Item 1 City Council 24th January 2019 City Administration Committee

Report by Councillor Chris Cunningham, City Convener for Education, Skills and Early Years

Contact: Jim Wilson Ext 74086

RESPONSE ON THE PROPOSAL TO CONSULT ON ALL 30 MAINSTREAM SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO BE DELINEATED SECONDARY SCHOOLS, I.E. THE SINGLE KEY-ENTRY CRITERIA FOR ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS BEING A DEFINED GEOGRAPHICAL CATCHMENT AREA.

Purpose of Report:

To provide a summary of the responses to the consultation and to seek approval for all 30 mainstream secondary schools to be delineated secondary schools.

Recommendations:

The City Administration Committee is asked to approve the proposal as set out in section 6.

The full response is available on https://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17886 .

Ward No(s): Citywide: x

Local member(s) advised: Yes No x consulted: Yes No

1. Background

1.1 The entry criteria for primary and secondary schools are determined by the local authority. Local authorities throughout Scotland, and other countries, adopt a range of differing entry criteria. For primary schools in Glasgow, the key entrance criteria for a particular school is based upon a defined geographical catchment area, and those families living within the catchment area will have a “right” to expect that their child can be enrolled in that particular school; provided that there is room to accommodate the child.

1.2 Some primary schools have shared catchment areas whereby parents residing within these areas may choose between two or more local schools within the same sector (i.e. denominational or non-denominational). These shared catchment areas exist as a legacy of many years of demographic changes, school closures, housing developments and other factors.

1.3 Every address within Glasgow has a catchment area (or shared catchment area) for both a denominational primary school (or schools), and a non- denominational primary school (or schools).

1.4 The secondary school estate, however, is slightly different. For 12 of the 30 secondary schools, the single key-entry criteria is similar to that of the primary schools, i.e. defined only by a geographical catchment area, this is known as a delineated secondary school.

The 12 delineated secondary schools are:

 Hillpark Secondary School   Hyndland Secondary School  Holyrood Secondary School  King’s Park Secondary School   Knightswood Secondary School  St Andrew’s Secondary School

1.5 The remaining 18 secondary schools have a different entry criteria, which is primarily based on the primary school the child attends, these primary schools are referred to as associated primary schools. These secondary schools also have a “notional” catchment area (which is fundamentally the “sum of” the associated primary schools’ catchment areas), and these secondary schools are referred to as non-delineated secondary schools.

The 18 non-delineated secondary schools are:

 All Saints Secondary School   Cleveden Secondary School  Drumchapel High School  High School  Lochend Community High School  Lourdes Secondary School  Notre Dame High School   Smithycroft Secondary School  St Margaret Mary's Secondary  Springburn Academy School  St Mungo's Academy  St Paul's High School  St Thomas Aquinas Secondary  St Roch's Secondary School School  Whitehill Secondary School  /Sgoil Ghaidhlig Ghlaschu Secondary

1.6 Having two different systems operating within the city can lead to confusion over which secondary school a young person has an entitlement to attend. Aligning to a single system will ensure equity, and clarity in relation to the key- entry criteria for Glasgow mainstream secondary schools.

2. Proposal

2.1 The purpose of this consultation was to align the mainstream secondary school estate by establishing one key-entry criteria across all 30 secondary schools; by making all secondary schools across the city delineated secondary schools, i.e. the single key-entry criteria being a defined geographical catchment area.

2.2 This consultation directly affected 18 mainstream secondary schools, and indirectly affected 12 other mainstream secondary schools. The proposal document identified that the creation of a unified single entry criteria was unlikely to have an adverse effect as the current entitlement for the majority of the families in the city will be unaffected.

2.3 The main purpose of this proposal was to align/unify the entry criteria, it was not to significantly alter, amend or otherwise change existing catchment areas; albeit very minor alterations have been required to ensure there were no ‘gaps’ in the catchment areas as a result of the change.

2.4 The minor amendments made to catchment areas, as defined below, have been undertaken based on an analysis of P7 leavers’ destinations from the primary schools in question. The proposed changes would formalise the historic trends of P7 leavers from the primary schools noted in the proposal document. Full details of these are in the original consultation document.

2.4.1 To amend the catchment area for St Roch’s Secondary School as follows: a. Remove, in its entirety, the geographical catchment area for St Philomena’s PS. b. Remove the small area of shared catchment with All Saints Secondary and allocate this area exclusively to All Saints Secondary. c. Allocate the entire St Stephen’s Primary School catchment area to St Roch’s Secondary.

2.4.2 To amend the catchment area for All Saints Secondary School as follows: a. Allocate the entire geographical catchment area for St Philomena’s Primary School to All Saints Secondary b. Remove, in its entirety, the geographical catchment area of St Stephen’s Primary School. c. Allocate exclusively to All Saints Secondary, the small area of catchment currently shared with St Roch’s Secondary. d. Include All Saints Secondary in the small area of catchment currently shared between St Mungo’s and St Andrew’s to take cognisance of children from this area who may attend St Philomena’s Primary School.

2.4.3 To amend the catchment area for Springburn Academy to allocate the entire geographical catchment areas for Barmulloch Primary School and Royston Primary School to Springburn Academy.

2.4.4 To amend the catchment area for Smithycroft Secondary School to remove, in their entirety, the geographical catchment areas for both Barmulloch Primary School and Royston Primary School.

2.4.5 To amend the catchment area of St Stephen’s Primary School to include an area of land in Sighthill to the north of the M8 which is currently part of the catchment of St Mungo’s Primary School. There have not been any houses on this land but there are new houses planned as part of the development of Sighthill.

2.4.6 To create a small area of shared catchment between Bellahouston Academy and Shawlands Secondary

2.5 It was recognised that there would be a very small number of families who may be adversely affected due to having a child in one of the 18 non- delineated secondary schools and a sibling in one of the associated primary schools who attend as a result of a placing request. Therefore, it is proposed that there would be a right for siblings of those affected by the change. That is, a child who attends a primary school by means of a placing request, and has a sibling in the associated secondary school at the time of transition, would be considered as if they were a catchment area pupil for up to five years; should this proposal be approved by the City Administration Committee.

2.6 There may be other families who would be affected in terms having made a decision to place their child at a certain primary school and having a reasonable belief that their child would automatically transition to the associated secondary school. The consultation document showed that only 3.7% of the current primary school population fall into this category. However, in order to afford these families some cognisance of this, it is proposed that any family who find themselves in this position at the commencement of the new arrangements in 2020 would have a protection until August 2025 (i.e. when P1 in 2018/19 enters S1) in the form of a priority placing request into the secondary school that was previously associated with their primary school.

3 Public meetings

3.1 There were six public meetings held at secondary schools across the city. The meetings also consider the consultation on placing request criteria which was open at the same time. The total attendance at these meetings was 19. The notes of each of these meetings is included in the appendices.

3.2 In addition to these six public meetings, the Executive Director of Education met with some of the Parent Council from Craigton Primary School. The parents at Craigton Primary School wanted to discuss the challenges of the over-subscription exercise which was taking place at Rosshall Academy and whether the consultation would address their concerns. There was a positive discussion on other options, such as the potential of Craigton Primary School catchment area becoming part of another secondary school’s delineated area. The parents were advised that any change as significant as this would require another public consultation and were officers to propose this then we would engage with them prior to any consultation being taken forward.

4 Responses to the consultation

4.1 856 respondents registered with the survey. 626 (73.1%) identified as parents or carers, 41 (4.8%) identified as school staff, 25 (2.9%) identified as Council staff, 45 (5.3%) identified as pupils, 114 (13.3%) identified as residents, 5 (0.6%) identified as councillors and 54 (6.3%) identified as ‘other’. Note that some respondents identified in more than one category, for example, ‘parent or carer’ and ‘resident’.

4.2 796 (93% of the 856 respondents) answered the question ‘Do you agree that all secondary schools in Glasgow should have the same entry criteria, i.e. be delineated?’

 549 (64% of all respondents) said ‘Yes’.  166 (19.4%) said ‘No’.  81 (9.4%) said ‘Don’t know’  60 (7%) skipped the question

4.3 The next question asked respondents ‘Do you disagree with any particular secondary school(s) proposed delineation?’

 471 (55% of all respondents) said ‘Yes’.  264 (30.8%) said ‘No’.  121 (14.1%) skipped the question

4.4 They were then given the option of selecting the particular school and the opportunity to comment. The table below provides a summary for each school along with a response from Education Services, where appropriate.

Secondary School No. of Commentary respondents All Saints 4 General comments such as: I think Secondary School that all secondary schools should be non-delineated; I don’t think that any school should have a boundary parents should be allowed to put their child at whatever school they feel the like best. Glasgow Gaelic 3 Two felt that pupils should have to School attend some sort of Gaelic education in order to attend. Response from There are no plans to make it compulsory that pupils Education have previously attended Gaelic education. Any Services parents who wished their child to attend with no or very limited Gaelic language skills would be advised by the school that the curriculum on offer may be unlikely to meet their child’s learning needs. Bannerman High 0 School Bellahouston 0 Academy Castlemilk High 0 School Cleveden 1 Catchment area is too wide. Secondary School Contradicts local schools for local children manifesto. High travel costs for pupils living in SIMD1 Response from Due to the location of Cleveden and other secondary Education schools. It is not possible to amend the catchment Services area to reduce the travel distance for pupils living in some parts of the catchment area. However, increased efforts will be made to try to improve the travel options for pupils. Drumchapel High 0 School Eastbank 0 Academy Govan High 0 School Hillhead High 8 One respondent felt that an area of School housing in Partick/Dowanhill should be amended to allow families the choice of either Hyndland or Hillhead as the schools were equidistant. Two respondents commented on the need for placing requests if your child had gone to a denominational primary school. Response from The first suggestion would require a new statutory Education consultation. Officers do not recommend more shared Services catchment areas as this makes planning for future capacity more challenging. Hillpark Secondary 0 School Holyrood 2 Two respondents put the same Secondary School comments on each denominational school. They were ‘faith school’ and ‘Denominational schools should give priority to those of that denomination.’ Response from The latter comment is covered by the consultation on Education placing requests. Services Hyndland 6 The comments referred to the number Secondary School of placing requests which were used every year. The same proposal was included as that made in Hillhead High School above. One suggested that the Scotstoun area should be included and another suggested that Scotstoun Conservation area should be included. Response from Officers agree that the relatively small size of the Education catchment area results in a high proportion of placing Services requests. There would be a reduced administrative burden if there were fewer placing requests. To change the catchment area would require a new statutory consultation under the Schools (Consultation) Scotland Act 2010. Officers recommend that consideration is given to scoping out a consultation to amend the catchment area of Hyndland Secondary School which would have the effect of reducing the number of placing requests. John Paul 2 See Holyrood Secondary School Academy comments above. King’s Park 1 The respondent suggested that Secondary School Toryglen Primary School catchment area should be included in the delineated catchment area for King’s Park Secondary School. Response from Officers recommend that King’s Park Secondary Education School’s catchment area is changed to include the Services whole of Toryglen Primary School catchment area. The map is in the full response Appendix 22. Knightswood 0 Secondary School Lochend 0 Community High School Lourdes 2 See Holyrood Secondary School Secondary School comments above. Notre Dame High 284 Comments were varied and polarised. School A notable number proposed that the High School should have a wider catchment area and some stated this was to allow more girls entry. Others took the opportunity to state their support for single-sex education. A notable number also took the opportunity to propose that boys are allowed to attend the school. Response from The City Administration have committed to Education undertaking a consultation on the entry criteria for Services Notre Dame High School. This will take place once this consultation is concluded. Rosshall Academy 3 The respondents expressed concerns about catchment children not being able to attend their local secondary school. Response from In session 17/18, an oversubscription exercise was Education run for entry into Rosshall Academy because there Services were too many catchment children registered for available places. However, by August 2018, all catchment children who wished a place at Rosshall Academy were offered a place due to the impact of placing requests to other schools. It is anticipated that this issue will not arise for August 2019. Education Services will continue to monitor carefully the numbers of pupils in the catchment area and will work with parents to discuss longer term solutions through potential future statutory consultations should concerns arise. Shawlands 5 The respondents’ comments mainly Academy referred to placing requests they had made into the local primary school and they, therefore did not want Shawlands to become delineated. Response from Officers acknowledge that changing the status of the Education school from non-delineated to delineated may cause Services anxiety as some parents may feel that their child would not be able to access the secondary school. We have taken these concerns into consideration as noted in 2.5 and 2.6. Smithycroft 5 The small number of respondents Secondary School expressed concerns about the distance some pupils have to travel to attend this school. One was concerned about the lack of public transport to Smithycroft for those families who live close to Wallacewell Primary School. Response from Officers are aware of the concerns of some families Education who attend Wallacewell Primary School. There is a Services secondary school in East Dunbartonshire which is notably closer to the housing in Robroyston and there are better public transport links to Springburn Academy than Smithycroft Secondary School. However, children attend Wallacewell Primary School from a wide catchment area and for some children Smithycroft Secondary School is nearby. Parent should be assured that transport is also provided where children have to travel more than 2.2 miles or where there is not a safe walking route. Springburn 1 Comment referred to pupils from Academy Wallacewell having to use a placing request to attend Springburn Academy despite it being walking distance. St Andrew’s 2 See Holyrood Secondary School Secondary School comments above. St Margaret Mary’s 2 See Holyrood Secondary School Secondary School comments above. St Mungo’s 3 See Holyrood Secondary School Academy comments above. St Paul’s High 2 See Holyrood Secondary School School comments above. St Roch’s 3 See Holyrood Secondary School Secondary School comments above. St Thomas 9 A number of respondents took the Aquinas opportunity to comment on the school’s relationship with Notre Dame High School. Whitehill 0 Secondary School St Mungo’s 2 See Holyrood Secondary School Primary School comments above. St Stephen’s 2 See Holyrood Secondary School Primary School comments above.

5 Education Scotland report

5.1 The full response from Education Scotland is included in the full response https://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17886 . Overall, inspectors felt that the proposal has clear educational benefits and that it should assist the council to make effective use of its resources.

5.2 Education Scotland Concerns raised at the public meeting, in written responses from those against the proposal and from parents who met with HM Inspectors, predominantly related to Notre Dame High School. From a total of 300 comments in response to the online questionnaire, 237 comments related to Notre Dame High School.

Response from Education Services The City Administration have committed to undertaking a consultation on the entry criteria for Notre Dame High School. This will take place once this consultation is concluded.

5.3 Education Scotland A few stakeholders were of the view that the council had not fully considered the needs of families living in particular parts of a number of existing catchment areas across the city. In taking forward the proposal, the council should respond to individual local school communities regarding concerns around specific areas in the proposed realignment of the catchment areas.

Response from Education Services In the above table responses have been provided to each of the issues raised in the responses to the consultation.

5.4 Education Scotland A few respondents to the online questionnaire and a few parents who met with HM Inspectors stated that it is not clear from the proposal paper exactly how many families will be affected by the changes. They have requested that there is effective communication to parents and families directly affected, particularly where there may be younger siblings who have not yet started at primary school.

Response from Education Services In the consultation document and in this response, it is confirmed that there would be protection until August 2025, for children currently in primary school who would be affected, in the form of a priority placing request into the secondary school that was previously associated with their primary school if there were changes.

5.5 Education Scotland In taking forward the plans, the council should share how communication of any relevant changes to families affected would be undertaken.

Response from Education Services Each year, Education Services communicates with headteachers on the details of enrolments from nursery to primary and primary to secondary. This includes letters to parents. Communication in future years will include detail on the changes to draw parents’ attention to the changes. Information on the Council web-site will also be updated to include more detail on the changes.

6 Secondary Delineated Areas and other changes

6.1 Having taken into consideration the views of respondents, the Education Scotland report and those who attended the meetings. It is proposed that all secondary schools in the city become delineated as set out in the consultation document. It is also proposed that the changes as set out in sections 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 are approved.

6.2 In addition, it is proposed that the whole of Toryglen Primary School catchment area is included as part of the delineated catchment of King’s Park Secondary School.

6.3 The final maps of the proposed catchment areas are included as Appendices in the full response document https://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17886 .

7 Other consultations

7.1 In line with the City Administration’s commitment to undertake a public consultation under the Schools (Consultation) Scotland Act 2010 to consider the entry criteria for Notre Dame High School, officers have been engaging with Parent Councils and campaign groups between October and December 2018 with a view to carrying out a consultation. A paper will be brought to the City Administration Committee by mid-February 2019 seeking permission for this consultation to be carried out.

7.2 During 2019, officers will meet with Parent Councils in the Hyndland Learning Community to discuss whether there should be a public consultation under the Schools (Consultation) Scotland Act 2010 to change the delineated catchment area of Hyndland Secondary School.

8. Date of implementation

8.1 It is proposed that the catchment areas as proposed would take effect immediately following the decision being made by the City Administration Committee.

9. Equality Impact Assessment

9.1 The quality improvement officer with responsibility for Equalities carried out an Equality Impact Assessment screening for this response. The screening process did not identify issues which would require a full Equality Impact Assessment being carried out. The full screening is available as an Appendix in the full response document https://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=17886 .

10. Policy and Resource Implications

Resource Implications:

Financial: Within existing resources

Legal: Consultation was undertaken in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

Personnel: N/A

Procurement: N/A

Council Strategic Plan: Excellent and Inclusive Education It is linked to the above priority but does not link directly to the identified priorities.

Equality and Socio- Economic Impacts:

Does the proposal Yes support the Council’s Equality Outcomes 2017-22

What are the potential No significant impact – as set out in section 8. equality impacts as a result of this report?

Please highlight if the The proposal is not linked to disadvantage. policy/proposal will help address socio economic disadvantage.

Sustainability Impacts:

Environmental: The proposal would have limited environmental impact.

Social: The proposal would assist parents as there would be greater clarity.

Privacy and Data Responders were asked to provide name, age, Protection impacts: address and reason(s) for responding. Young people under 16 had personal details withheld in the response document. Those over 16 were offered the option of this. The data would only be used/held by Glasgow City Council for the purposes of consultation under the Schools Consultation (Scotland) Act 2010.

10 Recommendations

10.1 The City Administration Committee is asked to approve the proposal as set out in section 6.