NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL

REPORT

To: LEARNING AND LEISURE SERVICES Subject: Service Highlights

Date:24 July 2010 Ref: JF/LC

1.O INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this report is to provide the Learning and Leisure Services Committee with information on recent service highlights.

2.0 RECOMMENDATION

The Learning and Leisure Services Committee is recommended to note the content of this report.

Members seeking further information are asked to contact: -

Christine Pollock, Executive Director on 01698 302534 Lizanne McMurrich, Head of Community Information and Learning on 01236 812338 302 NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL - LEARNING AND LEISURE SERVICES

SERVICE HIGHLIGHTS

Report by Executive Director

1 .O INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this report is to provide the Learning and Leisure Services Committee with information on recent service highlights.

2.0 CONS IDE RATIONS

2.1 International Children’s Games Success

Team Lanarkshire struck gold on the final day of the International Children’s Games in Manama, Bahrain, and will return to Scotland with their best-ever haul of medals. In the football, the boys disposed of Soprom of Hungary in the quarter-final, winning 6-0, before facing Baghdad in the semi-final. Winning this match 3-2 took the boys through to face host city Manama in the final. An own goal and several on target strikes made sure of a 5-1 win and the gold medal.

In athletics, the girls won silver in the 4xIOOm relay while the boys took bronze in their relay. Silver was won in the long jump and a bronze in the long ump. On the last day of the sailing in the Arabian Gulf, Team Lanarkshire secured 10‘L place overall. That all meant a fantastic haul of nine medals for the team in genuinely testing conditions where temperatures soared as high as 44 degrees.

The International Children’s Games sees 1500 athletes aged 15 and under from around the world compete for medals. Lanarkshire will host ICG 201 1 in August next year.

2.2 Creative Residencv Ptonramme, Kilbowie, 2010

North Lanarkshire Creative Residency offers an inspirational opportunity to senior pupils studying Art & Design and Music in schools across North Lanarkshire at a crucial time in their creative life and artistic development.

This year’s Residency was held from 21-25 June at the Kilbowie Outdoor Centre near Oban where a group of S5 pupils had the opportunity to work both outdoors as well as within a studio environment. As part of the 2010 programme, each pupil chose an area of specialist elective study, which this year included Visual Arts and Curatorship, Jewellery, Musical Composition, Digital Photography, Film Making, Printed Textiles/Fashion and Graphic Design. This programme was directed and mentored by staff, drawn from within many facets of Learning and Leisure Services in North Lanarkshire Council, together with external Arts specialists and partners of national and international reputation. These included staff from Heriot-Watt University and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

The specialist tutors provide both direction and support to the extensive range of creative opportunities afforded by the Residency. This engagement with pupils is seen as being one side of a ‘Learning Agreement’ within which pupils are expected to respond positively, rise to the challenge and make a full commitment to the programme for the duration of the week. The rewards for all can be significant. As an extension to the Creative Residency Programme, a series of Master-classes will follow in September. The Textiles Master-class is funded and supported by the School of 303 Design and Textiles at Heriot-Watt University and held at their Galashiels campus. The Musical Composition Master-class is supported by The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama at their Glasgow campus. The Film 8, Digital Photography Master- class will be conducted at the Council’s state of the art Photo-Media Studio at Summerlee, Museum of Scottish Industrial Life in Coatbridge. The Creative Residency will culminate with an exhibitiodevent at Summerlee Museum from 19-26 November 2010.

2.3 Kilbowie Outdoor Centre

During the 2009-2010 Session, 132 North Lanarkshire primary, secondary and special schools had groups attending Kilbowie. Of these 119 were primary P7 classes on 4 or 5 day courses.

Once again Kilbowie has increased the provision to Council P7 pupils, our core service users. 4168 places were offered to primaries last year with an uptake of 87% giving 3662 pupils attending. The majority of schools not attending were organising foreign trips or their P7 pupils had attended last year as P6.

A new pontoon slipway will be installed in August which will link to the access path from the centre to the shore. This will greatly improve access to canoes and boats for all. The design is fully accessible for wheelchair users and we anticipate more users to take advantage of our full access facilities.

2.4 Monument Fellowship Funding - Museum Success

North Lanarkshire’s curatorial team have obtained 70% funding under the Museums Association’s Monument Fellowship Scheme to employ former engineer and curator Dan Mackay MBE for 50 days to examine the Industrial History Collection at Summerlee, which he was instrumental in developing, and to record his knowledge about the collections and the industries and firms associated with them. Dan will work with the Curatorial staff to develop their knowledge and help them improve the documentation of the collection.

The project will tie-in with a full review of the nationally significant Industrial History Collection. It will enable the service to better target resources for the care and interpretation of the collection, prioritise areas for rationalisation and identify gaps in the collection. A key outcome will be an archive of information which can be made available via online access to the collections database.

2.5 Duke of Edinburgh Awards

On Friday 16 July the Gold Awards Ceremony for the Duke of Edinburgh Award was held at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh. The extremely prestigious award was presented to five young people from the North Lanarkshire area. North Lanarkshire received more gold award certificates than any other local authority or voluntary organisation. The Duke of Edinburgh was present during the special day as well as special guests, workers and friends and family of the awardees. The Duke of Edinburgh spent a great deal of time with the young people discussing the award and the different activities that they were involved in for each section. The reward recognises the achievements of the young people and their dedication and commitment to the award.

2.6 Play Area Openinns

Six new play facilities were officially opened during the school holiday programme of play activities. The three new play areas, funded by the local development programme (LDP), were at Redmire Crescent, Allanton (f40K), Doon Street, Flemington (f40K) and Beechwood Crescent, Greenend (f60K). Two new multi-use games areas at Central Park and next to the community centre off Crowhill Road, Rochsoles, in Airdrie were funded through LDP (f82K and f45K respectively) with additional WREN (f50K) 304 and Community Safety Partnership (f5K) grant funding to Rochsoles Community Resource Project for Rochsoles. A skate park facility in West End Park, Coatbridge, increasing the range of play facilities, was also funded through the LDP (f48,700). The official opening of the refurbished Interplay major play area in Drumpellier Country Park (f160K from the L&L capital programme) was postponed awaiting replacement swing seats after the theft of four swing seats, at a cost of f2,500.

2.7 Primary Games June 2010

Around 2,800 children from primary schools in North Lanarkshire took part in the sixth annual North Lanarkshire Council’s primary games at Wishaw Sports Centre. They competed in sports including athletics, basketball, badminton, boccia, football, rugby, netball, golf, tennis and judo.

The Primary Games is a unique event providing primary pupils the opportunity to participate in a multi sport Olympic style event, creating an atmosphere of fun and celebration.

Over the two day event we hope to inspire pupils to continue to participate in physical activity and sport and to encourage many to go on to become the athletes of the future, competing in forthcoming Children’s, Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

The games are committed to providing a positive environment for participation with an opportunity for our young athletes to experience healthy competition. The two day event included a participation event for P4/5 and a competitive event for pupils in P6/7.

Over the two days pupils were introduced and encouraged to adopt many of the Olympic values including friendship, excellence, respect, determination and courage.

2.8 Celebration of Learnina Awards 2010

The Celebration of Learning Awards took place in May. Groups and individuals from all over North Lanarkshire were represented and received certificates in recognition of their outstanding achievements in learning.

The event, with 320 people attending, commenced with an introduction by Martin McGuire, Principal of Cumbernauld College and chair of the North Lanarkshire Community Learning and Development Partnership and a welcome from Councillor Tom Curley, Provost of North Lanarkshire, followed by a cabaret during dinner, performed by students of Coatbridge College.

Provost Curley and Martin McGuire then presented the award certificates, together with representatives from award sponsors and nominators. They were joined on stage for North Lanarkshire’s Working Awards by Maureen McConachie, Head of Regeneration Services at North Lanarkshire Council.

After the awards ceremony Craig Brown CBE Manager of Motherwell Football Club, was an excellent guest speaker. Lizanne McMurrich, Head of Community Information and Learning, gave a vote of thanks to the learners and special guests.

2.9 Communitv Wellbeing in Fornewood

As a result of funding from the Scottish Government (f25,OOO) and Motherwell and District Local Partnership Development Programme (f30,000), North Lanarkshire Partnership established a Participatory Budgeting scheme aimed at developing a Community Wellbeing Initiative, focused upon tackling anti-social behaviour in the Forgewood area of Motherwell.

A steering group, including 2 local young people, supported by NLC Motherwell Locality Community Learning and Development team and Chief Executive’s office, 305 worked for 6 months to determine potential proposals, including carrying out 3 estate walkabouts, to determine areas of concern, local hotspots and ongoing issues with regard to current levels of anti-social behaviour in the Forgewood area. Part of the steering group’s work involved meeting with local partners, including Strathclyde Police, to ensure all sections of the community were actively involved in the developmental process.

As a result, a community Grand Voting Event took place on Saturday 3 July that enabled local people to vote on the proposals shortlisted by the steering group. The event has enabled identified projects and costings to be established for development during the remainder of 2010 - as determined by people who live in the Forgewood area.

Motherwell Locality Community Learning and Development staff assisted the steering group to help organise and carry out estate walkout sessions, play an active part in the planning and delivery of the Grant Voting Event, help individual steering group members, including young people, establish work plan activities and also continue to provide developmental support to the steering group for delivery and organisation of longer term and sustainable activities as a result of involvement in the Community Wellbeing Initiative - with particular regard to youth, environmental and regeneration activities.

2.10 PODOut to Play

Play Services invited a number of communities to Pop Out to Play (POP) during the school holidays. POP are small, 2 hour long, play sessions aimed at encouraging children to play outdoors in their local parks and open spaces. There were two small teams of playworkers at 15 different sites, enabling children to take part in a range of play activities such as arts & crafts, parachute play and den building over four weeks during July. Locations included popular sites from last year (Coronation Park, New Stevenston; Centenary Park, Airdrie and Cumbernauld Community Park, with Scottish Spina Bifida Association); new play facility sites (Allanton, Rochsoles, Flemington and Greenend) and venues where Play Services are working with community groups to develop new play facilities (Auchinloch, Stepps, Abronhill, Plains, Viewpark, Belhaven Park in Wishaw and Brandy Park in Shotts). As the Interplay play area in Drumpellier Country Park is no longer staffed, POP sessions were organised on Fridays, both morning and afternoon. The sessions were weather dependant but attendances have been generally good with up to 70 children (100 including adults) at a session. POP is enabling more communities to benefit from free play sessions than is possible with the larger funday events although Play Services are still running 5 fundays (supported by the town parks initiative) and Playday at Summerlee, run in conjunction with Early Years and NL Leisure.

2.1 1 ASN School Football Programme

The Football Development Team completed their second 7 week programme followed by a Festival with the ASN Schools within North Lanarkshire Council. The SFA Qualified coaches go into the schools each week to give fun football sessions with the children in both primary and secondary and then bring them all together at one venue so they can meet up with other schools. This has been a fantastic success with all schools saying that the children always look forward to the coaches coming and developing new skills.

2.1 2 Coatbridge Librarv Opens New Doors

Coatbridge Library opened for business in the Buchanan Centre on Monday 21 June. The new library has a stock of around 40,000 items including books, talking books, DVDs, CDs and software. There are 18 PCs in the Logintolearn Centre to allow access to the internet and to Open Learning services. The library is on the ground floor beside the First Stop Shop and the Registrar Services and allows easy access for 306 disabled persons including shopmobility users. Many customers are linking in visits to the library and other Council and NHS services and the library has seen very encouraging increases in usage in the first 4 weeks. Visitors up by 4,777, a 63% increase, issues up by 3,084, a 31% increase, PC usage up by 408, a 28% increase and enquiries up by 1,259, a 46% increase.

The opening hours of Coatbridge Library are now 9am - 7pm Monday to Friday and 9am - 4pm on Saturday introducing a Wednesday afternoon and evening service which was not available before.

There have been several children’s events arranged for the summer holidays and the Book Bug sessions for pre-school children now run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

2.13 Fit for Runbv Programme

Six primary schools took part in the Fit for Rugby pilot scheme. The scheme has now been extended with another sixteen primary schools across the authority taking part. In partnership with NHS Lanarkshire, Scottish Rugby and North Lanarkshire, the Fit for Rugby delivers an eight week rugby block with a classroom based discussion before each rugby session about what being healthy means, what to eat and when to eat it.

Topics include Healthy Breakfasts, Healthy School Lunches, Healthy Packed Lunches, Healthy Snack Foods, Fizzy Drinks, 5 a day Fruit and Vegetables, What is a Portion and Energy Balance. In week one and eight there was also a Fun Based Fitness test.

2.14 The Scottish Baccalaureate

The Scottish Baccalaureate is a new qualification offered to sixth year students in science and modern languages. The Scottish Baccalaureate in science and modern languages are based on a coherent group of subjects at higher and advanced higher level.

One of the new features of the Baccalaureate is the Interdisciplinary Project. The Interdisciplinary Project provides opportunities to apply extended subject knowledge in relevant contexts, and to develop skills and confidence necessary to make the transition into further and higher education and/or employment.

Students who successfully complete the elements of the Baccalaureate will receive a commemorative certificate showing either pass or distinction. A distinction will be awarded to students who achieve:-

* Grade A in one advanced higher from one of the eligible courses Grade A in any other component Grade B or above in all other elements

A pass will be awarded to candidates who achieve at least Grade C in all mandatory elements.

The Interdisciplinary Project unit is an advanced higher, double credit unit lasting 80 hours. The project is designed to encourage independent learning and to allow the learner to draw on many subject areas across the curriculum and to make connections between science or languages and the world, in which they live, learn and work.

The first group of North Lanarkshire students completed the Scottish Baccalaureate in June 201 0 with 6 students achieving an A pass for their project work. One student recorded a C pass. The projects covered areas such as future energy provision to new forms of fuel for the cars of the future. Five schools participated in this project. A strong productive partnership was formed with the University of the West of Scotland and UWS has agreed to continue with this partnership next year. 307 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

The Learning and Leisure Services Committee is recommended to note the content of this report.

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