KEMNAY ACADEMY PARENT COUNCIL

Minutes of Meeting of Kemnay Academy Parent Council held on Wednesday 8th June 2011 at Kemnay Academy, Bremner Way, Kemnay

Present: Graham Peers (Chair) Jenny Singer Jackie Smith Mhorag Watson Elizabeth Russell Helen Allan Brid Mackay Mary Lucas (Staff Representative) Colin Shand (Staff representative)

In attendance: Dr Charlie Hunter (Rector) Cllr Hazel al-Kowarri

Apologies: Cherry Marks Cllr Nan Cullinane Cllr Martin Ford

1. Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes were approved - proposed by Mhorag Watson and seconded by Brid Mackay.

2. Matters arising

Parent Council finances –accounts have been audited.

Proposal to incorporate PTA into the Parent Council discussed under item 3.

Parental Involvement Survey – submission has been made.

Breakdown of per capita funding allocations was distributed.

Severe weather information – no comments received.

Notice of Parent Forum Annual Meeting has been issued by pupil post and parents also notified by text.

3. Parent Council Constitution Amendment Consultation

76 responses were received, all were in favour of the proposed amendments to the constitution. The amended constitution has therefore been formally adopted and is now in place.

4. Accommodation update

Extension to Art/Technical Dept will start at the beginning of the summer holidays. Work is to be done in three stages to spread the cost over two financial years and therefore work is not expected to be complete until June 2012. Contingency plans are in place for art classes to be held in the performance area. This of course will cause disruption to the normal running and use of the school.

Class room space will be satisfactory for session 2011-2012 and possibly for the following session. However as the intake is set to rise from 140 to 180, real problems with accommodation will arise in session 2013-2014. There are also major concerns regarding lack of facilities for PE in the coming year. A survey of services around the site needs to take place so that interim measures can be planned for.

5. Remit for PTA Sub committee

All 76 responses received in the constitution consultation were also in favour of the proposal for the PTA to become a part of the Parent Council.

The draft subcommittee remit, revised after discussion at the previous Parent Council meeting and with the PTA, was therefore tabled and was formally adopted without further amendment. This allows for the subcommittee to be formed immediately after dissolution of the PTA in its current form which should now take place at the PTA AGM on 23 rd June.

6. Report for Parent Forum Annual Meeting

Graham tabled the slide presentation to be used at the Parent Forum Annual Meeting. This was discussed and amendments were made. Jackie to provide budget details for inclusion.

7. Head Teacher’s Report

Dr Hunter presented his report (appended to this document).

Also noted was that Mrs Burns’ retirement in October will lead to there being three houses instead of four.

In discussing the budget situation it was noted that control of the Academy’s heating system is managed centrally from Woodhill House and that the school has no control over switching it on or off. This means the school cannot regulate use of the heating to suit weather conditions leading to the school often being too hot or too cold and with subsequent implications for the budget. Dr Hunter has managed to get an increase in budget for the last session to cover overspend in this area and is hopeful over discussions for a longer term solution. He will keep the Parent Council informed. 8. Parent Council Finances

Accounts have been checked for the previous two years by Elizabeth Anderson. Balance to date is £917.83 after receipt of 2011/2012 funding allocation from Aberdeenshire Council. A suggested donation of £500 towards the costs of the achievement ceremonies was agreed. Jackie to prepare a cheque.

With the adoption of the amendments to the Parent Council constitution the Parent Council financial year will now run from 1 st May to 30 th April.

The Academy has been absorbing minor costs incurred by the Parent Council such as photo copying. The annual allowance provided to the Parent Council by Aberdeenshire Council is intended to cover items such as this so it was suggested that with budgets tight the Academy start charging the Parent Council for such things. This will reduce the amount available at the end of the year for donation but is more in keeping with the intent of the annual allowance.

9. Student Update

There was no student in attendance and no update available.

10. PTA Update

The PTA have issued notice of their AGM to parents including the intention to dissolve the current PTA.

Looking ahead the PTA are planning a disco for up coming first years, a casino or race night and a bag pack as fundraisers.

11. Correspondence

Received • Email from Aberdeenshire Council advising that Parent Councils will receive the same level of funding as previous years and that insurance will be renewed as normal • Acknowledgement from Aberdeenshire Council of response to Parental Involvement survey • Request from Aberdeenshire Council to respond to a survey on the new CfE reporting format, responses required by end September • Parents as partners in learning newsletter from Aberdeenshire Council • Backchat 120 from the SPTC • Copy of memo from Dr Hunter on per capita budget • Email request from Dr Hunter for Parent Council views on incidents surrounding the S6 leaving day

Sent • Email response to Dr Hunter with Parent Council views on incidents surrounding the S6 leaving day, also comments on draft letter to S6 parents • Letter to parents consulting on amendments to Parent Council constitution and on incorporating PTA into Parent Council • SEEMIS text reminder for responses to consultation • Notification to parents of Parent Forum Annual Meeting • SEEMIS text notification and reminder of Parent Forum Annual Meeting

12. Forthcoming Events

Link week P7 parents information evening on Thursday 23 rd June, Graham will speak at this as will Francis Cribbes, PTA Chair.

Parent Council piece for Academy newsletter – Graham to organise .

PTA AGM is Thursday 23 rd June.

Senior achievement ceremony is Thursday 30 th June, all Parent Council members are invited to attend.

13. Issues to be carried forward to next Parent Council

This Parent Council recommends that its successor consider the following issues: • Curriculum for Excellence • Parental Skills Register • Parental Communication • Accommodation

14. Date of Next Meeting

This is the final meeting of this Parent Council, a new Parent Council will be selected at the Parent Forum Annual Meeting on Tuesday 21 st June 2011.

Graham thanked staff, pupils and parent members for their participation and input throughout the year. Dr Hunter thanked Graham in particular for his hard work and dedication to Kemnay Academy.

Meeting of Kemnay Academy Parent Council 8 June 2011 Head Teacher’s Report

Staffing Following successful interview for PT Faculty of Design and Technology, Mr Dave Duthie has now taken up post. His appointment has created an excess in the technology area and this will be managed by the Service via transfer. The post of PT Modern Languages has been advertised and re-advertised. Interviews took place on 3 June and Ms Joanna Ellson has been appointed to the post. A probationer teacher will be allocated to fill a 0.7 vacancy in Computing while Miss Joanne Cameron will be transferred from Peterhead Academy to fill our Geography vacancy. Similarly, Mr Stuart Reid will be transferred from Banchory Academy to fill our Physics vacancy. Vacancies in Business Education, English, PE and Mod Lang are in the process of being filled. Mrs Sheila Burns, PT Guidance, has confirmed that she will retire in October. Since our roll is likely to be less than 700, her replacement may not be appointed until session 2012-13. The new Director of the E, L and L Service, Maria Walker, took up post formally on 6 June. An SfL auxiliary colleague who has been on temporary contract for a number of years will have that contract terminated at the end of session. She will not be replaced. Similarly, a member of our clerical/admin team will have her temporary contract terminated at the end of session as a result of the Service’s clerical/admin review. Proposals to reallocate clerical/admin staff and introduce new ways of working are under consultation.

Budgets Budget allocations to faculties have been completed. The year-end position has been agreed and, since our energy overspend of almost £30k has been written off, a deficit balance of only £5k remains. This is well within the current limits of £100k or 10% of devolved budget. Indications are that the DEM carry forward limit will be reduced to 5% from next year. The timetabling process has been completed. Confirmation of the economy of the timetable will only be possible after the ESG80 return is made in September. The staffing formulae for the next few years will present us with significant challenges and will result in staff and curriculum change:

Based on ESG80 of Sept 2010 = 681 2010-11 (13.64+0.0653x681) x90% =52.3 2011-12 (12+0.057x681) +1.4 =52.2 2012-13 (12+0.056x681) =50.1 2013-14 (12+0.055x681) =49.5

The loss of every 1FTE implies a loss of the equivalent of 4 Higher classes. It has been confirmed that our cluster SfL teacher allocation will be reduced from 14.54 to 14.0 in the coming session.

S6 Leavers’ Day Following significant disruption, noise and mess on the last day before study leave, the Rector has arranged to meet each S6 student who wishes to attend the Achievement Ceremony by 13 June. Plans to avoid a similar situation next session include scheduling the Senior Prom simultaneously with the last day before study leave.

Curriculum for Excellence Dr Hunter and Mr Shand will attend another day-long seminar on S3 and the senior phase on 10 June. SMT met with our SQA manager, Mr Roddy Duthie, on 23 May. They were able to explore concerns of economy and planning for the new courses with him.

Annual Calendar Our annual calendar and working time agreement will be formally agreed at a collegiate meeting on 14 June. The proposed holiday pattern shared at the last Parent Council meeting has been adopted by cluster schools.

Youth and Philanthropy Initiative S3 students have been participating in this initiative funded by the Wood Family Trust. Finalist teams made presentations to a panel of external judges, including Lady Helen Wood, on Wednesday, 1 June. The winning team, comprising Callum Swanson, Keiran Swanson, Daniel Galas, Jack Fraser and Rebecca Newman, received a cheque for £3,000 that will be handed over to their selected charity, the Special Nursery.

Charity Committee The Charity Committee has had a very successful year, which culminated in a Charity Golf Day at the Kemnay Golf Club on April 18. 24 teams completed their round in glorious sunshine and the winning teams were Kemnay Autobody and Balfour Beatty. A silent auction and prize draw in the clubhouse gave us an eventual total of £4500. This combined with the money raised from other events will mean that a cheque for £6550 will be handed to Olivia Giles of the 500 Miles Charity at the Senior Achievement Ceremony. A further cheque for £1000 will be handed over from Danny Cowie of Jasmine Holdings. The Mile of 5 pence coins has reached the 200 metre mark and it is our intention to keep collecting until the mile is achieved. Please support us in trying to reach this target.

S3/4 College 2011-12 Banff Buchan College no longer consider us a preferred partner. There will be no College experience for the new S3 pupils. S4 students who attended Keith this year will continue their College experience at Ellon Academy. The venue for those who attended at Huntly this year has not yet been confirmed.

Glow Our Glow mentor, Mr Angus, has begun working to enable parents to access Glow. He will collaborate with the Service’s Glow team to complete procedures so that our parents also get access as soon as possible in session 2011-12. One of our Glow team members, Kieren Swanson, wrote to the First Minister regarding Glow. It is likely that Kieren will be invited to sit on the Government’s Advisory Panel to consider the future of Glow.

Borneo Expedition Miss Cameron and Miss Shand attended the 2011 Outlook Conference in Glasgow in May. They attended sessions on Roles and Responsibilities, Expedition Leadership, Management and Support, Risk Management, Hazards and Controls, Personal Development, Altitude and Expedition Leadership. They also had an in depth meeting with the expedition leaders and the in country expert. Items for the Groups Project work at the Orphanage have now been obtained. These include numerous book donations from Academy staff and Hazelhead Primary School. The books will be used in an orphanage library. Other items to aid the teaching of English to pupils at the orphanage were obtained from Strachan’s of Inverurie at 10% discount. The final preparation day is on Tuesday, 14 June. Both expedition leaders will be present for packing and itinerary briefing before departure on Wednesday, 15 June, from Aberdeen Airport. The groups will both return on 5 July.

Quality Improvement Matters The annual thematic review process is complete with outcomes from it being incorporated in next session’s faculty improvement plans. The last round of meetings between PTs faculty and the Rector are underway. These concentrate on attainment issues, the finalisation of plans and financial matters. A small group of staff will visit Mearns Academy on 10 June to explore QI mechanisms and a classroom observation tool, Learning Rounds. The first draft of the full Standards and Quality Report, SQuIP, has been prepared. Spending plans for the external Improvement Fund have been submitted to our Head of Service for Approval.

Achievement Ceremonies On the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the last week of session, achievement ceremonies for S1, S2/3 and S4/5/6 respectively will be held. Olivia Giles, presenter and organiser of the 500 Miles charity will be the keynote speaker at the senior ceremony.