S c o ttis h Bo rd e rs Co u n c il
F o l l o w - u p In s p e c t i o n R e p o r t
J a n u a ry 2 0 0 5
Contents
________________________________________
Page
Introduction
i
1.
The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
1
2.
Changes in the Education Service operational
context
1
3.
Continuous improvement
4
4.
Progress towards the main points for action
8
5.
Conclusion
24
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)1 which embody the
Government’s policy on Best Value.
Each inspection is planned and implemented in
partnership with Audit Scotland on behalf of the
Accounts Commission for Scotland. Audit
Scotland is a statutory body set up in April 2000,
under the Public Finance and Accountability
(Scotland) Act 2000. It provides services to the
Accounts Commission and the Auditor General
for Scotland. Together they ensure that the
Scottish Executive and public sector bodies in
Scotland are held to account for the proper,
efficient and effective use of public funds.
The inspection team also includes an Associate
Assessor who is a senior member of staff
currently serving in another Scottish local
authority.
All inspections of the education functions of
educational authorities are followed up by
inspection teams, normally around two years from
the date of the original published inspection report.
1
Quality Management in Education (HM Inspectors of Schools, 2000) is a framework of self-evaluation for
Local Authority Education Departments.
i
_______________________________
Scottish Borders Council
Follow-up Inspection Report
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
the national inspection programme of all education
authorities in Scotland over a five-year period.
The local authority prepared and made public an Action
Plan in August 2002, indicating how it would address the
main points for action identified in the original HMIE
inspection report published in August 2002.
An interim visit by an inspection team was carried out in
September 2003 and a letter evaluating progress made in
implementing the action plan was published.
An inspection team revisited the authority in September
2004 to assess progress made in meeting the
recommendations in the initial report.
2. Changes in the Education Service operational context
Since the inspection of the education functions of
Scottish Borders Council there had been very significant
and wide-ranging changes within the Council and the
Education Service.
At the time of the initial inspection, the political
representation on the Council was 16 Independent
councillors, 13 Scottish Liberal Democrat, two
Conservative, two Scottish National and one Labour. An
alliance of Scottish Liberal Democrat, Conservative,
1
Labour and a number of Independent councillors formed
the administration. Following the local government
elections in May 2003 the political representation of the
Council changed to 14 Independent councillors,
11 Conservative, eight Scottish Liberal Democrat and one
Scottish National. Nineteen of the 34 councillors were
elected as new members to the Council. A new
administration was formed by an Independent and
Conservative coalition. The Leader of the Council was
new to post since the election. A new joint chair
representing the coalition had been appointed to the
Education Executive. A strong focus on education was
maintained through this period of change to the political
leadership of the Council.
The Council had introduced a corporate agenda for
change which focused on the five key priorities of
modernisation, raising standards and Best Value, working
with the Borders community, better government and
supporting staff to deliver improvement in services. To
assist the effective delivery of these important priorities,
the Chief Executive had successfully introduced, and had
plans to develop further, revised corporate structures and
procedures, and staff training to improve service
planning, programme management and performance
monitoring. A Scottish Borders’ Management
Programme had been introduced recently for all senior
managers as part of the Council’s strategy to improve
core leadership and management competencies. Steps
had been taken by the Council to improve strategic
management through staff training in using the European
Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). These
corporate developments provided Education and Lifelong
Learning (E&LL) with an emerging framework and
sound support for continuous improvement.
In June 2002, just prior to the arrival of a new Director
for E&LL, the Education Executive agreed proposals for
an interim management structure for the service. A key
element of that structure was the appointment of two
2
seconded headteachers to act as Heads of Service for
Primary/Early Years and Secondary/Special Education.
In addition, a Business Manager was recruited on a
permanent basis. The interim structure was fully in place
by October 2002. It provided greater stability and
professional expertise to the management of the service
in the short term.
In April 2003, the Education Executive approved the new
Director’s proposals for a permanent management
structure for E&LL. This improved management
structure was simpler and had the potential to be more
effective. The smaller senior management team,
comprising the Director and Heads of Community,
Business, Schools, and Quality Services, had increasingly
placed a stronger focus on strategic issues. Only one
member of this team had been in post at the time of the
original inspection.
The enhanced Schools Services, led by the Head of
Schools, and including managers of education sectors and
cross-sectoral aspects such as additional support needs
and integrated community schools, provided better
management support to schools. Quality Services,
incorporating a team of six Quality Improvement Officers
(QIOs) along with a Communications Manager and a
Continuous Professional Development Manager, gave
greater authority-wide focus to service planning,
performance monitoring, communications and staff
development across the service. The incorporating of
Community Learning and Development, Cultural and
Interpretive Services and Arts under a single service area
provided more opportunities for integrated working
within E&LL.
This extensive restructuring had taken considerable time.
Some of the posts had been filled only recently and the
realignment of administrative support was still to be
finalised. However, E&LL was now well placed to make
further significant progress. Overall, the new structure
3
had increased E&LL’s capacity to manage its business
services in systematic ways and strengthened the capacity
to improve its impact, centrally and in schools.
3. Continuous improvement
As outlined above, the organisation of the Department
had improved significantly since the inspection.
Improvements were evident in the ethos and quality of its
work. The new Director and his team had succeeded in
encouraging a feeling of confidence and optimism within
which improvement strategies could operate. Elected
members were keen to ensure that educational provision
and the management of the service would improve.
Council Leaders and the Chief Executive had moved
quickly to provide strategic leadership in setting the
context for E&LL and continue to do so.
The new Director had built very effectively on this
groundwork and strategic management of the service had
improved significantly. Senior officers in E&LL, acting
in temporary and permanent positions, had made
important contributions to improvement. Arrangements
to ensure the effectiveness of financial monitoring had
been implemented and were now operating efficiently.
Intensive work by E&LL in collaboration with other
Council services to gather essential information on the
school estate had resulted in the production of an
impressive asset management review document, on the
basis of which the Council could plan ahead.
The remits of officers had been clarified and improved,
and the new structures, with some minor exceptions, were
now operating smoothly. Centrally-employed officers
had moved quickly to engage with their remits and focus
on supporting and challenging schools. Within that
context, a more systematic programme of school visits
and contacts was now well established. Staff
development activities were helping to ensure that all
4
officers would be able to operate to a high standard.
Teamwork was now much more evident within E&LL,
between its officers and their corporate colleagues and
generally with schools.
E&LL had extended and improved its processes to
analyse and monitor relevant performance data and
identify areas for improvement. For example, in the
5-14 context, a teacher/officers working group had
undertaken a detailed analysis of pupils’ performance in
mathematics at all stages from P1 to S2. Discussion of
the implications of the findings had led to the
identification of mathematics as a priority area for
improvement across the authority. In the context of
National Qualifications, an external consultant had been
commissioned to undertake an analysis of examination
results in all secondary schools. Resulting data had been
used as a basis for discussions in schools. A recent
analysis of HMIE reports had led to the identification of
strengths and areas requiring improvement across the
authority. Aspects of leadership and self-evaluation had
been appropriately highlighted as priorities for staff
development. This focus on analysis and dissemination
of information on pupils’ performance was helping
Managers, QIOs and schools to identify strengths and
aspects requiring improvement.
Since the inspection, the attainment of pupils in the
authority’s schools had in a few instances remained stable
but in a number of instances had deteriorated. Overall
performance had remained above the national averages in
most measures, but no longer outstripped the average of
similar Councils.
Comparative data on performance at 5-14 in reading,
writing and mathematics was not yet available for 2004.
Over the period 2001-2003, in primary schools, the
percentage of pupils achieving expected levels for their
stage in reading and writing had remained stable,
matching the percentage in comparator authorities at a
5
level slightly above the national figure. The average in
mathematics had declined slightly and was now below
both the national average and the average of comparator
authorities. In the secondary school context, performance
in reading and writing had remained marginally above the
national averages but was now below the average of
comparator authorities. In mathematics, the authority
average matched the national figure but was consistently
below the average of comparator authorities.
In National Qualifications, the percentages of pupils
attaining five or more awards at Levels 32 or better,
Level 4 or better and Level 5 or better by the end of S4
had, over the period 1999-2001, been consistently above
or well above national averages and the averages of
comparator authorities. However, since the inspection, in
the period 2002-2004, the percentages of pupils gaining
these awards had fallen, while still remaining above
national averages. The percentages of pupils gaining five
or more awards at Level 3 or better and Level 4 or better,
were now the same as the average of comparator
authorities. The percentage gaining five or more awards
at Level 5 had remained above the average of comparator
authorities.
The percentage of pupils gaining, by the end of S5, three
or more awards at Level 6 or better had decreased, though
was still above the national average and the average of
comparator authorities. The percentage gaining five or
more awards at this Level had also declined and now lay
below both the national average and the average of
comparator authorities. The percentage of pupils gaining
one or more award at Level 7 or better by the end of S6
had remained stable over the same period and was still
well above national and comparator authority averages.
2
6
Level 1 = Access 1. Level 2 = Access 2
Level 3 = Standard Grade at Foundation Level or Access 3.
Level 4 = Standard Grade at General Level or Intermediate 1 at A - C.
Level 5 = Standard Grade at Credit Level or Intermediate 2 at A - C.
Level 6 = Higher at A – C. Level 7 = Advanced Higher or CSYS at A – C.
These results constituted an overall slightly deteriorating
picture in the context of performance levels which
remained generally still above the national average. The
authority must now focus strongly on the work of schools
and their performance across key areas of their work,
challenging them strongly on underperformance and
supporting them as appropriate towards improvement.
The results of the inspections of pre-school
establishments were generally good. Strengths included
the care and support provided to children and their
families, the teamwork of staff, the positive ethos in the
nursery and provision for the social and emotional
development of the children. The most frequently
reported weaknesses were in planning for improvement,
monitoring, and security in some premises. Inspections
of primary schools indicated that most provided a good,
and sometimes very good, quality of education.
Strengths were most frequently noted in aspects relating
to the curriculum, teaching, pastoral care, climate and
relationships, and partnership with parents and the
community. Areas for improvement included leadership,
self-evaluation and some aspects of pupils’ learning and
attainment. In secondary schools inspected the overall
quality of education was good. Strengths were noted in
climate and relationships, partnerships with parents and
the community, the range of extra-curricular activities
and pupils’ broader achievements. Insufficient progress
had been made in improving leadership, self-evaluation
and aspects of pupils’ attainment.
Almost all of the schools which received follow-through
visits to inspections had made good or very good progress
towards meeting their main points for action and in
continuing to improve. Overall, there were signs that the
work of the Schools Team and QIOs was beginning to
have a positive impact on school improvement.
Reports on Community Learning and Development
(CLD) noted strengths in adult learning and some aspects
of building up the capacities of communities. However,
7
important weaknesses were identified in provision for
young people, ethos and values, resources, and
management, planning and quality assurance. Progress in
improving the quality and effectiveness of CLD provision
had been limited.
Overall, since the initial inspection, E&LL had improved
significantly its organisation and its capacity to work
effectively with schools and other establishments to effect
improvements for children and young people. Given the
magnitude of the changes required to bring about
improvement and the time this had inevitably taken,
E&LL had not yet been able to drive forward
improvements at establishment level in systematic ways.
However, it was now much better placed so to do with a
focus on further raising pupils’ attainment and
achievements.
4. Progress towards the main points for action
The initial inspection report published in August 2002
identified eight main points for action. This section
evaluates the progress the authority has made with each
of the main action points and the resulting improvements
for pupils and other stakeholders.
4.1 Develop a clear vision and aims for
Education and Lifelong Learning, complemented
by an integrated planning framework.
E&LL had made good progress overall on this point for
action.
A new vision for E&LL and the focus of its work had
been developed, in consultation with centrally-deployed
staff, headteachers and School Board representatives.
The vision, of a better service to the people of Scottish
Borders, was expressed clearly in documentation and
information on the work of the authority.
8
Most E&LL centrally-deployed staff subscribed to the
vision and directed their efforts towards delivering a
better service in whichever specific contexts their
activities lay. Recent moves to communicate the vision
and its associated aims more widely - at headteacher
meetings, through the written statement of improvement
objectives and by means of summarising posters for
offices and schools - had met with initial success.
However, the presentation of the vision had been very
recent and its impact had as yet not filtered through to all
staff working in schools and other establishments. E&LL
was well aware of the need to publicise and use the vision
as a guiding principle for all aspects of its work. It also
recognised the importance of activating the vision in
order to restore the confidence of parents, communities
and others in educational services across the Council.
Significant progress had been made on the development
of an integrated planning framework. The Council’s
Corporate Plan had been simplified and its presentation
improved. It clearly set out the priorities for development
and improvement in all Council service areas and showed
in outline how the various other relevant plans dovetailed
with the Corporate Plan. E&LL’s strategic improvement
plan amplified the outline provided in the Corporate Plan,
expressing in a clear, straightforward way its
improvement priorities for the three-year period
2004-2007. Each of the four new service areas within
E&LL had developed a concise three-year business plan
with clear objectives and some information on allocated
budgets. E&LL had recognised the need to specify more
closely the success criteria for these outcomes in order
that they could become an effective self-evaluation tool.
Since the inspection E&LL had substantially improved
the quality of planning at the operational level.
Immediate steps had been taken to identify responsible
officers for significant tasks. This process was affected at
the time by the restructuring and the movement of staff.
9
Despite this, the new Director and his interim
management team ensured that most tasks were taken
forward appropriately. Each priority outcome in all
service areas across the Department had been assigned to
a responsible officer, remitted to ensuring progress on the
key tasks relevant to the achievement of the outcome. An
effective monitoring process had been set up, using a
system to highlight which tasks were on track and which
were falling behind projected completion dates. Task
managers now discussed progress regularly with Heads of
Service and appropriate action was quickly taken where
relevant. Any tasks which were falling significantly
behind schedule were now brought to the attention of the
full senior management team. These arrangements
constituted significant improvement of planning and of
task management since the time of the inspection.
Overall, E&LL had begun to work to a much clearer
vision. It now requires to ensure that the recently
articulated vision permeates the work of schools at all
levels and is communicated to parents and others with an
interest in schools. To make the vision of better services
a reality, E&LL had improved its planning processes
significantly within an improving Corporate planning
context.
4.2 Establish and improve teamwork at all
levels, ensuring that officers are supported by
effective staff development and review
processes.
The Council had made very good progress towards
meeting this point for action.
E&LL’s efforts to establish and promote teamwork had
met with considerable success. Strongly promoted by the
Director and through the commitment of other senior
officers, teamwork had been quickly established, firstly
within the interim senior management team and
continuing as substantive appointments were made.
10
Commendably, team-building at this level had moved
forward steadily despite the sometimes protracted period
of restructuring and appointment of new staff. Senior
managers were now perceived to be operating as a team.
This in turn had helped to engender confidence in the
work of E&LL.
Elected members and officers in other corporate service
areas attested to a much improved contribution from
E&LL officers to the work of the Council as a whole.
Their higher profile, willingness to see themselves as
members of a team beyond E&LL and engagement with
corporate issues constituted a marked change from the
situation at the time of the inspection. Teamwork was
evident between E&LL officers and elected members,
outside agencies and other corporate service areas,
notably Finance. As communication improved,
teamworking with schools, School Board Chairs and
other stakeholders was growing.
A number of teams operating at other levels within E&LL
were now well established. Notably, QIOs were much
more confident in carrying out their remits and had gelled
as a team under the temporary leadership of the Director
and then the recently appointed Head of Quality Services.
A new Schools Team was being established under the
strong leadership of the Head of Schools. Further
development should ensure cohesion among the units and
managers in this team, where at least one key
appointment was still to be made. E&LL was aware of
the need to ensure that the imminent restructuring of
administrative staff to align with the new management
structure should be well supported so that teamworking
within that group could be maintained.
Staff generally expressed confidence in arrangements for
performance review, which included formal interviews,
informal meetings and regular and systematic discussions
of progress on tasks. Officers had responded well to the
many appropriate staff development activities offered to
them. In particular, training in financial management
11
now constituted a key element of their training
programmes. The focus on training and development
should be sustained, including a continuing emphasis on
financial management for new appointees and others as
required.
Overall, the authority had improved the impact of
centrally-employed officers by fostering teamwork.
Officers had demonstrated commitment to co-operative
ways of working and accepted communal responsibility
for the outcome of activities. They were supported by
appropriate staff development and performance review
processes. This situation represented a marked overall
improvement.
4.3 Ensure the informed involvement of elected
members and senior officers of E&LL in
achieving educational improvement.
Very good progress had been made on this point for
action.
E&LL officers had made significant contributions to the
training and briefings of elected members. This process
had extended to prospective candidates prior to the
election in May 2003. Since the election, E&LL staff had
briefed the whole Council on key issues such as the
Public Private Partnership (PPP) proposals for the ‘school
of the future’ initiative. Elected members expressed
appreciation for these briefings. Elected members
responsible for aspects of E&LL had regular meetings
with the Director and senior officers as relevant to discuss
developments and financial implications. Members
praised the informative reports received from E&LL
officers as background for Council decisions, with
alternatives clearly presented and explained and options
for decision indicated. The elected members interviewed
were pleased with the arrangements for close working
with officers, and indicated that they were now much
12
more aware of their duties in monitoring the Council
budget and in questioning expenditure.
Senior officers, almost all of whom had been appointed
since the inspection, were well informed on educational
issues. They had all received appropriate training in
financial management. Discussion of financial aspects
was a regular feature of senior management meetings and
also of the meetings senior managers held regularly with
their managers and project leaders. Senior officers’
horizons had been widened through their inclusion in the
corporate agenda and working in partnerships with a
broad range of other agencies. The Chief Executive had
also recently introduced a major staff development
strategy for senior officers across all Service areas, a key
aspect of which was formalised training in programme
management. It was too soon to judge the impact of this
training on the ways in which large-scale programmes
were being handled by senior officers.
Overall, elected members and senior officers were now
much better informed on their roles and responsibilities in
the governance of the education functions of the Council.
4.4 Develop strategies for improving
communication and consultation within a
strategic policy framework for the improvement
of the service.
Very good progress had been made in meeting this point
for action.
The clear goals and outcomes for E&LL set out in the
Strategic Improvement Plan 2004-2007 provided a sound
strategic framework for policy development and service
improvement. Policy review and development were
determined by this Strategic Plan and ultimately the
Scottish Borders Council’s Corporate Plan, Building a
Better Borders. Over the last two years a number of key
policies had been revised and developed to provide
13
helpful guidelines and support for schools. These
included appropriate policies on Health and Safety,
Devolved School Management, Police Liaison,
Professional Review and Development, Deployment of
Probationers and Hungry for Success 3.
Draft policies on Communication and Consultation were
prepared in September 2003 and successfully piloted over
the next year. In September 2004 the Education
Executive approved Communication and Consultation
strategies and associated action plans which reflected the
existing and developing good practice. The appointment
of a Communications Manager and the introduction of
more robust processes provided more professional and
systematic approaches to consultation and
communication.
The authority had taken positive action to improve
consultation. Headteachers and staff were more involved
in influencing decisions on policy and operational
management. Open meetings were held to enable staff to
participate in determining the future strategic direction of
the service. Statutory consultations on proposed school
rationalisation were very thorough and fully involved key
stakeholders and the wider communities. Consultation
with other departments in the Council was now more
systematic and rigorous. Considerable improvements had
been made in consultation with partnership agencies, for
example, through the Borders Childcare Partnership, the
Complex Needs Co-ordination Group and the Children’s
Change Group. Worthwhile opportunities to consult with
a range of stakeholders were provided through the
programme of Best Value reviews.
More structured and extended approaches had been
developed to consult with School Boards. A start had
been made to extend consultation with children and
young people. There was scope to extend consultation
3
14
Hungry for Success ; a whole school approach to school meals in Scotland, SEED,
November 2002.
with the wider parent body and user groups on the nature
and quality of services provided.
Communication had improved. A more focused and
professional approach had been introduced to
communicate key strategies and initiatives to staff and
parents. Regular meetings and termly newsletters keep
pre-school providers from the local authority, private and
voluntary sectors well informed. Primary and Secondary
School Managers had taken positive steps to enhance
communications with schools through regular
newsletters, briefing notes on specific issues and a range
of meetings for headteachers. The authority needed to
ensure that communication with staff in schools, other
than headteachers, was consistent and effective.
Communication with School Boards through meetings,
presentations and briefing notes had improved. Helpful
leaflets for parents and carers had been provided, for
example on School Admission Arrangements, healthy
eating and Children’s Part-time Working. There had
been some progress in the development of the E&LL
website and plans were in place to enhance this as means
of communication.
Overall, officers and elected members had worked hard
and effectively to improve consultation and
communication and considerable progress had been
made.
15
4.5 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.
Progress in producing a comprehensive asset
management plan was very good, although progress in
meeting the other aspects of this point for action was fair.
Working very effectively with other Departments in the
corporate context, E&LL had undertaken an impressive
review of the school estate. A comprehensive report had
been produced taking full account of demographic
projections covering the next 15 to 20 years. On the basis
of the review, an asset management plan was produced.
The plan made recommendations on potential
rationalisation of the school estate, on capital expenditure
for schools in need of major maintenance and on
proposals for a PPP outline business case.
This extensive piece of work had led to a number of
significant outcomes. Elected members and officers had
engaged in an extensive round of consultations with
parents and other stakeholders on proposals for primary
school rationalisation. Following this, elected members
took the decision to close four primary schools as part of
a broader set of proposals. Subsequently, proposals to
close two other schools have been accepted and proposals
for a further two closures rejected. Elected members
should ensure that decisions on school rationalisation are
taken which allow them to fulfil their duties in improving
education, to achieve Best Value and to meet the future
needs of communities across Scottish Borders.
16
The Council had started to make progress on improving
school buildings. The outline business case for PPP
funding had resulted in an indicative award of £50
million from the Scottish Executive. A Project Manager
was appointed in June 2004 and a Project Board and
Team were in place to take this initiative forward. For
the schools not being developed through PPP, an asset
management plan had been developed which was to be
assessed in relation to the Council’s five year capital
programme. Work was at a very early stage in preparing
an asset plan for the remainder of E&LL’s asset portfolio.
A policy on the effective management of small rural
schools had not yet been fully established. Three
individual pilot schemes for joint headships in rural
primary schools continued to operate. A primary
headteacher had been seconded to take a broad look at the
role and management of rural schools and, following
consultation, prepare a Policy on Rural Schools for
consideration by the Education Executive in April 2005.
Over the past two years, from a low base, the Council at
corporate level had made significant progress in its
overall approach to Best Value. A programme of six
service reviews to be undertaken was set out in the E&LL
Strategic Improvement Plan 2004-2007. It is intended to
produce a Best Value report of CLD by the end of 2004.
The review of Janitorial Services had been ongoing for
some time and progress was slow. The outcomes of the
Facilities Management review were due to be reported in
May 2005. An extensive review of Additional Needs
Services had recently been set up and a draft report was
planned for October 2005.
Overall, outwith the asset management review, Best
Value reviews had yet to make an impact on pre-school
establishments, schools or CLD. Much remained to be
done to ensure that reviews delivered reports within
planned timescales and that potential benefits to the
service were realised.
17
4.6 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 management
systems across the service; and update and
improve the scheme for devolved school
management.
Overall, the Council and E&LL had made very good
progress on most aspects of this main point for action
from the very low position noted at the time of the initial
inspection. However, work was still required to ensure
improvement in some aspects.
Immediately following the initial inspection, the Chief
Executive had transferred responsibility for the financial
management of E&LL services to the Director of
Corporate Resources and his team of financial officers.
This action resulted in the prompt development of
effective internal controls on budgets. Since that time,
and operating in compliance with the recommendations
of the Controller of Audit, significant actions were taken
at corporate level and within E&LL. These resulted in
the effective redefinition of accountabilities, productive
collaboration between officers and overall improvements
in financial monitoring and management. The measures
taken ensured that expenditure could not be committed
without budget provision having been made. Having
established sound approaches to the financial
management of educational services, responsibility for it
had been recently transferred back to E&LL.
All senior officers were now fully informed about their
budget monitoring responsibilities and were themselves
monitored on how effectively they met them. E&LL held
regular internal meetings to discuss the current financial
position against budget and to identify any necessary
18
adjustments. Regular meetings were also held with other
departments such as Corporate Resources and Technical
Services. E&LL officers were now much more confident
in handling the financial aspects of project management.
Considerable preparatory work had been done to ensure
that E&LL developed and maintained a close level of
financial monitoring relating to educational
establishments and their spending. The restructuring of
E&LL had identified officers responsible for monitoring
the financial position of schools and of provision for
pupils with additional support needs. However, it was
too early to assess fully the effectiveness of this
monitoring. As part of the implementation of the
Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, initial
arrangements had been made to introduce a post of
Business Support Manager to schools. These managers
were to provide additional support to schools in terms of
their financial responsibilities and stronger links with
central support services. A number of posts for
secondary schools had been filled, with others, including
those to be shared by primary schools, still at the
recruitment stage.
Good progress had been made by E&LL in relation to
developing service level agreements. A Contracts
Manager post was filled in March 2004 and was
facilitating communications between Corporate
departments. Work had been undertaken to redefine the
cleaning contract in relation to the schools estate and
incorporate findings into the service agreement. The
catering agreement was currently being modified to take
forward the national agenda on healthy eating. However,
further work was still required to finalise these
agreements. The transport agreement had not been
updated for a number of years.
Overall, staff had made good progress in integrating
financial management systems across the service. An
important constraint was the number of primary schools
19
which still did not have on-line access to the authority’s
Financial Information System (FIS) or the Commitment
Accounting System. However, steps had been taken to
produce a new spreadsheet providing a clearer link
between the school’s devolved school management
(DSM) budget allocation and the monthly FIS and
commitment accounting reports. E&LL had made some
improvements to support for schools in carrying forward
and reporting on their budgets. The carry-forward
positions for each budget heading were also reported to
the Council’s Performance Monitoring Panel, which
allowed members to be aware of the effect on final
outturns. E&LL had also amended the coding structure
used by schools to allow expenditure on ‘ring-fenced’
projects to be identified more easily. Some headteachers
however reported that this had confused them. E&LL
needed to continue to assist schools to understand the
changes.
Work had also been undertaken to update the DSM
scheme and increase the level of resourcing devolved to
schools. E&LL was also arranging to benchmark the
DSM scheme against other education authorities. Some
financial training had been undertaken by school staff but
more detailed training for headteachers and
administrative assistants was required.
Overall, significant work had been done corporately and
within E&LL to ensure that financial management was on
a sound footing and being improved. The scale of work
required to modernise procedures and ensure effective
monitoring was considerable. Therefore, despite very
good progress, further work remained to be done to bring
the quality of financial management overall to a
consistently high level across all relevant aspects.
20
4.7 Develop an efficient management
information system and use the information
gathered to inform the planning process.
Overall, progress in implementing this main point for
action was good. Significant work had been undertaken
in a number of key areas, although many developments
were at an early stage and impact was as yet limited.
A comprehensive Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) strategy paper setting out E&LL’s
vision and goals for the development of ICT reflected
agreed corporate and E&LL priorities. An ICT Unit
Business Plan had been produced for the three-year
period 2004 to 2007, with specific actions to be
undertaken during 2004-2005. Taken together these
documents provided clear direction for the development
of ICT across the authority. Good progress had been
made with the revision of the management structure and
associated job descriptions for the ICT Unit, resulting in a
more coherent approach to ICT direction and
developments in E&LL, and better liaison with the
corporate ICT Unit.
The authority had progressed well in its reviews of
schools’ and central management information systems
(MIS). Areas requiring further development had been
identified and work was in progress to address them.
Considerable investment in ICT had enabled the
replacement of secondary school servers, the purchase of
new hardware and software and the appointment of an
additional member of staff to support primary schools’
use of MIS. However, only secondary schools and a
small number of primary schools had fixed links which
allowed for fast and reliable data transfer. The remainder
relied on lower capacity, less reliable dial up links.
Broadband solutions had been identified but
implementation was dependent on budgetary provision
being made.
21
Good progress had been made in establishing a new
Schools’ Information Database which incorporated
school profiles and quality monitoring data. QIOs had
made some good progress in providing initial baseline
data against which to measure improvement in schools.
Training and support in the use of the database had been
provided for officers. Headteachers welcomed the
development of the database in general terms, and were
interested to have further clarification about its use and
potential to impact positively on their work. Through
good collaborative work between the Head of Quality
Services, the CPD Manager and the ICT Manager, further
significant work to support the monitoring of school
development planning and CPD had been identified and
was in progress.
Other positive features included recent developments in
the procurement and dissemination of software. For
example, officers were beginning to establish a ‘virtual
school’ for children looked after by the authority. A
programme of developments had been identified, all of
which would provide officers with good quality
management information for future planning.
Overall, the authority had taken positive steps to establish
efficient management information systems and to
improve its provision and support for ICT. It was already
making good use of resulting data, and had clear plans for
further developments, many of which were well under
way.
4.8 Introduce a more rigorous system of school
review.
E&LL had made good progress in consolidating and
extending its overall strategy to promote improvement. A
new arrangement to review specific aspects of schools’
provision had been introduced, although this process had
not yet had time to impact on schools and on the
experiences and performance of pupils.
22
The authority’s existing framework for improvement
within the context of support and challenge of schools
had recently been revised and restated. Important key
aspects of the system which had been retained included
QIOs’ and school managers’ discussions with schools
about attainment and support for schools in identifying
improvement priorities and evaluating the effectiveness
of development activities. Headteachers had appreciated
the quality of dialogue that had taken place, and
confirmed that issues arising from these discussions
would inform their future planning. A positive
development had been the establishment in August 2004
of a Joint Quality Assurance Monitoring Group chaired
by the Director and comprising the Heads of Schools and
Quality Services, QIOs, and the Primary and Secondary
Schools Managers. This Group had the important task of
co-ordinating and providing focus for all quality
improvement activities.
E&LL’s quality improvement strategy had recently been
extended through the inclusion of a review process for
individual schools. There had been extensive
consultation with headteachers and teachers’
representatives on the nature and format of a formalised
review process. The scope of the review had been
determined and was, commendably, to include scrutiny of
the effectiveness of the implementation of E&LL policies
as well as specific aspects of school performance.
Guidelines had been developed and agreed and officers to
carry out the reviews identified. There were sensible
opportunities to draw on the experiences of those
headteachers who had been involved in HMIE
inspections as associate assessors. A number of schools
had volunteered to be involved in pilot reviews. The
Head of Quality Services had maintained close contact
with these schools and training for headteachers and
reviewers had taken place. However, the first reviews
had only just begun and it was too early to judge the
effectiveness of the process or its impact on schools.
23
Overall, good progress had been made from a modest
starting point at the time of the inspection. The authority
should now monitor carefully the effectiveness of its
overall strategy for improvement, including the process
of review, to ensure that they impact positively on the
quality of pupils’ experiences and achievements within
each establishment.
5. Conclusion
Since the initial inspection, the Council and the Education
and Lifelong Learning (E&LL) Department had made
significant progress from what had been a very low base.
Elected members and the Chief Executive, who at the
time had himself been only recently appointed, had
demonstrated determination to restore confidence in the
education functions of the Council after a period of
unprecedented turmoil. The new Director had quickly
gained the confidence of his own team and elected
members. He had given a strong lead to establishing a
sound framework for addressing the main points for
action in the inspection report. Setting up an interim
management structure had the effect of prolonging the
subsequent period of disruption. However, it had allowed
the new Director, ably supported by the interim
management team, to determine the way ahead for E&LL
while ensuring that good contacts were maintained
between schools and the centre. Inevitably, the time
required to create a vision, recruit the personnel and set
up the necessary management structures had delayed the
point at which E&LL could work consistently with
schools to drive forward the improvement agenda. That
point had now been reached.
Against this background, and with the willing
participation of officers at all levels, much had been done
to improve management processes. A vision for the
service had been developed and articulated. It had still to
be fully disseminated beyond senior managers in schools
24
and to parents. Planning processes, in Council and E&LL
contexts, had been considerably improved and monitoring
of progress in key tasks was sound. Teamwork was now
a hallmark of operation at many levels. Almost all
officers at all levels were engaged in appropriate staff
development and review processes.
Elected members were giving a stronger lead on
education and reported that they had received very good
briefings and support from the Director and his team.
Senior officers now made contributions to corporate
activities and were committed to fulfilling their
responsibilities for the effective management of and
improvement in the service. They had undertaken
appropriate financial training and were receiving some
intensive staff development in managing programmes.
As a result, leadership and management of educational
services had undergone considerable improvements.
Aspects of resource management had improved. An
impressive asset management review had been
undertaken and was being used as a sound basis for work
on ensuring that the school estate would be appropriate
for the numbers of pupils projected to attend Scottish
Borders schools over the next decade. Elected members
still had the challenging task of determining the best way
ahead to provide for all pupils quality accommodation
suited to their educational needs and ensure Best Value in
the deployment of the Council’s resources. The
Council’s approach to Best Value had improved
significantly, but as yet outcomes of reviews were unclear
or had impacted only marginally in practical ways.
Communication and consultation had improved
considerably from the very low point evident at the time
of the inspection. Regular contacts with schools and
School Board Chairs had been established. E&LL now
required to build on these good processes, extending
communications to all parents and to pupils and making
25
best use of management information systems and
e-technology.
The authority had moved forward significantly in the
consolidation of their quality improvement framework
and had begun to implement a process of reviews of
aspects of the work of individual schools and of authority
policies. Good work had also been done to analyse
attainment and other data and to set up support strategies
in individual schools and in aspects of learning, teaching,
attainment and achievement across all schools. Such
arrangements were timely. Scottish Borders schools
continued to perform at a level generally above national
averages. However, overall attainment levels had in
many instances fallen, both in actual terms and in relation
to the averages achieved by similar authorities. Now that
internal management processes have improved and the
relevant staff are largely in place, the full attention of the
Director and officers of E&LL should be directed
towards ensuring improvements in the attainment and
achievements of children, young people and adults in
Scottish Borders establishments and services.
Overall Scottish Borders had made good progress in
overtaking the main points for action. In many instances,
progress was very good, constituting significant
improvement from the very low base recorded in the
inspection report of two years ago. However, much
further work was now required. Specifically, E&LL
needed to ensure that the new vision impacts positively
on establishments, that Best Value reviews and the new
process of school review result in improvements, and that
the attainment of pupils improves overall.
26
The authority should submit a report to HMIE on further
progress on these aspects by October 2005. HMIE will
then decide if any additional visit is required at that point
to evaluate further progress in relation to the original
inspection.
Ian Gamble
HM Chief Inspector
Directorate 5
January 2005
27
How can you contact us?
If you would like an additional copy of this report
Copies of this report have been sent to the Chief
Executive of the local authority, elected members,
the Head of the Education Service, other local
authority officers, Members of the Scottish
Parliament, Audit Scotland, heads of the local
authority educational establishments, chairpersons of
the local authority School Boards/Parents’
Associations and to other relevant individuals and
agencies. Subject to availability, further copies may
be obtained free of charge from HM Inspectorate of
Education, Directorate 5, Denholm House,
Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way,
Livingston, EH54 6GA or by telephoning 01506 600
380. Copies are also available on our website:
www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you wish to comment about education authority
inspections
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of
education authority inspections, you should write in
the first instance to Mr Ian Gamble, HMCI, at
HM Inspectorate of Education, Directorate 5,
Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park,
Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA.
Our complaints procedure
If you have a concern about this report, you should
write in the first instance to Hazel Dewart, Business
Management Unit, HM Inspectorate of Education,
Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park,
Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA. A copy
of our complaints procedure is available from this
office or by telephoning 01506 600 265 or from our
website at www.hmie.gov.uk.
28
If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken
at the end of our complaints procedure, you can raise
your complaint with the Scottish Public Services
Ombudsman. The Scottish Public Services
Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to
investigate complaints about Government
departments and agencies. You should write to The
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, 4-6 Melville
Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS. You can also telephone
0870 011 5378 or e-mail
enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk. More
information about the Ombudsman’s office can be
obtained from the website:
www.scottishombudsman.org.uk
Crown Copyright 2005
HM Inspectorate of Education
This report may be reproduced in whole or in part,
except for commercial purposes or in connection
with a prospectus or advertisement, provided that the
source and date thereof are stated.
29