Minutes
Meeting of the Board of Directors
A meeting of the Board of Directors was held on Wednesday 17 February at 10.30am in the Board
Room, Learning and Teaching Scotland, The Optima, 58 Robertson Street, Glasgow G2 8DU.
Present:
Jim Conroy, Board Member (Item 7 onwards)
Carole Ford, Board Member
Jacqui Hepburn, Board Member
Bernard McLeary, Chief Executive
John Mulgrew OBE, Chair
Iain Nisbet, Board Member
Graeme Ogilvy, Board Member
In attendance:
Alan Armstrong, Director – Curriculum and Assessment
Marie Dougan, Interim Director – Learning & Technology
Eileen Gill, Chief Professional Adviser, Strategic Organisational Development
Alistair Gordon, Interim Director - Corporate Services
Kay Livingston, Director – International, Research and Innovation
Catherine MacIntyre, Professional Adviser, Policy & Governance
Murray McVicar, Scottish Government
Stuart Ritchie, Director – Learning and Community
Apologies:
Alison Coull, Scottish Government
Louise Hayward, Board Member
Christine Pollock, Cosla Observer
Gavin Whitefield, Special Adviser
1.
Due Date
Alistair
Feb 10
Apologies
1.1
2.
Action
Apologies were received as noted above.
Minute of the Previous Meeting + Action Grid held on
16 December 2009
2.1
The Minute of the previous meeting and Action Grid were
accepted as a true record. The Minute and Action Grid will now
be published on the website, subject to any FOI exemptions.
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3.
Matters Arising from the Previous Minutes
3.1
Cosla Representative on the LTS Board (Item 6 refers)
Bernard reported that Cosla had requested that the LTS / ADES
presentation to the Education Children and Young People
Committee meeting on 17 February be postponed. However,
Terry Lannigan (ADES) would be present to discuss CfE and the
assessment framework, including moderation, and LTS’s role in that.
It is possible that the joint LTS / ADES presentation will take place at
the next ECYP Committee meeting on 7 May 2010.
3.2
Confucius Classrooms (Item 8.3.2 refers)
Kay reported that the first group of teachers will go out to Tianjin in
March. Two further Classrooms will also be launched in March: one
in East Renfrewshire and the other in Fife. Plans are under way for
60 pupils to take part in an immersion course in China during the
summer of 2010.
4.
Declarations of Interest
4.1
5.
None.
Chair’s Report
The Board noted the following points:
5.1
Recommendations have been submitted by the Sponsor Department
to the Minister, Keith Brown, in respect of the two Board Member
vacancies.
5.2
The Cabinet Secretary, Michael Russell, has agreed to come to LTS
on 27 April.
5.3
A very positive meeting took place with Graham Houston, Chair of
SQA. This will be follow up by a meeting of John, Graham, Janet
and Bernard to discuss the format / structure of the proposed joint
Board Meeting.
5.4
John attended a dinner / roundtable discussion with Chairs of
NDPBs within the Cabinet Secretary’s portfolio (Education and
Lifelong Learning). The Cabinet Secretary, Ministerial team and
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Due Date
Alistair
Jun 10
Director General, Leslie Evans were also present. The purpose of
the event was for each organisation to share priorities / plans and
then, at a future date, to discuss how links are being made with other
bodies to eliminate overlaps. The follow up meeting will include
Chief Executives.
5.5
The Board noted the paper about Board Member Remuneration.
Board Members agreed that John and Alistair should progress the
matter with the Scottish Government for reasons of diversity and
inclusion, particularly in relation to attracting new Board Members.
The Board was also keen to ensure equity and consistency with
respect to LTS’s status as an NDPB.
Board Members will receive a further update at a future meeting.
6.
Organisational Development Programme Update
6.1
OD Committee – 27 January 2010
The Minute of the meeting had already been circulated to Board
Members. John commented that at the next meeting, which is
scheduled for 18 March, the Committee will be looking at proposed
structures, along with other important items.
6.2
LTS Review Implementation
6.2.1
Eileen confirmed that the Board’s response had been sent
to Colin MacLean, having first been endorsed by the
Organisational Development Committee. Work is now
underway to produce drafts of the supplementary papers:
Curriculum Review, Assessment and ICT. Drafts of these
papers will be discussed at the next meeting of the
Organusational Development Committee. The new /
additional areas in the remit now need to be integrated into
day to day activity.
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6.2.2
6.3
The Board noted that Murray would like to convene a
meeting with the relevant Depute Directors to discuss the
response and will report back to the Board with whatever
comments emerge from the discussion.
6.2.3
Bernard stressed that this was about relationships,
communication, being outcomes focused - LTS working in
partnership with the Scottish Government. Bernard also
referred to John’s discussion with Colin MacLean
regarding inconsistencies
6.2.4
Discussion needs to take place on funding models, rights
and responsibilities and, therefore, there is a broader
context about moving LTS forward as an NDPB –
John Swinney’s ‘Terms of Engagement’. Bernard would
like that discussion to take place and then report back to
the Board.
Action
Due Date
Murray
28.4.10
Programme Priorities
6.3.1
Eileen reported that the first stage of review of the high
level structure had been completed. PA Consulting will
now be looking at the layer below to assess the roles that
will be needed to support the proposed high level structure.
The proposals from both reviews will be integrated into one
paper for discussion at the Organisational Development
Committee meeting on 18 March. It is also hoped that
some additional work, currently being undertaken by Hay
Group on related salary information, will also be included
within this paper.
6.3.2
The Board appreciated the volume of work and activity that
lies behind this and noted that officers are taking a
participative approach, with senior staff having had the
opportunity to give views. All Board Members will be kept
well informed as this process moves forward.
6.3.3
The Board noted that other progress is being made in
terms of our partnership working with Cosla and SQA,
engaging with staff and knowledge sharing / management.
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6.3.4
6.4
Some other aspects of the Organinisational Development
Programme have been reprioritised because of the
resource commitment to ensure smooth transition of the
Learning Connections team within LTS. However, the
Programme, generally, will gather pace over the next few
months.
Learning Connections Transition (+ presentation)
6.4.1
The Board noted that, overall, good progress is being
made, with good communications both with the Learning
Connections (LC) team and individuals. CMT has
endorsed the Business Plan and this will now go to the
Scottish Government. LC work plans will be fully
integrated within the LTS Annual Business Plan.
6.4.2
LTS is working with the Scottish Government Actuaries
Department and Strathclyde Pensions actuaries to resolve
issues relating to TUPE.
6.4.3
Eileen also reported that the Scottish Government has
announced LTS as the preferred option for transfer of the
Standards Council. This will need to be looked at carefully,
and separately from the LC team, in terms of structure and
governance arrangements.
6.4.4
In response to a query from Graeme, Bernard explained
that the reference to joint planning with SQA was slightly
separate from LTS’s overall shared services strategy. This
specifically related to CfE and Assessment, with the aim of
identifying interdependencies; risk and deliverables.
SQA’s Programme Office will be managing the process
and this has the potential for shared services. However,
we are discussing potential for sharing services with other
organisations and not only SQA. John commented that the
Board should not assume that this is the pattern with other
NDPBs.
6.4.5
Jacqui said that what the Scottish Government is looking
for is cohesive infrastructure; cohesive Boards and
cohesive planning.
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6.5
7.
Learning Connections Presentation
6.5.1
John welcomed colleagues from Learning Connections,
Clare El Azebbi and Edith MacQuarrie, who joined the
meeting to give Board Members an overview of the main
areas of work. This included reference to key Scottish
Government policies, national partners and how Learning
Connections contributes to the Scottish Government’s
national purpose.
6.5.2
Board Members were impressed with the breadth of
support and advice provided by the LC team. This
included providing specialist advice to the Scottish
Government and development of an adult literacy and
numeracy strategy, as well as working with SQA on
development of NQs for literacy and numeracy and
working jointly with HMIE on measuring impact.
6.5.3
The Board also noted the areas where the team are
already working in partnership with LTS and the increased
benefit that full integration of the LC team within LTS will
bring to the education system.
6.5.4
Graeme commented on the importance of links into
employers needs and community benefit projects such as
the Commonwealth Games.
6.5.5
John then thanked Clare and Edith for the very informative
presentation and said that colleagues were looking forward
to welcoming the team on board from 1 April 2010.
Chief Executive’s Report
7.1
CfE and Assessment
7.1.1
Alan summarised the work that LTS had undertaken to
support launch of the Experiences and Outcomes last year
and explained that LTS is now very involved with delivery
of Building your Curriculum exemplars.
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A new area of the website will be developed where
practitioners can get examples and leave comments.
Quality assured materials will also be available.
7.1.2
Another key area is BtC5 – Assessment. LTS recently
supported 8 events to help practitioners understand what
this means and these events were extremely well
evaluated. Local authority staff are now replicating ideas
and materials locally which is helping to build capacity in
the system.
7.1.3
Norman then took the Board through a detailed
presentation which made reference to a number of key
points, including:
i)
LTS is supporting practitioners using a new approach
with increased focus on breadth; challenge and
application of learning.
ii)
The emphasis on sharing standards and expectations
through national system and moderation.
iii)
LTS is focusing on delivery of exemplars for 20 April,
as well as developing content for NAR. The key
difference with this process is that there is an
opportunity for practitioners to contribute.
iv)
LTS is working closely with SQA to deliver on NAR
and also to ensure integration with other existing
services, e.g. NQs and SSA.
Progress so far:
v)
All 32 local authorities are involved with over 150
schools engaged.
vi)
The intention is to publish emerging practice (preNAR) on a special area of the LTS website.
vii) The Assessment Governing Group is satisfied that the
range of examples from Phase 1 provided good
coverage of priority curriculum areas.
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Alan
28.4.10
viii) LTS is now working with local authorities to fill gaps in
non-priority areas.
ix)
All materials will be quality assured before going onto
the NAR for launch in September 2010.
Risks:
x)
Potential risks exist in relation to coverage and quality
of materials. However, LTS is managing the risk by
working very closely with local authorities and
intervening at an early stage.
xi)
Contingency plans are also in place to cover issues of
capacity and quality. LTS is also liaising with SQA,
HMIE and has regular contact with ADES and
individual local authority contacts.
xii) Truncated timescales.
7.1.4
7.1.5
John commented that the Cabinet Secretary made it clear
that whatever timescales are agreed must be adhered to
and LTS is, therefore, under a lot of pressure to deliver.
John asked that the Board be kept informed of progress
against milestones.
The Board then discussed some of the issues and
perceptions that exist within schools, including:
i)
The lack of clarity that exists around responsibilities
within partnerships and high expectations of local
authorities.
ii)
Teachers believe that CfE means LTS and there is a
serious issue that practitioners believe LTS is
responsible for everything.
iii)
Teachers are not making the distinction between what
is on NAR and formal assessments / tests and will,
therefore, conflate the two. LTS needs to flag up that
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the materials available on 20 April are not quality
assured and have been provided by schools / local
authorities.
7.1.6
Bernard suggested using SLS and other professional
associations as a means of communicating clear
messages to all practitioners.
7.1.7
Board Members also discussed a number of other related
matters, including:
7.1.8
7.2
the extent to which teachers perceive themselves to
be autonomous and, therefore, how much
exemplification is required.
ii)
The issue of accountability and, in particular, the
focus on LTS’s accountability.
iii)
The role of local authorities in delivering CfE. Board
Members noted that CfE Management Board now has
an Implementation workstream in order to identify
potential issues / hotspots.
John said it had been an exceedingly helpful discussion
and reflected on a previous discussion about CfE with
Philip Rycroft when some clarity was required within the
Scottish Government. It may be necessary to have a
similar conversation in anticipation of communication
difficulties. There is, nevertheless, a firm commitment from
LTS to deliver on its responsibilities.
Interconnect
7.2.1
7.3
i)
The Board noted the report.
Digital Company – Commercial In Confidence
7.3.1
The Board noted the report.
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7.4
8.
Alistair
28.4.10
Bernard outlined the progress to date and said that he was
confident that LTS would take this forward.
Glow 2
7.5 1
[
Due Date
LTS / SQA Joint Business Planning and Delivery
7.4.1
7.5
Action
Alistair advised that the timescales and actions are still
‘Commercial In Confidence’ at the present time. However,
work has been ongoing since LTS received the mandate
from the Scottish Government. Preparation for the
consultation and market scanning is now underway
Not disclosed
]
Annual Planning and Budgeting
8.1
First Draft Annual Business Plan 2010 / 11
8.1.1 Alistair advised that the Business Plan for this year should
demonstrate that our work is aligned with LTS’s new remit
and, the draft Plan is, therefore, structured to reflect this.
Further work is being undertaken on development of
strategic objectives which will go to the Organisational
Development Committee in March. The final draft of the
Business Plan will come to the Board on 28 April.
8.2
First Draft Annual Budget 2010/11
8.2.1 Alistair explained that the figures in the paper were
illustrative and show more expenditure in the coming
financial year than at present. This is due to the Learning
Connections transition and the impact of the Interconnect
and Glow 2.
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8.2.2 A fully worked up budget will go the Audit Committee on 25
March for review of technical accuracy, with the final draft
Alistair
Budget coming to the Board for approval on 28 April.
9.
10.
Corporate Performance Report
9.1
Alistair confirmed that the RAG status was currently showing
corporate performance to be on track. The Board noted the new
section within the report on Corporate Efficiency which illustrates
the measures that LTS has committed to the Scottish
Government and confirms that we are on target to deliver at the
present time. The Board can also see how these efficiencies are
being met.
9.2
Jim asked if the efficiencies can be sustained in the longer term
without impacting on LTS’s ability to deliver. Bernard said that it
is painful for the organisation. Staff will need to be more
productive and will be given support through the implementation
of the competency framework and distributed leadership.
9.3
Jacqui commented that the figures were procurement indicators
rather than productivity gains. The Board noted the importance
of identifying unit costs and the impact that the Learning
Connections transition will have on LTS’s unit costs.
Advisory Council
10.1
11.
The Board noted that the appointments process is progressing.
Louise also advised that the work in relation to listening to the
voice of young people is of great interest to the Cabinet
Secretary. The Advisory Council working group will shortly be
producing a paper and is keen to ensure that LTS is listening to
the entire spectrum of young people.
Items for Noting
11.1
Delivering the Outcomes from the Review : Action Plan
Noted.
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11.2
Finance Report – December 2009
Alistair commented that as at end December the figures were
relatively strong. Confirmation from the Scottish Government on
the £250k Voluntary Severance Scheme has not yet been
received, but Murray is expected to respond in the next few days.
11.3
Media Update – December 2009 / January 2010
Noted.
11.4
Effective Public Bodies Programme
Noted.
12.
13.
AOB
12.1
John reminded Board Members that this was Stuart Ritchie’s last
Board Meeting as he would be leaving LTS on 9 April. Originally
a teacher and then HMI, Stuart joined LTS in 2006 as Director
Curriculum. Since then, his experience and contribution to the
organisation has been invaluable. John also thanked Stuart for
his contribution to the Board and wished him well in the future.
12.2
Bernard added that Stuart had been an excellent colleague. He
had originally started working with LTS on secondment during a
difficult period for LTS and had helped to shape the organisation.
On behalf of all colleagues, Bernard said that Stuart would be
missed and thanked him for his professionalism.
Date of Next Meeting
13.1
The next meeting is scheduled to take place at 10.30am on
Wednesday 28 April 2010 in the Board Room of Learning and
Teaching Scotland, Glasgow.
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Addendum to the Minute
Subsequent to the meeting, and in response to John’s and Bernard’s remarks,
Stuart asked that the following statement be recorded in the minute:
“I have very much enjoyed my time in LTS. I wish to record my appreciation of
the opportunity to work with the Board on matters of great import for LTS and for
the education system as a whole.
Under John’s chairmanship, the Board has overseen tremendous advances in
the work of LTS, in its reputation as one of the key national lead bodies in
education, and in its impact in improving outcomes for children and young people
across Scotland.
The Board deserves considerable credit for its contribution to our response to the
Scottish Government’s Review of LTS, in which context we were particularly
indebted to Bernard’s strategic and tactical nous.
I wish you well with the huge challenges of driving forward Curriculum for
Excellence and Glow, in the certain knowledge that the “new” LTS will continue to
flourish under your direction.”
Approved by:
______________________________________
John Mulgrew OBE, Chair
Date: _________________
Approved by:
______________________________________
Alistair Gordon, Company Secretary
Date: _________________
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