Scottish Borders Council
August 2002
Contents
________________________________________
Page
Introduction
i
1.
The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
1
2.
The Education Service: operational context
3
3.
Strategic management of the service
12
4.
Consultation and communication
20
5.
Operational management
24
6.
Resource and financial management
29
7.
Performance monitoring and continuous
improvement
38
8.
How well does the authority perform overall?
49
9.
Main points for action
52
Appendices
Performance information
Inspection coverage
Quality indicators
54
58
61
Introduction
The education functions of each local authority in
Scotland will be inspected between 2000 and
2005. Section 9 of the Standards in Scotland’s
Schools Etc. Act 2000 charges HM Inspectorate of
Education, on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, to
provide an external evaluation of the effectiveness
of the local authority in its quality assurance of
educational provision within the Council and of its
support to schools in improving quality.
Inspections are conducted within a published
framework of quality indicators (Quality
Management in Education) which embody the
Government’s policy on Best Value.
Each inspection is planned and implemented in
partnership with Audit Scotland on behalf of the
Accounts Commission for Scotland. Audit
Scotland is a statutory body set up in April 2000,
under the Public Finance and Accountability
(Scotland) Act 2000. It provides services to the
Accounts Commission and the Auditor General
for Scotland. Together they ensure that the
Scottish Executive and public sector bodies in
Scotland are held to account for the proper,
efficient and effective use of public funds.
The external auditor member of the inspection
team carries out a performance management and
planning (PMP) audit of the education functions
of the authority. The inspection team also
includes an Associate Assessor who is a senior
member of staff currently serving in another
Scottish local authority.
i
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Inspection of the education functions of
Scottish Borders Council
1. The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
The education functions of Scottish Borders Council
were inspected during the period March to May 2002 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.
The inspection team also scrutinised documentation,
attended meetings and interviewed officers of the Council
in the context of arrangements for community learning
and development1 in order to gauge the conduct and
potential effects of the changes occasioned by the need
for financial savings.
On behalf of HM Inspectors, an independent company
issued and analysed responses to questionnaires to heads
of all educational establishments within the authority and
to the chairpersons of the School Boards/Parents’
Associations and to partnership pre-school
establishments.
The inspection took place after and during periods of
intense disruption for the Council and its services
1
Formerly called ‘community education’
1
resulting from a widely publicised and substantial deficit
in the education budget. For almost a year the effective
running, particularly but not exclusively, of Education
and Lifelong Learning (E&LL)2 services had been
compromised by the involvement of staff in a
time-consuming series of investigations and audits, some
of which were still in train through the inspection period.
The inspection team scrutinised reports on these
investigations. The reports are listed in Appendix 2.
Throughout the inspection process, significant events
affecting the Council and its services included a change
of Council Administration, the appointment of a new
Chief Executive, temporary but substantial changes to the
E&LL services’ financial accountability procedures,
disciplinary procedures, and decisions on staff
redundancies within community learning and
development. In addition, there was the termination of
the appointment of the Director of E&LL on the grounds
of ill health, the announcement of the early retiral of
two Assistant Directors, the redundancy of three advisers
and one assistant adviser, and the announcement of
proposals to set up an interim management structure in
E&LL pending new permanent appointments.
It is to the great credit of many staff, at the centre and in
establishments, that a determination to maintain the
quality and effectiveness of education remained and
remains paramount through these very difficult times.
2
The name of the service was changed in August 2001 from ‘Education’ to ‘Lifelong
Learning’ and in April 2002 from ‘Lifelong Learning’ to ‘Education and Lifelong
Learning’. For simplicity, the term ‘Education and Lifelong Learning (E&LL)’ has
been used throughout this report.
2
2. The Education Service: operational context
Social and economic context
Scottish Borders has a population of around 107,000
people. This number has increased by 2% in the last
ten years, against a nationally stable trend. The largest
increase has been in the number of inhabitants who are
past the age of retirement. Education Services make
provision for some 15,700 school-aged pupils and around
1,900 pre-school aged children.
The Council area is geographically large, mostly rural,
with small burghs and very sparsely populated areas. The
following are significant features of the socio-economic
context of Scottish Borders:
•
The unemployment rate is, at 2.6%, lower than the
national figure. However, a higher proportion than
nationally of young people is unemployed and a large
number of young people move out of the area.
•
Compared to Scotland as a whole, there is a higher
percentage of jobs in agriculture, forestry and fishing
and in manufacturing, and a lower percentage in the
service industries.
•
Average earnings are some 15% lower than the
national average.
•
The band D council tax level set for Scottish Borders
households was below the Scottish average and the
fourth lowest in the country.
•
In 2000/2001, the uptake of Free Meal Entitlement
(FME) among pupils was among the lowest in
Scotland. At 9.2% in primary schools and 5.6% in
secondary schools uptake was substantially lower
than the national averages of 20.8% and 16.7%
respectively and the lowest of similar Councils.
3
Political and organisational context
Scottish Borders Council was formed at local government
reorganisation in 1996. There were no changes of
boundary from the previous Council and aspects of
service delivery remained largely unmodified.
Political representation on the Council consists of
16 Independent Councillors, 13 Scottish Liberal
Democrat, two Conservative, two Scottish National, and
one Labour. The current administration, in place since
March 2002, is formed by an alliance of Scottish Liberal
Democrat, Conservative, Labour and some Independent
Councillors.
The Council had expressed its long-term vision and
values in Borders 2010 - A Plan for the Scottish Borders
2000 - 2010, which had been drawn up on the basis of a
major household survey. The Council undertook to
"….offer a higher quality of life for everyone, with
strong, highly skilled communities who care about people
and the environment." That vision was to be reached by
aiming to achieve:
•
a dynamic and diverse economy;
•
increased participation in lifelong learning;
•
a more balanced population between younger and
older age groups; and
•
improved communications with good quality public
services.
In turn, these aims would be addressed in the
five strategic priority themes of jobs and the economy,
the environment, lifelong learning, transport, and safer
and healthier communities.
4
In August 2001, the Council introduced a revised
organisational structure. It replaced the former
Committee structure with a Cabinet-style arrangement of
an Executive of Councillors representing five portfolios
- Community Planning and Corporate Resources,
Development and the Economy, Transport and the
Environment, Lifelong Care, and (Education and)
Lifelong Learning. A Scrutiny Panel, chaired by an
elected member of the opposition, had the role of
monitoring the performance of the Council and reviewing
the effectiveness of the Executive’s decisions. Other
Councillors were members of standing committees or
working groups. A separate Education Executive,
comprising the members of the Executive along with
religious and teacher representatives, was set up in
accordance with statutory requirements.
Insufficient time had passed for the Council to be able to
evaluate how effectively these arrangements were
operating, especially in the wake of the further changes
occasioned by the forming of the new administration in
March 2002. However, Councillors were confident that
the revised structure had the potential, and was already
beginning, to encourage closer scrutiny of the
implementation and consequent impact of their decisions.
Overall, the inspection team concurred with this view. A
review of the revised structure had just begun.
The officer management structure was led by a Chief
Executive, in post since March 2002 after a 10-month
period during which an acting Chief Executive had
responsibility for the remit. This long period without a
substantive Chief Executive had adversely affected the
strategic management of Council services following the
discovery within E&LL of financial irregularities and
mismanagement.
Working to the Chief Executive were five Directors,
matching the Council portfolios and each with a team of
professional and administrative staff. The officer
5
structure was complemented by two units, one with
responsibility for Strategic Policy and Performance and
the other a support unit for the elected members’ Scrutiny
Panel.
Until May 2001, the E&LL senior management team had
comprised the Director and four Assistant Directors of
Education (ADEs). Three ADEs had strategic
responsibility for different aspects, respectively services
to young people, educational development, and
community learning and development. They also held
operational responsibility for educational establishments
in one of three geographical areas. A fourth ADE,
dismissed in May 2001, previously had overall
responsibility for finance and administration. At the
reorganisation of the Council in August 2001, a fifth
officer, the Head of Service for Cultural and
Interpretative Services, joined the senior management
team.
The senior management team was, in the past,
complemented by administrative teams and
professionally by a senior adviser, eighteen advisers and
assistant advisers, a principal educational psychologist
leading educational psychology services, four senior
education officers, a number of curriculum support
teachers in the expressive arts and two seconded
curriculum development officers for the pre-school
sector. For some months, the senior adviser post had
remained vacant as a cost-saving measure after the retiral
of the previous incumbent. In the meantime, the advisory
team worked directly to the ADE with responsibility for
educational development. Three advisers and
one assistant adviser had recently been made redundant
as part of the Council’s cost-saving measures.
Staffing for community learning and development was, at
the time of the inspection, also undergoing some
extensive changes as financial cuts were implemented.
Ten posts, all related to the management and support of
6
the service, were to be removed, with resulting
redundancies. Most of the posts at local level were to be
preserved.
Educational provision and performance
The Council made provision for pupils in nine secondary
schools and 71 primary schools, some of which had
associated units for pupils with special educational needs.
There was one centre for pupils with social, emotional
and behavioural needs, run in conjunction with Lifelong
Care services. The Council made available pre-school
provision for all three and four-year old children whose
parents wished a place. Pre-school children were
accommodated in 43 classes attached to primary schools
and 41 centres run in partnership with the private and
voluntary sectors. Fifty-seven of the 80 primary and
secondary schools currently had a School Board.
The Accounts Commission Statutory Performance
Indicators (SPIs) indicate that 11% of secondary schools
had occupancy levels of between 61% and 80%,
compared with a national average of 30%.
Forty-four percent had occupancy rates above the
notional design capacity compared to the national figure
of 15%. The number of primary schools with an
occupancy rate of less than 60% was well below the
national average, while the number of those with a rate
above the notional design capacity was again well above
the national average. The Council had only very recently
begun to review the implications of the profile of
occupancy rates in schools and future trends in
population distribution. In 2000/2001, the average
number of pupils per primary class was around the
national average. The authority had met the
Government’s target on class sizes in P1 to P3.
Running costs per pupil were lower than the national
averages and of the average of similar Councils. In
7
primary schools, costs were among the lowest in Scotland
and, in secondary schools, in the middle grouping.
Revised Council allocations to the revenue budget for
education were £60,200,000 in 2000/2001 and
£65,893,000 in 2001/2002. These figures included direct
grants under the Excellence Fund core and special
programmes. A range of evidence suggested that overall
funding levels were not sufficient to sustain the levels of
provision to which the Council had committed its E&LL
services, despite the financial mismanagement which
clouded the issue.
An incremental overspend over 1999/2000 and
2000/2001, finally totalling some £3.9 million,
occasioned a number of internal and external inquiries,
including one by the Controller of Audit. Over the last
three years, the Council had taken a number of measures
intended to rectify the overspend. However, as a matter
of priority, it still needs to clarify the levels of provision
which can be made within available funds.
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
The percentage of pupils staying on after the compulsory
school leaving age had declined slightly in recent years
but was consistently above the national average. It was
generally slightly above the average of similar Councils.
Over the past three years, the percentage of pupils
entering full-time higher education had risen and was
well above the national average but below the average of
similar Councils. The percentage of those entering
full-time further education was among the highest in
Scotland and well above the national average. The
number of pupils entering employment had remained
8
stable but was lower than the national average and the
average of similar Councils.
Attendance and absence
Between 1997/98 and 2000/2001, the average number of
half-day absences per pupil had remained stable in
primary schools and increased in secondary schools. In
neither case had the authority met its own targets.
However, the levels of absence were among the lowest in
Scotland.
In 2000/2001, the number of exclusions per 1000 pupils,
at 17, was well below the national figure of 51.
5-14 performance
Over the period 1998 to 2001, there was an increase in
the percentage of pupils in primary schools achieving
expected levels of attainment for their stage in reading,
writing and mathematics. The rate of increase was lower
than the national rate but levels of performance remained
above national averages for each curriculum aspect. The
authority overtook its target for attainment in reading, but
not in writing or mathematics.
Performance was similar at S2 in secondary schools, with
improvements in all three areas, although the increase in
attainment in writing was slight. The authority met its
target in reading, but not in writing or mathematics.
Performance in all three areas was above the national
averages.
SQA examination performance
From 1999 to 2001, the percentage of pupils by the end
of S4 in secondary schools achieving 5+ awards at Level
33 or better, Level 4 or better and Level 5 or better was
3
Level 4 = Standard Grade at General Level or Intermediate 1 at A - C
9
consistently above or well above national averages and
the averages of similar Councils. In each case,
performance had also improved and had done so at a rate
higher than the national improvement and the
improvement of similar Councils.
Over the same period, the percentage of pupils by the end
of S5 achieving 3+ National Qualifications (NQ) awards
at Level 6 or better, while still well above the national
average and the average of similar Councils, had
remained stable. However, there was an increase in the
percentage of pupils gaining 5+ awards at Level 6 or
better, with a figure which remained above the national
level and had increased at a higher rate.
The percentage of pupils achieving 1+ NQ award at
Level 7 by the end of S6 matched the national level and
the level of similar Councils and had remained stable
over the three-year period.
The Council had met or exceeded two of the targets it had
set itself, for the percentage of pupils gaining 5+ Standard
Grade awards at Credit Level and 5+ Higher awards at
A-C. Overall, however, pupils had shown poorer
performance at Higher than expected given their Standard
Grade results.
School inspection evidence
In the period from January 1999 to March 2002, HMIE
published reports which gave evaluations against a full
set of performance indicators in 26 schools in Scottish
Borders. Reports were published on 21 primary schools,
including one care and welfare inspection, and on
five secondary schools.
Level 5 = Standard Grade at Credit Level or Intermediate 2 at A - C
Level 6 = Higher at A - C
Level 7 = Advanced Higher or CSYS at A - C
10
Most of the primary schools inspected were judged to
provide a good overall quality of education. In
three schools the overall quality was very good. In five
there were important weaknesses in some key aspects of
provision or management. In almost all schools, ethos
was at least good and in the majority it was very good.
Most schools were well accommodated and resourced
overall, although in a fifth there were significant
weaknesses in accommodation and facilities. Staffing
levels were good in all.
The overall quality of attainment in English language was
good or very good in most primary schools and in
mathematics in almost all. Generally, the pattern of
positive evaluations within learning and teaching
matched areas where there had been sustained education
authority initiatives. Learning support was judged to be
good in almost all schools and very good in a quarter.
There were significant weaknesses in assessment,
however, in half of the schools inspected and particular
weaknesses in attainment in aspects of environmental
studies in a quarter.
The effectiveness of school leadership varied. It was
good or very good in two thirds of the schools. However,
in a third of the schools leadership had significant
weaknesses. The school development plan and the
implementation of the development plan were good in
only a majority of schools. In addition, in over half, the
school’s approach to evaluating its own work and the
implementation of the authority’s scheme for the
development and review of its staff had important
weaknesses.
In the five secondary schools inspected the quality of
education was good overall and very good in two cases.
The levels of staffing and resources were good and in one
case very good. However, there were important
weaknesses in the quality of accommodation and
facilities in three out of the five secondary schools. The
11
impact of rising rolls in three cases had led to a series of
recurrent issues, including increasing pressures on
specialist accommodation, dispersed teaching
accommodation, lack of social areas for pupils and a
number of health and safety concerns. Three schools
were in the midst of phased programmes of major
building or refurbishment.
In most cases the quality of pastoral care was very good.
The effectiveness of learning support and the overall
quality of guidance were consistently good. In each of
the five schools, communication and partnership with
parents and the School Board was at least good and in
two cases very good. The effectiveness of leadership was
good in most schools and very good in three of the five.
However, there were important weaknesses in the
implementation of the authority’s scheme for the
development and review of its staff in four of the schools
and in the school’s approach to evaluating its own work
in two.
Main points for action in inspection reports most
frequently related to accommodation and safety issues,
the improvement of provision at S1/S2, strategies for
monitoring the quality of learning and teaching and the
need to implement a staff development and review
programme.
3. Strategic management of the service
Vision, values and aims
Performance in this area was unsatisfactory. E&LL had
some generally appropriate aims and values which related
well to the national agenda and broadly linked with the
Council’s vision and values. However, there was no
clear, shared vision providing direction and momentum
for the service. Less than a third (29%) of the heads of
establishment who responded to the pre-inspection survey
12
felt that senior managers communicated a clear overall
vision for the development of education.
The Council’s vision was expressed in its 10-year
Community Plan, Borders 2010. In that Plan, E&LL
undertook to aim, through the linked Borders Community
Learning strategy, to raise attainment and achievement
and to promote active citizenship, lifelong learning and
social inclusion. However, these aims were expressed
differently in a range of other key documents and plans.
As a result, they had little overarching and distinctive
impact on establishments. Although aims were generally
appropriate, they did not give sufficient emphasis to
improvement of the service and to its contribution to the
achievement of local aims and priorities.
The former Director of E&LL had chaired the Borders
Learning Partnership, a key group for the delivery of the
Council’s objectives for the service. There had been
some good co-operation with other agencies, particularly
in connection with community learning and development
and cultural services. Corporately, there had been
effective liaison with Lifelong Care services in setting up
a centre for pupils with social, emotional and behavioural
difficulties. However, there were clear indications that
the involvement of senior managers in areas of corporate
working was not given sufficient priority. As a result,
there were few examples overall of effective working
with other service areas at strategic levels.
Very recently, the Council, led by the Leader of the new
administration and the new Chief Executive, had
articulated its strategies for moving forward out of the
difficult circumstances of the previous months. Included
was a recognition of the need for a new vision for the
ways in which the established aims for Scottish Borders
were to be delivered. E&LL services were to be centrally
involved in new developments. As a priority, the new
Director should develop and communicate a new vision
13
and clear aims and priorities to form a framework for the
direction and work of the service as a whole.
Leadership and management
Performance in this area was unsatisfactory. The overall
leadership and management of E&LL over the past
three years had major weaknesses.
This evaluation relates to leadership in three phases over
this period, covering the time before the discovery of
major mismanagement of financial aspects, a phase of
some nine or ten months across 2001/2002, and the most
recent months. Comments on leadership encompass all
those with responsibility for leading and managing the
education functions of the Council, including elected
members, the corporate management team, and former
and present senior managers in E&LL.
Within the first phase, the role of elected members was
generally too passive. They provided little clear direction
for officers. Generally they accepted rather than
questioned reports of overspending and did not assume a
sufficiently rigorous role in monitoring in any detail the
performance of the service. Additional training would
allow elected members to take a more active role in
examining and questioning committee reports presented
to them by officers.
The former Director of E&LL, a good educational
thinker, had promoted the creation of curriculum support
materials for schools and had been the motive force
behind the development of policies and practices to
improve the quality of education and to respond to
national developments. In the context of insufficient
overall direction from elected members, such actions had
given the work of the authority some shape and focus
over the last few years.
14
However, there were major weaknesses in that key
aspects were not well managed and some were not given
sufficient priority. There were difficulties with
communication, and teamwork at various levels was not
well established. Insufficient steps were taken to ensure
that senior managers accepted the need to develop
appropriate skills for strategic management. In
particular, the revision of the role and functions of
officers with strategic responsibility for the delivery of
education at the time of reorganisation of local
government in 1996 had not been matched by an effective
staff development strategy for officers at senior level.
The three ADEs with strategic and operational
responsibilities worked hard to fulfil their heavy remits.
They engaged, prior to 2000/2001, in a school
development planning review visit once a year and had
undertaken a review of headteachers in two thirds of their
schools. The majority (69%) of primary headteachers
and most (78%) secondary headteachers felt that senior
managers had shown a high level of commitment to the
promotion of quality. However, there were major
weaknesses in aspects of their management. They were
overly involved with schools at an operational level.
They did not engage sufficiently rigorously in the
improvement of quality or lead effectively some key
aspects of provision for which they had strategic
responsibility. They did not succeed in establishing
effective teamwork within and across the staff teams
which they led. In addition, the requirements of
corporate teamwork were not given sufficiently high
priority in the context of their work.
On the operational level, the geographical division of
schools did not in practice promote the effective
management of the service. It led to some key
operational differences, some confusion on procedures
among schools and an inefficient use of time as the three
ADEs required to meet frequently to agree administrative
arrangements. In addition, the three ADEs did not have a
15
clearly stated responsibility for the financial aspects of
their remit, a strategic flaw which contributed to the
financial difficulties. Financial management lay almost
exclusively with the fourth ADE, whose reporting of the
financial position was not well enough checked within
E&LL, insufficiently challenged corporately and, despite
the recognition of some overspend, largely ignored by
elected members.
The former Director had recognised the need to review
the senior management structure, particularly as a
response to a performance management and planning
(PMP) audit undertaken prior to the discovery of the
financial irregularities. However, this review should
have been undertaken at an earlier point and the
effectiveness of action taken - to commission a consultant
to advise on the management structure and suggest
changes - was compromised by the fact that the Director
was on sick leave and unable to take the matter forward
personally.
The second phase of the last three years, largely covering
the period May 2001 to February 2002, was also marked
by poor leadership. With the former Director on sick
leave or working on a part-time basis, there was no
consistent strategic management of E&LL. The activities
of senior officers were frequently directed towards a
series of audits and inquiries in the wake of the financial
crisis. The development and improvement of educational
provision lay almost entirely in the hands of the advisers,
some of whom were still coming to terms with recent
changes in their role. An acting Chief Executive was in
post through this time. This temporary situation
contributed towards a lack of action in addressing the
financial situation, communicating effectively with
stakeholders and identifying a temporary leader of the
service. At this time, an Education Working Party of
elected members was set up to conduct an internal
inquiry into the causes of the crisis. The handling of the
inquiry was perceived by many officers of the Council to
16
have led to levels of stress which adversely affected the
functions of the service.
The third phase, from the beginning of 2002, has shown
some promise of improved leadership from this
exceptionally low point. An acting Director was
appointed from within the Council’s corporate
management team, with the remit of introducing more
effective financial management procedures and ensuring
better communication with stakeholders. He identified
the need to draft in a senior manager to oversee aspects of
resource management and the administration of the
service. The Head of Service with responsibility for
Cultural and Interpretative Services was given this role
and has made an effective contribution to resolving
various difficulties which had remained unaddressed for
too long. The acting Director was partially successful in
other aspects of his remit. He improved communication
with secondary headteachers and provided the service
with better leadership through a time of further
instability. However, dealing with financial matters took
up a disproportionate amount of the available time and
the acting Director found it difficult to gain the full
confidence of headteachers in establishing a corporate
ethos in the education sector.
Latterly, a change of Council administration, the
appointment of a new Chief Executive and changes to
financial management procedures had created a good
basis for improvement. The Chief Executive, new
Council Leader and new portfolio holders for E&LL have
demonstrated a determination to rectify mistakes of the
past and modernise the management of the service.
Very recently, the Council announced the setting up of an
interim management structure within E&LL to manage
the service following the existing and forthcoming
changes through retirements in the senior management
team. Good inter-Council co-operation led to the
agreement of a neighbouring Council to provide external
17
advice on this interim structure. Once posts have been
filled on a substantive basis, elected members and senior
officers should ensure that available finances for staffing
are deployed in ways which enable senior managers in
E&LL to lead effectively the strategic aspects of their
remits while ensuring full engagement in monitoring and
promoting the quality of education at all levels.
Policy development
Performance in this area was good overall. The authority
had developed a range of good, and in some cases very
good, policies. Overall, the range of policies related
suitably to national developments and some national
priorities, though did not relate specifically enough to the
local context. There was appropriate emphasis on quality
assurance and improved attainment. However, the good
range of policies relating to the delivery of education was
not set within a strategic framework.
There was a good quality assurance policy, outlined in a
series of documents relating to school review, school
development planning, standards and quality reports, staff
development and review, and both preparation for and
response to HMIE inspections. The policy had
established good links between relevant aspects of quality
assurance at establishment level and for individual
members of staff. Not all elements of the policy had been
fully implemented in practice. The group set up to
monitor implementation and impact of the policy had not
met for some time.
Pre-school policies had been developed to support the
expansion of provision in that area. However, there was
no overview policy to bring together the growing number
of ad hoc responses to initiatives and provide clear
strategic direction in that sector.
The high quality of guidance offered in supporting
provision in primary schools had amounted in practice to
18
agreed policies, clearly understood by schools. There
was less consistency of quality in policies across the
secondary sector, particularly at S1/S2. Clear guidelines
were in place for the overall balance of the secondary
curriculum. An overall majority of heads of
establishment (64%) and most primary headteachers
(81%) felt that the range of policies was appropriate.
However, less than half in total felt that the policies were
backed up by clear procedures for putting them into
action.
The quality of the teaching for learning and the support
for learning policies was particularly high. Seeking the
Best Collectively – Teaching for Learning in Primary
Schools had been a significant and well conceived policy
initiative involving a wide range of staff in schools across
the authority. There were good phased links between the
implementation of the policy and staff development.
Support for learning policies of very good quality were
being developed for primary and secondary schools.
These had also been based on good involvement of staff,
extensive consultation and a phased implementation plan
linked to available staff development resources.
However, the momentum of policy development had
faltered over the last two years. Over the last year in
particular, the monitoring and evaluation of the impact of
policies and the identification of future strategic priorities
had virtually stopped. Initiatives were perceived by staff
to come from able and hard working individuals and
groups, rather than as part of a corporate agenda for the
improvement of the service. There needed to be a more
discernible link with other corporate policies, for example
those related to Lifelong Care. A number of policies such
as those concerning equality and fairness, health and
safety and rural schooling needed to be updated. The
recent involvement of secondary headteachers as
contributors to the identification and development of
policy for the authority was potentially helpful. A similar
forum to involve primary headteachers in the
19
identification and genesis of policy initiatives was now
required.
Overall, E&LL needed to develop a strategic framework
for the identification of future priorities for policy
development. Such a framework would require to
demonstrate clear links to available resources, and to
evidence from the evaluation of the impact of policies,
individually and collectively, on establishments.
4. Consultation and communication
The effectiveness of the authority’s approaches to
consultation and its strategies for communication with
stakeholders were both fair. There was no overall
strategy for consultation and communication. E&LL had
not defined clearly the stakeholders with whom they
should consult and communicate.
Although there were important weaknesses in
mechanisms for consultation, there were some effective
features, including the following:
20
•
the range of working groups, secondments and
teacher involvement which had contributed to the
development of policy and curricular programmes;
•
the extensive and effective consultation with pupils,
parents and staff in the development of the policy and
guidelines for Seeking the Best Collectively;
•
good consultation with headteachers on restructuring
the devolved school management scheme;
•
the very positive start made to consultation as part of
the National Debate on Education, the results of
which were to be used to inform local decision
making;
•
on-going consultation with groups of parents as part
of a rolling programme of in-service training for
school staff on partnership with parents; and
•
meetings with the Teachers’ Joint Consultative Group
to discuss salaries and conditions of service.
Arrangements were in place for area meetings of
headteachers, secondary headteachers meetings and
headteacher conferences. In addition, the former Director
had a regular programme of visits to schools. However,
headteachers had concerns over the nature and
effectiveness of consultation, particularly in the primary
sector. Many headteachers were of the view that
meetings with senior staff concentrated largely on
communication of routine business, rather than on
consultation and the strategic development of the service.
In the pre-inspection survey less than half (37%) thought
that the authority consulted effectively with
establishments. Only a few (14%) thought that they were
consulted effectively on the Service Plan. A fifth (21%)
were of the view that the authority consulted effectively
with other customers, such as School Boards and parent
and pupil groups.
Two meetings were held annually between senior staff
and Chairs of School Boards. A small group of School
Board Chairs had recently been set up to act as a liaison
group with E&LL. Opportunities for parents to influence
policy and practice were very limited, however, and only
a few (8%) of School Board Chairs who responded to the
pre-inspection survey thought that they were able to
influence the aims and plans of the authority through
consultation.
The Council deployed a range of corporate mechanisms
to gather the views of stakeholders on the services it
provided. Use of these mechanisms to gather views on
educational provision and plan for improvements in
services provided was very limited.
21
Some schools had arrangements for consulting with
pupils through pupil councils. The Council had recently
established a youth council which involved some
representatives from local secondary schools. However,
the department needed to develop further its approaches
to consultation with pupils.
A majority of headteachers (57%) felt that officers
maintained effective contact with their establishments.
Most (86%) heads of pre-school establishments, most
(76%) headteachers in primary schools and a majority
(56%) of headteachers in secondary schools were aware
of the authority’s expectations about performance in key
areas of their work. School staff recognised that the
headteacher provided their main channel of
communication with the authority, but many headteachers
felt that, over the last year, lack of information had
limited their capacity to carry out this role.
Opportunities were provided for headteachers to meet
with senior officers at area meetings three times a year.
Headteachers commented that there were variations
among the three geographical areas in the structure of the
meetings and the messages communicated. Members of
the Borders Headteachers Association (BHTA), who
represented some primary school headteachers, had met
periodically with the former Director and/or senior staff.
Up to this year additional meetings with secondary
headteachers were held four times a year, but recent
meetings had been held monthly. E&LL required to
review the nature and frequency of meetings with
headteachers to provide better communication and
involve them more effectively as senior officers of the
authority.
Apart from business meetings, other forms of
communication from E&LL to schools included:
22
•
informative newsletters from the Melrose Education
Centre and the St Andrew's Arts Centre;
•
increased use of email to improve direct
communications;
an E&LL newsletter and helpful leaflet summarising
the Service Plan;
•
•
various helpful web sites providing information on
curriculum resource materials and the work of various
relevant agencies; and
•
informative and well-produced leaflets on pre-school
provision, childcare and family support.
School Board Chairs expressed concerns about
communication and the effectiveness of central support
for their work. Only a fifth (19%) of those who
responded to the pre-inspection questionnaire thought
that the authority was good at letting them know about its
policies and plans for education. Only a similar number
felt they could access good information about the quality
of education across the Council area as a whole or
thought that they were provided with good training to
enable them to support their school. Some School Board
representatives felt that their contributions and those of
parents generally were not sufficiently valued by the
authority.
E&LL was developing a range of worthwhile
mechanisms for public performance reporting. The
authority provided monitoring reports on aspects of
performance, including attainment in schools, but they
varied in quality. The establishment of the Scrutiny
Panel in the revised Council structure now offered an
opportunity to improve performance reporting and
monitoring. The First Link magazine, issued to all
parents, provided helpful information on pupils’
attainment as well as other informative articles. The
Council’s Public Performance Report 2000-2001
23
contained a section on pupils’ attainment in schools,
school costs and class size. Information was also
provided on current developments within education and
future priorities for E&LL. The information was
presented in an easy to read manner. The department had
issued a Standards and Quality Report 1999-2000 which
included a section on pupils’ attainment and targets set.
However, future reports should be more evaluative and
include more measurable targets, presented in a format
easily accessible to parents and other stakeholders.
The Council had established some procedures for
recording and responding to complaints. These were
currently being reviewed. E&LL did not consistently
analyse the frequency and nature of complaints or share a
summary of this information with the Council or
establishments.
Overall, a more coherent strategy and a systematic and
co-ordinated approach to consultation and
communication were required. As part of that, a full
range of stakeholders should be identified and further
approaches developed to assess their needs and views.
The most recent actions by officers and elected members
of the Council to involve a range of stakeholders in
planning the future structures and systems for E&LL
have shown improvements and potential for the future.
In particular, the strategic approach developed and
introduced to engage stakeholders in the National Debate
offered a promising platform for accessing views on
national and local education issues.
5. Operational management
Service planning
The quality of service planning was fair. The Education
Service Plan was set within the context of the Scottish
Borders Community Plan 2000-2010, Borders 2010. It
24
made some appropriate general references to other plans
within the Council, including the Children’s Services
Plan, the Childcare Partnership Plan and the Community
Learning Plans, and to a wide range of partnerships
relevant to the work of the service. Clearer links required
to be established among the various planning processes
throughout the Council. Coherence between the
objectives of Service Plan and the Children’s Services
Plan was also required, with lead responsibilities clearly
identified. Senior managers needed to ensure that a
strategic approach was taken to multi-agency
developments and that plans reflected the approach. The
lead responsibility for planning needed to be more clearly
identified within the service.
Although some consultation on the Plan had taken place
with some headteachers and other staff, a more
comprehensive approach during the service planning
process was required to access all stakeholders’ views
and promote a broad ownership of priorities and actions.
The Service Plan covered a three-year period with a
one-year Action Plan. The Action Plan related to five
appropriate core objectives, each linking with national
priorities and detailing key actions, targets and indicators,
budgets, and lead officers. Although some teams and
individuals had plans which reflected the aims and core
objectives of the Service Plan, this was not consistent.
Action needed be taken and greater rigour introduced to
ensure consistency and coherence of approach, including
in the structure and style of plans, and the implementation
of monitoring procedures.
The Service Plan had limited impact on school
development planning. Quality Development Team
advisers monitored the extent to which schools’ plans
related to the Service Plan. However, headteachers
varied in their views about the clarity of the aims and
core objectives of the Service Plan. A majority (69%) in
the pre-inspection survey felt that the Plan effectively
25
made clear the Council’s aims and priorities for
education. Other staff in schools and staff within
individual teams of the service were also inconsistent in
their knowledge of the Plan and its impact on their work.
The authority needed to adjust the planning cycles to
ensure coherence between the Service Plan and schools’
planning processes.
At the time of the inspection the intended reporting on
progress in implementing the Plan had not occurred and
some key priorities had not been progressed, at times
because named lead officers were no longer in post and
no contingency arrangements had been put in place. In
addition, there was no Service Plan for 2002-2005 or
Action Plan for 2002-2003. The authority’s Statement of
Education Improvement Objectives, which should have
been made public by December 2001, was at draft stage
only. Although meetings were planned with headteachers
to discuss how the improvement objectives could be
incorporated into their development plans, there was
inadequate time to allow a good quality planning process
to be undertaken.
The planning process drew on a number of sources to
identify priorities for the Plan, including visits to schools
and schools’ development plans. However, some key
aspects, such as review at individual and establishment
levels, were not well enough implemented to allow them
to inform the planning process. Overall, staff
development opportunities supported schools well in
delivering the priorities of the Service Plan but this relied
on the knowledge and expertise of individual members of
staff rather than on an analysis of needs. In addition,
there was no systematic programme of Best Value service
reviews to inform planning processes.
The Service Plan was not adequately linked to the budget
process, and action needed to be taken urgently to
identify the financial implications of the priorities and
allocate budgets. This approach also required to be
26
adopted with planning on a multi-agency basis. Senior
managers needed to monitor progress regularly and adjust
priorities and timescales appropriately to reflect funding
availability. When the authority moves to the intended
business-planning model, heads of service and lead
officers should be trained in budget management, and a
business management culture developed within the
organisation.
Deployment and effectiveness of
centrally-employed staff
Performance in this area was fair. There were many
contributions of high quality from centrally employed
staff, who worked very hard and often very effectively
for the benefit of schools and pupils. Schools valued the
prompt responses from and helpful contacts with
administrative and professional staff at all levels,
including staff in psychological services. However there
were some important weaknesses in the deployment of
staff, in teamwork and, generally, in the operational
management of the service.
A small number of senior education officers had
responsibility for supporting senior management in
aspects of provision, such as Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) and Special
Educational Needs (SEN). However, insufficient
professional support had been directed to ADEs in the
operational aspects of their remits. In each of the three
geographical areas, an administrative officer led a small
support team and reported to the ADEs. There was also a
senior administrative officer. However, this officer’s role
in co-ordinating the work of the administrative officers
and in ensuring consistency in procedures across the
three areas had not been well supported by senior
managers. A number of officers had remained essentially
unmanaged through the recent period of disruption.
27
The advisory service was extensive. Until June 2001, it
included some 18 advisers and assistant advisers led by a
senior adviser and was complemented by a large number
of curriculum support teachers and development officers.
In 1999/2000, a review was carried out following a
recognition by senior managers that changes were
required to enhance the quality improvement aspects of
the advisory service. A restructured service was
introduced for the start of school session 2000/2001.
Advisers were grouped into three teams, which was
designed to provide a balance across the functions of
quality assurance, support and improvement. However,
the complementary nature of the three teams was not
effectively managed. As a result, the potential benefits
for the strategic development of the service were not fully
realised. Many schools were unaware of the respective
contributions of the three teams in providing support and
challenge in the context of school improvement.
The work of individual advisers was well received by
staff in schools. Many commanded very considerable
respect for their expertise and the support they offered.
However, there was a widespread perception of
inconsistency and lack of co-ordination. Only to a degree
did this relate to the events of the last year and the
absence of a senior adviser. The establishment of a
quality improvement manager post at this level had been
announced very recently.
The school improvement team and the quality
development team had taken the initiative to devise
management plans for their operation with targets and
priorities clearly identified. Individuals and the
expressive arts group within the curriculum support team
had also produced operational plans for their work, but
the team itself did not have an adequate plan which
related its activities to identified priorities for support and
improvement. As a consequence, and in the light of the
recent disruptions, the authority had not monitored the
28
overall effectiveness and impact of this expensive
resource.
On an individual level, administrative staff were involved
in the corporate arrangements for staff development and
review. However, there was an urgent need to introduce
an effective staff development and review process for all
professional staff who were centrally employed.
At the time of the inspection, many centrally employed
staff did not feel valued or adequately managed. They
had felt isolated over the previous year and were
concerned about their futures. Despite these
circumstances, the sustained high quality of the
contributions of many staff to schools and pupils was an
indication of their continuing commitment to the
improvement of educational provision.
6. Resource and financial management
Resource management
The quality of resource management was unsatisfactory.
There was an urgent need to address a number of major
weaknesses.
The authority had undertaken a number of cost-saving
measures to try to address the financial crisis and was still
at the early stages of planning for longer-term resource
management. Resource allocations to schools had been
cut to reduce the education budget overspend. However
these reductions had been short-term measures. Schools
were not clear about the rationale for the reductions nor
how resources would be allocated in the medium to long
term.
Over a number of years, the Council had undertaken
work to maintain the quality of accommodation and some
schools had been upgraded and improved. Arrangements
29
for school repairs and maintenance had operated well in
some instances. Prior to the budgetary cuts, headteachers
had been able to carry out appropriate minor
improvements from their own budgets. However, there
was no clear strategy for building development and there
was a lack of consistency across the Council area. A
number of capital improvements, funded erroneously
through the revenue budget devolved to schools, had
been carried out.
Asset management planning was only now being
introduced and little work had been carried out on
long-term planning for either expansion or contraction in
pupil numbers. This was particularly the case for primary
schools and nursery establishments, but also related to
secondary schools. It had led to shortages of
accommodation in some establishments and
over-provision in others. Although the Capital
Management Group had oversight of the capital
programme, the Council had not been effective in
developing long-term capital plans to improve provision
of school accommodation. Recently, consideration was
being given to Public Private Partnership (PPP) options,
but the Council needed to improve its asset management
planning and to develop a more robust Best Value system
to support this approach.
Risk assessment had been carried out in all primary
schools over 1999 to 2001. A risk assessment
programme for secondary schools had recently
commenced. Following the issue of an improvement
notice by the Health and Safety Executive in
one secondary school, plans had been made to complete
the programme and update policy and guidelines. This
needed to be carried out as a matter of urgency.
The Council had made some progress in introducing ICT
into its schools. However, targets in this area were yet to
be fully met. Steps had been taken to establish
appropriate network access points and internet services in
30
most schools, although this work was still to be
completed. There was an externally provided system of
technical support for schools for installing and
maintaining computers. The Council was reviewing
these arrangements as part of the overall measures to
reduce costs within the Education Service. Corporate IT
services were now beginning to develop an understanding
of the needs of education and some joint working to
improve services across the Council had been introduced.
Funding provided by the Scottish Executive Education
Department (SEED) as part of the Excellence Fund
initiative was mainly deployed to those areas set out as
priorities. However, the authority had had difficulty in
meeting targets set for this funding because of the
budgetary crisis. With the agreement of SEED, there had
been some viring of funds among projects. In a number
of instances, staffing had been reduced and staff
development suspended before projects had been
completed. Overall the department had not planned
carefully enough for ending projects or for finding the
means to carry on intiatives which were seen to match
local priorities.
Planning for meeting the requirements of pupils with
special educational needs (SEN) had been a problematic
area for the authority. Some earlier strategic planning for
the deployment of resources for SEN had succeeded in
promoting local provision and reducing the costs of
education placements outwith the authority. However,
this strategic approach had not been applied to all aspects
of SEN provision. In particular, the service budget had
not been adjusted sufficiently to meet the costs of
education for the number of pupils projected to be
moving into the Council area. Officers had useful
information about the numbers of pupils coming into the
Council over the last three years but this had not been
used to plan for potential increases in expenditure in the
SEN budget in future years. Nor had a detailed strategic
review been carried out of the needs emerging across the
31
Council. As a result, budgetary planning had not been
carried out to ensure that this aspect of Education Service
delivery would not be overspent. Allocation of resources
to meet SEN had been carried out on an operational and
ad hoc basis. This had led to a lack of control in the
resources allocated to meeting SEN provision. This
situation had now been recognised and the service was
beginning to make better plans. A further review was
required to identify gaps in service provision to ensure
that future developments could take them into account.
The authority ran a Teachers’ Centre, located in Melrose.
It was well used for staff development courses, for staff
and pupils undertaking training in ICT and generally as a
resources centre. Many primary headteachers attested to
the quality of support received through the Centre,
although its location was awkward for teachers coming
from distant areas of the Council, particularly for
after-school courses and during the winter.
The overall approach to Best Value in E&LL was
unsatisfactory. For example, the authority had not carried
out a Best Value Review (BVR) on which to base a value
for money evaluation of the Teachers’ Centre. The
review of the advisory service had lacked rigour in the
analysis of performance against agreed outputs and had
therefore not met appropriate standards for a BVR. A
BVR of Psychological Services had been carried out.
Comparisons of service delivery and staff levels in
Psychological Services had been made with other similar
Councils. The results of this exercise had been reported
to elected members and staffing levels had been
increased. However, due to recent budgetary constraints,
staffing levels had been allowed to fall to a level
identified by the BVR as unsatisfactory.
E&LL had been involved in a corporate benchmarking
exercise with a number of other Councils. However,
there was insufficient analysis and use of benchmarked
information upon which decisions by Council officers
32
and elected members could be based. It was now
particularly important for elected members to provide a
clear lead in how key issues of provision and future
resource management were to be addressed. In
particular, difficult matters relating to over-provision in
nursery establishments, and over- and under-occupancy
of primary schools required to be considered in terms of
achieving better value for money.
There was a significant weakness in the links between
budget setting and service planning and little evidence of
a strategic approach to prioritising resources to achieve
service objectives. For some time, and in particular
during the past two years, resource allocation to schools
was not sufficiently related to specific education
priorities or in line with the particular aims or strategies
of the Council. In broad terms, the rationale for
allocation of general and targeted resources took account
of national priorities. Allocations were made to schools
on what senior officers saw to be a fair basis. However
this did not take account of the needs of particular
communities in terms of social inclusion. No targets or
measures were set for improvement in the use of
resources other than a more general endeavour to reduce
the budgetary overspend. The potential effects of the
very recent reductions in the advisory service and in the
staffing for community learning and development were
therefore unknown.
Once resource management procedures have been
clarified and improved, elected members need to ensure
that resource allocations are sufficient to meet the
priorities and levels of provision they require.
Financial management
Performance in this area was unsatisfactory. Most of the
major weaknesses in the overall quality of financial
management have been highlighted in the reports which
followed the announcement of a significant overspend in
33
the education budget. Key weaknesses had included poor
arrangements for allocation of financial responsibilities
and a lack of effective monitoring of the financial
position by officers and elected members.
A number of actions were taken during 2001/2002 in an
attempt to address the fact that key areas of the education
budget were not subject to effective budgetary control.
Some of these actions had not been entirely successful in
rectifying the situation. However, some more decisive
steps have very recently been taken and, while it is too
soon to tell whether they will be fully effective, there are
now indications of improvement.
Arrangements for monitoring and controlling the
financial performance of E&LL were weak. Internal
financial controls did not prevent expenditure being
committed without budget provision having been made.
This was in contravention of the Council’s Financial
Regulations and the recently revised Budget Monitoring
Code of Practice. In addition, controls had not ensured
that budget holders reviewed monitoring information and
took appropriate corrective action where necessary. To
date multi-year budgeting had not been developed by the
Council.
Senior education officers had been trained in the use of
the authority’s Financial Information System (FIS).
However this had not included staff development in the
financial management of their budgets to provide them
with the necessary skills to discharge effectively their
financial management responsibilities.
Senior education staff did not participate fully in the
2002/03 budget setting process. ADEs had not clarified
their detailed responsibilities for monitoring and
controlling the financial position of their specific areas.
This situation had prevailed despite reminders being
issued to Council staff at Head of Service level and
responsibilities being incorporated into revised contracts
34
of employment. New financial regulations had been
recently agreed, and appropriate training provided. A
Budget Monitoring Code of Practice defining the
budgetary control responsibilities of all relevant
personnel had recently been re-issued. Some analysis of
training needs at this level had been undertaken.
However, the Chief Executive had decided that a more
thorough examination of training needs was still required.
He had commissioned a report from an independent
consultant to make recommendations for improvements,
staffing resource requirements and the training required
to meet identified needs.
A significant area for concern was the lack of financial
monitoring of the Devolved School Management (DSM)
budgets. Whilst these budgets were being monitored on a
geographical area by area basis, the authority had failed
to allocate overall responsibility for financial monitoring
and control of the scheme, which was not subject to
regular scrutiny by the E&LL senior management team.
Similar problems were noted with the authority’s supply
teaching budget, which accounted for a significant part of
education expenditure. The ADE (Finance and
Administration) had previously held control of this area
but this responsibility had not been reallocated since his
departure.
Secondary schools and central staff had on-line access to
the authority’s FIS and the Commitment Accounting
System. A number of primary schools still had manual
systems. Where computerised systems did exist in
primary schools, a number of different accounting and
budgeting systems were operating which were not
compatible with FIS, either in terms of having a direct
link, or in terms of the expenditure headings used. Some
schools therefore required to engage in time consuming
manual reconciliations between the two sets of records.
Problems in communicating financial information had
also occurred between schools and staff at the centre.
35
Adjustments had been made to the schools’ accounts
without reasons being given. In most cases, adjustments
linked to SEED income, but it was difficult for schools to
identify the category to which this related. However,
schools were positive about the support they received
from area administrative officers in identifying and
rectifying problems relating to their DSM budgeting.
Meetings of administrative and finance officers based in
secondary schools were attended by representatives from
Corporate Resources to give advice and to ensure that the
reporting formats provided the information required by
the users. These meetings were considered to be
effective and should be extended to the primary sector.
Capital expenditure commitments had been made in
2000/01 and 2001/02, amounting to £400,000, on the
basis that this would be financed through the DSM
scheme. As a result, expenditure was accounted for as
part of the revenue budget. This was in breach of the
authority’s own Financial Regulations. The projects had
not been properly approved by the Council’s Capital
Management Group and had not been disclosed in the
Council’s capital consent returns to the Scottish
Executive. Revenue effects of such capital expenditure,
such as the non-devolved costs for heating and lighting,
had also not been fully considered and budgeted for.
This situation had come to the attention of the Chief
Executive in March 2002. As a result, an internal audit
review was undertaken and no further projects were
allowed to commence.
Over a number of years, the authority had been slow to
inform schools of the position regarding the
carry-forward of funds from year to year. As a result
there was a risk of schools further increasing previous
year deficits or not being aware of the availability of
surplus funds, both of which made effective planning
difficult. Other areas of concern related to the late
payment by the authority of invoices sent by schools and
the implementation of the staff turnover budget.
36
The authority had commissioned a review of DSM in
2001/02 which was carried out by a multi-disciplinary
team of teaching and non-teaching staff and facilitated by
an external consultant. The resulting report
recommended a number of revisions to the method for
allocating DSM budgets to schools and made some
specific recommendations. These included the need for a
more structured approach to recording the reasons for
larger, deliberate surpluses and the need in particular to
clarify the scheme rules regarding spend first, re-pay
later. The acting Director and the Chief Executive were
still considering the proposals to be presented to elected
members.
There was an ongoing dispute between the Cleaning
Direct Services Organisation (DSO) and E&LL over an
aspect of cleaning charges. School cleaning costs within
the education budget did not currently reflect the level of
income expected to be generated by the DSO from the
school cleaning contract. This had resulted in a recurring
deficit since 1996/97. A service level agreement (SLA)
intended to manage the relationship had yet to be agreed
and implemented by the two parties despite this having
been in draft form since October 2001. Similar concerns
were also raised by the Catering DSO which was also
incurring greater costs than E&LL had budgeted for.
Elements contributing to this problem included the fact
that meals were being produced at a greater cost than the
amount being charged to pupils. An agreed SLA had also
not been implemented. As part of the interim
management arrangements, a new officer post, to manage
and improve relationships between schools and
contractors, had been created and an appointment made.
In recent months, a number of strategic decisions had
been made to improve financial management within
E&LL and the Council as a whole. Elected members
were now being provided with regular financial analysis
and had received training to allow them to increase their
37
level of review. The acting Director had highlighted the
need for specific financial support and two new posts of
Business Manager and Accountant had been created.
Pending appointments, the Chief Executive had seconded
officers from Corporate Resources to fill these roles. In
addition, he had required the Director of Corporate
Resources to assume direct and total responsibility for all
financial management and administration within E&LL.
These changes should promote more effective working
relations between education and finance staff.
7. Performance monitoring and continuous improvement
Measuring, monitoring and evaluating
performance
Overall, performance in this area was fair. Through its
quality assurance framework, E&LL had in place a
number of appropriate processes for gathering and
measuring the performance of establishments and the
authority as a whole. The framework was firmly based
on nationally accepted principles of self-evaluation. Its
key components were planning, professional review and
development, and review and reporting. A representative
monitoring group had overseen the early stages of
implementation but its work had faltered over the past
year. Key elements of the framework, such as the
proposed in-depth reviews of schools, were not in place
and other elements were incomplete. No systematic
procedures were in place or planned for the efficient
collection and measurement of performance data. The
authority was therefore not in a position to measure
performance comprehensively, evaluate the impact of
initiatives and ensure appropriate targeting of resources
to stimulate improvement.
Officers had a good overall knowledge of the Council’s
schools and their performance. Recent pre-inspection
reports for HMIE were usually detailed and, particularly
38
in the primary sector, generally showed consistency with
HMIE findings.
Systematic procedures were in place for supporting
development planning. Advisers in the quality
development team (QDT) regularly visited primary and
secondary schools to discuss progress and help monitor
the implementation of priorities. Other than in the last
year, one visit included the relevant ADE. Visits
followed a suitable set agenda and led to the production
of an agreed school development plan. Generally,
interactions with schools were only beginning to include
close discussions of performance data, and seldom
involved school staff other than the headteacher. Schools
varied in their view of the effectiveness of this support
for planning.
Commendably, the QDT advisers had, on their own
initiative, undertaken an evaluation of their work and had
taken steps to ensure consistency in their support and
response to schools. However, the quality of school
development plans was variable and feedback comments
to schools were at times not sufficiently challenging.
QDT advisers had analysed the main content of plans and
of HMIE reports to provide other advisers with an
indication of schools’ priorities over three years and of
overall strengths and weaknesses. However, the system
whereby QDT advisers called on further targeted support
from the advisers in the School Improvement Team (SIT)
or Curriculum Support Team (CST), although sound
enough in concept, had not been uniformly successful in
practice.
The SIT advisers’ links with schools involved detailed
consideration of aspects of performance, using data on
5-14 levels of attainment, analysed for various stages, and
pupils’ performances in national examinations. For
secondary schools particularly, a systematic round of
visits early in each session was followed in some
instances by intensive work with individual departments.
39
These interventions were rigorous and very well received
by schools.
A project had been set up to pilot P1 and P2 screening in
literacy and numeracy to establish firm baseline
information in primary schools. Other data gathered at
authority and school level included information on
pupils’ performances in reading, writing and mathematics
at P2/P3 and at other stages within 5 - 14. The SIT
advisers had developed an electronic tracking program to
help school managers target support on areas of
weakness. The program was still under development but
involved over 20 schools as part of a pilot and had been
well received so far. National examination data was also
analysed at subject and school level to inform discussions
with secondary headteachers and principal teachers. In
some circumstances more detailed analysis of candidates’
performance was sought from the Scottish Qualifications
Authority (SQA) and used effectively to support
under-performing departments and spread good practice.
Other performance measures, however, still required to
be developed. These included the full establishment of a
baseline measure for pupils transferring from nursery to
primary school, a measure for the impact of early
intervention strategies across all schools and good
comparative data for schools and for the authority as a
whole. Such data should be used to inform the process of
target setting for all schools. More robust questioning of
data by officers and senior managers on attendance and
exclusions, the performance of pupils with special
educational needs and value-added at secondary school
level was also required. In addition, the authority had not
yet established effective procedures for monitoring the
impact of Excellence Fund initiatives.
Arrangements for the professional development and
review of staff had been established. However, the policy
had not yet been implemented effectively. Only a third of
headteachers and less than a quarter of teaching staff had
40
been reviewed. This constituted an additional gap in the
effectiveness of quality assurance arrangements and the
capacity of the service to target staff development to best
meet need and promote improvement.
Schools were expected to engage in a rigorous process of
self-evaluation and most headteachers (80%) agreed that
this had been encouraged by the authority. One outcome
of the process was the production of school standards and
quality reports. The authority had produced good
guidelines for these reports and almost all schools had
produced one a year prior to the statutory date. However,
the reports produced were not always in a form which
would provide good overview information for parents and
others. The authority required to strengthen its criteria
for the acceptability of these reports.
Overall, more extensive and rigorous processes to
measure and evaluate performance were needed. Senior
managers should ensure that they develop and use
accurate, benchmarked data on the quality of education
gathered from a full range of sources including Best
Value Reviews and HMIE reports. They should also
ensure that performance data and evaluating commentary
are presented appropriately to Council members to
encourage their close involvement in gauging the impact
of their policies and in monitoring improvement.
Continuous improvement in performance
Overall performance in this area was good. Over recent
years, the well-conceived major learning and teaching
initiatives had been well supported through materials and
staff development and had had a considerable impact on
schools, particularly in the primary sector. Over the same
period, performance in national tests in 5 - 14 and in
national examinations had improved, from an already
high baseline, across a number of indicators. In the
pre-inspection survey most heads of primary schools
(80%) felt that the authority had a range of good
41
initiatives to support priorities in quality development.
However, less than half in secondary schools (44%) were
of this view.
Very good, sustained support was provided for schools in
addressing recommendations made in HMIE reports and
ensuring improvement. Almost all recommendations
relating to learning, teaching and attainment had been
met.
E&LL now needed to ensure that support was targeted
more effectively on areas of need and on the
improvement of performance in a broader range of
aspects, particularly those involving joint working with
other agencies. Additional effective and co-ordinated
strategies for sustained and targeted staff development
should be reintroduced as resources allow. This should
include the development of further effective means of
spreading good practice and celebrating success.
Support for pre-school education
There had been a rapid expansion in the provision of
pre-school education. This was achieved through
expansion of the authority’s own nursery provision and
through increased partnership arrangements. However,
there was no overall strategy for the development of
pre-school education.
Staff reported that effective training and good support
had been provided for authority and partnership centres.
This had included staff development and officer support.
This support had been significantly reduced over the past
year as a result of budget cuts. For a number of centres
this meant that only some staff had received training and
there had been a reduced level of support and quality
development in pre-school education.
There was a need for better links between the work of the
pre-school strategy group and the Childcare Partnership
42
Forum to co-ordinate initiatives aimed at improving
services in pre-school education and care.
Support for primary schools and 5-14
Support for primary schools and the 5-14 curriculum in
general was good. The authority placed a strong
emphasis on the quality of learning and teaching, raising
attainment and support for learning.
A well co-ordinated early intervention project focused on
a small number of schools. The draft report of an
external evaluation of the project was able to identify
benefits for pupils including their positive response to
teachers’ increased expectations and to their parents’
involvement. The numbers of P2 pupils reaching Level
A in reading, writing and mathematics had improved over
a three-year period. However, there had been less
significant and more variable improvements in the
numbers of P3 pupils achieving Levels A and B. The
very good Principles of Learning and Teaching in Early
Years framework and numeracy and literacy programmes,
developed in the context of the project, had been issued
to all schools and were supported by comprehensive staff
development programmes. The authority should continue
to take steps to share strategies for improvement beyond
the schools involved in the project.
Some good and very good support for the 5-14
curriculum had been provided to schools by advisers, in
their present and former roles. Seeking the Best
Collectively offered a very good framework and guiding
principles to help schools evaluate their progress towards
enhancing the quality of learning and teaching and raising
attainment. A good range of programmes of study and
curricular materials, particularly in environmental
studies, expressive arts, and writing, had been distributed
to schools. Good staff development and training
opportunities were provided by the authority, although
these had been restricted lately.
43
Over the past three years improvements had been made in
5-14 attainment in primary schools in reading, writing
and mathematics. Increases had been less pronounced
than at national levels. However, the authority had begun
from a higher base position. It had exceeded its target for
reading, but had not reached those for writing and
mathematics.
In secondary schools, a range of good materials had been
produced to support 5 - 14 developments at the S1/S2
stage, particularly for aspects of English language,
mathematics, science and the expressive arts.
Improvements had been made in 5-14 attainment in
reading and mathematics, but less significantly in writing.
The authority’s base compared to the national positions in
reading and writing was significantly higher and in
mathematics, similar. The authority had achieved its
2001 target in reading, was making good progress
towards it in mathematics, but still had considerable
improvement to make to achieve its target in writing.
Support for secondary schools
Support for secondary schools was good overall.
Helpful, good quality guidelines and support materials
had been developed in consultation with staff in a number
of subject areas. However, there were variations in the
extent to which there had been recent curriculum
development in some subject areas and in the degree of
management support for principal teachers. Apart from
the specific support for S1/S2 within the 5 - 14 context,
staff in secondary schools felt that support in areas of the
curriculum, and in relation to Guidance, had been
variable. Meetings of principal teachers in most subject
areas had not been held recently, although the
introduction of the support for learning policy had been
accompanied by a well planned, phased programme of
staff development.
44
The introduction of new NQ courses had been well
supported overall. Subject teachers and senior
management teams in secondary schools also benefited
from the good advice they had been offered in relation to
the analysis of SQA attainment data by advisers in the
SIT and the direct support they had received from them in
the management of teaching for learning.
A range of good initiatives had been undertaken across
secondary schools to support cross-curricular dimensions
of education. Pupils had been given good opportunities
to broaden their experiences through, for example,
education for work, outdoor education and the arts.
Over the period 1999 to 2001, pupils’ performances in
national examinations had improved. Particularly
noteworthy were the improvements in numbers achieving
five or more awards at Level 5 (Standard Grade Credit
Level 1-2 or Intermediate 2) by the end of S4 and five or
more awards at Level 6 or better (Higher A-C) by the end
of S5. In both cases, as in others, the improvements had
been better than those at national level and the average of
those in similar Councils, and had started from a higher
baseline. The authority had met the 2001 targets it had
set for itself for five or more Standard Grade Credit
awards and five or more Higher awards at A - C. It had
just failed to meet its target for three or more awards at
Higher A - C.
Support for pupils
Arrangements for learning support and the provision for
pupils with special educational needs (SEN) were good
overall. The Council was committed to inclusion by
ensuring that pupils were educated in their local area
where possible. Pupils’ needs were generally well met in
their local schools or in placement in schools with
specialised resources to meet specific needs. The
authority had identified a number of areas where further
provision needed to be developed for specific needs or to
45
enhance local provision in particular areas of the Council.
However, the lack of a clear strategy and of review and
planning procedures in this aspect had limited the overall
improvement in the service. The Council should now, as
a priority, carry out a review of SEN provision to ensure
Best Value and to address gaps in particular areas of
special need.
A clear structure existed for identifying pupils’ needs and
a staged intervention system had been put in place.
Pupils in primary schools were supported by staff
working in learning support and behaviour support area
teams. The work of these teams was effective and
appreciated by staff and parents. Secondary pupils
following a mainstream provision and those receiving
additional help in specialist bases were supported well by
learning support and special needs staff. Principal
teachers with responsibility for learning support and
special educational needs met regularly with officers to
share good practice. These meetings were seen as helpful
and informative by staff in schools. However, there was
no similar system to support staff working in Guidance in
secondary schools and work in this area had received
very little direction in the last two years.
The Council had set up an offsite centre which made
provision for pupils with social, emotional and
behavioural difficulties. The centre had been very
effective in making local provision for pupils for whom
mainstream school education had not been successful.
The Council now needed to undertake a review of the
scope, and resources available, for both primary and
secondary provision in the centre and take steps to reduce
the number of pupils who, in practice, were receiving
only part-time education.
E&LL had set up a helpful group with representatives
from a range of agencies to give additional support to
pupils, in particular those with social, emotional and
behavioural difficulties. The working arrangements for
46
this ‘regional liaison group’ were being revised and new
guidelines for schools drawn up which would help to
streamline and improve the system for referral and action.
Support for staff development
The quality of support for staff had been good overall but
had been less effective over the last year as a result of
financial cuts.
A staff development programme for probationary
teachers had been in place for some time and a revised
programme introduced in 2001/2002. It provided very
good support throughout the year and opportunities for
teachers to discuss their experiences.
Support through the staff development associated with
specific projects and initiatives was generally very
successful. On-going support for teachers of some
subjects in secondary schools, including Guidance, had
been less marked. In addition, courses held at the
Melrose Teachers Centre after the school day, while
welcomed by many, were difficult to access for teachers
coming from distant parts of the Council. As resources
allow, the service should consider the reinstatement of
secondary school subject network meetings of principal
teachers or the equivalent, with a specific focus on the
further improvement of attainment and management.
The quality of training in ICT through the New
Opportunities Fund training initiative was generally
appreciated by staff, although some experienced
difficulties in implementing strategies they had learned if
their school was not fully equipped. Initial
disappointment at the quality of the training for
secondary school teachers had led to a successful change
in the delivery model, with in-school staff being trained
to deliver to their own colleagues.
47
The authority provided a range of management courses
for senior managers. In addition it nominated individuals
to courses for the Scottish Qualification for Headship,
organised effectively in conjunction with two other
authorities. It also encouraged good peer support for new
headteachers. Recently, however, there had been few
dedicated opportunities for established headteachers to
review and refresh their management skills.
The sharing of good practice across schools was good,
through the distribution of curricular and other materials,
and staff development and training programmes to
support the implementation and development of new
initiatives. Advisers drew on their knowledge of schools
and materials produced by schools engaged in action
research projects to spread good practice. However, the
authority needed to develop strategies to celebrate
success more regularly and proactively.
Other features of support
Two New Community Schools (NCS) projects had been
introduced across the Council, comprising a single school
pilot project at Burnfoot Community School and a cluster
project based on Eyemouth High School and its
associated primary schools. The Burnfoot NCS project
had proved successful in meeting the needs of pupils and
the community through effective joint working with a
range of agencies. The strategic direction of the
Eyemouth project had been affected by the events of the
last year and its Strategic Group had only recently been
re-formed. However the ongoing management of the
initiative had been effective within available resources
and clear and appropriate objectives had been established.
Plans for the roll out of the New Community Schools
initiative to all schools across the Council were at a very
early stage of discussion.
Good support was given to schools to promote pupils’
skills in sport. Liaison between the former Lifelong
48
Learning and former Leisure and Recreation Departments
had resulted in the development of a clear Youth Sports
Strategy. Sports co-ordinators were deployed in
six secondary schools and sports development officers
had been appointed by the Leisure and Recreation
Department. Secondary schools had been given
additional staffing to support extra-curricular activities.
A range of successful schemes had been introduced to
provide opportunities for a wide range of pupils to
participate in sport and to provide specialist coaching and
advice to develop particular pupils’ skills in a range of
sports. Good support was also provided to enable pupils
to participate and develop skills in outdoor education
activities.
The Council provided very positive support for the
expressive arts and ran a number of successful arts and
music initiatives to develop the skills of pupils.
Curriculum support teachers in music, art and design and
physical education were deployed in primary schools.
Instrumental tuition was provided in a range of musical
instruments. Support was given to a broad range of
musical activities, including various orchestras, choral
groups and a traditional music centre. The St Andrews
Arts Centre provided a good base where assistant
advisers worked on a number of worthwhile arts-related
activities with schools.
Cultural Services provided free access to school pupils to
their annual programme of exhibitions and events. Staff
worked closely with subject advisers on a range of
collaborative projects, including one annual major project
in the museum service linked to the primary school
curriculum.
8. How well does the authority perform overall?
Overview
49
Generally, pupils in Scottish Borders Council schools
received a good quality of education. Supportive E&LL
initiatives had had a positive impact on the overall quality
of learning and teaching. Pupils’ attainment in national
tests and examinations had improved over the last
three years from an already high starting level. The
contributions of many centrally employed and school
staff to this overall improvement were significant and
sustained.
However, this generally positive position had been
compromised by significant weaknesses in the strategic
direction and management of a considerable number of
aspects of the service, involving elected members and
senior officers across the Council. Some of these
weaknesses had contributed to a substantial education
overspend and associated financial crisis. There were
indications that financial mismanagement aspects
included an impractical desire on the part of officers and
elected members to make a level of provision beyond the
resources available to the Council. In turn the crisis had
had serious repercussions for the Council as a whole, had
resulted in staff redundancies and had affected very
negatively the morale of many Council employees, within
and beyond E&LL services.
Despite much activity over the past year, some of the
actions taken to identify weaknesses and to address the
issues highlighted were themselves not fully effective.
This situation was exacerbated by instability in staffing
and the need for much of the time of members and
officers to be given over to the many audits and
investigations underway.
The timespan of this inspection, however, coincided with
a number of changes to leadership at Council and officer
levels and the announcement of substantive actions in the
immediate term as a step towards restructuring the
service and establishing a sound financial basis for future
planning and improvement. These actions focus on a
50
recovery strategy which includes the introduction of
modern governance principles. While it is clear that time
will be required to re-establish the trust of citizens and
employees, the actions taken have been decisive and
forward-looking. The new Chief Executive, within the
context of the new Council administration, has thereby
begun to establish a more solid framework for the new
Director of E&LL to secure improvement in the
management of the service and the performance of the
authority.
Key strengths
•
Overall levels of pupils’ achievements and
improvements in attainment in national tests and
examinations.
•
The quality of supportive guidelines and programmes
in many areas of the curriculum.
•
The success of the comprehensive Seeking the Best
Collectively policy in raising awareness of effective
learning and teaching strategies and in focusing on
improvement.
•
The effective staff development programme in
support of Seeking the Best Collectively and its focus
on improving pupils’ attainment and schools’
partnership with parents.
•
The dedication and effectiveness of a substantial
number of individuals working in the centre and in
schools.
•
The recent series of forward-looking and decisive
actions by elected members and the Chief Executive,
their determination to learn from past lessons, move
forward in the governance of Scottish Borders
Council and introduce a new approach to
communication within education.
51
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:
•
Develop a clear vision and aims for Education and
Lifelong Learning, complemented by an integrated
planning framework.
•
Establish and improve teamwork at all levels,
ensuring that officers are supported by effective staff
development and review processes.
•
Ensure the informed involvement of elected members
and senior officers of E&LL in achieving educational
improvement.
•
Develop strategies for improving communication and
consultation within a strategic policy framework for
the improvement of the service.
•
Clarify the levels of provision which can be made
within available funds, including:
− producing a comprehensive asset management
plan, including policy on the effective
management of small rural schools; and
− drawing up and applying a strategic plan for
evaluating aspects of provision within the BVR
framework, including provision for special
educational needs.
•
52
Ensure that efficient and effective procedures are put
in place to:
− redefine accountabilities and provide training to
ensure effective financial monitoring;
− develop internal controls to ensure that
expenditure cannot be committed without budget
provision having been made;
− agree and finalise Service Level Agreements;
− integrate financial management systems across the
service; and
− update and improve the scheme for devolved
school management.
•
Develop an efficient management information system
and use the information gathered to inform the
planning process.
•
Introduce a more rigorous system of school review.
HMIE, along with Audit Scotland, will continue to
monitor closely the implementation and effects of recent
and future actions. Around one year 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.
Ian Gamble
HM Chief Inspector
53
Quality, Standards and Audit Division
August 2002
54
Appendix 1
Performance information
Statistical indicators
•
•
% of school pupils staying on to S5 (post Christmas)
1998/99
1999/00
2000/01
Scottish Borders
National
70
65
69
65
69
64
Av. similar
councils 4
68
67
68
Pupil destinations
% Entering Full-Time
Higher Education
Scottish Borders
National
Av. similar councils
1998/99
35
31
37
1999/00
38
31
39
2000/01
38
32
41
% Entering Full-Time
Further Education
Scottish Borders
National
Av. similar councils
26
18
19
27
19
20
25
20
20
% Entering
Employment
Scottish Borders
National
Av. similar councils
21
26
26
21
26
25
21
24
24
•
Absence
In relation to the Raising Standards – Setting Targets
initiative, Scottish Borders has set itself the following
target to minimise the average number of half-days
absence per pupil in primary and secondary schools by
2000/01.
Primary
Secondary
Starting Level
(1997/1998)
Current Level
(2000/2001)
Target Level
(2000/2001)
Scottish
Borders
National
16
16
14
21
20
18
Scottish
Borders
National
28
30
24
43
43
36
4
Av. similar councils refers to the group of education authorities which are most
similar to each other in terms of various socio-economic and demographic factors.
55
•
Exclusions from schools in Scottish Borders
2000/2001
Scottish
Borders
National
•
Total
Exclusions
266
Exclusions Per
1000 Pupils
17
Temporary
Exclusions
260
Permanent
exclusions
0
38,656
51
38,334
322
As part of the Raising Standards – Setting Targets
initiative, Scottish Borders Council set itself the
following targets in reading, writing and mathematics
in primary schools to be achieved by 2001, and has
made the following progress in achieving them. The
figures represent the percentage of pupils attaining
and expected to attain appropriate 5-14 levels by P75.
Target
Reading
Writing
Maths
•
Current Level
June 2001
Target Level
June 2001
77
83
82
69
68
80
73
77
76
56
75
70
80
67
82
73
79
81
As part of the Raising Standards – Setting Targets
initiative, Scottish Borders Council set itself the
following targets in reading, writing and mathematics
in secondary schools to be achieved by 2001, and has
made the following progress in achieving them. The
figures represent the percentage of pupils attaining
and expected to attain appropriate 5-14 Levels by S26.
Target
5
Scottish
Borders
National
Scottish
Borders
National
Scottish
Borders
National
Starting Level
June 1998
Starting Level
June 1998
Current Level
June 2001
Level A by end of P3. Level B by end of P4. Level C by end of P6.
Level D by end of P7.
6
Level E by end of S2.
56
Target Level
June 2001
Reading
Writing
Maths
•
Scottish Borders
National
Scottish Borders
National
Scottish Borders
National
55
41
49
36
43
41
64
56
50
46
53
51
64
54
60
48
56
55
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
By end of S4
1999
2000
2001
5+ @ level 3 or better
Scottish Borders
National
Av. similar councils
92
91
93
93
91
92
96
91
93
5+ @ level 4 or better
Scottish Borders
National
Av. similar councils
81
75
79
84
77
80
88
77
81
5+ @ level 5 or better
Scottish Borders
National
Av. similar councils
41
32
34
43
33
36
46
33
37
1999
2000
2001
By end of S5
3+ @ level 6 or better
Scottish Borders
National
Av. similar councils
29
21
24
29
23
25
29
22
24
5+ @ level 6 or better
Scottish Borders
National
Av. similar councils
8
7
8
8
8
9
11
9
10
1999
2000
2001
11
10
11
12
10
12
11
11
11
By end of S6
1+ @ level 7 or better
Scottish Borders
National
Av. Similar councils
57
•
As part of the Raising Standards – Setting Targets
initiative, Scottish Borders Council set itself the
following SQA Standard Grade and Higher Grade
targets for session 2000-2001, and has made the
following progress in achieving them. The figures
represent the percentage of pupils achieving particular
targets.
SG English 1-6
SG Maths 1-6
5+SG 1-6
5+SG 1-4
5+SG 1-2
HG, 3+ (A-C)
HG, 5+ (A-C)
•
Current Level
(1999/2001)
Target Level
(1999/2001)
97
96
97
92
97
94
96
94
97
92
94
94
93
94
97
90
83
91
84
93
87
72
37
76
43
77
42
28
27
33
29
34
30
20
8
22
9
23
8
6
8
8
Scottish
Borders
National
Scottish
Borders
National
Scottish
Borders
National
Scottish
Borders
National
Scottish
Borders
National
Scottish
Borders
National
Scottish
Borders
National
Value Added from S Grade to H Grade
(a positive number represents more progress than is
typical nationally; a negative number represents less
progress than is typical nationally; an * indicates a
significant result)
Scottish Borders
58
Starting Level
(1995/97)
1999
-6.55*
2000
-4.34*
2001
-10.02*
Appendix 2
Inspection coverage
Establishments visited:
Little Treasures Nursery
St Boswells Nursery and Playgroup
Broughton Central Primary School
Chirnside Primary School
Coldstream Primary School
Drumlanrig St Cuthbert’s Primary School
Melrose Grammar School
Parkside Primary School
Philiphaugh Community School
St Margaret’s RC Primary School
Trinity Primary School
Westruther Primary School
Yarrow Primary School
Eyemouth High School
Galashiels Academy
Hawick High School
Wilton Centre
Meetings attended:
Council Executive Meeting
Council Education Executive Meeting
Council Scrutiny Panel Meeting
Corporate Management Group Meeting
E&LL Extended Management Team Meeting
E&LL Management Team Meeting
Meeting of Advisers
Meeting of Borders Learning Partnership
Meeting of all Headteachers
Meeting of Secondary School Headteachers
Scottish Borders Launch of the National Debate
in Education
59
Interviews or meetings with Council Members and
Officers:
Leader of the Council
Depute Leader of the Council
Education Portfolio Holders
Opposition Spokesperson on Education
Chair of Scrutiny Panel (Former Leader)
Chief Executive
Director of Corporate Resources
Acting Head of Service of Corporate Finance
Head of Service of Financial Administration
Acting Director of Lifelong Care (with acting
Head of Service)
Director of Transport and Environmental
Standards (with Head of Service)
Head of Strategic Policy and Performance Unit
Head of Scrutiny Unit
Chair of Children’s Services Planning Group
Interviews or meetings with other Stakeholder Groups:
Borders Primary Headteachers’ Association
Focus Groups of Headteachers / Heads of
establishment from the secondary, primary and
pre-school sectors
Focus Group of secondary school 5 - 14
co-ordinators
Focus Group of voluntary organisations
Focus Group of CLD officers
Focus Group of School Board Chairs
Representatives of Teachers’ Unions
Religious Representatives on the Education
Executive
Interviews with Education Service Staff
Acting Director of E&LL
Former Director of E&LL (retired)
Assistant Directors of Education
60
Head of Service in E&LL
Senior Psychologist
Senior Education Officers
Advisers
Assistant Advisers
Other officers in E&LL
Administrative staff in the centre and in
establishments visited
Reports on Scottish Borders Council scrutinised by the
inspection team
Report on Scottish Borders Education: Scottish
Parliament Education Culture and Sport
Committee (SP Paper 519)
Scottish Borders Council Education Department
Overspend: A report from the Controller of Audit
to the Accounts Commission (4 October 2001)
Scottish Borders Council Education Working
Group Report (8 October 2001)
Scottish Borders Council Education Department
Overspend: Findings of the Accounts Commission
in response to the Controller of Audit’s Report
and the SBC Education Working Group report
(November 2001)
Scottish Borders Council Education Department
Overspend: Progress report from the Controller of
Audit to the Accounts Commission (June 2002)
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Appendix 3
Quality indicators
We judged the following to be very good
•
No aspects were found to be in this category
We judged the following to be good
•
•
Policy development
Continuous improvement in performance
We judged the following to be fair
•
•
•
•
•
Mechanisms for consultation
Mechanisms for communication
Service planning
Deployment and effectiveness of staff
Measuring, monitoring and evaluating performance
We judged the following to be unsatisfactory
•
•
•
•
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Vision, values and aims
Effectiveness of leadership and management
Resource management
Financial management
How can you contact us?
Copies of this report have been sent to the Chief
Executive of the local authority, the Head of the
Education Service, other local authority officers,
Members of the Scottish Parliament, Audit Scotland,
heads of the local authority educational establishments,
chairpersons of the local authority School
Boards/Parents’ Associations and to other relevant
individuals and agencies. Subject to availability, further
copies may be obtained free of charge from the office at
the address below or by telephoning 0131 244 0746.
Copies are also available on our web site:
www.scotland.gov.uk/hmie
Should you wish to comment on, or make a complaint
about, any aspect of the inspection or about this report,
you should write in the first instance to Ian Gamble,
HMCI whose address is given below.
HM Inspectorate of Education
Quality, Standards and Audit Division
1-B95
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ
If you are still dissatisfied with our services, you can
contact your member of the Scottish Parliament (or, if
you prefer, any other MSP) and ask for your complaint to
be passed to the Scottish Parliamentary Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to
investigate complaints about Government Departments
and Agencies. He will not normally consider your
complaint before the HMIE complaints procedure has
been used. Instead, he will usually ask you to give us the
chance to put matters right first if we can.
Crown Copyright 2002
HM Inspectorate of Education
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This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except
for commercial purposes or in connection with a
prospectus or advertisement, provided that the source and
date thereof are stated.
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