progress in implementing the projects set out in the
SIP.
•
E&R Services had produced its first Standards and
Quality report only in 2003. It was well presented
and widely disseminated. The authority needed to
ensure that annual updates on progress in addressing
the SIP priorities were made more widely available to
all stakeholders.
•
E&R Services’ internet website and intranet enabled
staff and stakeholders to access a wide range of
policies and information, and to exchange ideas and
resources. However, schools were experiencing
continuing difficulties in using these facilities
because of deficiencies in technical support for
information and communications technology (ICT).
The authority’s complaints procedures were set out in a
helpful leaflet and were operated in accordance with
Orkney Islands Council’s corporate procedures.
Authority staff effectively implemented a clear system to
log complaints and note action taken. In the
pre-inspection survey, all School Board chairpersons
stated that they were aware of how to channel views,
enquiries and complaints.
The authority expected headteachers to be responsible for
consultation and communication within their own
schools. The SIP target to produce a policy on
21
consultation and communication by June 2004 had still to
be met.
5. Operational management
Service planning
Performance in this area was good. The Director played
a key rôle in planning. The Council had recently
reviewed its corporate planning framework, seeking to
standardise and improve a planning regime across the
Council to guide delivery of services. This exercise also
aimed to establish closer linkages with the Council's
Community Plan Orkney 2020 and service department
actions. It was anticipated that all service departments
would be producing plans within this corporate
framework from April 2005.
E&R Services’ SIP had had a significant impact on the
emerging corporate advice about systems for monitoring
the achievement of service improvement priorities. E&R
Services played a significant rôle in the Children's
Services Plan 2002/2004, Growing up in Orkney, and the
Community Learning Plan. The former, an attractively
presented document, reflected the Council’s commitment
to joint planning and service delivery. Commendably, it
was informed by the views of young people. Easily read,
it set out clear actions, criteria for success and ways of
measuring progress. It was monitored at joint meetings
of the education and social services directorates to ensure
that it was impacting positively on children and young
people.
The SIP contained a clear expression of E&R Services’
vision and seven strategic priorities for the period
2002/2005. The plan struck a good balance between
planning to achieve the National Priorities and locally
generated service improvements. Some of the priorities
had arisen in response to the findings of Best Value
reviews. The plan had been subject to very extensive
22
consultation led by senior officers, thus ensuring
ownership by all interested parties, including students.
Priorities were clearly expressed as a series of objectives
and actions. Whilst some objectives relating to
attainment were expressed in very precise terms, others
were expressed as broad intentions with no explicit
reference to cost or resource implications.
The Quality Assurance and Improvement (QAI) Team
was responsible for monitoring progress at a strategic
level on a bi-monthly basis. The Education Committee
received reports on progress twice per year. Updates on
progress were available to all staff on the education
intranet orkneyschools. The SIP was published on the
Council’s website. E&R Services’ Standards and Quality
report for 2002 provided a detailed report on progress
under the five National Priorities in addition to a
comprehensive section on pupil attainment. The
department planned to publish a Standards and Quality
report in each 3-year cycle, together with a yearly update
on progress against the National Priorities, including
attainment information.
The strategic level SIP targets had been helpfully
translated into detailed, specific action plans for the
various services within E&R Services. To implement the
priorities in the SIP, the authority had given sound advice
to schools regarding the structure of school development
plans. Schools had also received clear advice on
reporting on progress in Standards and Quality reports.
The central QAI Team was involved in monitoring
school plans and there was evidence of constructive
written feedback being offered to individual schools to
help them to improve.
Overall, arrangements for service planning were effective
within an improving corporate framework. E&R
Services had ensured that strategic plans were
incorporated into plans at school level and made a
positive impact on delivering improvements.
23
Deployment and effectiveness of
centrally-employed staff
The deployment of centrally-employed staff was good
overall. Staff were industrious and committed to helping
schools and other services deliver a good quality of
service to children and young people.
A team of four SIOs had successfully taken forward key
developments in continuous professional development,
ICT, the pre-school sector, arts and culture, and support
for learning. SIOs also had allocated tasks from the SIP,
based on their previous experience. Through the formal
mechanism of monthly meetings, the QAI team
monitored progress on achieving their objectives and
progress with the SIP. The QAI team had very recently
undertaken a new link rôle with clusters of schools to
develop further the quality improvement agenda.
Together with a seconded secondary principal teacher
who had recently been appointed as a new SIO, they had
now strengthened their remits to challenge schools on
their performance and provide support for improvements.
Their rôle was to focus on the validation of school
development plans, standards and quality reports and
school performance and attainment. A very good level of
support had been offered to the SIOs in developing their
capacity in their new rôles, including in-house support on
attainment analysis and training through a national
educational advisory and consultancy body. In addition,
centrally-employed staff had had good opportunities to
participate in and contribute to national courses and
developments. E&R Services should monitor the impact
of this new link rôle in improving schools.
Quality development in pre-school education was the
responsibility of two central staff, who had provided a
very good level of support and challenge to nursery
classes in schools and private providers.
24
There was evidence of effective team work amongst the
SIOs themselves, who supported each other well across
remits. Individually, they received informal and
constructive feedback in taking their remit forward.
Interviews indicated that the QAI team were viewed
positively by most school managers. In the preinspection survey of headteachers, a majority (69%)
commented favourably on the responsiveness of council
officers in dealing with school concerns. However, not
all schools were clear about the new roles of SIOs. Only
a majority (56%) indicated that officers maintained
effective links with their schools.
Peripatetic expressive arts staff played an important rôle
in supporting pupils and schools. They were highly
valued for their contribution to curricular programmes
and cultural events. E&R Services deployed seconded
staff as Educational Development Officers (EDOs) to
undertake specific duties to contribute to improvements,
such as developing policies and supporting probationer
teachers. Individual secondees had made a positive
impact. However, in some instances they were not able
to complete key tasks because their secondments were
prematurely terminated to address staffing shortages in
their own schools.
The Children’s Services team was well managed and
highly regarded by schools. A number of improvements
to working practices had been introduced following the
Best Value review of provision for special educational
needs and the Psychological Services. For example, the
psychologist had introduced improvements to referral
procedures. Early indications were that these were
proving successful in improving efficiency. As a result
of difficulties in recruitment the Psychological Service
was not yet fully staffed.
The Special Education Teaching team provided valuable
support and advice to individual class teachers and
groups of teachers, responding flexibly to the needs of
25
specific pupils. A SIO monitored the impact of
additional resources to support pupils with special
educational needs through a systematic programme of
evaluation. As a result, he encouraged Best Value in the
use of additional resources. He and the principal
psychologist made very effective contributions to
centrally provided training courses and to in-service in
individual schools.
Central staff provided good quality staff development to
schools, well targeted to support school priorities.
Administrative staff in areas such as personnel,
management information and finance were well regarded
as being responsive and helpful and made a positive
contribution to the work of schools.
Centrally-deployed staff were making significant
contributions to the work of schools and the support of
pupils. The recent appointment of an additional SIO had
strengthened the capacity of the QAI team to assist the
Director and his senior managers to challenge and
support schools. Further work was required to ensure
that heads of establishments fully understood the rôles
and responsibilities of the SIOs.
6. Resource and financial management
Resource management
The authority’s management of its resources was good
overall. Most schools were in a good state of repair, and
the quality of information about and knowledge of school
buildings held by the Technical Services Division were a
particular strength.
The Council had drafted a School Estate Management
Plan, based on surveys of school property to assess both
their condition and suitability for delivering a modern
curriculum. Most schools were assessed as satisfactory
26
in both respects. However, a few had specific
weaknesses in the condition of the accommodation and
one had been assessed as being close to unsuitable for
purpose. The Council had accepted a proposal for the
replacement of this school and it was expected that this
would be completed within the next two years.
The Council’s capital programme had identified a
number of schools requiring substantial capital
investment over the next three years, and funding for
these had been approved. The Council did not believe
that these projects would be of sufficient size to attract
private financing and was seeking alternative funding
sources.
Headteachers were generally satisfied with arrangements
for repairs and maintenance to schools. Sometimes
building work was delayed because builders were either
not able to deliver on time or were dealing with the
logistics of providing services to the more remote island
schools. There was a central budget for major repairs as
well as devolved budgets to schools.
The approach to taking forward major capital projects
was fair and open. All capital projects were subject to
the Council’s Capital Project Appraisal system by which
they were appraised and prioritised through a two-stage
process before being included in the capital programme
and allocated funding. An independent team of assessors
ensured that all projects were assessed on the same basis,
with priority being given to those that matched both local
and national priorities. All capital projects required the
approval of elected members.
The Council had undertaken an accessibility survey of all
its schools and had made progress in making
improvements to comply with new legislation, using
appropriate alternative funding sources where possible.
All schools had also had been subject to a security audit
and improvements have been made in a number of
27
establishments. Further improvements in security were
planned in a few of the larger schools.
The draft School Estate plan included an assessment of
the school roll and projections for demographic changes.
These predicted falling rolls in schools in the rural areas
and small islands, but increased rolls for the larger
mainland schools in Kirkwall and Stromness. The
Council had a commitment to sustaining schools in
remote communities. It needed to keep the School Estate
under review to prevent unnecessary surplus capacity.
The Council had identified surplus space within schools
and made effective use of school property to meet the
needs of the wider community. It actively encouraged
the development of community partnerships and provided
a wide range of community resources within schools
including swimming pools, fitness areas, doctors’
surgeries and community halls.
The Council actively monitored energy usage and had
reviewed electricity and oil suppliers to ensure the most
competitive rates. Opportunities to ‘invest to save’ were
effectively targeted at the least energy-efficient school
properties, and had resulted in the installation of
energy-efficient heating and lighting systems and
improved insulation of the buildings.
The Council had a sound system in place for budget
setting and had developed a Corporate Resource Plan for
2004/2005. There was therefore a clear rationale for the
allocation of resources to departmental budgets, with
direct links to local and national priorities and the
Council’s corporate objectives.
Almost all headteachers (95%) considered that the
Council’s financial procedures were effective for their
schools. They were satisfied with the level of funding,
and the transparency of the budget-setting process for the
allocation of resources to schools. In bidding for
additional grant funding, E&R Services required schools
28
to demonstrate the effective use of resources before
receiving additional funds. Some headteachers in smaller
schools needed some further support to help them
complete their bids.
The appointment of a business manager in both
secondary schools and the largest primary school had
been very positively received by headteachers, as they
felt that it would allow them to concentrate more on
educational issues. The Council should consider the
benefits of similar appointments in other schools across
Orkney, possibly on a cluster group basis.
Staffing levels in schools were generally above average,
but the Council often experienced significant problems in
recruiting staff, particularly to some of the more remote
island schools. It also had problems in securing supply
staff for teacher absence. Staffing problems had been
particularly acute over the past year in secondary schools
and some junior high schools. The Council was
addressing recruitment difficulties across all its services
through initiatives to promote the benefits of living and
working in Orkney. For example, advertisements for
jobs were very well presented and enhanced relocation
costs were offered to potential applicants.
The Council had a very small personnel function and no
dedicated human resource specialist within E&R
Services, with the result that senior staff often spent too
much time on personnel issues at the expense of other
areas of their remit.
The provision of ICT equipment to schools was good,
with a rolling programme of replacement in place. All
schools met or exceeded National Grid for Learning
(NGfL) targets for the ratio of computers to pupils in
schools. The level of funding for ICT resources was
good. However, staff in schools expressed significant
concerns about the level and quality of service provided
by central ICT support services. A few schools had
29
broadband connections and several experienced
connectivity problems. Almost all teachers had
participated in a training programme provided through
the National Opportunities Fund (NOF). There were
examples of good practice in the use of ICT to support
learning and teaching.
The Council had completed a full round of Best Value
reviews covering all areas of expenditure, with elected
members actively involved through the Best Value
Working Group. E&R Services had built on the
experience on the first five years of reviews, and
implemented a number of changes that would aid the
embedding of a Best Value culture. It had applied Best
Value criteria, namely consultation, comparison and
challenge, in allocating resources.
Overall, E&R Services used its resources effectively to
improve educational provision in the community it
serves. Aspects of ICT required further improvement.
Financial management
The quality of financial management was good.
Elected members were fully involved in the budget
setting process. They received clear and concise budget
monitoring reports at each of the five meetings of the
Education Committee. They also received
comprehensive updates on the capital programme,
including a review of anticipated expenditure. A member
of the Finance Department attended each of the
committee meetings and provided any additional
explanations on financial issues. All proposals requiring
committee approval included the financial implications.
The Council had adopted a three-year budget cycle.
However, the budget process had not yet been explicitly
linked to the Service Plan and information on the
30
costings of each of the priorities was not always
sufficiently clear.
The working arrangements between the Finance and
E&R Services departments were good, with regular
personal contact between the Director of Finance and
Housing and the Director of Education. A Finance
Officer seconded to E&R Services provided a valuable
link between the two departments and was able to
provide sound advice about the different funding
available. The Education Finance Officer prepared
monthly reports for all budget holders to assist them in
taking appropriate action to deal with budget variances.
Within E&R Services, only the Director of Education and
Assistant Director (Children’s Services) were currently
involved in the budget-setting process. The Council was
in the process of developing a more fully devolved
system. However, due to the close involvement of the
Director of Education, budget monitoring was very well
controlled under the present arrangements.
The Council had a well developed set of financial
regulations, which were followed by E&R Services.
These were currently being updated and a budget manual
was also being prepared.
Almost 90% of the school’s budget was devolved
through the scheme of Devolved Schools Management
(DSM). Additional funding budgets were also devolved
to schools, such as that for Continuous Professional
Development (CPD). The DSM scheme was well
developed and generally well regarded by headteachers
and administrative support staff in schools. They had a
good understanding of the detailed monthly reports
provided by the Finance Officer and used them
effectively to manage their budgets. Schools were
generally satisfied with the ability to vire expenditure
between budget headings and the level of expenditure
they were able to carry forward. E&R Services
encouraged schools to carry forward funding for larger
31
projects, and permitted them flexibility on carry forward
limits where they could provide appropriate justification
for the additional amounts.
Following discussions between schools and the Finance
Department, monthly reports were being developed
further to meet fully the needs and requirements of
schools. Schools kept their own records on computer
spreadsheets or written records. Schools expressed a
high regard for the quality of advice and support from the
Finance Officer and Finance Department. The DSM
manual had still to be updated to take account of national
advice issued since the inception of the scheme. School
staff had received appropriate training on the Council’s
accounting system to enable them to access up-to-date
information on budgets on-line.
Overall, finance to schools was well managed within the
authority. Budget holders and schools received
comprehensive and timely reports. E&R Services and
school staff planned and monitored budgets effectively
for the benefit of children and young people.
7. Performance monitoring and continuous improvement
Measuring, monitoring and evaluating
performance
Overall, performance in this area was good.
The Director, Assistant Directors, Service Improvement
Officers (SIOs) and Education Development Officers
(EDOs) maintained a high level of contact with schools
and were knowledgeable about key aspects of provision.
Most headteachers (78%) in the pre-inspection survey
reported that they felt that the authority had an accurate
knowledge of the performance of their schools. Most
(82%) also considered that the authority had a good
knowledge of their own performance as heads of
32
establishments through the staff development and review
scheme.
The authority had provided headteachers with a range of
written guidance and proforma to assist them in
collecting and organising information on the work of
their schools. A key element was the School
Performance Profile which provided a self-evaluation
summary across a range of performance measures based
on National Priorities and appropriate local measures of
achievement. These profiles were updated annually by
schools and provided a very good basis for discussions
between QAI Team link officers and headteachers.
A detailed analysis of 5-14 attainment data, benchmarked
against cluster groups, authority and national averages
was prepared for each school. The Director had used
these analyses to identify trends and highlight areas of
strength and weakness across the authority. He had
engaged directly with headteachers and staff to discuss
attainment in individual schools and ensure that staff
were aware of areas requiring improvement. He had
recently provided training in analysis of data for
members of the QAI Team to enable them to develop
their skills in this aspect of their quality assurance rôle.
The authority provided headteachers in primary schools
with self-evaluation proforma to help them develop a
more rigorous approach to analysing 5-14 attainment.
The Director and Assistant Director (post -12) engaged in
robust discussions annually with secondary headteachers
about SQA attainment. They had plans to work with an
external consultant to assist senior managers and
principal teachers in secondary schools to develop more
rigorous approaches to analysing whole-school and
departmental attainment data. The Director and other
members of the QAI team had conducted some pilot
work on approaches to monitoring the quality of
classroom practice as part of a wider strategy for
improving the quality of learning and teaching in schools.
33
The Director had made clear to headteachers his
expectation that, as senior officers of the Council, they
should take responsibility for monitoring and evaluating
performance in their schools. Almost all headteachers
(96%), in their response to the pre-inspection survey,
indicated that they were clear about this expectation. A
range of policies and other guidelines, for example on
preparing Standards and Quality reports, development
planning and staff review and development, had been
issued to headteachers to assist them in fulfilling their
responsibilities in respect of improving the quality of
pupils’ education.
All headteachers reported that senior authority staff
reviewed their development plans annually and most
(82%) agreed that officers discussed and evaluated a
range of performance measures with them. While there
were examples of very good practice in some schools,
there were also important weaknesses in the response of
others to implementing the authority’s policies. Recent
inspection evidence showed that, in a small number of
schools, approaches to self-evaluation were not
sufficiently rigorous. Also, there were weaknesses in
whole school and departmental development planning.
In a few schools, only a minority of staff had participated
in the authority’s scheme for professional review and
development.
The authority had recently taken steps to ensure more
consistent approaches to planning and self-evaluation,
particularly amongst promoted staff in secondary
schools. It had arranged well-focused and challenging
in-service training for principal teachers, and used SIOs
and EDOs to provide direct support and advice for
individual headteachers, based on existing good practice.
However, link officers for secondary and junior high
schools were not yet regularly engaging with secondary
departments as part of their monitoring process.
34
The Director had recently reviewed E&R Services’
approaches to quality assurance and improvement which
had resulted in an improved quality assurance framework
and an increased focus on the support and challenge rôles
of the QAI Team in their engagement with schools. It
was too early to evaluate the impact of these new
approaches on improving the quality of provision in
schools. The Team was well placed to ensure that all
schools take an equally robust approach to monitoring
and evaluating the quality of the provision they make for
pupils. It also should ensure that the policy on staff
development and review is implemented effectively for
the benefit of staff and pupils.
E&R Services had taken a number of steps to monitor
and evaluate the quality of its own work. The Director
had played a significant corporate rôle in developing Best
Value approaches. E&R Services had undertaken a
series of Best Value reviews, including the viability of
small island schools, pre-school education, provision for
special educational needs and the instrumental service.
The outcomes of such reviews had informed the SIP. In
2001, the Director had commissioned an external
consultant to undertake an evaluation, based on the
QMIE framework. Since then the Directorate team and
SIOs frequently engaged in reflective discussions on
fulfilling the educational priorities for which they had
responsibility. They should now consider a more
systematic approach to evaluating the work of E&R
Services involving sampling the views of users of the
services and those of providers of the services.
Overall the Director and the QAI team showed a clear
commitment to measuring, monitoring and evaluating
performance. They knew their schools well through
maintaining a high level of contact with them. Recent
improvements to the quality assurance framework had
the potential to ensure a more consistently effective
approach to the evaluation of quality in schools.
35
Continuous improvement in performance
Overall, performance in securing continuous
improvement was good. In the pre-inspection survey,
almost all headteachers (91%) who responded to the
survey agreed that senior managers showed a high level
of commitment to the promotion of quality. Most also
considered that the authority was helping schools to
improve the quality of education, although a smaller
proportion (70%) felt that the authority provided a range
of good initiatives and actions to support priorities in
quality development. Overall, performance in both
primary and secondary sectors was strong with standards
of attainment at 5-14 and in national examinations
consistently exceeding the averages for comparator
authorities and national averages. Nevertheless, senior
managers were not complacent about attainment and had
recognised that there was scope for further improvement.
The re-structuring of the QAI Team should enable
Assistant Directors and SIOs to provide more focused
support for schools to continue to improve performance.
The authority was strongly committed to providing a
wide range of opportunities for pupils to demonstrate
achievement in areas of sports, arts and culture, and to
ensuring pupils' entitlement to a residential experience in
outdoor education.
Support for pre-school education
E&R Services had provided a very wide range of
effective support and challenge for pre-school education.
In her previous role as adviser in pre-5 education, the
SIO had offered very good support to all pre-school
establishments in supporting the curricular framework
Child at the Centre3, with its emphasis on quality
improvement through ongoing self-evaluation. There
was a series of regular visits with both a developmental
focus in areas such as planning advice and a challenge
3
36
The Child at the Centre – Self-evaluation in the Early Years (SEED, 2000).
focus in terms of responding to the joint HMIE/Care
Commission framework.
Children at the pre-school stage had benefited from the
authority’s early intervention programme, which focused
on improving their literacy. This programme helped staff
meet children's needs more effectively and ensured a
successful transition into P1.
The Council had in place helpful measures to support and
improve the work of staff in pre-school centres and
classes.
•
Three pre-5 staff had participated in the ICT
Masterclass initiative to promote the use of ICT with
children. They had developed a range of materials to
support children’s learning and development through
the use of relevant software packages.
•
A number of staff had participated in cross-sectoral
training activities to help them to identify and support
children with dyslexia and autistic spectrum
disorders.
•
The Council also provided regular opportunities for
nursery teachers and nursery nurses to meet and
engage in common development tasks.
•
It supported professional development for nursery
staff through Orkney College leading to an SVQ
Level 3 qualification. In addition, six nursery staff
were currently studying for a BA in Child and Youth
Studies, some partially funded by the Council.
Home-link staff, funded from Changing Children’s
Services funds, were improving the identification of
vulnerable children in the 0-3 years range and the
services provided to assist them. Council officers
worked with partner pre-school providers to help them to
improve aspects of the provision they made. For
37
example, they provided advice and support on how to use
The Child at the Centre. The authority should continue
with such support to ensure as high a quality provision as
possible for all pre-school children.
Support for primary schools and 5-14
Overall, E&R Services provided good support for
primary schools. The authority had implemented
successfully an early intervention programme supported
by the appointment of a staff tutor and the deployment of
nursery nurses in P1 and P2 classes in number of schools.
This initiative had had a positive impact on raising
attainment in literacy and numeracy at P1 to P3, with an
increasing proportion of pupils achieving appropriate
levels early. The authority had identified the need to
ensure that these improvements were sustained at the
middle stages, particularly P5, where there was a
tendency for attainment to level off in some schools.
The authority had provided good quality training and
support for staff to develop their skills in ICT. Almost all
primary teachers who had enrolled for NOF-funded
training had successfully completed the programme. One
of the SIOs had ensured that the continuing development
needs of teachers and auxiliary support staff in ICT were
being well met. There were examples of good practice in
a number of schools where staff used ICT effectively to
support pupils’ learning.
The authority had provided helpful guidelines and
resources for primary staff in a number of curricular
areas, particularly in early literacy and the expressive
arts. Staff were positive about recent in-service training,
for example, on the ‘Reggio Emilia’ approach to
developing children’s communication through visual arts
and language, and on approaches to formative assessment
in social subjects as part of the Assessment is for
Learning initiative.
38
For the period 2001 to 2004, standards of pupils’
attainment in reading, writing and mathematics were
consistently above the corresponding averages nationally
and for comparator authorities. Performance in reading
and writing had shown improving trends up to 2003. It
had levelled off in reading and had dipped in writing in
2004. In mathematics, standards had improved between
2001 and 2004.
Support for secondary schools
The quality and effectiveness of support provided for
secondary schools were variable. E&R Services had
faced particular challenges in ensuring continuous
improvement in junior high and secondary schools,
arising in part from significant difficulties in staffing
these schools in recent years. The Director and senior
managers had taken appropriate, direct action to address
the problems, but there were continuing difficulties in
securing sufficient numbers of well-qualified, specialist
staff to ensure that pupils in all secondary classes had a
broad and balanced secondary curriculum. Addressing
these problems had consumed time and restricted
opportunities for senior managers to engage with
secondary headteachers on other matters.
A strong feature of support for secondary schools was the
opportunity for extending the secondary curriculum
through well-established links between schools and
Orkney College and Grainshore Training Centre. As a
result of these links, secondary schools were able to offer
alternative, vocationally-focused courses for a number of
S3 to S6 pupils. These included ‘taster courses’ in
hospitality and carpentry for groups of S3/S4 pupils,
courses in care and construction, and familiarisation
courses for pupils with additional support needs. Some
of these courses offered pupils the opportunity to achieve
Scottish Progression Awards. Additional training
courses in welding had proved successful in improving
39
the motivation of disaffected pupils and preparing them
for the world of work.
Standards of attainment in reading and mathematics in
S1/S2 in secondary schools had improved over the period
2001 to 2004. In writing, attainment had declined in
2002, but had recovered in 2003 and 2004. The average
performance in all three areas was consistently well
above national averages and generally above or well
above the averages for comparator authorities.
Over the period 2000 to 2004, the overall performance in
national examinations had remained strong and generally
exceeded that of comparator authorities and national
averages for most attainment measures. By the end of
S4, the percentages of pupils who achieved five or more
National Qualification (NQ) awards at Level 3 or better
and Level 4 or better were consistently above the average
for comparator authorities and well above the national
average. The percentage of pupils who achieved five or
more Level 5 awards or better was broadly in line with
the average for comparator authorities and well above the
average nationally. The lowest-performing 20% of S4
pupils consistently achieved much better than the average
for comparator authorities and the national average.
Over the same period, the percentages of pupils gaining
three or more and five or more awards at Level 6, or
better, by the end of S6, were above the average for
comparator authorities, apart from 2002. It was
consistently above or well above the national averages
for these measures. The percentage of S6 pupils gaining
one or more NQ awards at Level 7 was consistently well
above the average in comparator authorities and
nationally. Over the five year period, there were no
identifiable trends of improvement in key measures of
attainment by the end of S4 or by the end of S6. This
broadly reflected the position for comparator authorities
and nationally for equivalent measures. Performance by
the end of S5 showed considerable variation over the five
40
year period. The percentage of pupils gaining three or
more and five or more Level 6 awards, or better, showed
a notable decline from the highest figures in 2000 to the
lowest in 2004.
Support for pupils
Arrangements for pupils who required support for
learning were good overall. E&R Services was
committed to the principle of inclusion and had made
considerable improvements to the service provided to
support pupils in schools and to the overall policy
framework.
Pupils' needs were generally well met in their local
schools. Very small numbers of pupils were educated
outwith the Council area. Provision for pupils with more
complex special educational needs was currently being
developed within one primary school, recently merged
with the neighbouring special school, and in one
secondary school, in which provision had recently been
re-organised. The authority recognised that further work
was needed to ensure that fully inclusive approaches
were embedded in the work of the secondary school. It
also needed to develop an appropriate policy on the
transfer of pupils from primary to secondary, in line with
other pupils of their age and stage and with regard to the
provision of appropriate accommodation. A unit in a
Kirkwall primary school provided specialist support for
pupils with language and communications difficulties,
including some with autistic spectrum disorders. There
was additional provision in the same school for a small
number of pupils with behavioural difficulties to assist
them in their transition from pre-school to primary. In
another of the Mainland primary schools, staff had
received training in ways to provide more effective
support for pupils on the autistic spectrum.
The Principal Educational Psychologist, aided by staff in
schools, was effective in identifying pupils’ needs. The
41
Additional Support Needs Management Team allocated
appropriate resources and where necessary made
arrangements to provide additional support for pupils.
Through the work of a multi-agency team, the authority
aimed to identify pupils’ needs at the earliest possible
stage, within their pre-school years if possible. NHS
Orkney had not been able to recruit a permanent
paediatrician for some time, and this had resulted in a
delay in medical assessments being completed.
Consequently the time taken to determine whether a child
required a Record of Needs had increased, in contrast to
the previously prompt response.
Visiting teachers with a range of specialisms and
expertise working in Children’s Services provided advice
to staff and additional support to pupils. School staff
found their service very helpful and made good use of the
available support and advice. Among the advice
produced by the team was a well-presented and
informative set of leaflets about the support available for
a range of different needs, including autism. Flexible
support for the very few pupils with English as an
Additional Language was provided from within the
specialist team, as necessary. The Department had
developed a systematic approach for assessing whether
the allocation of support for individual pupils and schools
was appropriate, and for adjusting it as necessary in
response to developing needs.
Evidence from previous inspection reports showed that
pastoral care and support for pupils were good overall,
although in individual schools there were weaknesses in
the coordination and quality assurance of pupil support.
The rate of pupil exclusions in Orkney was very low.
The authority had produced a policy on the actions to be
taken before exclusion, in response to the recent Scottish
Executive circular. In primary and junior high schools,
additional support was provided by the specialist
teaching team and in secondaries by behaviour support
staff allocated by the headteacher. Alternative curricular
42
provision was well used to motivate pupils otherwise at
risk of exclusion. The authority was also planning for the
introduction of a Framework for Intervention and initial
training had begun.
Residential Provision
The Council provided residential accommodation in
Papdale Halls of Residence for pupils from remoter
island communities who attended Kirkwall Grammar
School for all or part of their secondary education. The
Council had undertaken an extensive programme of
refurbishment which had substantially improved the
quality of accommodation. Management and quality
assurance of the Halls were only slowly being brought in
line with authority expectations.
Support for staff development
The authority showed a strong commitment to supporting
the development needs of all staff. It provided a range of
training opportunities through its CPD programme of
in-service courses, well matched to identified priorities in
the SIP and school improvement plans. Additional
funding for CPD was linked to the authority’s scheme for
professional review and development. The authority
encouraged and supported staff at all levels to further
their professional development through personal study
and participation in local and national training events.
Several staff, including nursery nurses, support for
learning assistants and central administration staff had
gained additional qualifications through courses offered
at Orkney College.
Headteachers and senior managers in E&R Services had
undertaken an innovative leadership training programme
which provided them with an analysis of their
management styles. Most had found this exercise
valuable in identifying their strengths and professional
development needs.
43
Support for learning staff were well provided with
training both on education authority training days and
through access to staff development within Orkney and
nationally. This staff development included the
post-graduate diploma in inclusive practice, and
qualifications up to HNC level for support for learning
assistants. Staff in two schools were currently being
trained in the principles and practice of working in a
Dyslexia Friendly School. The authority planned to roll
out this training programme to staff in all its schools.
Training for staff working in guidance, including
post-graduate training, was organised within each of the
two secondary schools. The authority had recently set up
a support for learning network for ongoing staff
development and sharing of good practice.
Other features of support
Sports, arts and culture
In line with its holistic view of education, the authority
gave a high priority to promoting pupils’ fitness and
well-being, creativity and self-confidence through a wide
range of sports, arts and cultural activities. Initiatives
such as Top Play/Sport and a summer activities
programme for those living on the smaller islands had
provided pupils with opportunities to experience new and
challenging sporting activities. Through the co-operation
of Shetland Islands Council, the authority had been able
to offer pupils the opportunity to participate in the Swan
sailing project. The authority provided travel grants for
representative groups and individuals to enable pupils to
participate in competitions, training events and cultural
activities on the Mainland and outwith Orkney. The
facilities provided in new fitness suites in several schools
were being well used by pupils and members of the
community. The authority had stated in its SIP its
intention to offer an outdoor residential experience to all
pupils between P6 and S2. With the enthusiastic support
of the outdoor education adviser and team of instructors,
44
this had been very effectively addressed, with a high
proportion of pupils participating in outdoor programmes
at the authority’s outdoor centres on Hoy and Birsay.
The Hoy Centre had recently been substantially upgraded
to expand the facilities it could offer to schools and other
organisations.
The work of the two cultural coordinators for arts and
heritage had had a very positive impact on schools and
built on well-established provision. Pupils and teachers
had benefited from a range of resources focusing on
Orkney culture, and from opportunities to become
involved in practical activities which extended their
knowledge, understanding and appreciation of historical
periods and artistic genres. In the past year, the number
of schools visiting museums and heritage centres had
increased. The imaginative initiative Museum for a Day
specifically targeted pupils in geographically remote
schools, providing curriculum enrichment and involving
local communities. The exhibition Hands on Orkney’s
Past and support for the Young Archaeologists’ Club
helped pupils develop informed attitudes and provided
valuable support for out-of-school provision. Through
the national initiative Windows in the World pupils in
three schools had collaborated with professional artists to
create effective films and sculptures, exhibited nationally
and within Orkney. Drama packs and out-of-school
sessions on ceramics and textiles provided further
opportunities for enrichment.
Many pupils benefited from instrumental tuition in
schools and from opportunities to participate in choirs,
orchestras and bands, including traditional music groups,
which upheld Orkney’s strong musical heritage. Pupils
from island and mainland communities were actively
involved in a range of music-making activities, including
well-received public performances, during a music week
and the St Magnus Festival.
45
Citizenship
The authority was taking steps to address the National
Priority in Education to promote values and citizenship
amongst pupils. A successful multi-agency event, hosted
by the Community Social Services Department, had been
arranged in which around 300 S3 pupils had participated
in discussions on a range of youth issues. A team of
senior pupils had produced the Waak Taal magazine
which reported on the outcomes of discussion groups.
Further opportunities for senior pupils to express their
views on a range of issues were being developed through
the Dialogue Youth initiative. One of the secondary
schools organised a very successful annual citizenship
event which provided pupils with a range of activities to
promote their awareness of contemporary issues and
respect for others. Several schools were taking steps to
enhance their local environment through participation in
Grounds for Learning projects, and a number had gained
Ecology (ECO) awards.
Overall, the wide range of opportunities provided by the
authority to promote sports, arts, culture and citizenship
was convincing evidence that it was fulfilling its vision to
provide education ‘for the whole person’.
8. How well does the authority perform overall?
Overview
Orkney Islands Council demonstrated a strong
commitment to providing a high quality educational
service for its children and young people. The work of
Education and Recreation Services was clearly focused
on implementing its priorities to promote social
inclusion, lifelong learning and the education of the
‘whole person’ through the media of sports, arts and
cultural activities. The Director and senior managers
gave a high priority to engaging with stakeholders and to
46
encouraging their sense of ownership for identifying and
implementing the authority’s vision for education in the
community. In delivering its services, the Council was
meeting the challenge of supporting educational
provision across the widely dispersed island
communities.
The Director, with the support of the Chief Executive,
Education Convenor and senior managers, provided
effective leadership. He had played an important rôle in
the Council in taking forward strategic planning. He was
committed to strengthening approaches to quality
assurance as a means of ensuring continuing
improvement in learning, teaching, attainment and
broader achievements in schools. However, he had not
always been successful in ensuring that all headteachers
fulfilled effectively their responsibility for implementing
the authority’s quality assurance policies in their schools.
The recent restructuring of posts within the department
had the potential to enable the Quality Assurance and
Improvement Team to give a stronger focus to their rôle
in challenging and supporting school staff to improve
attainment and achievement still further. There were
some early indications of the positive impact of these
developments. The Assistant Directors demonstrated a
high level of commitment to their demanding individual
remits. The balance of their duties now needed to be
adjusted to enable them to develop further their
responsibilities for strategic management and quality
assurance.
There was overall strong performance in attainment in
the authority’s schools. Standards in reading, writing and
mathematics in primary schools and at S1/S2 in
secondary schools were consistently higher than for
comparator authorities and above or well above national
averages. The continuing challenge for the authority was
to sustain this high performance and to ensure that
progress was consistently maintained at all stages. SQA
performance in secondary schools was above the average
47
for comparator authorities and national averages in
almost all key attainment measures. However,
attainment at Level 6 by the end of S5 had declined
between 2000 and 2004. With a view to maintaining, or
where appropriate improving, current standards of
attainment, the authority had taken steps to develop more
consistent approaches to quality assurance in secondary
departments. This would involve link officers engaging
more directly with staff in departments to ensure that
these approaches were being consistently implemented.
A notable feature of the Council’s commitment to its
schools and communities was its commendable efforts to
promote pupils’ achievement through sporting and
cultural activities. It also strongly encouraged pupils to
develop their awareness of Orkney’s rich cultural
heritage through, for example, participation in traditional
music groups, arts activities and archaeological projects.
Overall, Orkney Islands Council was an effective and
improving authority which was making good progress in
implementing its aims and was making a positive impact
on the educational achievements of its children and
young people.
Key strengths
48
•
The approaches taken by the Director of E&R
Services and his team to address the demands of
providing education across Orkney’s widely
dispersed island communities.
•
The leadership demonstrated by the Director in his
commitment to improving the quality of pupils’
attainment and achievements, supported by a
highly-regarded and industrious Directorate Team.
•
The overall strong performance in attainment.
•
The wide range of opportunities for pupils to
demonstrate achievement in areas of sports, arts and
culture, including the right of each pupil to an
experience in outdoor education.
•
The arrangements for consultation across a wide
range of stakeholders.
•
The very good provision for continuous professional
development for teaching and non-teaching staff.
9. Main points for action
In addition to addressing the areas for improvement
identified in this report, the local authority should act on
the following recommendations.
•
Adjust the balance of duties and responsibilities
across the Directorate Team to ensure that all
members are able to play their full part in strategic
management and quality assurance.
•
Ensure that appropriate policies and guidelines are in
place to direct and support the work of schools and
other services to pupils.
•
Ensure that new arrangements for quality assurance
are fulfilling their objectives of consistently high
quality of learning, teaching, attainment and
achievement in schools.
•
Address weaknesses in the technical support for ICT
in schools.
•
Engage in a systematic approach to evaluating the
effectiveness of the contribution of E&R Services to
continuous improvement in educational services.
49
Around two years after the publication of this report
HM Inspectors will re-visit the authority to assess
progress in meeting these recommendations. The local
authority has been asked to prepare and make public an
action plan, within eight weeks of the publication of this
report, indicating how it will address the main points for
action in the report.
Margery Browning
Acting HM Chief Inspector
Directorate 5
March 2005
50
Appendix 1
Performance information
Statistical indicators
% of school pupils staying on to S5 (post Christmas)
•
Orkney Islands
CA Average 4
National
2002
2003
2004
69
70
64
71
68
64
67
67
64
Pupil destinations
•
2001/2002
2002/2003
2003/2004
% Entering Full-Time
Higher Education
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
38
34
32
38
34
31
27
29
29
% Entering Full-Time
Further Education
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
19
20
20
19
19
21
24
20
21
% Entering
Employment
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
25
29
23
26
30
23
30
34
25
4
Comparator Authorities (CA) Average refers to the group of education authorities
which are comparative to each other in terms of various socio-economic and
demographic factors.
51
• Absence
As part of the 2002 Target Setting initiative, Orkney
Islands Council set itself the following target to minimise
the average number of half-days absence per pupil in
primary and secondary schools by 2002.
Primary
Target
Level
(June
2001)
2000/
2001
16
-
National
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
Orkney Islands
CA Average
Secondary
•
2001/
2002
Target
Level
(June
2002)
2002/
2003
2003/
2004
17
14
16
16
12
17
16
-
17
16
18
20
19
17
19
18
19
36
23
38
43
22
37
42
18
37
24
36
41
24
32
37
Exclusions from schools in Orkney Islands
2001
Total
Exclusions
Primary
Total
per 1000
Exclusions
Exclusions
Total
Exclusions
per 1000
Exclusions
per 1000
1
1
2
1
4
CA Average
-
7
-
8
-
7
4507
11
4478
11
4131
10
21
15
13
10
25
17
-
41
-
40
-
44
33145
104
31767
101
31055
98
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
52
Exclusions
2003
Orkney Islands
National
Secondary
2002
2
•
As part of the 2002 Target Setting initiative, Orkney
Islands Council set itself the following targets in
reading, writing and mathematics to be achieved by
2002, and has made the following progress in
achieving them.
The figures represent the percentage of pupils in primary
schools attaining and expected to attain appropriate 5-14
levels by P75.
Primary
Target
Level
June
2001
2001
2002
Target
Level
June
2002
2003
2004
Reading
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
81
77
81
81
80
83
81
81
85
81
85
80
81
85
82
81
Writing
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
75
67
75
73
70
76
74
72
84
73
79
73
74
75
75
74
Maths
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
83
81
82
80
79
83
79
80
87
82
83
79
80
85
82
82
2003
2004
The figures represent the percentage of pupils in
secondary schools attaining and expected to attain
appropriate 5-14 levels by S26
Secondary
Target
Level
June
2001
2001
2002
Target
Level
June
2002
Reading
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
65
54
71
63
56
72
63
59
70
59
69
64
61
75
67
64
Writing
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
63
48
66
52
46
56
55
50
67
51
63
55
51
64
57
52
Maths
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
61
55
56
56
51
57
59
54
62
56
64
58
54
74
62
59
5
6
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.
53
•
Results in Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
National Qualifications.
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) levels:
7: 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
Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving
By end of S4
2001
2002
2003
2004
English 1- 6
@ Level 3 or better
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
97
95
94
98
95
93
98
95
93
98
94
94
99
94
94
Maths 1-6
@ Level 3 or better
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
97
95
94
98
95
93
98
95
93
98
94
93
97
94
92
5+ @ level 3 or better
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
96
93
91
96
93
91
97
92
91
96
92
91
97
92
91
5+ @ level 4 or better
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
87
84
77
90
84
77
88
82
77
86
81
76
86
82
76
5+ @ level 5 or better
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
37
39
33
40
40
34
42
39
34
39
38
34
40
38
34
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
By end of S5
3+ @ level 6 or better
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
31
27
23
27
27
23
27
26
23
30
26
23
21
25
22
5+ @ level 6 or better
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
12
9
8
10
10
9
11
10
9
11
10
10
8
9
9
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
18
13
10
18
12
11
16
13
12
16
13
12
21
14
12
By end of S6
1+ @ level 7 or better
54
2000
Orkney Islands
CA Average
National
As part of the 2002 Target Setting initiative, Orkney
Islands Council set itself the following targets for pupils
attainment in National Qualifications, and has made the
following progress in achieving them.
English 1-6
@ Level 3 or better
Maths 1-6
@ Level 3 or better
5+ @ level 3 or better
5+ @ level 4 or better
5+ @ level 5 or better
3+ @ level 6 or better
5+ @ level 6 or better
Orkney Islands
National
Orkney Islands
National
Orkney Islands
National
Orkney Islands
National
Orkney Islands
National
Orkney Islands
National
Orkney Islands
National
Target
2002
2002
2003
2004
99
95
99
95
99
93
91
79
41
35
31
24
14
9
98
93
98
93
97
91
88
77
42
34
27
23
11
9
98
94
98
93
96
91
86
76
39
34
30
23
11
10
99
94
97
92
97
91
86
76
40
34
21
22
8
9
55
Appendix 2
Inspection coverage
Establishments visited:
The Strynd Nursery
Peedie Breeks Nursery
Burray Primary School
Dounby Primary School
Evie Primary School
Firth Primary School
Glaitness Primary School
Hope Primary School
Papdale Primary School
Papa Westray Primary School
Orphir Primary School
Rousay Primary School
Shapinsay Primary School
Stromness Primary School
St Andrew’s Primary School
North Walls Junior High School
Pierowall Junior High School
Sanday Junior High School
Stronsay Junior High School (via
video-conferencing)
Kirkwall Grammar School
Stromness Academy
Meetings attended:
Education Service Managers’ Meeting
Meeting of Education Services and Social Work
Services
Interviews or meetings with Council Members and
Officers:
Chief Executive
Assistant Chief Executive
56
Leader of the Council
Chairperson of the Education Committee
Director of Community Social Services
Director of Technical Services
Director of Finance and Housing
Assistant Director of Community Social Services
Head of IT Services
Head of Corporate Property
Facilities Manager
Accounting Manager
Personnel Director
Interviews or meetings with other Stakeholder Groups:
Focus groups of primary headteachers
Focus group of Junior High School headteachers
Trade Unions representatives
Pupil Council representatives in schools visited
Group of School Board Chairpersons and other
parental representatives in schools visited
Interviews with Education Service Staff:
Director of Education and Recreation Services
Assistant Director (pre-12)
Assistant Director (post-12)
Assistant Director (Children’s Services)
Service Improvement Officers
Education Development Officers
Principal Educational Psychologist
Community Education Officer
Communications Officer
Finance Officer (Education)
Principal and Section Head, Orkney College
Head of Grainshore Training Centre
Outdoor Education Adviser
Support for Learning Team
Head of Heritage Service
Cultural Co-ordinators and Arts Education
Officer
57
Group of Instrumental Instructors
Janitorial staff in schools visited
Nursery staff in schools visited
Group of central administration staff
58
Appendix 3
Quality indicators
We judged the following to be very good
•
Mechanisms for consultation
We judged the following to be good
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Vision, values and aims
Effectiveness of leadership and management
Policy development
Mechanisms for communication
Service Planning
Deployment and effectiveness of centrally-employed
staff
Resource management
Financial management
Measuring, monitoring and evaluating performance
Continuous improvement in performance
We judged the following to be fair
•
No aspects were found to be in this category
We judged the following to be unsatisfactory
•
No aspects were found to be in this category
59
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 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 HM Inspectorate of
Education, Directorate 5, Denholm House,
Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way,
Livingston, EH54 6GA or by telephoning 01506 600
380. Copies are also available on our website:
www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you wish to comment about education authority
inspections
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of
education authority inspections, you should write in
the first instance to Mrs Margery Browning,
Acting HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education,
Directorate 5, Denholm House, Almondvale
Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54
6GA.
Our complaints procedure
If you have a concern about this report, you should
write in the first instance to Hazel Dewart, Business
Management Unit, HM Inspectorate of Education,
Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park,
Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA. A copy
of our complaints procedure is available from this
office or by telephoning 01506 600 265 or from our
website at www.hmie.gov.uk.
60
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. The Scottish Public Services
Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to
investigate complaints about Government
departments and agencies. You should write to The
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, 4-6 Melville
Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS. You can also telephone
0870 011 5378 or 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 2005
HM Inspectorate of Education
This report may be reproduced in whole or in part,
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61