S o u th La n a rk s h ire Co u n c il
F e b ru a ry 2 0 0 4
Contents
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Page
Introduction
i
1.
The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
1
2.
The Education Service: operational context
1
3.
Strategic management of the service
11
4.
Consultation and communication
18
5.
Operational management
22
6.
Resource and financial management
28
7.
Performance monitoring and continuous
improvement
34
8.
How well does the authority perform overall?
53
9.
Main points for action
56
Appendices
Performance information
Inspection coverage
Quality indicators
58
64
68
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.
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Inspection of the education functions of
South Lanarkshire Council
1. The aims, nature and scope of the inspection
The education functions of South Lanarkshire Council
were inspected during the period October to
November 2003 as part of a five-year national inspection
programme of all local authorities in Scotland.
The inspection team interviewed elected members and
officers of the Council. The inspection team also
attended meetings, visited schools and other
establishments in the authority and met with staff,
chairpersons of School Boards and other key stakeholders
of the Education Service. A summary of inspection
activities is given in Appendix 2.
On behalf of HM Inspectors, an independent company
issued and analysed responses to questionnaires to
headteachers of all educational establishments within the
authority and to the chairpersons of the School
Boards/Parents’ Associations and to partnership
pre-school establishments.
2. The Education Service: operational context
Social and economic context
South Lanarkshire Council covers an area of 686 square
miles. The fifth largest local authority in Scotland, it
provides services to 307,000 people. Overall, population
trends are in line with national figures, with a projected
decline by 2016 of 2% overall. This figure takes account
1
of a predicted reduction by 17% in those under working
age and increase by 18% in those above working age.
The Council is made up of four main areas:
•
Clydesdale;
•
East Kilbride;
•
Hamilton; and
• Rutherglen and Cambuslang.
These areas include urban environments close to
Glasgow; established, and former, new towns; and rural
areas, including former mining villages and agricultural
communities.
In South Lanarkshire the unemployment rate of 3.4% is
lower than the national average of 3.8%. The
manufacturing sector employs 23% of the workforce,
compared with 13% in Scotland as a whole. Earnings are
2% higher than the national average. At 19.8%, the
percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals (FME)
is slightly higher than the national average, and higher
than that for comparator authorities1. In the primary
sector the FME range is from 0% to 61%, and in the
secondary sector from 7.5% to 40%.
The Council serves a wide range of communities with
differing characteristics. Combating social and
educational exclusion in both urban and rural
environments is one of its key priorities. Some
communities are in areas of multiple deprivation. The
Council also faces the challenge of sustaining appropriate
levels of educational provision in rural communities.
Modernising schools and providing positive
1.
1
The term ‘comparator authorities’ refers to the group of education authorities which
are comparative to each other in terms of various socio-economic and demographic
factors.
2
environments for learning are priorities across the
geographical area.
Political and organisational context
South Lanarkshire Council has 67 elected members and
almost 15,000 employees. The Labour Party has had a
majority in the Council since its inception in 1996. It has
51 Labour councillors, nine from the Scottish National
Party, two Conservatives, two Liberal Democrat and
three Independent councillors, two of whom were elected
on a mandate opposing the school closures which were
planned as part of the school modernisation programme.
Fourcast, the Council’s recently published strategic plan
for 2003-2007 relates closely to key themes and
objectives within Stronger Together, the Community Plan
for 2001 to 2004. The Council’s six priority themes are:
•
Creating Successful Communities;
•
Learning in the Community;
•
Living in the Community;
•
Supporting our Communities;
•
Modernising Services; and
• Resource Management.
In 1997, 15 Council departments were merged into seven
groupings called Resources, each headed by an Executive
Director. Each Executive Director is a member of the
Corporate Management Team, which meets weekly.
Each of the four areas of South Lanarkshire has an Area
Committee. The main political strategic decision-making
forum is the Executive Committee of the Council, which
meets every four weeks.
3
Education Resources (ER) provides the full range of
education services provided by South Lanarkshire
Council. It is responsible for the work of all
centrally-deployed staff, and services in early years,
primary and secondary establishment, libraries,
community learning and youth learning. The
eight-weekly Education Resources Committee is the
principal political decision-making forum for ER, and
makes decisions on operational issues. Any policy issues
are referred to the Executive Committee, with
recommendations for action.
ER officers serve on a number of Cross-Resource Officer
groups. Groups include those concerned with quality
assurance and improvement, such as the Best Value Lead
Officers’ Group, the Performance Management
Sub-Group, Policy Lead Officers’ Group, Continuous
Improvement Steering Group and Corporate Governance
Steering Group. ER officers are involved in groups
concerned with health and housing, and community
improvements, for example the Social Inclusion Officers’
Group. In addition, they serve on member/officer groups
for the following:
•
Early Years Forum;
•
Corporate Connections Board (Youth Partnership);
•
Integrated Children’s Services Forum;
•
Community Learning Partnership; and
•
Childcare Partnership.
Involvement in all these groups enables effective joint
working with other Council services and with elected
members.
4
Educational provision and performance
ER in South Lanarkshire is responsible for the education
of around 46,000 children and young people. There are
124 primary schools, one of which provides Gaelic
medium education, 21 secondary schools, one also
providing Gaelic medium education, and nine special
schools. Pre-school education is provided in 77 early
years establishments, including two nursery schools,
60 nursery classes in schools, 15 community nurseries
and in partnership with 55 centres. There are ten
Universal Connections centres run by Youth Learning
Services and partners as part of the wider range of
learning programmes for young people. In addition, ER
is responsible for 25 public libraries and five mobile
library services and home delivery services.
Eighty-seven percent of primary schools, 100% of
secondary schools, and 55% of special schools, have
School Boards.
The Council provides a pre-school place for all
three-year-old and four-year-old children whose parents
wish a place, meeting the national target for August 2002.
It opened 22 early years establishments by August 2000,
and a further 16 by August 2002. The Accounts
Commission Statutory Performance Indicators (SPIs) for
2001-2002 show that 96% of four-year-old children took
up a pre-school place, in line with the national average,
and 87% of three-year-olds, just below the national
average of 90%.
Pupil-teacher ratios in primary and secondary schools are
in line with the national average. The ratio in special
schools is slightly higher than the national average.
Schools tend to be medium to large in terms of their roll,
but 21% of primary schools have rolls less than 150 and
12% have rolls under 50. The Council has stated its
continuing commitment to small schools serving rural
5
communities. In the secondary sector, 28% of schools
have rolls under 800.
Overall 27% of primary schools have occupancy levels
below 60%, and 44% have levels between 61% and 80%,
higher than the average nationally and for comparator
authorities. None of the secondary schools have
occupancy levels below 60%. Fifty-seven percent of
secondary schools have occupancy levels of between
61% and 80%, compared with 25% in comparator
authorities and 33% nationally. The Council was taking
action to reduce the number of surplus places.
The Council allocated £189,586,000 for the revenue
budget for education in 2001-2002, £221,752,000 in
2002-2003, and £228,458,000 in 2003-2004. In addition,
the Council received direct grants under the Excellence
Fund core and special programmes, now the National
Priorities Development Fund. In 2002-2003 the
additional funding was £11,043,000 and in 2003-2004 it
was £12,774,000.
The following commentary draws on key performance
information about the schools in the Council provided
in Appendix 1.
Staying on rate and school leavers’ destinations
6
•
The percentage of pupils staying on beyond the
compulsory school leaving age had been consistently
above the national and comparator authorities
averages from 2001 to 2002, and above the
comparator authority average in 2003.
•
The percentage of school leavers entering full-time
higher education from 2001 to 2003 had been
considerably above the national and comparator
authority averages. Over the same period, the
percentage entering full-time further education had
been below both averages. In 2001 and 2003 the
percentage of school leavers entering employment
had been above the comparator authorities averages
and in line with the national figure.
Attendance and absence
•
Over the last three years, the percentage attendance
figures in primary schools had been broadly in line
with comparator authorities and the national average.
The secondary attendance figures had been broadly in
line with the national average, although the authority
had consistently higher absence rates than its
comparators and the targets set by the authority for
reducing pupil absences had not been met.
•
In the primary sector the total number of exclusions
had decreased from 2000 to 2002. The rate was less
than half the national figure and was below
comparator averages for 2001 and 2002. The rate of
exclusions in the secondary sector per 1,000 pupils
was higher than national and comparator averages for
2001 and 2002.
5-14 performance
•
Between 2000 and 2002, the percentage of primary
pupils achieving or exceeding expected levels of
attainment for their stage in reading, writing and
mathematics had increased, but then remained steady
in reading and writing and fell slightly in mathematics
in 2003. Although averages nationally and for
comparator authorities had also improved, South
Lanarkshire’s figures had remained consistently better
in all three curricular areas. In reading and
mathematics, performance was between 3% and 8%
above both comparator and national averages. In
writing, it was between 1% and 6% above these
figures. The targets set for attainment in reading,
writing and mathematics had been exceeded.
7
•
In secondary schools, between 1999 and 2003,
attainment levels of S2 pupils had improved. In
reading, writing and mathematics the percentage of
S2 pupils attaining appropriate national levels of
attainment in South Lanarkshire was higher than both
national and comparator authority averages for all
four years. Performance was between 1% and 7%
above both comparator and national averages in
reading and writing. It was between 4% and 9%
above national averages in mathematics, and 7% and
13% above comparator authorities. The targets set for
attainment in reading and writing had been exceeded.
The target for attainment in mathematics had not been
met.
SQA examination performance
•
By the end of S4, from 1999 to 2003, overall
performance and rates of improvement were broadly
in line with national average figures. The percentages
of pupils achieving five or more National
Qualifications (NQ) awards at Levels 32, 4 and 5
were close to comparator and national averages.
Targets at all three levels had not been met.
•
By the end of S5, the percentage of pupils gaining
three or more NQ awards at Level 6 or better had
remained steady between 1999 and 2003.
Performance was consistently in line with that of the
comparator authorities and the national average. The
percentage of pupils gaining five or more awards at
Level 6 had improved year-on-year and was
consistent with national averages and averages in
comparator authorities. Targets for both three or
1.
2
8
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.
more and five or more awards at Level 6 had been
met.
•
The percentage of pupils who gained one or more NQ
awards at Level 7 by the end of S6 was below both
the national and comparator authorities averages for
all years between 1999 and 2003. Figures for 2003
were, however, higher than in any of the four
previous years.
Previous inspection evidence
In the three-year period prior to the start of the inspection
HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) published reports
which gave evaluations against a full set of performance
indicators in 32 primary and seven secondary schools.
Overall, schools performed well.
Most of the primary schools inspected provided a good or
very good quality of education. In most, both the ethos
and the quality of the teaching process were very good or
good. In almost all schools, leadership, partnership with
parents, the provision of accommodation and resources,
the quality of the curriculum, learning support and the
quality of pupils’ learning were good or very good. The
overall quality of attainment in English language and
mathematics was good or very good in most primary
schools. Approaches to self-evaluation had some
important weaknesses in more than one-third of schools.
Almost all of the seven secondary schools inspected
provided a good or very good standard of education
overall. Key strengths included partnership with parents
and the School Board, the ethos of the school and pastoral
care. The overall quality of learning and teaching was
good or very good in all the schools. Attainment was
good or very good in two-thirds of the indicators used by
HMIE. The leadership of the schools was judged to be
very good in most of the schools inspected. The quality
of the accommodation was fair or unsatisfactory in over
half the inspected schools.
9
In the three-year period prior to the start of the inspection
of South Lanarkshire Council, HMIE published reports
on two special schools, and two special units as part of
the inspections of secondary schools. In three of these
reports inspectors praised the very high quality of
provision. One report evaluated overall provision as
good. Key strengths in all included the positive and
supportive ethos, partnership with parents and links with
other professionals and agencies.
Evidence from the authority’s pre-inspection reports to
HMIE showed a very good knowledge of the quality of
provision in schools. Reports were prepared to a
common format, and were comprehensive and evaluative.
Across the schools there was a good degree of
consistency between the authority’s pre-inspection report
and the outcomes of the inspection itself.
A report on the inspection of community learning and
development in the Blantyre and North Hamilton Area
was published during the inspection of the education
authority. Overall, the report concluded that the authority
and its partners provided a good service. Some aspects of
provision for young people were particularly imaginative
and effective, and opportunities for them to be involved
in decision-making were very good. The Home-School
Partnership Service was effective in engaging parents in
learning, and provision for adult learning and literacy was
well targeted. The integration of services for children
was at an early stage of implementation. The community
had been effectively consulted in determining local
priorities. Leadership and management within services
that contributed to community learning and development
were very effective.
3. Strategic management of the service
Vision, values and aims
South Lanarkshire Council’s strong sense of direction and
purpose, and the commitment and motivation this
10
inspired among staff were major strengths in its
performance. The impact of its vision was evident in a
number of imaginative long-term initiatives which were
bringing about demonstrable benefits for children and
young people.
Serving the current and future needs of children, young
people and communities was at the heart of the Council’s
strategic policies. Elected members, the Chief Executive,
the Executive Director of ER and officers throughout the
Council all shared an unambiguous and powerful vision
of education as a force for raising people’s aspirations. In
the pre-inspection survey almost all School Board
chairpersons (90%), significantly higher than the national
average, agreed that they were aware of the main aims
and values set by the Council. In interviews, parents,
carers and staff said that South Lanarkshire Council was
an innovative authority with a clear focus on improving
achievement and inclusion, and combating disadvantage.
The Council’s newly published long-term plan Fourcast
set out a vision built on two aims:
•
to improve the quality of life for all its citizens; and
•
to work in a way that was responsive to the needs of
all its citizens.
The plan emphasised the central role of education in
revitalising and sustaining community life and in
improving people’s knowledge, skills and well being
throughout their lives. The Council regarded the careful
and targeted deployment of resources to achieve the
greatest impact and ensure sustainability as essential to
this process.
The aim of ER was to deliver the Council’s vision by
means of five key inter-related strategic elements:
•
Integrated Services for Children and Young People;
1
1
•
The School Modernisation Programme;
•
The Youth Strategy;
•
Implementation of the National Programme A
Teaching Profession for the 21st Century; and
•
The Modernisation of the Delivery of School Support
Services.
Together, these five major initiatives provided a very
strong framework for achieving major improvements in
the quality of service to stakeholders.
South Lanarkshire’s vision and values were given
practical expression within ER’s eight Improvement
Objectives, all closely linked to the National Priorities in
Education. Stakeholders had been involved in identifying
these objectives, which had been built into plans at all
levels of the service. The objectives provided a very
good basis for delivering measurable benefits for children
and young people. Staff in individual establishments and
central services had a very good awareness of the vision,
its intended outcomes and their own roles in delivery.
The Council was committed to the use of integrated
approaches for improving service delivery. This
commitment to corporate and partnership working was
articulated through the Community Plan Stronger
Together, and formed the basis of the Children’s Services
Plan Growing Up in South Lanarkshire: Taking the Next
Steps. Fourcast and successive plans for ER developed
in more detail the key elements of these plans. The
impact was demonstrated through effective joint working
with partner agencies, productive corporate working
groups and practical support for establishments and
individuals.
12
Evidence of the influence of the Council’s vision could
be observed in measurable improvements within specific
schools and pre-school centres, in flexible provision for
individual children and young people and in major
authority-wide developments. Corporate commitment to
joint working had significant impact on front-line
services, for example productive partnerships between
social workers, youth workers and classroom teachers in
providing effective support for troubled young people.
Joint delivery to improve services to stakeholders
underpinned the establishment of Integrated Children’s
Services (ICS) and was manifested in clear and
measurable outcomes for children, young people and
their families.
Leadership and management
Education Resources was very well led. The combination
of clear political direction by elected members and strong
leadership by the Chief Executive, Executive Director
and
Heads of Service resulted in major benefits for children
and young people. Almost all headteachers of the
authority’s establishments (93%) surveyed believed that
senior managers communicated a clear vision for the
development of education.
The Executive Director was wholly committed to
improving the present experience and future prospects of
children and young people. Under her leadership, ER had
developed a number of distinctive and effective solutions
to strategic issues, for example, the establishment of ICS.
ICS was a planned approach to ensuring effective
inter-agency working through a co-ordinated response to
family need. ER had made very good progress in
meeting its stated objective of applying the six key
actions contained within For Scotland’s Children Developing Better Integrated Services (Scottish
Executive, 2001).
1
3
A creative and responsive approach to improvement was
complemented by a considered and reflective approach to
decision-making. The Executive Director showed
determination in ensuring that decisions were taken
forward in the long-term interests of children and young
people, and with a holistic view of the benefits for the
community as a whole. The programme to rationalise
and modernise schools provision was the outcome of a
bold decision to solve major problems with current
facilities for learning and teaching and to deliver Best
Value for all children, young people and families within
South Lanarkshire. The Executive Director set high
standards for the quality of work expected of staff and
was also very successful in engaging their energy and
commitment.
The Executive Director’s contributions to the wider work
of the Council, particularly through her role within the
Corporate Management Team (CMT), were significant.
She had undertaken very important tasks, such as leading
the development of the Council Plan. She had developed
very positive relationships with elected members. She
chaired the Education Management Team (EMT) which
included all Heads of Service, the Communication and
Information Service Manager and other Managers, in
rotation. Both the Chief Executive and elected members
offered the Education Management Team (EMT) a high
degree of challenge and considerable practical support.
The Heads of Service contributed complementary
strengths and expertise to the work of ER and corporate
activities. They were all highly respected and had very
effective interpersonal skills. They took a personal
interest in staff, and worked hard to encourage
participation and teamwork. They delegated well, gave
staff support as necessary, and expected and obtained
demonstrable results.
Heads of Service were actively involved in leading and
supporting improvements. Almost all staff in the schools
14
visited, and almost all headteachers (96%) who
responded to the questionnaire felt that senior managers
showed a strong commitment to the promotion of quality.
As members of the wider Challenge and Support Team
(CAST), Heads of Service worked very effectively in the
major roles of evaluating and challenging the work of
establishments, sharing best practice and intervening to
achieve improvements. In the pre-inspection survey,
almost all secondary headteachers (91%), and most heads
of primary and special educational needs (SEN) schools
(84%) agreed that senior managers recognised and
celebrated success.
The work of Heads of Service was formally reviewed
through the Council’s scheme for Professional
Development and Review (PDR). Their personal targets
were based on Key Objectives which were very
effectively linked to outcomes in the ER Plan.
Involvement with national groups provided them with
opportunities to compare practice in South Lanarkshire
with that of other authorities, and to make valuable
contributions to national developments. The Executive
Director and Heads of Service had evaluated the quality
of the work of Education Resources and each of the five
Services which it comprised through surveys of
stakeholders’ views, systematic use of the Quality
Management in Education3 (QMIE) framework and
regular 360 degree feedback on their own performance.
They had taken appropriate action in response to the
findings, for example improving consultation through
re-organisation of headteachers’ meetings. The regular
involvement of members of staff from ER teams and
establishments in EMT meetings ensured that the impact
on stakeholders of proposed actions was kept under
scrutiny.
1.
3
Quality Management in Education (HM Inspectors of Schools 2000) is a framework
of self-evaluation for Local Authority Education Departments.
1
5
Approaches to quality improvement were deeply
embedded in the work of ER. Through their strong
leadership, the Executive Director and Heads of Service
had brought about improvements to services to benefit
children, young people and their families. Overall,
leadership was very good. In many respects it was
outstanding.
Policy development
The quality of policy development was very good. ER
had developed a clear and coherent framework of seven
key policies to guide its work. Policy development was
linked to Council policies through corporate planning,
and was built into service planning. The ER Plan
identified important national initiatives which influenced
the direction of policy development. These included:
•
integrated delivery of services to children;
•
the National Priorities in Education;
•
legislation such as the Standards in Scotland’s
Schools etc. Act (2000), and acts relating to human
rights, disability discrimination, race relations and
the regulation of care; and
•
national agreements relating to the teaching
profession.
Policies adopted a consistent format and were developed,
regularly reviewed and updated by working groups which
involved other services, stakeholders and partners. Each
policy statement had a carefully presented rationale and
clearly indicated the roles and responsibilities of ER,
managers and all staff. Each component of the policy
specified outcomes for stakeholders. Members of CAST
evaluated the extent to which these outcomes were
delivered within individual schools, addressed any
weaknesses and identified best practice.
16
Comprehensive operating procedures, ensured that
practice within establishments complied with Council’s
exacting standards in specific aspects relating to care and
welfare, inclusion, maximising the use of resources,
corporate governance and consultation and
communication. Establishments could ‘operationalise’
policies in relation to their own resources and
management structures. They audited their practice,
produced position statements and specified targets within
their development plans, linked to the ER Plan. They
received further support through supplementary guidance,
quality management seminars for senior managers and
training for staff. The results of HMIE inspections
indicated that overall South Lanarkshire schools provided
a consistently good or very good quality of education.
Staff also benefited from the provision of clear
expectations and from the co-ordinated development of
guidance and advice.
Almost all headteachers (93%) agreed that they were
clear about the policy and procedures for quality
development.
The Policy Statement on Quality Management had a clear
rationale linked to Best Value. The comprehensive
policy was supported by helpful guidelines on issues such
as Planned Classroom Visits and Continuous
Professional Development. Officers were aware that
Development Planning guidelines needed to be revised.
The Policy Statement on Care and Welfare was
appropriately linked to the Children’s Services Plan and
clearly specified children’s rights and the over-arching
legal framework. The policy was supported by very good
child protection guidelines and comprehensive
procedures for health and safety, including Internet safety
and safety outwith establishments. The policy gave clear
guidance about links with other agencies and the
community. It provided a strong and effective framework
to ensure that the personal needs of pupils were being
met.
1
7
Almost all headteachers in the authority’s primary,
secondary and SEN schools (96%) agreed that the range
of policies was appropriate to the needs of their
establishments. Policy Statements on Learning and
Teaching, The Curriculum and Inclusive Education and
Support for Learning all gave practical guidance to
establishments in serving the needs of the principal
stakeholders, children, young people and families.
Overall, ER had very good policies to support its
establishments, all specifically designed to focus on
outcomes for children and young people. Systematic
procedures for reviewing and updating policies ensured
that their impact was regularly monitored.
4. Consultation and communication
The overall quality of mechanisms for consultation and
communications with stakeholders was very good. The
Executive Director and centrally-based staff teams placed
a strong emphasis on ensuring that effective consultation
and communication were built into their ongoing work.
They set clear expectations that establishments
themselves follow similar practices regarding
consultation and communication. These expectations had
been recently restated in the ER Policy Statement on
Communication and Consultation published in
March 2003. A Best Value review had preceded work on
the policy, and formulation of the policy had itself been a
model of effective consultation.
ER regularly undertook consultation with a wide range of
relevant stakeholders prior to, or as part of, development
work across a range of its services. It used a variety of
18
mechanisms to ascertain stakeholders’ views. These
mechanisms included:
•
effective use of surveys or questionnaires;
•
focus groups, including pupil and youth councils;
•
seminars; and
•
a well-established structure of forums and working
groups.
Membership of these groups was well publicised, and
establishment staff interviewed said that they knew how
to contact representatives to give their views. The
findings of consultations were collated and presented
effectively. Good use was made of agencies outwith ER,
such as other Council departments or universities, to
collate and analyse data. Feedback was generally well
presented and linked to identifiable outcomes.
The impact of effective consultation was evident in:
•
the successful implementation of A Teaching
Profession for the 21st Century, involving
consultation with key stakeholders, including trade
union representatives;
•
the Action Plan for the Corporate Connections Board
which directly reflected the views of young people,
who had increasing opportunities to voice their views
and be involved in decision-making within and
outwith school;
• a range of guidelines such as the Accessibility
Strategy and Sex Education Guidelines, which
reflected the views of relevant stakeholders and were
well understood by establishments and users;
1
9
•
the very good use made by Advisory staff of
consultation with Curriculum Advisory Groups
(CAGs) and the Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) Group when designing and
revising training courses, resulting in very positive
responses by school staff;
•
implementation of clear proposals for changes arising
from a wide-ranging Best Value review of School
Administration;
•
the involvement of the Home-School Partnership
team in parental surveys; and
•
effective consultation with partner providers about
current developments.
As part of the statutory requirements for taking part in a
Public Private Partnership (PPP) project the Council had
recently undertaken an extensive consultation exercise on
their proposals for Secondary School Modernisation
including the closure of a special school. The legal
procedures were followed in that the views of
stakeholders had been surveyed and roadshows held in
each area, to enable stakeholders to discuss issues with
officers. At the time of the inspection, these matters were
being considered by Scottish Ministers and the related
and ongoing consultation process was not therefore
considered as part of the inspection. It was drawn to the
attention of HMIE that in most areas the proposals had
been received positively. In some areas where the
consultations related to school closure or merger options
within communities, there had been significant levels of
stakeholder discontent with the Council’s
decision-making processes. It will be important for
Council staff to continue to work with stakeholders and
address their concerns.
Communication was very good. ER had well-established
networks for communication within the department,
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across the Council and with its establishments. A number
of effective strategies were in place for communicating
with stakeholders. These included the weekly newsletter,
regular meetings with headteachers and between schools
and link officers, and the developing use of information
and communications technology (ICT). Headteachers
had a clear understanding of their corporate role in
communicating information to staff.
Parents, carers and staff interviewed were clear about the
priorities in the ER Plan and the progress made in
achieving them. A well-established series of Standards
and Quality Reports collated information from different
sources about aspects of provision across the authority.
Stakeholders had regular access to a good range of news
updates. The weekly Education Newsletter was valued
highly by staff in central services and in establishments.
It provided up-to-date information on progress with
development priorities and was used to celebrate
achievements. The Works - a monthly Council news
sheet for all employees - included substantive reports on
educational matters. The South Lanarkshire Reporter
was issued to all homes on a quarterly basis and played a
key role in Public Performance Reporting.
Most School Boards (86%) were aware of how to channel
views, enquiries and complaints. In particular, users
appreciated the role and effectiveness of the
Communications and Information Team.
The Working with Parents Team provided very effective
responses to a range of parental issues and direct support
for School Boards. They contributed to the
well-established and very effective system for recording
and responding to queries and complaints. Complaints
were collated and analysed, and reports provided to EMT.
As a result, responses had become speedier and the
number had reduced overall.
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1
Very good arrangements were in place to keep elected
members informed about issues and development
priorities. Features of good practice included:
•
regular liaison meetings between EMT and the
Chairperson and Depute Chairpersons of the ER
Committee;
•
clear and informative reports and briefing notes,
including very effective briefings to inform elected
members about incidents in their areas; and
•
involvement of elected members in lead roles on
partnerships forums such as the Community Learning
Partnership and the Early Years Forum.
Mechanisms for consultation and communication had
many major strengths. ER was very successful in
communicating its vision, values and aims to
headteachers, who had a very clear understanding of their
role in disseminating this within establishments, to
parents and to the local community. Concerns about
consultation were limited to the issue of school
rationalisation and modernisation as it affected specific
communities within South Lanarkshire. In taking
forward its vision for school modernisation to benefit the
whole community of South Lanarkshire, the authority
needed to continue to work with stakeholders to address
any concerns.
5. Operational management
Service planning
Overall, service planning was very good. Approaches to
planning for ER, including arrangements for Best Value
reviews, were integrated fully into the performance
management and planning arrangements for the Council.
They placed an appropriately strong focus on planning
22
for continuous improvement in services for children and
young people.
Almost all headteachers (96%) agreed that the service
plan made clear the Council’s aims and priorities for
education. The recently published Council Plan linked
very well to the ER Plan, to plans for each of the Services
and to development plans for establishments. Specific
team plans, such as those for Integrated Children’s
Services, for the South Lanarkshire Childcare Partnership
and for Community Planning, also showed clear links to
the ER Plan and demonstrated effective inter-agency
working. Plans at all levels appropriately reflected
National Priorities and local improvement objectives.
The implementation of major initiatives, such as the
establishment of ICS, was carefully planned and the
contribution of each Service and team clearly indicated.
The approach to service planning was well understood
and there was a clear, succinct format for each service to
report on progress in addressing priorities. Progress on
priorities for ER was reported to the ER Committee
twice per year. Very effective monitoring within ER, and
rigorous oversight by the Chief Executive, resulted in
almost all priorities in the ER Plan being successfully
implemented within the set timescales.
The main priorities in the yearly plans for ER were
derived from the outcomes of audits based on systematic
use of QMIE for self-evaluation, an effective programme
of Best Value review and HMIE inspections. They were
also influenced by national developments and key
legislation. The priorities were clearly related to the five
key elements and eight improvement objectives on which
ER had based its work. Overall, the ER Plan, the related
Action Programme and plans for each Service were very
well structured. However, they did not always include
sufficiently detailed measures of success. Each year’s
plan for ER included high level three-year service
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3
outcomes. Costing information covered the current and
previous years.
The Council had an established risk management strategy
and corporate risk register. It was at an early stage of
developing a risk management framework for individual
Resources. Initial awareness training had been
undertaken to enable ER to prepare risk control plans
which would ultimately link with service planning.
Development planning in schools and other educational
establishments was very well established and very
effective. Almost all School Board chairpersons (90%)
agreed that they were aware of what their school had to
do to implement the Council’s education department
plans. Inter-agency planning was having a positive
impact on the quality of provision within establishments,
for example in achieving health promotion objectives and
in providing support for parents and carers from Family
Support Services Teams.
Educational Resources was notably active in planning
and supporting innovative initiatives to improve the
quality of service for children, young people and families.
It set challenging targets and had a very good track record
in implementing the priorities in its strategic plan.
Deployment and effectiveness of
centrally-employed staff
Performance in this area was very good. Staff in all
services within ER were very effectively and efficiently
deployed and managed. All showed a strong
commitment to implementing the priorities for
continuous improvement. Best Value reviews had been
used effectively to review and develop service delivery
and the deployment of staff.
ER included 14 Services covering School Development,
Specialist Services, Integrated Lifelong Learning,
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Finance and Personnel, and Communications and
Information. The Executive Director, Heads of Service
and Managers took very good account of individual
strengths, skills and experience in the deployment of their
teams. As well as operating within services, many
Managers and staff also participated in cross-cutting
activities, relating to the broader vision of the Council
and the provision of integrated services. The roles and
responsibilities of central teams were well understood by
staff in establishments. They were also defined clearly in
relation to the desired policy outcomes within the
framework of core policies. Almost all headteachers felt
that ER had a good range of initiatives and actions to
support priorities in quality development (91%), and were
aware of officers’ expectations of performance in key
areas of their work (97%).
Deployment of centrally-employed staff was targeted on
responding to the needs of establishments, on taking
forward key initiatives and on enabling the improvement
of services through the provision of challenge and
support. The work of staff focused very appropriately on
supporting establishments and learners. Within their
wide-ranging remits, Managers and School Support
Officers provided high quality pastoral support. The very
well-led Advisory Service comprised a strong team of
permanent staff enhanced by staff seconded to lead on
specific initiatives linked to priorities in the ER Plan.
CAGs also carried out an important role in providing
additional specialist expertise. The very effective input
of the Advisory Service to curricular and staff
development was valued highly by staff in
establishments. Officers had a key role in providing
support and challenge to ensure continuous improvement
in the curriculum and in aspects of learning, teaching and
attainment. They were having a positive impact on the
quality of provision in schools and pre-school centres.
They were effective in using performance information to
identify areas for improvement within secondary
2
5
departments and, with school staff, planned strategies to
address them.
The work of CAST was a particular strength, and had
been received positively by establishments. The team,
drawn from various levels of five Services, including
Heads of Service, had been established to secure a more
cohesive approach to achieving further improvements in
the quality of provision. They validated the outcomes of
self-evaluation by establishments and monitored the
production and implementation of development plans.
The involvement of some Heads of Service and Managers
as CAST members exemplified the commitment to
ensuring that key personnel were directly involved in
support and challenge activities in schools and pre-school
centres. Team members were developing increasing
effectiveness in undertaking their dual roles.
EMT had very good measures to support its commitment
to a more integrated approach among services supporting
children and young people. These included the focus of
School Development Services on ensuring that the
priorities of the recently formed ICS Team developed in
coherence with the objectives of other teams within that
Service. A clear system of joint meetings and reports
enabled integrated projects to be tracked effectively and
their impact demonstrated.
Centrally-deployed staff in Specialist Services worked
very effectively to provide a good range of additional
services for pupils with special educational needs. There
was a very good rationale for the deployment of
Specialist Support Teams as well as clear systems for
monitoring their deployment. Following a Best Value
review in 1999, teams had been reorganised to provide
local primary and secondary schools with general
learning support within the four areas of the Council. In
addition, teams provided specialist support across the
whole Council for pupils who were bilingual, and those
with sensory impairments, with behavioural difficulties,
and with special educational needs in pre-school settings.
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Psychological Services was well staffed and provided
very good support to schools and to pupils with special
educational needs. The service was managed by a
principal psychologist and organised into four local area
teams, each managed by a senior psychologist. Each
team provided a broad range of general services to local
establishments and also contributed to a range of
specialisms on a Council-wide basis.
The quality of teamwork within ER, and also with other
Council Resources and partner agencies, was high.
Centrally-employed administrative and support staff were
committed to providing high quality support. This was
exemplified in, for example, the effectiveness of the
Communications and Information Service and the
excellent management information systems established to
support continuous improvement. The re-organisation of
Support Services for schools on a cluster basis was
generally progressing well. Centrally-employed staff and
Support Service Coordinators should continue to address
concerns among some Support Services staff in schools
about the implications of the proposed changes.
The work of centrally-deployed staff was reviewed within
the Council’s scheme. Staff had access to a wide range
of development opportunities, including award-bearing
courses. ER supported centrally-deployed staff very well
by giving high priority to staff review and CPD. Pastoral
care for staff was very good and included access to a
range of Council facilities, including aspects of health
care.
Managers led their teams very well. Staff were very well
motivated and felt trusted to deliver their respective
responsibilities. As a result they felt confident about their
role in providing support and challenge. Their work was
valued by staff in establishments and had a significant
impact on improving the quality of experience and
achievement of children and young people.
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6. Resource and financial management
Resource management
The management of resources was very good. The
Leader of the Council, Chief Executive and Executive
Director gave high priority to ensuring effective resource
management. Their commitment had enabled support for
a series of major related developments to improve the
educational experiences of children and young people
through imaginative and targeted deployment of staff and
resources.
The authority’s Policy Statement on Maximising the Use
of Resources provided a clear, comprehensive,
framework within which staff at all levels could operate.
It had the explicit objective of providing the best quality
services for children, young people, families and
communities. It was very well supported by a range of
guidance and procedural documents.
ER had very positive and productive links with other
Council Resources, including Finance & Information
Technology (FITR), and Housing and Technical
Resources (HTR). The ER Plan had a clear relationship
with the budget.
The Council had taken a number of forward-looking steps
in the management of its educational buildings. It was
nearing completion of an Estates Management Plan
which would provide the basis for plans to modernise
primary schools throughout the area, funded through the
capital programme.
The Council was committed to addressing issues of
over-capacity in its school buildings in order to free up
resources. It was also determined to adapt schools to
ensure that they were accessible for people with motor
disabilities and were fit for education in the 21st Century.
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It had already drawn up and consulted on proposals for
the modernisation of its secondary and special schools
through a PPP initiative. The Scottish Executive had
approved the revised Outline Business Case in
January 2003. A revision had been required to reflect
changes in the project as a result of the Executive’s
decision not to agree the full request for revenue support.
The Council had decided to press ahead and meet the
remaining costs from within existing resources. Once
implemented, the Council’s plans would result in a total
investment of £182m with seven new build secondary
schools, one new build special school, and one public
library, with other schools being extended or refurbished.
However, these proposals, while approved by a majority
of those consulted across the authority, had met with
considerable local opposition in some areas. A number
of the schools identified for closure or merger were more
than 80% full and as a consequence the Council had
referred these proposals to the Scottish Ministers for
approval.
The Council’s HTR completed property repairs and
maintenance in establishments as part of a Service Level
Agreement. There were good working relationships
between central staff across the departments and some
useful developments to improve the quality of support
provided to establishments. Health and safety matters
were dealt with promptly and would in future be more
easily identified through the completion of a Stop Harm
checklist. While headteachers and janitorial staff
generally thought the system worked well and that they
received effective support, some still had concerns,
particularly in relation to the speed of repairs and
perceived value-for-money. The authority needed to
continue its efforts to explain how costs for repairs and
minor adaptations were determined.
ER had met the National Grid for Learning target for the
ratio of computers to pupils in secondary schools, but had
fallen just short of the primary school target. However,
2
9
there were other good examples of investment in ICT. In
order to enable teaching staff to focus on promoting
learning through the use of ICT, the Council was in the
process of upgrading equipment, improving the capacity
and speed of Internet connections and providing a fully
managed system. As a result it had recently awarded a
major seven-year contract, worth £31m. Work had
already commenced and was due to be completed across
all establishments by December 2004.
Senior managers in schools made very effective use of
ICT to monitor budgets and assist with wider aspects of
management, including monitoring and evaluation.
Electronic communication, including e-mail, was
commonly used for a range of purposes.
ER had undertaken a programme of Best Value reviews
in line with Council policy, which had resulted in a
number of far-reaching, and continuing, improvements.
These included:
•
responsibility for transport arrangements for pupils
with special educational needs being transferred to
corporate transport services, enabling more efficient
use of resources;
•
more targeted deployment of the Advisory Service;
•
more effective provision of absence cover for teachers
which reduced disruption to the learning of pupils;
•
the greater integration of Support Services in schools;
and
•
the establishment of ICS, which enabled the needs of
children and young people to be met more flexibly
and within a wider range of provision.
By reviewing the deployment of both teaching and
support staff, the Council had been able to identify more
30
effective approaches to meeting the needs of children and
young people, and promoting inclusion. This in turn had
an impact on the quality of their learning experiences.
The Council had integrated a range of services, including
janitorial, cleaning and catering services, within a
facilities management arrangement. This provided a
‘single solution - one call gets it all’ approach. A
facilities manager undertook daily management of staff
on a cluster basis. Janitors spoke with high regard of this
arrangement, and particularly of their involvement in
cluster team meetings and improved access to training.
The Council intended to retain the management of such
services relating to planned PPP schools within these
arrangements.
Schools and pre-school centres were generally well
staffed. The Council had decided that no headteacher
should also be responsible for teaching a specific class,
even in the smallest schools. This decision enabled
headteachers to focus on leading and managing
improvements which benefited pupils. Some small
schools profited from links with others as part of a ‘small
schools’ initiative. The Council had implemented a
voluntary early retirement scheme which had provided
posts for newly qualified and younger teachers. The
scheme had helped to refresh the teaching force and
address demographic concerns. It also promised
long-term savings.
Overall, ER used its resources very effectively to improve
and extend provision for children, young people and their
families. It had taken a number of bold, and often
innovative, steps to make more efficient and effective use
of resources and enhance learning.
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1
Financial management
The quality of financial management was very good.
The Council was in the final year of the current capital
plan, and work was ongoing to develop the next
programme for the four years to 2008. Following receipt
of an indicative share of the capital budget, bids were put
together by ER, collated by FITR, and considered by the
Council’s Executive Committee. The total plan was
monitored by both members and officers in Capital
Monitoring Groups. The Education section of the plan
was monitored by an officer group chaired by a Property
Investment Coordinator who regularly updated EMT.
An impressive framework of reporting to elected
members provided them with clear and concise budget
monitoring reports on a regular basis. Reports with
differing levels of information were received by elected
members on the ER Committee, Executive Committee,
FITR Committee and the Revenue and Capital Budget
Scrutiny Groups. Members of the ER Committee were
advised of the budget position by a summary monitoring
report, provided jointly by the Directors of ER and FITR.
It compared budgeted and actual expenditure, and
provided brief explanations for variances and a forecast
for the year to 31 March. The Revenue Budget Scrutiny
Group received information for all budget lines across all
Council services. Explanations were requested for
significant variances. In addition, relevant officers might
be required to appear before elected members to explain
particular points of concern. Budget monitoring reports
were also produced on a regular basis for discussion at
EMT, CMT and Executive Committee meetings.
The Council did not produce a formal three-year revenue
budget. However, FITR advised ER in total terms of the
likely figures and indicative figures for years two and
three respectively. There were some good examples of
three-year costed service plans and action plans, for
32
example, the Children’s Services Plan and the
Accessibility Strategy. The Council as a whole was
making good progress in developing its approaches to
multi-year planning. The ER Plan needed to be extended
from an annual to a three-year plan and provide more
detail about estimated costs against planned actions.
The Head of Service for Finance and Personnel had
specific responsibility for managing and maintaining the
budget. He was well supported by a Finance Manager
who headed the Finance Services Unit (FSU). Separate
sections of FSU provided very effective support to ER
central budget holders and budgets devolved to schools.
A strong system of financial monitoring and control was
in place. At the end of every accounting period, FSU
staff in consultation with ER service managers produced
variance reports. The Finance Manager was specifically
involved in the reconciliation of information held by ER
with the corporate financial ledger, and the preparation of
budget monitoring reports within ER. Resources were
very carefully managed so that their use could be targeted
on key outcomes for children and young people.
Over 80% of the schools’ budget was devolved through
the Devolved Management for Schools Scheme. The
scheme was effective and generally well regarded by
headteachers. On-line access to establishments’
committed expenditure was available to users and the
system provided clear financial information that enabled
headteachers to monitor their current expenditure
effectively. Schools reported high quality advice and
support from centrally-based staff and within developing
cluster-based support.
Each of the 21 clusters had an Administration and
Finance Assistant (AFA) who, with related clerical staff,
was responsible for providing support to headteachers.
One of the FSU teams provided advice and guidance to
AFAs through procedural notes and ad hoc advice by
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3
electronic mail. In addition, AFAs could access a
telephone helpline for raising queries with FSU, an
approach they found helpful and efficient. Headteachers
appreciated the support from AFAs.
The Council’s Financial Regulations were clear and
comprehensive and had recently been revised. Together
with other procedures such as the Scheme of Delegation,
they had been usefully linked with a new Code of
Corporate Governance issued in August 2003.
Finance to schools was very well managed overall.
Budget holders and managers received comprehensive
and timely information. ER and schools planned and
monitored budgets and expenditure rigorously, enabling
resources to be deployed effectively to the benefit of
children and young people.
7. Performance monitoring and continuous improvement
Measuring, monitoring and evaluating
performance
Performance in this area was very good. ER had a clear
and well-established overall strategy and policy for
quality management. Senior managers demonstrated a
very strong commitment to performance monitoring and
evaluation as a means of making improvements and
recognising achievements. The overall framework
contained a very wide range of approaches and
mechanisms for measuring and evaluating performance at
both establishment and authority levels and was well
understood across ER.
In the pre-inspection survey almost all heads of
establishment (92%) indicated that the authority had
encouraged them to develop a systematic approach to
monitoring and evaluating the range of their work, and
most (83%) were confident that the authority had an
34
accurate knowledge of the performance of their
establishment.
A highly effective management information system gave
managers a comprehensive overview of the work of
establishments. It also enabled them to focus on the
outcomes for individual pupils and groups of pupils. The
Planning and Monitoring Service provided very effective
support to establishments and services in the systematic
collection, collation and analysis of data on attainment,
attendance and exclusions. It identified trends, and
provided benchmark and comparative information for
schools and officers to use in planning for improvement.
Well-established and very effective formats using a
‘traffic lights’ system facilitated identification of high and
low performing aspects of schools’ and departments’
work so that support and challenge could be targeted.
Very good systems were in place to track pupils’
attainment, including that of looked after children. The
system enabled high performance to be recognised and
celebrated. It also enabled under-performance to be
quickly identified and addressed. A very informative
database provided performance information and guidance
on key procedures for CAST officers.
EMT and the ER Committee discussed attainment trends
in 5-14 levels and SQA results. Headteachers and
officers had received effective training in the analysis of
attainment data. CAST officers discussed performance
against attainment targets and trends and development
plans with headteachers. Development plans contained
statements of performance against targets and leaflets
with performance information were also sent to parents
and carers. Officers provided helpful oral and written
feedback on plans, including links with the ER plan, and
formally approved them. Summary versions of plans and
progress updates were made available to parents and
carers.
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The Advisory Service used attainment data and trends
very effectively to engage with and support secondary
school subject departments, and to target support in
primary schools as appropriate. Records of Advisory
Service visits, including summaries of discussions and
agreed future actions, were collated and monitored by the
Advisory Service Manager and used very effectively in
performance monitoring and improvement of the service.
The Advisory Service also developed benchmarks for
individual subjects based on HMIE standards and quality
reports. Advisers subsequently oversaw the production
of improvement plans at school and authority levels to
address the issues identified. As a result, schools had
made very good progress in implementing the
recommendations of national reports, for the benefit of
pupils.
The authority had identified the need to improve the
rigour of self-evaluation in establishments and had
replaced the previous approach to reporting on
performance with an ongoing evaluation report or
performance profile for each establishment. The profile
provided schools with an electronic template structured
on the seven key areas of How good is our school? 4 and
The Child at the Centre5, with which to record their
evaluations. Heads of establishments and CAST officers
had received very good training in using the template and
writing evaluative statements.
The performance profile was a key mechanism for
monitoring, evaluating and reporting on performance at
school and authority levels. As a result of its
introduction, schools were beginning to provide more
robust qualitative evidence on performance to serve as
the basis of their standards and quality reports and to help
them to identify development plan priorities. CAST
1.
4
How good is our school? – Self-evaluation using performance indicators
(Audit Unit – HM Inspectors of Schools, SOEID,1996, revised edition,
HM Inspectorate of Education, 2002)
5
The Child at the Centre - Self –evaluation in the Early Years (SEED, 2000)
36
officers had a crucial role in challenging and supporting
schools and providing written feedback on the completed
profile.
ER regularly carried out evaluation activities to an agreed
specification to gauge the impact and effectiveness of
initiatives and services. Best Value reviews had resulted
in more effective strategic and operational management
in key areas of the authority’s work. Notable
improvements resulting from evaluation using the QMIE
framework were:
•
the establishment of a coherent framework and policy
for consultation and communication;
•
further improvements in the range and availability of
performance data; and
•
reinforcement of the challenge and support role of
central officers with establishments.
ER reviewed the outcomes of specific initiatives to raise
pupil achievement, and carried out customer satisfaction
surveys of services such as Psychological Services and
CAST. It had produced 12 standards and quality reports,
seven based on the key areas of How good is our school?
and others on the outcomes of specific improvement
initiatives. Examples of the latter included evaluations of
the effectiveness of:
•
P6 to S2 co-ordination;
•
ICT in schools and centres; and
•
behaviour support in secondary schools.
The authority ensured that the evaluations within these
reports were externally verified, by using evidence from
HMIE inspections or commissioning studies by
universities. Action points from these reports were
3
7
addressed within ER planning processes, and progress
reported to the ER Committee twice yearly. Public
reports on progress and improvements were produced
annually. The authority planned to review its approach to
public reporting and publish standards and quality reports
based on the evidence of its own rigorous self-evaluation
processes.
ER had very clear procedures and guidelines on staff
review and development. There was a very high level of
involvement in the review process in all sectors, leading
to targeted training and CPD activities. All heads of
special educational needs establishments, most primary
(80%) and a majority of secondary headteachers (71%)
indicated that they were confident that the authority had a
good knowledge of their individual performance. Heads
of Service monitored the work of individuals and teams
within central services through regular meetings and
progress reports on action plans. Achievement of the
Investor in People award across all establishments and
central services indicated the authority’s commitment to
developing the skills and expertise of staff.
ER demonstrated a very clear commitment to improving
the quality of education for all children and young
people. It had successfully developed a very good range
of approaches for monitoring which had already brought
about improvements in the experience and achievement
of children and young people. ER was now ready to
build on these approaches by further developing its
systems for validating and reporting on evaluation and
improvement.
Continuous improvement in performance
Performance in securing continuous improvement was
good overall. ER had made considerable impact in
improving achievement in a number of important areas.
The survey of heads of establishment indicated that
38
almost all (90%) were confident that the authority was
helping them improve the quality of education.
ER had very clear and thorough procedures for
supporting schools in the management of HMIE
inspections. The match between authority reports and
HMIE findings was consistently very good. ER had
taken a very systematic approach to analysing HMIE
school inspection reports and used the trends for
benchmarking and reporting, and to identify areas for
improvement.
Follow-up inspections showed that schools, supported by
the authority, made very good progress overall in meeting
the recommendations of HMIE reports. In the three years
prior to the inspection, HMIE published 21 follow-up
inspection reports on primary schools and eight on
secondary schools. In most of these the overall progress
made by the school and the authority was found to be
very good overall, and in the remainder progress was
good. In the one follow-up report on a special school
published during this period HMIE commended the
education authority and the headteacher and staff for the
way in which they had worked together to secure
improvements for pupils. The follow-up report on the
inspection of community learning and development
within Cambuslang and Rutherglen indicated that very
good progress had been achieved.
ER had successfully introduced a wide range of
initiatives with the overall aim of supporting schools in
taking forward its vision for education, improving pupils’
experience and addressing the National Priorities. The
success of some of these initiatives was demonstrated
through statistical measures. Other initiatives provided
valuable, but less easily measurable, personal outcomes
for individual vulnerable children and young people.
Many such individuals and groups benefited from a range
of inter-related initiatives planned and managed through
ICS, in partnership with other services.
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9
ICS formed part of the authority’s wider commitment to
an Integrated Community Schools approach and to social
inclusion as indicated in its Children’s Services Plan.
The initiative aimed to develop partnership working
between ER staff and social work and health service
partners. It was building effectively on existing good
practice in the following areas:
•
developing an award scheme for health promoting
schools, with NHS Lanarkshire and other partners, to
encourage all schools to work systematically towards
achieving health promoting schools status;
•
extending the role of P6 to S2 teachers; and
•
developing the well-established links with families
through its home-link staff.
The Home-School Partnership team, led by an Education
Manager, had promoted, supported and advised parenting
groups. Schools commended the work of team, its
promotion of play, anti-racism and healthy eating, and its
positive impact in encouraging parents and carers to be
more involved with education.
Innovative projects developed by ICS, in partnership with
other services, included an Active Breaks pilot in which
the Scottish Executive’s Better Behaviour-Better
Learning funding was being used to deploy youth
workers in primary and secondary schools. School staff
interviewed expressed strong support for the initiative. It
was proving successful in giving support to vulnerable
and isolated pupils, reducing absenteeism, developing
social skills and improving behaviour.
Evidence from the pilot New Community School
indicated that, since 1999, total absences had fallen
relative to other South Lanarkshire schools, and
exclusions had considerably decreased. There were
notable improvements in attainment across the range of
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data for 5-14 levels and SQA awards. It is important that
good practice in improving these aspects of performance
is shared with other South Lanarkshire schools. The ICS
team was taking a lead role in development of the
Integrated Community Schools approach across all the
21 clusters in the authority. The authority was continuing
to develop its well-established framework of inter-agency
planning to support the target of achieving Integrated
Community School status for all schools by 2007.
ER used a number of approaches to share best practice
and celebrate achievement. Advisers and CAST officers
played a very important role in this process. In addition
to regular meetings and a well-established menu for
continuing professional development, ER produced a
well-written and well-presented range of guidance for
staff on key aspects of education. Examples included
Developing Children’s Writing and Raising Achievement:
Taking Account of Gender. The authority hosted a
number of award ceremonies to celebrate pupils’
achievements and also recorded them in the Education
Newsletter. Most headteachers (84%) thought that ER
was effective in disseminating good practice about how
to improve standards and quality.
Support for pre-school education
The Council worked effectively with pre-school
establishments and partner centres to provide places for
three- and four-year-old children as requested by parents.
Places were also provided for under-threes and children
with special needs. Members of the Early Years Team
had links with each provider, and visited on a regular
basis as part of the CAST approach. They offered very
useful advice and support on a range of issues including
planning for improvement, staff development and
self-evaluation.
Partner providers had benefited from a number of
authority-wide developments. For example, in order to
4
1
enable all users to access the shared database all
free-standing establishments, including partner centres,
had been connected to the ER-wide network, or a
web-enabled system.
The deployment of officers had recently changed, as a
consequence of changes in legislation, and some links
with partner providers were not yet well established.
Responses to the pre-inspection survey by heads of
partner centres were generally not as positive as those
from the authority’s own pre-school centres and schools.
The authority should build on its existing very good
practice in working with establishments to develop
similarly strong links with partner providers. There was
scope for more opportunities to celebrate success in
pre-school establishments.
Support for primary schools and 5-14
Overall, ER provided very good support for primary
schools and helped them to achieve high standards.
Advisers and other centrally-deployed staff had given
highly effective support to a number of initiatives to
develop aspects of the primary curriculum and to improve
the quality of learning and teaching. These well-received
projects included: promoting positive behaviour, writing,
science, problem-solving in mathematics and thinking
skills.
The quality of schools’ writing programmes and pupils’
overall performance in writing had improved following a
major initiative using training provided by Strathclyde
University and further support from the Advisory
Service. In mathematics, Advisers used attainment data
and HMIE reports to target support, and to identify high
performing schools whose good practice could be
disseminated.
Support from the authority had had a positive impact on
learning and teaching and attainment. Over the period
42
2000 to 2003, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and
mathematics in primary schools had risen steadily and
remained consistently above the national average and that
of comparator authorities. The rate of improvement in
reading compared well with the national average and was
in line with that of comparator authorities. The rate of
improvement in writing compared well with the national
average and the average for comparator authorities. The
rate of improvement in mathematics compared well with
the national average, but was below the average for
comparator authorities.
In P1 to P3 the authority’s early intervention initiative
had produced significant improvements across the
authority as a whole. There was particular improvement
in schools which the authority had identified as requiring
specific assistance to raise standards. An increasing
proportion of pupils was achieving level A in P2.
Attainment in reading had improved by 19%, a higher
figure than in Scotland generally. Writing had improved
by 24%, slightly less than the national figure. Attainment
in mathematics had improved by 10%, in line with the
national figure.
The challenge for South Lanarkshire was to sustain its
current levels of performance in primary schools.
Support for secondary schools
The authority had introduced a number of improvements
in support for secondary schools, many of them in
partnership with other services and agencies, through
out-of-school learning and, more recently, through ICS.
These improvements were beginning to have a positive
impact in improving and enhancing the experiences and
achievement of individuals and groups of pupils within
targeted schools. They had not yet significantly
influenced SQA results at authority level.
4
3
Schools were being encouraged to adapt the curriculum
to meet pupils’ needs more effectively. Initiatives
included vocational training opportunities for identified
S4 and S5
44
pupils. Schools were also working closely with colleges
to deliver an increased range of vocational courses.
Projects in individual schools were well supported, for
example, the Visions project for pupils at risk of
disengaging from the education system.
Secondary schools worked closely with primary schools
to ensure continuity in pupils’ experiences from P6 to S2.
The transfer of pupils’ attainment and achievement data
from primary schools was well organised. ER provided
effective support for S1/S2 through, for example:
•
support for the curriculum linked to 5-14 and specific
subjects;
•
a well regarded team of P6 to S2 teachers; and
•
support for pupils identified as likely to experience
difficulties with S1/S2 curriculum.
There was some evidence that rates of improvements in
reading and writing in South Lanarkshire schools with P6
to S2 teachers compared well with rates in schools
without such teachers.
Secondary schools had been successful in building on the
very good progress in 5-14 attainment achieved in
primary schools. Over the period 2000-2003, attainment
in S1/S2 in reading, writing and mathematics had risen
steadily and remained consistently above the national
average and that of comparator authorities. The rate of
improvement in reading compared well with the national
average and was in line with that of comparator
authorities. The rate of improvement in writing
compared well with the national average and the average
for comparator authorities. The rate of improvement in
mathematics compared well with the national average,
but was below the average for comparator authorities.
4
5
Attainment in S4 and S5 in secondary schools had been
generally improving in line with that of comparator
authorities and the country as a whole. The percentage of
S4 pupils achieving five or more awards at Levels 3, 4
and 5 was generally in line with national and comparator
authority averages. There were indications that the
authority had made some progress in reducing the
numbers of S4 pupils achieving no awards at Standard
Grade. At S5, the percentage gaining three or more
awards at Level 6 was also broadly in line with both the
national and comparator authority averages. There had
been a significant increase in the percentage achieving
five or more awards at Level 6. In National Priority
measures of attainment at the end of S6, the rate of
improvement was above national and comparator
averages. The percentage of S6 pupils gaining one or
more awards at Level 7, while it remained below both the
national and comparator authorities averages, showed
signs of improvement.
Pupils in South Lanarkshire secondary schools were
generally performing in line with pupils across Scotland
and in comparator authorities. The performance of
individuals and groups of pupils who had participated in
specifically targeted initiatives within out-of-school
learning and ICS had improved. This improvement had
not yet impacted on levels of performance across the
authority as a whole.
Support for pupils
The Council had developed good provision for pupils
with additional support needs. This provision included:
46
•
nine special schools;
•
bases in mainstream schools;
•
behaviour support services; and
•
specialist peripatetic teams, which provided learning,
sensory, early years and bilingual support to pupils in
mainstream establishments.
The Council was committed to ensuring that pupils with
special educational needs were educated, wherever
possible, within their local area. This commitment was
clearly articulated within the Policy Statement for
Inclusive Education and Support for Learning and
manifested in the creation of additional provision for
special educational needs within mainstream primary and
secondary schools.
Special schools provided good support for pupils with a
very wide range of different needs. This included advice
and guidelines which were used by most schools to
record individual targets for pupils with special
educational needs and to support their learning. An
increasing number of pupils at the secondary stages were
attaining NQ awards at Access level. However, a number
of issues within special schools remained unresolved.
The Council had not yet put in place arrangements to
ensure that the length of the school week for pupils in all
special schools matched the length of the school week in
mainstream schools. Also, the Council had been unable
to ensure that the pool of supply teachers and support
staff for mainstream schools was able to provide cover
for staff absences in special schools. Both these issues
resulted in pupils in some special schools receiving
insufficient time for learning and teaching.
ER had provided schools with a helpful framework to
help them identify and meet the needs of pupils with a
wide range of additional support needs. Most schools
used the pro forma in Planning for Individual Needs to
record individual targets for pupils with special
educational needs.
Overall, the numbers of exclusions in primary schools
had steadily reduced. In secondary schools, trends were
4
7
generally positive, but less steady, with the number of
pupils excluded from secondary schools remaining above
averages nationally and for comparator authorities.
The authority was taking a number of positive steps to
reduce the levels of pupil exclusions. The
staged-intervention system to support pupils with
challenging behaviour ensured that even if pupils were
excluded from school, they were receiving education.
Generally, across schools, resources were carefully
targeted to achieve the greatest impact. All schools
received some additional support. At the primary stages,
support was provided by the Primary Behaviour Support
Service, which included peripatetic support and two bases
offering part-time and full-time placements. At the
secondary stages, ER had provided all schools with extra
staffing to enable them to put in place individual
responses. Further resources were allocated on the basis
of FME and the current levels of exclusions within
individual schools. In those schools in which additional
measures had been put in place, the rates of pupil
exclusions had reduced.
While the number of exclusion incidents was still high,
pupils were missing considerably fewer days of
education. A recently-commissioned survey of behaviour
support in secondary schools by Glasgow University
provided a very positive evaluation of the effectiveness of
the Council’s approaches. In addition to in-school
resources, the Council had set up four off-site behaviour
support bases in each of its four areas. These bases
ensured that pupils were supported in their local area and
could be re-integrated into their home schools.
Education and Social Work Resources worked together
well to improve provision for children looked after and
accommodated by the local authority. A small team of
teachers provided good support to individual children and
worked effectively to improve links between schools and
residential placements. The Council had produced very
helpful Guidelines for Looked After Children and had
48
developed joint training for teachers and social workers.
A useful electronic management system was used to
exchange information and track the educational progress
of looked after children. In 2003, the percentage of
looked after and accommodated 16-17 year-olds leaving
care and attaining Level 3 in English and mathematics
was higher than the national average.
One of the Specialist Support teams provided good
quality support to bilingual pupils across the Council.
Members of the team conducted an annual survey of
pupils who spoke a language other than English at home
and were in the process of implementing procedures to
monitor the attainment and curricular progress of these
pupils. The Council’s response to the Race Relations
Amendment Act specified clear policies and practices for
schools.
ER provided very effective support to small-scale
projects, sometimes based in individual schools. A good
example was the well-established Nurture Project, which
provided support for primary school pupils with social,
emotional and behavioural needs.
The Council was committed to inclusion and to meeting a
range of needs through a continuum of provision.
Overall, it targeted resources effectively for the benefit of
children, young people and families.
Out-of-school learning
ER was very effective in supporting pupils’ achievements
through a well-balanced range of out-of-school-hours
learning (OSHL) activities, including breakfast clubs and
supported study activities. Lifelong learning staff and
voluntary sector partners were involved in planning and
delivering key aspects of OSHL. Lifelong learning staff
effectively supported OSHL activities through the direct
input of youth learning staff and the use of Universal
4
9
Connections facilities to support pupils’ personal and
social development.
ER was working in partnership with Careers Scotland to
continue to offer the On Track programme for identified
S4 pupils at risk of not completing their education. This
programme had been running for five years, having been
established within the Social Inclusion Partnership. It
aimed to:
•
develop pupils’ core skills;
•
raise levels of achievement;
•
increase self-awareness, confidence and self-esteem;
and
•
enable pupils to achieve their full potential.
A critical element of the programme was that it
guaranteed to place a minimum of 85% of participating
young people into a job, school, further education or
training place. It also provided long-term support and
aftercare for participants for two years after the
completion of the programme from an On Track adviser.
Data available indicated very positive outcomes for
young people who had entered the programme last year.
In the three schools involved, almost all participating
young people (94%) had been placed in employment,
college training or had returned to school. They had all
been awarded core skills certificates from the On Track
Scottish Consortium, recognising their achievements in
communication, numeracy, problem-solving, ICT and
teamworking skills. A further seven schools had since
joined the programme, involving about 15 pupils in each
school.
50
Support for staff development
ER had very good arrangements for staff development.
These arrangements reflected ER’s strong commitment to
supporting teachers’ continuous professional
development in line with A Teaching Profession for the
21st Century.
The Advisory Service provided an extensive range of
staff development activities. Positive features included:
•
a range of twilight and Saturday courses;
•
a coherent and well-organised programme for
supporting probationer teachers; and
•
high quality support for staff undertaking the Scottish
Qualification for Headship.
Newly appointed headteachers benefited from a very
effective induction programme and valuable corporate
training in developing their leadership and management
skills.
The Advisory Services Manager systematically
monitored the quality of courses by analysing evaluations
and using this feedback to inform future planning and
delivery. Evaluations showed a very high satisfaction
rate among staff in meeting training and development
needs. A very positive feature was the introduction of
impact reports aimed at measuring improvements in
learning and teaching and teacher confidence as a result
of participation in CPD. Almost all headteachers
surveyed (95%) thought that their staff were able to
access staff development activities which assisted them in
improving their performance.
Good progress had been made in implementing the New
Opportunities Fund training programme to develop
teachers’ and librarians’ skills in using ICT. ER had
5
1
worked effectively with schools to ensure that it had a
positive impact on learning and teaching.
Staff in early years establishments received very good
opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills
through accredited courses. The Council had developed
both its own training provision for Early Years and
Childcare employees and links with universities to enable
establishment managers to improve their qualifications.
The Early Years Service and the Childcare Partnership
had received a COSLA Gold Award (Lifelong Learning)
for its strategy for workforce development within the
childcare sector.
Teachers and special educational needs support staff were
very positive about the range of staff development
opportunities available, including access to courses for
the Diploma in Support for Learning. Support staff had
access to National Qualification Awards delivered at
local colleges. Innovative approaches to staff
development included the introduction of a locally
delivered Certificate in Social, Emotional and
Behavioural Difficulties.
Advisory staff worked very effectively with teaching
staff, through CAGs and network meetings, in sharing
best practice, discussing issues relating to the curriculum,
attainment and learning and teaching, and identifying
staff development needs. Almost all staff interviewed
were very positive about the support available through
these groups.
Support for staff development provided very important
benefits to staff by developing their professional
competences. These competences in turn had significant
impact on the learning experiences of children and young
people.
52
Other features of support
The Arts
The Arts Education Coordinator, who was also a member
of the ICS team, had taken a very proactive role in
developing a wide range of out-of-school arts initiatives
through the authority’s Artsnet programme. Initiatives
included literacy and dance summer schools, digital video
activities, and dance and music workshops. The
programme was a main component of ER’s strategy to
improve the attainment, achievement and self-confidence
of identified vulnerable young people. Carefully planned
activities ensured that they were given challenging but
appropriate activities. Staff reported evidence of very
positive impact on the self-confidence of those young
people accessing Artsnet activities.
Sport
The authority’s Sportsnet pilot programme provided
young people in P6 to S2 with opportunities to engage in
a wide range of sporting activities outside the school day,
with the aim of raising levels of self-esteem and
achievement. This partnership project involved
volunteers, sports development officers and teaching
staff. Evaluations from the pilot indicated that it had had
a very positive impact on the self-confidence and sporting
achievement of participating young people. ER was
currently developing its proposals to introduce and extend
the Sportsnet approach within the work of ICS.
Enterprise Education
Very effective support from a member of the Advisory
Service and an Enterprise Education Support Officer
helped schools to develop their approaches to Enterprise
Education. Very good publications, such as Mini
Enterprise in Lanarkshire (published in conjunction with
the National Centre for Work and Enterprise and
5
3
Lanarkshire Education Business Partnership) were used
to illustrate good practice. The Advisory Service
provided direct support to primary, secondary and special
schools, funded by the Scottish Executive and Schools
Enterprise Scotland Ltd.
8. How well does the authority perform overall?
Overview
Overall, South Lanarkshire Council provided very high
quality educational services to children, young people
and their families. Education Resources was very
successful in implementing the Council’s strategic
policies, at the heart of which were serving the current
and future needs of these stakeholders and revitalising
and sustaining community life. Very effective planning
at Corporate, Resource and Service level, played a crucial
role in delivering these policies. The Council’s inclusive
vision was realised through a strong structure for
corporate and partnership working. Stakeholders
benefited from very well managed core services, and well
planned and innovative improvement initiatives.
A key to the Council’s success was the very strong and
effective leadership of education. Elected members and
the Chief Executive provided very clear direction. The
Executive Director’s incisive understanding of the key
priorities for Education Resources and her determination
that all decisions should consider the long term interests
of children and young people were succeeding in
bringing about a number of creative responses to difficult
strategic issues. The Director, Heads of Service and
Managers were very successful in harnessing the energy
and commitment of individual staff and teams across
Education Resources. Overall, leadership of the authority
was very good. In many respects, it was outstanding.
54
Education Resources was making good, and in some
aspects very good, progress overall in implementing its
aim to improve achievement and inclusion, and combat
disadvantage. The Council’s broad agenda for
improvement encompassed both authority-wide
initiatives aimed at tackling major issues, and individual
projects directed at specific contexts and needs. All
initiatives were planned carefully and methodically.
Many were innovative in conception and delivery. Very
effective and well-established management information
systems ensured that resources were accurately targeted
at priority areas. Progress and success were
systematically monitored and evaluated. Measurable
improvements could be observed within specific schools
and pre-school centres, in flexible provision for
individual children and young people and in the
increasing effectiveness of authority-wide developments.
Corporate commitment to joint working was having
significant impact on front-line services by providing
effective support for troubled young people. The
Council’s high quality procedures resulted in significant
impact on the experience and achievement of children,
young people, families and other stakeholders.
Standards of attainment in primary schools were high,
and compared well with other similar authorities and
nationally. There was also very positive performance at
S1/S2. SQA performance by the end of S4 and S5 had
been improving in line with national and comparator
averages. Rates of improvement in some measures of
performance by the end of S6 were above these averages.
The challenge now facing the authority was to build on
the achievements in attainment in primary schools and at
S1/S2, and ensure that improvements fed through more
evenly into performance at the upper secondary stages. It
should continue its work in increasing inclusion and
extend its success in reducing levels of exclusion in
primary schools to the secondary sector.
5
5
Overall, South Lanarkshire Council was a very effective
education authority and was adding considerable value to
the work of its educational establishments. It was making
very good progress in implementing its broad and
inclusive vision and in responding to the National
Priorities in Education. The Council was well placed to
ensure that the gains in pupils’ achievements were
sustained and built on at all levels.
Key strengths
56
•
The clear vision and inspirational leadership of the
Executive Director and Heads of Service.
•
The prominent roles played by elected members, the
Chief Executive and officers of the Council in
promoting a broad approach to supporting the
learning of children and young people, and
celebrating their achievements.
•
The effectiveness of Education Resources in working
with corporate services and other agencies to provide
more integrated support to children, young people,
families and the community.
•
The effectiveness of managers and staff in central
services, their very good teamwork and the high
quality of their support to establishments.
•
The quality of financial monitoring and control.
•
The well-established approaches to quality
management and systematic performance monitoring.
•
Innovative and well-run initiatives resulting in
improvements in the learning, experience and
achievement of children and young people, and in the
quality of services to stakeholders generally.
•
The high levels of achievement in primary schools,
and the success of these schools in reducing levels of
exclusion.
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.
•
The authority should develop further its very effective
approaches to performance monitoring and evaluation
within establishments, in order to provide an
increasingly robust evidence base for planning and
reporting on further quality improvement.
•
The authority should build on its well-founded
improvement framework to further improve the
attainment and achievement of pupils, particularly at
the upper secondary stages, further reduce exclusions
and ensure that the gains already made are sustained.
•
The authority should ensure that special schools
provide an appropriate length of week for pupils.
5
7
Around two years after the publication of this report
HM Inspectors will re-visit the authority to assess
progress in meeting these recommendations. The local
authority has been asked to prepare and make public an
action plan, within eight weeks of the publication of this
report, indicating how it will address the main points for
action in the report.
Ian Gamble
HM Chief Inspector
Directorate 5
February 2004
58
Appendix 1
Performance information
Statistical indicators
•
% of school pupils staying on to S5 (post Christmas)
South Lanarkshire
CA Average 6
National
•
2000/01
2001/02
2002/3
67
62
65
66
63
65
63
62
64
2000/01
2001/02
2002/03
Pupil destinations
% Entering
Full-Time
Higher Education
South Lanarkshire
37
35
32
CA Average
National
31
32
32
32
31
31
% Entering
Full-Time
Further Education
South Lanarkshire
16
17
19
CA Average
National
21
20
20
20
22
21
% Entering
Employment
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
24
21
24
18
20
23
23
20
23
1.
6
CA Average refers to the group of education authorities which are comparative to
each other in terms of various socio-economic and demographic factors.
5
9
• Absence
As part of the 2002 Target Setting initiative, South
Lanarkshire Council set itself the following target to
minimise the average number of half-day absence per
pupil in primary and secondary schools by 2002.
Target
Target
Level
Level
(June
Primary
1999
2000
2001
2002)
2002
2003
18
20
18
20
17
19
19
-
19
18
20
-
18
19
National
18
20
19
20
17
19
19
South Lanarkshire
40
45
41
44
38
44
43
-
36
37
38
-
38
38
36
43
41
43
37
42
41
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
Secondary
CA Average
National
•
Exclusions from schools in South Lanarkshire
Total
Primary
Seconda
60
(June
2001)
South
CA
National
South
CA
National
2000
Exclusions
Total
2001
Exclusions
2002
Total
Exclusions
Exclusions
per 1000
Exclusions
per 1000
Exclusions
per 1000
167
4495
2197
33197
6
6
10
108
108
105
120
4507
2293
33145
5
8
11
113
102
104
124
4478
2141
31767
5
9
11
108
99
101
•
As part of the 2002 Target Setting initiative, South
Lanarkshire Council set itself the following targets in
reading, writing and mathematics to be achieved by
2002, and has made the following progress in
achieving them.
The figures represent the percentage of pupils in primary
schools attaining and expected to attain appropriate 5-14
levels by P77.
Primary
Target
Level
June
2001
2000
2001
2002
Target
Level
June
2002
2003
Reading
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
78
77
80
73
76
83
77
80
85
79
81
82
81
84
81
81
Writing
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
68
67
69
63
66
73
67
70
75
70
72
72
73
74
73
74
Maths
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
83
81
81
74
77
84
76
79
85
78
80
83
82
83
79
80
1.
7
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
1
The figures represent the percentage of pupils in
secondary schools attaining and expected to attain
appropriate 5-14 levels by S28
Secondary
2000
2001
2002
Target
Level
June
2002
2003
Reading
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
50
54
55
51
53
59
56
56
64
57
59
60
59
64
60
61
Writing
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
45
48
45
42
43
50
46
46
54
49
50
53
51
54
51
51
Maths
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
50
55
51
42
47
60
46
51
61
51
54
62
56
60
53
54
1.
8
62
Target
Level
June
2001
Level E by end of S2.
•
Results in Scottish Qualifications Authority
(SQA) National Qualifications.
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) levels:
7: CSYS at A-C
6: Higher at A-C
5: Intermediate 2 at A-C; Standard Grade at 1-2
4: Intermediate 1 at A-C; Standard Grade at 3-4
3: Access 3 Cluster; Standard Grade at 5-6
Percentage of relevant S4 roll achieving
By end of S4
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
English 1- 6
@ Level 3 or better
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
95
95
94
94
94
94
94
93
93
94
93
93
Maths 1-6
@ Level 3 or better
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
94
95
94
94
94
94
94
93
93
93
92
93
94
94
94
93
93
92
5+ @ level 3 or better
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
93
92
92
92
91
91
91
90
91
91
90
91
91
91
91
5+ @ level 4 or better
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
76
75
75
78
77
77
77
76
77
76
77
77
76
76
76
5+ @ level 5 or better
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
33
31
32
32
34
33
35
34
34
33
33
34
34
34
33
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
By end of S5
3+ @ level 6 or better
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
22
22
21
23
23
23
22
24
23
24
23
23
22
22
22
5+ @ level 6 or better
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
7
7
7
8
8
8
9
9
9
10
9
9
10
9
9
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
9
11
10
9
11
10
8
13
11
9
13
12
10
13
12
By end of S6
1+ @ level 7 or better
South Lanarkshire
CA Average
National
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3
As part of the 2002 Target Setting initiative, South
Lanarkshire Council set itself the following targets for
pupils attainment in National Qualifications, and has
made the following progress in achieving them.
English
@ Level 3 or better
Maths
@ Level 3 or better
5+ @ level 3 or better
5+ @ level 4 or better
5+ @ level 5 or better
3+ @ level 6 or better
5+ @ level 6 or better
64
South Lanarkshire
National
South Lanarkshire
National
South Lanarkshire
National
South Lanarkshire
National
South Lanarkshire
National
South Lanarkshire
National
South Lanarkshire
National
Target
1999/2001
94
94
94
94
94
93
77
77
33
34
22
23
7
8
1999/2001
94
94
94
94
92
91
77
76
33
33
22
22
8
8
Target
2002
95
95
94
95
93
93
78
79
34
35
23
24
9
9
2002
94
94
93
93
91
91
76
77
33
34
24
23
10
9
2003
94
94
93
92
91
91
76
76
34
33
22
22
10
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Appendix 2
Inspection coverage
Establishments visited:
Auchingramont Nursery
Blackwood Primary School
Blantyre High School
Calderwood Primary School
Carmichael Primary School
Cathkin Community Nursery
Cathkin High School and the Cathkin Area
Support Base
Chatelherault Primary School and Autism Base
Crawfordjohn Primary School
Greenburn Primary School
Greenhills Primary School and Special
Educational Needs Base
Halfmerke Community Nursery
Hamilton Grammar School
High Blantyre Primary School and Nursery Class
Hopscotch Nursery
Kirktonholme Private Nursery
Lanark Grammar School
Leadhills Primary School
Lesmahagow High School
Mount Cameron Primary School
Neilsland Primary School
Sanderson High School
St Bride’s High School
St Cadoc’s Primary School
St Leonard’s Primary School Nursery Class
St Louise Primary School
St Mary’s Primary School, Hamilton
Townhill Primary School
Trinity High School
Universal Connections, Cambuslang
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5
Meetings attended:
Meeting of the Education Management Team
Meeting of the Challenge and Support Team
Meeting of Education Managers and Support
Officers
Meeting of the School Development Planning
Team
Meeting of Coordinators and secondees within the
Advisory Service
Meeting of Support Services Coordinators
Meeting of Coordinators of Specialist Services
Teams
Meeting of secondary headteachers
Meeting of headteachers of special schools
Pre-agenda meeting for the Education Resources
Committee
Meeting of Education Liaison Group
Meeting of the Early Years Team
Meeting of the Communications and Information
Team
Interviews or meetings with Council Members and
Officers:
Chairperson of the Education Resources
Committee
Chief Executive
Executive Director, Corporate Resources
Executive Director, Finance and IT
Executive Director, Social Work Resources
Executive Director, Housing and Technical
Resources
Individual elected members
Leader of the Council
Legal Services Manager
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Interviews or meetings with other Stakeholder Groups:
Pupil council members in schools visited
Youth council representatives
School Board Chairpersons or other parental
representatives in schools visited
Focus group of representatives of Early Years
establishments
Focus group of primary school headteachers
Focus group of secondary school headteachers
Focus group of parents and School Board
representatives
Focus group of trades unions representatives
Interviews with Education Service Staff
Executive Director, Education Resources
Head of Finance and Personnel Services
Head of Integrated Lifelong Learning Services
Head of Service, School Development
Head of Specialist Services
Planning and Monitoring Managers
Education Managers
Psychological Services Manager
Integrated Children’s Services Manager
Early Years Manager
Communications and Information Manager
Members of the PPP Project Team
Finance Services Manager
Partnership Development Managers
Personnel Services Manager
Support Services Manager
Central Support Services Coordinator
Specialist Services Manager
Advisory Services Manager
Special Educational Needs Advisory Support
Business Systems Manager
IT Project Managers
Planning and Monitoring Support Officer and
Principal Officer
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Management Information Systems Officer
Parent Support Officer
Assistant Finance Managers
Inclusion Officer
Area Coordinators, Integrated Children’s Services
Personnel Adviser and Employee Development
Coordinator
Coordinator of Scottish Qualification for
Headteachers
Advisers, Coordinators and secondees within the
Advisory Service
Coordinators of Specialist Support Teams
Team Leaders, Support Officers and Staff Tutors
School Development Support Officers and
Education Support Officer
Specialist Services Support Officer
Special Educational Needs Advisory Support
Officer
Home-School Partnership Team
Community Learning Development Officer
Libraries and Community Learning Manager
Sportsnet Coordinator
Acting Youth Learning Services
Early Years Coordinators and Childcare
Partnership Officers
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Appendix 3
Quality indicators
We judged the following to be very good
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Vision, values and aims
Effectiveness of leadership and management
Policy development
Mechanisms for consultation
Mechanisms for communication
Service Planning
Deployment and effectiveness of
centrally-employed staff
Resource management
Financial management
Measuring, monitoring and evaluating
performance
We judged the following to be good
•
Continuous improvement in performance
We judged the following to be fair
•
No aspects were found to be in this category
We judged the following to be unsatisfactory
•
No aspects were found to be in this category
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How can you contact us?
Copies of this report have been sent to the Chief
Executive of the local authority, elected members, the
Head of the Education Service, other local authority
officers, Members of the Scottish Parliament, Audit
Scotland, heads of the local authority educational
establishments, chairpersons of the local authority School
Boards/Parents’ Associations and to other relevant
individuals and agencies. Subject to availability, further
copies may be obtained free of charge from the address
below or by telephoning 0131 244 0746. Copies are also
available on our website: www.hmie.gov.uk
Should you wish to comment on or make a complaint
about any aspect of the inspection or about this report,
you should write in the first instance to Ian Gamble,
HMCI at:
HM Inspectorate of Education
Directorate 5
1-B95
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ
A copy of our complaints procedure is available from that
office and on our website.
If you are still dissatisfied, you can contact the Scottish
Public Services Ombudsman directly or through your
member of the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Public
Services Ombudsman is fully independent and has
powers to investigate complaints about Government
Departments and Agencies. She will not normally
consider your complaint before the HMIE complaints
procedure has been used. Instead, she will usually ask
you to give us the chance to put matters right if we can.
70
Complaints to Scottish Public Services Ombudsman must
be submitted within 12 months of the date of publication
of this report.
The Ombudsman can be contacted at:
Professor Alice Brown
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
23 Walker Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7HX
Telephone number: 0870 011 5378
e-mail: enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk
More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be
obtained from the website:
www.scottishombudsman.org.uk
Crown Copyright 2004
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.
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