Minutes
Meeting of the Board of Directors
A meeting of the Board of Directors was held on Wednesday 22 April 2009 at 10:30 am in the
Board Room, Learning and Teaching Scotland, The Optima, 58 Robertson Street,
Glasgow G2 8DU.
Present:
James Conroy, Board Member
Carole Ford, Board Member
Louise Hayward, 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 - Education Improvement
Denise Brock, Head of Communications (Item 10 only)
Eileen Gill, Seconded from Scottish Government
Alistair Gordon, Head of Finance & Company Secretary
Stewart Carruth, Director - Corporate Services
Jamie MacDougall, Scottish Government
Catherine MacIntyre, Professional Adviser, Policy & Governance
Laurie O'Donnell, Director - Learning and Technology
Stuart Ritchie, Director - Curriculum
Apologies:
Alison Coull, Scottish Government
Christine Pollock, Special Adviser
Douglas Weir, Board Member
Gavin Whitefield, Special Adviser
Action
1.
Apologies / Welcome
1.1
Apologies were received as noted above.
1.2
John welcomed Eileen Gill who has been seconded to work in
LTS from a senior post within the Scottish Government. Eileen
will play a lead role in implementing the outcomes from the
Review and will help strengthen links with the Scottish
Government. John also welcomed Jamie who would provide an
update on progress with the Scottish Government’s Review of
LTS.
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2.
Due Date
Alistair
Feb 08
Minutes of the Previous Meeting held on 18 February 2009
+ Action Grid
2.1
3.
Action
The Minutes of the previous meeting, Closed Session
Discussion 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.
Matters Arising from the Previous Minutes
3.1
3.2
Pay Negotiations / Voluntary Severance (Items 7.5 & 7.6
refer)
3.1.1
Stewart advised that Year 2 of the 3 year pay
arrangement came into effect on 1 April 2009 and
approximately 75% of staff received, on average, a 5%
pay increase. The Board noted that 6 / 7 members of
staff, previously ‘red circled’ were now back within the
pay structure. This leaves around 20 staff who remain
‘red circled’, but this number is slowly decreasing.
3.1.2
Jim queried the affect being ‘red circled’ had on those
staff. Alistair explained that staff had responded
differently, but generally all had a professional attitude.
Bernard added that each staff member is being
supported individually, with counselling,professional
development and retraining being part of the
discussions.
3.1.3
The Board noted that LTS was not alone in this and
many organisations are facing the same difficulties.
Board’s Engagement with Stakeholders (Item 10.1 refers)
3.2.1
John commented on the correspondence that had been
circulated to Board Members since the last meeting.
Catherine confirmed that the staff lunches and Glow
awareness raising sessions had now been arranged.
The Board will be kept up-to-date on progress with other
actions as previously agreed.
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4.
Declarations of Interest
4.1
5.
None.
Curriculum for Excellence and Glow Presentation
5.1
Bernard introduced this item and drew the Board’s attention to
the letter received from the Cabinet Secretary commending LTS
for its very significant contribution to the achievement of the
successful launch of the CfE experiences and outcomes.
5.2
Board Members also noted the key points in the paper. These
included:
Support for Teachers and Local Authorities
5.2.1 Over the coming months, LTS will be focusing on
providing support for local authorities, teachers and other
education practitioners in the use of the new Experiences
and Outcomes.
5.2.2 LTS is arranging a series of CPD events across Scotland
in April and May.
5.2.3 Examples of good practice on the CfE website will be
expanded over the next few months. The CfE website
itself will continue to be developed with the launch of an
interactive version of the Experiences and Outcomes to
coincide with the launch of the ring-bound, hardcopy
versions of the full set of Experiences and Outcomes in
late May. Both the website and hardcopy versions will
follow the same colour coding convention for each
curriculum area.
5.2.4 National Glow Groups have been established by LTS to
cover the full range of CfE activity and can be accessed
by all members of the Glow community, including pupils
and parents.
5.2.5 Online events and extensive use of Glow meet have been
planned demonstrating the added value that Glow brings
to the development of CfE.
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Testing the Framework
5.2.6 LTS has initiated and is lead partner in Testing the
Framework. This provides an opportunity for practitioners
to work together on the technical tasks of testing the
Building the Curriculum 3 framework for curriculum
planning. The partnerships includes LTS, Scottish
Government, SQA, HMIE and liaison with Scotland’s
Colleges.
5.2.7 LTS materials used at Testing the Framework events will
be put onto the CfE website in an easy to use format with
instructions, presentations, film clips and presenter
guidelines.
Assessment
5.2.8 Working with the Scottish Government, HMIE and SQA,
LTS has been closely involved in the development of
national advice on assessment. As a key element of
engagement activity on assessment, seminars across the
country involved around 800 practitioners from early
years, primary, secondary, special and FE sectors.
Feedback from the seminars is informing the preparation
of the assessment framework, to be published within the
Building the Curriculum series.
5.2.9 LTS will continue to work in partnership to promote
understanding of the key features of assessment in CfE,
including advice on how assessment information should
be used to support improvement throughout the system,
and approaches to recognising achievement.
Presentation
5.2.10 Alan then gave Board Members an insight into the
newly launched CfE website, demonstrating the
structure and easy navigation around the site. Laurie
followed this with a demonstration and explanation of
the added value that the effective use of Glow brings to
both teachers and learners.
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5.2.11 Going forward, the Board noted that LTS’ research team
will be adding data to the website about current
research. Further sections will be added which describe
how teachers can make changes in the classroom and
the conferences that LTS is running will explain this
process. . Board Members discussed LTS’ role in this
in light of the Concordat and agreed that it would require
a combination / collaboration of LTS, universities and
other organisations.
5.2.12 Board Members went on to discuss the need to see
Glow as a component part of a teacher’s set of tools
and one aspect of the blended learning experience.
The Board also discussed access to Glow by parents
and pupils and Laurie explained how this was contolled
and monitored.
5.2.13 Finally, Board Members noted that LTS will be setting
new targets for Glow – both qualitative and quantitative
which will properly reflect Glow’s key role in the
successful implementation of CfE.
5.2.14 The Board recognised the pressure put on LTS to
deliver the CfE programme and were also very
encouraged to hear how Glow is developing.
6.
Scottish Government Review of LT Scotland
6.1
John introduced this item and reminded the Board of the status of
the Review at the time of the last Board Meeting in February. Since
then, John and Bernard met with the Director of Schools, Colin
MacLean and Jamie MacDougall to discuss the next steps in the
process. John invited Jamie to brief the Board on the Scottish
Government’s progress to date and also to explain the subsequent
stages prior to conclusion and implementation.
6.2
Jamie recognised that some considerable time had elapsed since
the announcement by the First Minister in January 2008 until Jamie
had taken over responsibility for the Review in October 2008.
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6.1.3 However, Jamie stated that he did not now wish to rush the process
as he was eager to ensure that the findings were underpinned by
robust evidence. The key points from Jamie’s briefing were as
follows:
6.2.1
The Scottish Government has consulted widely about what
is required in the system and, as a result, now has a strong
suite of evidence. This covers the areas of support needed.
It was not about current activity nor was it an assessment of
how LTS was delivering.
6.2.2
From this evidence, a number of themes emerged. These
have been discussed with John and Bernard and used to
construct the Phase 1 report.
6.2.3
Jamie had circulated the report internally within the Scottish
Government from which some further issues emerged. The
report was then sent to Bernard for comment, but further
circulation has been restricted until the report has been
shared with Ministers.
6.2.4
Comments were received from Bernard, most of which have
been incorporated and the updated version will now be sent
back to Bernard for final review by w/ending 24 April or
w/beginning 27 April.
6.2.5
A meeting with Ministers (Fiona Hyslop and Keith Brown) is
planned for 7 May 2009 to discuss the report. This meeting
will drive the timetable of what happens next.
6.2.6
It was likely the main elements from the Phase 1 report
would merge into Phase 2. Tasks and Functions and
whether these are National or Local and what LTS’s role is
in delivering these will be discussed with Ministers. It would
then be the intention to discuss this with the LTS Board of
Directors but importantly there would need to be discussion
about implications for other bodies.
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6.2.7
There are a number of grey areas within the National / Local
tasks, eg where it would make more sense for economies of
scale for some local needs to be delivered either nationally
across all authorities, or in groupings of authorities. The
implications of the Concordat will also need to be taken into
consideration.
6.2.8
Once the report has been discussed and agreed with
Ministers, it is then the Scottish Government’s intention to
discuss the implications for other organisations, followed by
discussions with, for example, Cosla, HMIE, SQA and then
to look at the practicalities of taking this forward.
6.2.9
Timescales are difficult to define because of the consultation
phase with other organisations and Cosla.
6.3
John agreed that, as soon as the report is available – following the
meeting with Ministers on 7 May - he will convene a Special Meeting
of the Board. Colin MacLean will represent the Scottish Government
at this meeting. The Board’s role in the Review of LTS is very
important and this meeting will be held for the sole purpose of
discussion of the report with Colin MacLean.
6.4
John also commented on the Board’s concern for LTS staff and the
need to have a meeting with staff at some stage in the near future.
Bernard commended Jamie for his professional and speedy
approach in taking forward the Review. However, there remains an
issue of fairness to staff as it is now 15 months since the Review
was announced.
6.5
The Board then discussed the key educational principles that
underpin the tasks and functions, and in particular, that learning,
teaching and assessment should not be separated. Jamie
confirmed that assessment was one of the most controversial issues
and that the way forward would likely be for the organisations (eg
LTS and SQA) to work collaboratively. Collaborative working is an
underpinning requirement for the delivery of CfE and assessment
and this will be one of the areas to be discussed with Ministers.
Louise commented that CfE should be Curriculum and Assessment
for Excellence.
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7.
6.6
Carole added that there are a number of different principles, for
example, the business / commercial approach to delivery of
qualifications. There is also serious concern within the school
community in relation to HMIE / SQA that there is a danger of undue
influence if roles are not clear and distinct. Jim endorsed the view
that there is a issue of principle and a need for real clarity of
purpose. Jamie suggested that the starting point should be from a
basis of delivering outcomes.
6.7
In response to a question from Jacqui, Jamie confirmed that
consultation with other organisations would commence very quickly
after the meeting with Ministers, not least because of the need to
continue delivery of CfE. Jacqui also raised the impact of the
Review on the Budget / Grant-in-Aid and Business Plan for 2009 /
10. Jamie agreed that this would need to be taken into
consideration.
6.8
In summary, John said that we would not want to see a collision of
HMIE, SQA, LTS, etc., but rather something emerge which draws
senior representatives of these organisations together in a formal
sense, or a narrative with clear roles that avoids overlaps. The
planned meeting with Ministers on 7 May is encouraging and the
Board is prepared to respond flexibly to convene a meeting with
Colin MacLean as soon as the report is made available. John
thanked Jamie for his very full and useful briefing.
Planning and Budgeting
7.1
Final Draft Business Plan 2009 / 10
7.1.1
Stewart reminded Board Members that LTS had
received advice from the Scottish Government that we
should proceed with development of our Business Plan
on the basis of ‘business as usual’ and, similarly, our
budget on an ‘as is’ basis. The Board noted that, also
included within this year’s Business Plan are a number
of examples of LTS’s achievements during the last year
08 / 09.
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7.2
7.1.2
LTS’s Business Plan for 09 / 10 again demonstrates
clear links between LTS’s programmes and the Scottish
Government’s National Performance Framework. The
scope of the programmes have been agreed in
discussion with colleagues in the Scottish Government.
7.1.3
The Board accepted that there would be an opportunity
for fuller debate on the Plan after the outcome of the
Review is known. However, in the meantime, the Board
unanimously approved the Business Plan for
2009 / 10.
Final Draft Budget 2009 / 10
7.2.1
7.2.2
Alistair spoke to this item and commented as follows:
i)
The Audit Committee reviewed and endorsed the
draft budget for technical accuracy at its meeting
on 24 March.
ii)
It is a break-even budget and, although as at the
time of writing LTS still had not received formal
Grant letters from the Scottish Government, the
budget had been prepared on an ‘as is’ basis per
advice from Scottish Government.
iii)
LTS is operating on a capped core grant basis.
iv)
Provision has been made for a second phase of
Voluntary Severance and for additional staffing as
a number of vacancies have not been filled
pending the outcome of the Review.
Graeme advised that the Audit Committee had noted
that the Scottish Government’s budget cuts and policy
of no compulsory redundancy could give rise to
problems. However, LTS had received confirmation
from the Scottish Government that funds could be
carried forward into 2009 / 10.
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7.2.3
8.
Final Draft Gaelic Language Plan for Learning and Teaching
Scotland
8.1
9.
Finally, John commented that it was the usual tight
budget for LTS and the Board did not yet know what, if
any, implications would emerge as a result of the
Review of LTS. Notwithstanding the issues noted
above, the Board unanimously approved the budget
for 2009 / 10.
Stuart summarised for Board Members the key points relating to
the draft Plan which included:
8.1.1
LTS is committed to producing a plan as are other
national bodies. The Board noted LTS’s commitment to
Gaelic and to promoting the principle of ‘equal respect’
for Gaelic
8.1.2
The Plan will be translated into Gaelic prior to external
consultation.
8.1.3
The Plan will be sent to Bord na Gaidhlig in June for
final approval.
8.2
Stuart also advised that LTS continues to work in partnership
with SQA and HMIE and recently held a joint conference in
Inverness which was very well-received by the Gaelic
community.
8.3
Finally, Stuart reported that LTS had appointed a Gaelic
Education Manager who will take forward the work of
implementing the Plan, together with CfE and Glow
developments, making sure that Gaelic has a secure place in
LTS’s work.
Corporate Performance Report
9.1
Stewart confirmed that there were no issues to bring to the
Board’s attention within the report covering January / February
2009.
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9.2
10.
11.
Stewart then provided a verbal update for March which
indicated a change in two areas. Board Members noted that
there is slippage back into ‘Red’ within the RLG (Resource,
Learning and Growth) area of the Corporate Scorecard. This
is due partly to longterm sick absence. However, in overall
terms, LTS’s sick absence levels are low (3.77) when
compared with elsewhere in the public sector (9.8). The other
area is Investment in Learning and development which is
largely because of the impact the Review is having on our
ability to invest in certain areas of the organisation. We would
expect to see this changing after the outcome of the Review is
known and we are better able to target investment.
Chair’s Report
10.1
The Board noted the update tabled by John.
10.2
John also reported on his regular communication with the
Scottish Government and advised Board Members that
Philip Rycroft, Director General Education, would be leaving
the Scottish Government in May. John undertook to write to
Philip on behalf of the Board to thank him for his support.
John
Chief Executive’s Report
11.1
Confucius Classroom Hubs Update
11.1.1 Alan commented briefly on his update, pointing out
that Scotland has a greater number of hubs than
England and Wales currently does not have any.
11.1.2 In response to a query from Iain, Bernard explained
that the reason few authorities appear to be offering
Higher Mandarin is that the qualification is not
scheduled to be launched until May 2009.
11.1.3 Bernard also reported that other authorities have
expressed interest in establishing a hub. However,
there are issues about supply of teachers and also the
importance of Mandarin.
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11.1.4 LTS will be meeting with the Hanban and will explore
the possibility of the Hanban supplying more language
assistants.
11.1.5 Jim suggested that there was a role for LTS to develop
a strategy for the Government. As CfE roles out the
flexibility that it provides should be used.
11.2
Local Authority Pilot Update
11.2.1 Stewart described the rationale behind the pilots which
LTS had initiated in response to changes taking place
in the public sector landscape. This new model of
working in partnership with local authorities will feed
into the National Outcomes.
11.2.2 An evaluation of the model and of each of the four
pilots will be carried out to determine whether LTS
should adopt this way of working across all its
programmes.
11.3
LTS and 4iP – Letter of Intent
The Board noted the report.
11.4
LTS and iTunesU Update
The Board noted the report.
11.5
Interconnect2 Update
11.5.1 Laurie reminded Board Members that the Interconnect
forms part of the national ICT infrastructure for
schools.
11.5.2 Laurie reported that the project is on track to deliver on
time and within budget. However, given the scale,
complexity and level of funding involved, the decision
has been taken to continue the status of the project on
Amber. There is also the issue of monitoring Thus
and Cable + Wireless who are currently going through
major restructuring.
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11.5.3 The Board noted that the Interconnect2 will mean that
bandwidth will increase and that local authorities can,
individually, increase bandwidth further if they wish.
11.6
Scottish Learning Festival
11.6.1 Laurie confirmed that SLF is also on track for
successful delivery. Keynote speakers are now in
place and the programme is scheduled to be
published shortly.
11.7
Outcomes Based Approach for NDPBs (verbal update)
11.7.1 Stewart gave the Board a brief update on LTS’s
involvement in an initiative which is being led by the
NDPB Chief Executive’s Forum. The work involves
looking at outcomes across NDPBs to determine
where there are opportunities for joint working
between NDPBs and also to identify NDPB’s preferred
level of engagement with local authorities.
11.7.2 This will enable LTS to cross check against outcomes
and demonstrate our contribution to the National
Performance Framework. The model also has the
potential to become a learning tool for other
organisations.
11.3
Media Update
11.3.1 The Board noted the report and the high level of press
activity around the time of publication of the Outcomes
and Experiences.
11.3.2 Stewart suggested that, in future, Board Members may
find it more useful to receive the media report
electronically in advance of Board Meetings. This was
agreed.
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12.
Board Member Discussion Item
12.1
Role of Tapestry
12.1.1 Jim raised a number of issues concerning Tapestry.
12.1.2 Bernard confirmed that Tapestry is not a part of LTS
and LTS/ LTS staff have no role in Tapestry
management or governance. This position has
recently been confirmed in writing to Tapestry in
respect of Bernard and John’s previous informal role in
advising Tapestry.
12.1.3 Like most local authorities and universities in Scotland,
LTS does agree to joint badging on certain publicity.
LTS has also commissioned Tapestry specifically to
run a CfE event.
12.1.4 By way of background, Bernard advised Board
Members that in 2005, the Scottish Government
requested that LTS provide accommodation for the
Tapestry Partnership and Tapestry moved to the
Optima in February 2006 in response to that request.
13.
Items for Noting
13.1
Finance Reports – January and February 2009
13.1.1 Board Members noted the reports.
13.2
Minute from Audit Committee – 24.3.09
13.2.1 Graeme gave a brief update in Douglas’ absence
which included the following points:
i)
Corporate Risk remains ‘Red’ and will not
change until the Scottish Government’s
Review of LTS is completed.
ii)
LTS has begun scenario planning in relation to
the impact of potential financial pressures as a
result of current economic circumstances.
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iii)
LTS internal auditors, PwC, has identified that
LTS has good, well designed, arrangements in
place for budgetary control.
iv)
Scott Moncrieff (LTS’s existing external
auditors) has been appointed by the Auditor
General to carry out the future external audit
function. Future audits will be wider than
previously undertaken and now include
corporate governance, risk management,
standards of conduct, internal audit
arrangements and fraud and irregularity.
13.2.2 Overall, the Audit Committee is content with the
controls in place and that appropriate measures are
being taken by officers to mitigate risks.
13.2.3 John reminded Board Members that Douglas’ is due to
retire from the LTS Board in July and the next meeting
in June will, therefore, be Douglas’ last Board and
Audit Committee Meeting. John has arranged to meet
Douglas to discuss succession planning in terms of
chairing the Audit Committee.
14.
Any Other Business
14.1
Update from the Advisory Council
14.1.1 Louise advised Board Members that the Advisory
Council is nearing completion of the draft of the first
paper: What Matters for Effective Change. The
intention is produce in two parts: detailed paper plus
an Executive Summary. All papers will follow this
format.
14.1.2 The Advisory Council is planning to merge ideas of
engagement and dissemination, both internal and
external, and will bring a paper to the next Board
Meeting for reflection. The Advisory Council will be
using a wide range of external networks, including
Council Members’ own networks in this process.
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14.1.3 The eventual aim is to have a fully developed paper
which can then be further developed into an interactive
resource and made available through Glow.
15.
Date of Next Meeting
15.1
The next meeting of the Board of Directors will take place at
10.30am on Wednesday 17 June 2009 in the Board Room,
Learning and Teaching Scotland, Glasgow.
Approved by:
______________________________________
John Mulgrew OBE, Chair
Date: _________________
Approved by:
______________________________________
Alistair Gordon, Company Secretary
Date: _________________
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