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 ________________________________________ 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. i _______________________________ 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, 20 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. 2 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 2 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, 24 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. 26 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. 2 7 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. 28 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. 3 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 3 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. 3 5 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. 3 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 40 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 6 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 9 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 6 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 66 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 6 7 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 68 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 6 9 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. 7 1