Perth and Kinross Council Lifelong Learning Committee 22 August 2018

Securing the future…  Improving services  Enhancing quality of life  Making the best use of public resources

Council Building 2 High Street Perth PH1 5PH

22 October 2018

A Meeting of the Lifelong Learning Committee will be held in the Council Chamber, 2 High Street, Perth, PH1 5PH on Wednesday, 31 October 2018 at 14:00.

If you have any queries please contact Committee Services on (01738) 475000 or email [email protected].

KAREN REID Chief Executive

Those attending the meeting are requested to ensure that all electronic equipment is in silent mode.

Please note that the meeting will be recorded and will be publicly available on the Council’s website following the meeting.

Members:

Councillor Caroline Shiers (Convener) Councillor Callum Purves (Vice- Convener) Mrs P Giles Mrs M McFarlane Councillor Willie Wilson (Vice-

Convener) Councillor Henry Anderson Councillor Kathleen Baird Councillor Audrey Coates Councillor Angus Forbes Councillor Xander McDade Councillor Tom McEwan Councillor Beth Pover Councillor John Rebbeck Councillor Crawford Reid Councillor Fiona Sarwar

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Page 2 of 396 Lifelong Learning Committee

Wednesday, 31 October 2018

AGENDA

MEMBERS ARE REMINDED OF THEIR OBLIGATION TO DECLARE ANY FINANCIAL OR NON-FINANCIAL INTEREST WHICH THEY MAY HAVE IN ANY ITEM ON THIS AGENDA IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNCILLORS’ CODE OF CONDUCT.

1 WELCOME AND APOLOGIES

2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

3 MINUTES

3(i) MINUTE OF MEETING OF THE LIFELONG LEARNING 5 - 10 COMMITTEE OF 22 AUGUST 2018 FOR APPROVAL AND SIGNATURE (copy herewith)

3(ii) MINUTE OF MEETING OF THE JOINT NEGOTIATING 11 - 16 COMMITTEE FOR TEACHING STAFF OF 19 JUNE 2018 FOR NOTING (copy herewith)

4 COMMUNITY PLANNING PARTNERSHIP

4(i) MINUTE OF MEETING OF THE CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE 17 - 22 AND FAMILIES PARTNERSHIP OF 8 JUNE 2018 FOR NOTING (copy herewith)

4(ii) MINUTE OF MEETING OF THE ECONOMY AND LIFELONG 23 - 28 LEARNING GROUP OF 23 FEBRUARY 2018 FOR NOTING (copy herewith)

5 NON-COUNCIL MEMBERS The Committee is asked to note the appointment of two teacher representatives as non-voting members on the committee:

 Mrs Carolyn Weston, representing the Primary School Sector  Mrs Audrey McAuley, representing the Secondary School Sector

Page 3 of 396 6 STATUTORY CONSULTATION – BALHOUSIE PRIMARY 29 - 110 SCHOOL Report by Executive Director (Education and Children's Services) (copy herewith 18/349)

7 STATUTORY CONSULTATION – FORTEVIOT PRIMARY 111 - 174 SCHOOL Report by Executive Director (Education and Children's Services) (copy herewith 18/350)

8 DIGITAL STRATEGY – EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S 175 - 196 SERVICES Report by Executive Director (Education and Children's Services) (copy herewith 18/351)

9 RAISING ATTAINMENT STRATEGY UPDATE 2018 197 - 242 Report by Executive Director (Education and Children's Services) (copy herewith 18/352)

10 PUPIL EQUITY FUND SPEND 2017-18 243 - 282 Report by Executive Director (Education and Children's Services) (copy herewith 18/353)

11 TAYSIDE REGIONAL IMPROVEMENT COLLABORATIVE (TRIC) 283 - 388 PROGRESS AND TRIC PLAN (PHASE 2) 2018 REPORTS Report by Executive Director (Education and Children's Services) (copy herewith 18/354)

12 RESTORATIVE APPROACHES – EVALUATION REPORT 389 - 396 Report by Executive Director (Education and Children's Services) (copy herewith 18/355)

Page 4 of 396 3(i) PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL LIFELONG LEARNING COMMITTEE 22 AUGUST 2018

LIFELONG LEARNING COMMITTEE

Minute of meeting of the Lifelong Learning Committee held in the Council Chamber, 2 High Street, Perth on Wednesday 22 August 2018 at 2.00pm.

Present: Councillors C Shiers, W Wilson, C Purves, H Anderson, K Baird, B Brawn (substituting for A Forbes), A Coates, X McDade, T McEwan, A Parrott (substituting for F Sarwar), B Pover, J Rebbeck, C Reid and Mrs M McFarlane, R McCall and F Macdonald.

In attendance: S Devlin, Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services); J Pepper, R Hill, S Johnston, G Boland, J Chiles, S Farrer, G Findlay, L Richards, H Robertson, K Robertson and C Taylor (all Education and Children’s Services); J Beveridge and P Marshall (Housing and Environment); L Aitchison, A O’Brien, S Rodger; C Flynn and C Irons (all Corporate and Democratic Services)

Apologies for absence: Councillors A Forbes and F Sarwar and P Giles.

Councillor C Shiers, Convener, Presiding.

449. WELCOME AND APOLOGIES

The Convener welcomed all those present to the meeting. Apologies for absence were noted as above.

450. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest in terms of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.

451. DEPUTATION

In terms of Standing Order 72, the Committee agreed to hear a deputation from Mr G McGoldrick, Abernyte Primary School Parent Council Chair in relation to Art. 455.

The Committee agreed to vary the order of business to hear the deputation from Mr McGoldrick and circulate information received from him immediately before Art. 455.

452. MINUTES

(i) Lifelong Learning Committee

The minute of meeting of the Lifelong Learning Committee of 16 May 2018 (Arts. 267-275) was submitted, approved as a correct record and authorised for signature subject to the point of order raised by

Page 5 of 396 PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL LIFELONG LEARNING COMMITTEE 22 AUGUST 2018

Councillor John Rebbeck at the Committee on 16 May 2018 being included, namely:

Councillor J Rebbeck raised a point of order regarding the political imbalance on the Committee which was inconsistent in terms of the political make-up of the Council. With there being a disproportionate number of Administration members relative to the number of Opposition, Councillor J Rebbeck requested assurance that decisions made by the Committee could not be subject to challenge.

C Flynn advised that at the Council meeting on 25 April 2018, it was agreed that Councillor J Duff replace Councillor X McDade on the Lifelong Learning Committee and this reflected the political balance between the Administration and the Opposition at that time. The withdrawal of Councillor McDade from the Administration in January did not affect the balance between the Administration and the Opposition.

On 27 April 2018, the remaining independent members and Councillor A Bailey withdrew from the Administration Partnership and formed the Independent and Scottish Labour Group. This has resulted in a change in the political balance of members across a number of committees and this will be addressed at the Council meeting on 20 June 2018.

(ii) Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff

The minute of meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff of 27 March 2018 was submitted and noted. (Appendix I)

453. COMMUNITY PLANNING PARTNERSHIP – CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES PARTNERSHIP

The minute of meeting of the Children, Young People and Families Partnership of 8 December 2017 was submitted and noted.

454. EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2018-19

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (18/246) providing a summary of the key priorities for Education and Children’s Services for 2018/19.

Resolved: (i) The Committee approve the Education and Children’s Services Improvement Plan 2018/19 for its specific areas of interest. (ii) Section 1.5 of Report 18/246 relating to Criminal Justice Services to be submitted to the Housing and Communities Committee for approval, be noted.

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(iii) It be noted that the report would be submitted to the Scrutiny Committee on 12 September 2018 for scrutiny and comment.

455. OPTIONS APPRAISAL – ABERNYTE PRIMARY SCHOOL

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (18/243) seeking agreement to commence statutory consultation on a proposal to close Abernyte Primary School.

The additional Information submitted by Mr McGoldrick was circulated to members and the meeting was adjourned for 5 minutes and reconvened at 2.17pm.

In terms of Standing Order 72, Mr G McGoldrick addressed the Committee. Following questions from the Committee, he withdrew to the public benches.

The Convener thanked Mr McGoldrick for his contribution.

Motion (Councillors C Shiers and C Purves)

(i) The recommendation of the options appraisal, attached as Appendix A to Report 18/243, that a statutory consultation in relation to the closure of Abernyte Primary School should take place, be approved. (ii) The Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) be instructed to prepare and publish a proposal paper to close Abernyte Primary School, transfer pupils to Inchture Primary School and extend the delineated area of Inchture Primary School to subsume the whole catchment area of Abernyte Primary School. (iii) The Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) be instructed to formally consult the appropriate bodies and persons on the terms of the proposal paper, all in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. (iv) The Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) be delegated authority to investigate and manage any alleged omissions or inaccuracies during the consultation process and to take appropriate action in accordance with The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. (v) The Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) be instructed to prepare a report on the results of the consultation and report back on the outcome of the consultation to a future meeting of the Lifelong Learning Committee.

Amendment (Councillors B Pover and X McDade)

(i) Delete option 4 of Report 18/243 and adopt option 3 to keep Abernyte Primary School open, changing the catchment area to increase the school roll and ensure future sustainability. (ii) Requests that the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) explore the possibility of establishing a nursery class within Abernyte Primary School, to help sustain the future school roll.

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In terms of Standing Order 58, a roll call vote was taken.

7 Members voted for the Motion as follows: Councillors K Baird, B Brawn, A Coates, C Purves, C Reid, C Shiers and W Wilson.

7 Members voted for the Amendment as follows: Councillor H Anderson, X McDade, T McEwan, A Parrott, B Pover, J Rebbeck and Mrs McFarlane.

In terms of Standing Order 56, the Convener exercised her casting vote for the Motion.

Resolved: In accordance with the Motion.

MR G MCGOLDRICK, COUNCILLOR B POVER, MRS M MCFARLANE, J BEVERIDGE, J CHILES, G FINDLAY, P MARSHALL, S RODGER AND C TAYLOR LEFT THE MEETING AT THIS POINT.

THERE FOLLOWED A 10 MINUTE RECESS AND THE MEETING RECONVENED AT 3.39PM.

456. UPDATE REPORT ON REACH (REVIEW AND REMODELLING OF RESIDENTIAL CARE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE)

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (18/245) on the progress of the transformation project to remodel residential care for young people following approval by this Committee on 1 November 2017 of a detailed implementation plan to deliver a new and more innovative approach for young people who were ‘on the edge of care’.

Resolved: (i) The progress of the remodelling of the residential care model for young people against the implementation programme, be noted. (ii) The Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) be instructed to submit to this Committee, an annual progress report in relation to REACH for the duration of the Transformation Project.

457. UPDATE REPORT ON EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES STRATEGIC COMMISSIONING REVIEW

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (18/249) providing an update on the implementation of the Education and Children’s Services Commissioning Strategy 2017-2020 and progress to date.

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Resolved: (i) The progress of the implementation of the Education and Children’s Services Commissioning Strategy, be noted. (ii) The Depute Director (Education and Children’s Services) be instructed to provide a report to this Committee on completion of the Strategy in 2020.

458. TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME – INTEGRATED FACILITIES MANAGEMENT UPDATE

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (18/247) to update the Committee on the transfer of Education and Children’s Services Facilities Management Service (Janitor and School Patroller Services) to Tayside Contracts.

Resolved: The successful transfer of the Facilities Management Service to Tayside Contracts be noted.

459. KINSHIP CARE UPDATE (Art. 66/17)

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (18/242) on the developments in Kinship Care from January 2017 to June 2018.

Resolved: (i) The continued positive growth in the numbers of Kinship Carers and the children and young people they care for, be noted. (ii) The positive impact of the support and allowances provided to Kinship Carers and the contribution this was making to the improved life chances of children and young people, be noted. (iii) The Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) be instructed to arrange a development day for Councillors on Kinship Care.

A O’BRIEN LEFT THE MEETING AT THIS POINT.

460. REVISED SCHOOL CAPACITIES FOR ALYTH, KINROSS AND TULLOCH PRIMARY SCHOOLS

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (18/244) seeking approval to revise the capacities of Alyth, Kinross and Tulloch Primary Schools following the completion of new build capital projects.

Resolved: The revised capacities of Alyth, Kinross and Tulloch Primary Schools as a result of the completion of the recent capital projects and detailed in Report 18/244, be approved.

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461. SCHOOL TERMS AND HOLIDAYS 2019-2020 AND 2020-2021

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (18/248) seeking approval of a scheme of dates for School Terms and holiday dates for sessions 2019/2020 and 2020/21.

Resolved: (i) The draft schemes attached as Appendices 1 and 2 to Report 18/248 as the dates for school terms and holidays for sessions 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, be approved. (ii) School closure days for In-Service and Occasional Holidays, as detailed in Appendices 1 and 2 of Report 18/248, be approved. (iii) Proposals for additional closure days, where necessary, as detailed in report 18/248 be approved. (vi) Holiday dates for Highland and Aberdeenshire Councils be included in future comparator information provided in Appendices 3 and 4 to Report 18/248 for members information.

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JOINT NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE FOR TEACHING STAFF

Minute of meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff (JNCT) held in the Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Council Building, 2 High Street, Perth on Tuesday 19 June 2018 at 2.30pm.

Present: Representing Perth and Kinross Council Councillors K Baird and C Shiers; R Hill, S Johnston, T Pupillo, and A Thomson (all Education and Children’s Services); P Steel (Corporate & Democratic Services).

Representing Teachers’ Associations E Campbell, J Cook, and C Weston (all EIS); A Johnston and M Mackie (substituting for C Rose); and S Topen- Cooper (NASUWT).

In Attendance: P Davison and K Robertson (ECS); C Flynn and L Brown (for Joint Secretary, Management Side).

Apologies: Councillor J Rebbeck; A McAuley; S Devlin and D MacLeod (Management side); B Berhane and C Rose (Teachers’ side)

E Campbell, Convener, Presiding.

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were submitted and noted as above.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST (ELECTED MEMBERS ONLY)

There were no declarations of interest made in terms of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.

3. MINUTE OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minute of meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff of 16 January 2018 was submitted and approved as a correct record subject to the replacement of the word Nursery with word Numeracy in line 4 of paragraph 4(ii).

4. MATTERS ARISING

(i) New Routes into Teaching – (Item 4(iii) refers)

R Hill advised that the Post Graduate Certificate of Education supported induction route does meet the standards required for registration. He agreed to email the feedback received from Dundee University in regard to co-teaching to C Weston.

Page 11 of 396 (ii) Revised Procedure for Head Teacher/Depute Head Teacher Appointment Procedure (Item 7 refers)

S Johnston reported a number of Primary Head Teacher appointments had gone through the new appointment process. Informal feedback received from the appointment panels had been positive. Panels had intimated that the information being received is from a richer source which gives a much broader picture of the candidate. S Johnston advised that a further 5 interviews were scheduled to take place before the end of the current school session.

P Nicol is currently compiling formal questions for interviewees asking for their views on the process to date.

C Weston welcomed the introduction of the revised procedures. She felt it was a more enjoyable process for all involved and a great improvement on the previous interview process.

The Committee noted a report on the feedback received from candidates on the new interview process would be submitted to a future meeting.

5. MEMBERSHIP

The following changes to the membership of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff were noted:

Management Side Councillor Baird to replace Councillor McCall Sean Hagney to replace Thirza Pupillo Margaret Donaghy to replace Angela Thomson

Teachers side Matthew Mackie to replace Alan Johnstone Murray Swan to replace Caroline McDonald

6. APPOINTMENT OF VICE CONVENER

The Committee noted as Councillor McCall was no longer a member of the Lifelong Learning Committee her position as Vice Convener of the JNCT required to be filled. Councillor Shiers, seconded by R Hill nominated Councillor K Baird. There being no other nominations Councillor Baird was duly appointed Vice Convener for the Management side.

Page 12 of 396 7. REPORTS OF VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSION AGAINST STAFF IN SCHOOLS – TERM 3 (8 JANUARY 2018–29 MARCH 2018) – ACADEMIC SESSION 2017-2018

There was submitted a statistical report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (G/18/54) detailing the number of reported incidents of violence and aggression against staff in schools during the period 8 January to 29 March 2018.

P Davison also provided a demonstration of the new on-line process for recording incidents currently being piloted in some schools. He advised that staff can download a pdf of their submission.

The Committee noted the position.

The Committee agreed to vary the order of business on the agenda to consider the following as the next item

8. GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATIONS

P Davison provided an update on the introduction of the new general data protection regulations (GDPR). He advised that further information to assist with the implementation of GDPR in schools would shortly be made available on eric.

Post meeting note: Click on hyperlink below to view general information on the implementation of GDPR.

http://eric/councilservices/ecs/GeneralInformation/ecsdp/default.aspx

9. TRADE UNION ACT 2017 – FACILITY TIME OFF REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

There was submitted a report by the Human Resource Manager (G/18/88) providing information on the requirement for time spent on Trade Unions activities by Council employees to be recorded and reported on each year, as laid out in the Trade union (Facility Time Publications Requirements) Regulations 2017.

The Committee noted all trade union activities and duties will be recorded via My View from 1 April 2018 onwards. This method will allow the extraction of accurate data required for annual statutory reporting purposes.

10. UPDATE – MODERNISING MIDDLE MANAGEMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

There was submitted for information an update report (G/18/89) on the progress of modernising middle management in secondary schools since the JNCT was asked to note the position paper in April 2011. The report also

Page 13 of 396 outlined an updated position regarding the development and management of Faculties moving forward.

C Weston suggested paragraphs 3.4 and 3.11 of the report contradicted each other and suggested the last sentence of paragraph 3.11 be amended.

Following discussion the Committee noted the progress of modernising middle management in secondary schools since the JNCT was asked to note the position paper in April 2011.

11. TAYSIDE REGIONAL IMPROVEMENT COLLABORATIVE (TRIC)

R Hill advised that the S Devlin had been appointed as the area lead officer for TRIC. In Tayside TRIC encompasses the whole of the children’s services function. Five lead regional collaboratives are reporting to Scottish Government and Education Scotland on how they plan to raise attainment.

12. BERTHA PARK HIGH SCHOOL

R Hill advised a Head Teacher had now been appointed for the new secondary school and a Principal Teachers for Guidance and Support for Learning has also been appointed. The Principal Teachers will be based at Perth Grammar School for one year.

The new access road to the school was scheduled to open in the forthcoming week. The topping off ceremony for the new school is scheduled to take place in July 2018.

Discussions have taken place with the University of Stirling regarding the school’s curriculum and vision and values. Together with the shadow parent focus group the Council is working with Perth College UHI on the design of the new school’s badge and uniform.

In concluding R Hill advised that building works are 3 weeks ahead of schedule with the school due to open on 19 August 2019.

13. SCHOOL TERM AND HOLIDAY DATES 2019-2020 AND 2021

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education & Children’s Services) G/18/105 on the proposals for the school term holiday dates for 2019-2020 and 2021.

The Teachers’ side agreed that it would make sense for Perth and Kinross Council school holidays to sync with those in the TRIC as this would be easier for parent, pupils, teachers and in the interests of collaborative working.

K Robertson advised that the public holidays allocated by Perth and Kinross Council for the Easter weekend differed from that of Dundee and Angus Council and sought the teachers views on whether these should also be synced with Dundee and Angus or if the status quo should remain.

Page 14 of 396 In response C Weston requested that this element of the school term and holidays dates be taken back to teachers for further discussion.

K Robertson requested any feedback be provided as soon as possible as a report required to be submitted to the Lifelong Learning Committee in August 2018.

14. DRAFT CALENDAR OF SCHOOL CLOSURE/ANNUAL LEAVE

There was submitted and noted for information a paper from the Executive Director (Education & Children’s Services) (G/18/106) on the draft calendar of school closure and annual leave for Academic Session 2018/2019.

15. ANY OTHER COMPETENT BUSINESS

(i) Valedictory

The Convener reported Alan Johnstone would shortly be retiring and was attending his last meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee. On behalf of the Committee he thanked Alan for his support to the Teachers Panel and to the Joint Negotiating Committee and wished him a long and happy retirement.

16. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

18 September 2018 at 2.30pm.

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CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES PARTNERSHIP

Minute of the meeting of the Children, Young People and Families Partnership held in Room 410, Council Building, 2 High Street, Perth on Friday 8 June 2018 at 10am.

Present: B Malone, Chief Executive, Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) Councillor K Baird, PKC (Substituting for Councillor W Wilson) A Gerry, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration S Johnston, Education and Children’s Services, PKC J Keenan, PKAVS Third Sector J Kerr, PKAVS Third Sector Dr T Knight, Consultant in Public Health, NHS Tayside Councillor J Rebbeck, PKC Councillor C Shiers, PKC

In Attendance: J Keenan, PKAVS Third Sector; J Cairns and L Stewart, NHS Tayside; (up to item 8), A Taylor, Health and Social Care Partnership; B Atkinson and R Drummond, Child Protection Committee (from item 8); J Chiles (up to item 9), P Davison (up to item 8), F Mackay and C Irons (all PKC).

Apologies: Councillor W Wilson, PKC; K Chase, Police Scotland; S Devlin and J Pepper, PKC; J Flynn, NHS Tayside; A MacDonald and Action for Children Scotland.

B Malone in the Chair

1. WELCOME AND APOLOGIES

B Malone welcomed all to the meeting. Apologies for absence were submitted and noted as above.

B Malone advised that Hazel Robertson had been appointed to the post of Head of Service for Children, Young People and Families and would attend future meetings of the Partnership.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest in terms of the relevant Codes of Conduct.

3. MINUTE

The minute of meeting of the Children, Young People and Families Partnership of 8 December 2017 was submitted and approved as a correct record.

Page 17 of 396 4. MATTERS ARISING

(i) Integrated Children’s Services Plan 2013-2018 (Item 4(i) refers)

The Partnership agreed the Integrated Children’s Services Plan be included as a substantive agenda item for future meetings of the Partnership.

(ii) Participation and Engagement Strategy (Item 4(ii) refers)

The Partnership requested a report be provided on the Strategy by J Pepper and J Keenan to a future meeting of the Partnership.

5. FAMILY NURSE PARTNERSHIP

B Malone welcomed Jeanette Cairns, NHS Tayside to the meeting to give a presentation on the initiative, Family Nurse Partnership (FNP).

J Cairns gave a presentation to members on the scheme to help teenage mums within Tayside.

J Cairns advised the voluntary home visiting programme was offered to all first time mums aged 19 and under at the start of their pregnancy and also eligible 20 – 24 year olds. Specially trained family nurses visit the mums weekly or fortnightly from early in pregnancy until the child was 2.

The programme had been well received with 80% of teenage mums participating. Of those who do not participate some may be at college or in work and feel unable to commit to the visits.

J Cairns added that the programme helps a new mum be the best mum she can be and there have been positive outcomes, for example approximately 50% start breast feeding and there was improved speech and language development in the children.

The Scottish Government plan to roll out the programme nationally.

B Malone suggested further research was needed to highlight the benefits of the FNP and show that although it was costly it was providing better development in children; tackling vulnerability and providing nurturing. Measuring the positive returns would show the high cost intervention was worthwhile.

F Mackay stated it had been shown that the programme was saving money as services were not required later in life.

J Cairns advised it was a licensed programme which was being adapted to suit the local area and the clients involved and agreed it would save money for participants in later years.

Page 18 of 396 S Johnston advised the FNP allowed the need for services in the future to be more easily quantified and could identify some mums who did not meet the threshold for the FNP but could then access other forms of support. A Gerry asked if participants would be followed up in later years and J Cairns confirmed the children would be monitored throughout their lives to collect information on their development as well as their mental health, environmental impacts and any homelessness.

The first babies who had been involved in FNP were due to start primary 2 this year with a greater number starting primary 1.

J Cairns also confirmed that dads participated in FNP too if they were involved in the care of the child and 70% of dads participated even where the mum and dad were no longer together.

B Malone thanked J Cairns for the presentation which had shown her commitment and passion to the programme.

6. THIRD SECTOR STRATEGIC FORUM: CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES

There was submitted a report by J Kerr, Service Manager, Third Sector Interface (G/18/23) (1) updating the Partnership on the progress of the Third Sector Strategic Forum for Children, Young People and Families, (2) seeking to establish the Third Sector Strategic Forum as the formal third sector representation body on the Partnership alongside the role of the Third Sector Interface, (3) confirming the end of the Third Sector national GIRFEC project’s involvement in Perth and Kinross and (4) updating partners on the achievements of the Third Sector Strategic Forum.

J Kerr advised that if a Third Sector Forum representative were to attend the Partnership meetings the nominee would be the person with most interest in the items on the agenda while ensuring there were no conflicts of interest.

B Malone advised she was in favour of a Forum representative attending to continue the collaborative working and proposed their membership be kept under review.

The Partnership: (i) Acknowledged the development of strategic knowledge and capacity developed within the Third Sector Forum since 2015 to support an improved collaborative relationship with public sector partners. (ii) Granted a Third Sector representative seat in line with the Terms of Reference of the Strategic Forum as detailed in Report G/18/23. The agenda to be forwarded to J Keenan, PKAVS, to pass to the relevant representative for each meeting. (iii) To receive regular updates from the Forum on its activities and plans. (iv) Supported the ongoing development of its professional relationship with the Third Sector Forum and the wider third sector in Perth and

Page 19 of 396 Kinross and across Tayside, where appropriate, through committing to involvement, co-planning and co-design where possible.

7. THEMATIC APPROACH TO PERFORMANCE REPORTING

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (G/18/73) (1) on the third year of the thematic reporting plan for performance and outcome information focussing on children, young people and families and (2) setting out a suite of information focussed on the first and second of the themes, namely Health and Child Development and Outcomes for Vulnerable Children for consideration and scrutiny.

It was noted that there had been an increase in obesity at Primary 1 and despite further examination it was difficult to determine the reason for the increase, however, action was being taken to reduce the figure.

In response to a question from B Malone, L Stewart confirmed that obesity was related to poverty with obesity higher in the 1 to 5 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation Index (SIMD) quintiles.

Following discussion of the key indicators as set out in Appendix 1 to Report G/18/73, the Partnership noted the report.

8. PERTH AND KINROSS CHILD PROTECTION COMMITTEE BUSINESS ACTIVITY REPORT

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (G/18/70) providing a summary of the key business activities of the Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee (CPC) since the last meeting on 8 December 2017.

B Malone welcomed B Atkinson to the meeting in his new role as independent Chair of the Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee.

B Atkinson welcomed the opportunity to attend the Partnership meeting and acknowledged the work of J Pepper and R Drummond which had been recognised nationally. He also acknowledged the contribution of B Malone to the CPC.

B Atkinson referred to the publication of the inspection report published in April 2018 on the Children and Families Services in Perth and Kinross and the implications for the CPC. While their success had been recognised there was challenging work ahead to be taken forward.

The Partnership: (i) Noted the business activity of the Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee since 8 December 2017. (ii) Noted the appointment of Bill Atkinson as Chair of the CPC.

Page 20 of 396 (iii) Noted the ongoing partnership work being taken forward following the publication of the Joint Inspection of Children and Families Services report. (iv) The Health and Social Care Integrated Joint Board be requested to submit a report to a future meeting of the Partnership on their work on Child Protection. (v) The Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland report on Leadership events held in April and May 2018 be circulated to members of the Partnership.

9. EVIDENCE2SUCCESS: MAINTAINING AND DELIVERING SUSTAINABLE OUTCOMES

There was submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (G/18/71) to update the partnership on the implementation of Evidence2Success since the previous report on 24 August 2016 and the impact that had been achieved in the five years since its initiation.

The report identified the progress made in ensuring the sustainable delivery of two of the evidence-based programmes implemented as part of Evidence2Success and also some key learning and priorities to be taken forward over the coming years to continue to improve services and outcomes for children and young people.

S Johnston advised that a report had been provided to the Council’s Lifelong Learning Committee on 21 March 2018 as it was now 6 years since it was first approved, to consider the programme’s sustainability and the impact of the investment. The impact and success of the programme had been noted which had led to dramatic changes creating a new landscape and new ways of working.

S Johnston added that it had been raised whether a further Evidence2Success programme should be undertaken but it was considered that relevant data had been collected, allowing changes to practice leading to a more integrated way of working involving multi-agency groups and there was no need to undertake a further programme.

B Malone added that there was also comparative data available from Dundee and Angus Councils as well as the Tayside Children’s Services Plan.

The Partnership: (i) Noted the activity and improved outcomes in the five priority outcomes identified in Evidence2Success. (ii) Noted the progress in service redesign and realignment of resources to meet the commitment to mainstream evidence-based programmes as part of the Evidence2Success. (iii) Support activity to progress the commitment outlined as the next steps:  To continue to develop and share learning

Page 21 of 396  To improve the impact of existing programmes for groups experiencing inequalities  To inform the work of the Priority Working Groups of the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families 2017-2020  To use learning from the Evidence2Success approach to enhance local Community Planning in Perth and Kinross.

10. ANY OTHER COMPETENT BUSINESS

(i) Jennifer Kerr

B Malone advised that this was to be Jennifer Kerr’s last meeting as she was leaving PKAVS. Jennifer had been on the Partnership for the last 4 years and had been a key member in developing the relationship with the third sector. B Malone added that Jennifer had challenged where appropriate and led on relevant issues and she had made a valuable contribution to the Partnership which had been greatly appreciated. B Malone passed on best wishes on behalf of the Partnership to Jennifer.

J Kerr thanked B Malone and said she had thoroughly enjoyed working in Perth.

(ii) Bernadette Malone

Councillor C Shiers advised this was to be Bernadette Malone’s last meeting prior to her retiral from the Council.

Councillor C Shiers referred to Bernadette’s huge contribution to the Partnership making Perth and Kinross a good place for children to live and grow up in with social justice available to all, not only the few.

B Malone referred to Perth and Kinross as a leading Local Authority but it was important not to become complacent and continue to learn new ways of working and focus on outcomes.

11. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The Partnership noted the next meeting would be held on Friday 7 September 2018.

Page 22 of 396 4(ii) PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE (Art. 323(vi)) (Appendix XI) 13 JUNE 2018

ECONOMY AND LIFELONG LEARNING GROUP COUNCIL CHAMBERS, COUNCIL BUILDING, 2 HIGH STREET, PERTH FRIDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2018

Minute of meeting of the Community Planning Economy and Lifelong Learning Group held in Room 410, 2 High Street, Perth on Friday 23 February 2018 at 2.00pm.

Present: Councillors Councillors C Purves, H Anderson (substituting for Councillor F Sarwar) and A Jarvis (substituting for Councillor C Shiers); A Burnett, Elevator; A Carrington, Skills Development Scotland; J Clarkson, VisitScotland; E Dear, Federation of Small Businesses; D Gourley, Perth College UHI; J Padmore (substituting for E Guthrie), TACTRAN; O Robertson, PKSEN.

In Attendance: F Kerr, G Glover, A Graham, R Hill, L McIntyre, and D Williams, all Perth and Kinross Council.

Apologies: Councillors F Sarwar and C Shiers; E Guthrie, TACTRAN; V Unite, Perthshire Chamber of Commerce.

Councillor C Purves, Chair, Presiding.

1. WELCOME AND APOLOGIES

Councillor Purves welcomed all those present to the meeting and apologies were noted as above.

It was noted that E Dear would be replacing C Mella as the representative of the Federation of Small Businesses.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no Declarations of Interest made in terms of the relevant codes of Conduct.

3. MINUTE OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The Minute of the Meeting of the Economy and Lifelong Learning Group on 22 September 2017 was submitted and approved as a correct record.

4. MATTERS ARISING

Councillor Jarvis raised the issue of exploring a deeper involvement of Young People in the organisation of Scotland’s Year of Young People in Perth and Kinross. L McIntyre informaed Councillor Jarvis that there would be an opportunity for young people to be further involved through an event on 23 June 2018, and that Perthshire Youth Voice had since been established and was becoming active.

Page 23 of 396 PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE (Art. 323(vi)) (Appendix XI) 13 JUNE 2018

5. ANNUAL UPDATE – BUSINESS SUPPORT – FOOD & DRINK

G Glover, Perth and Kinross Council, delivered an annual update on business support for the Perthshire Food & Drink sector, with an accompanying slide based presentation.

During the presentation, specific reference was made to the following;

 Food and Drinks place in the top business sectors in Perth and Kinross;  Scottish Food and Drink award winners from Perth and Kinross in 2017;  PKC Food & Drink Action Plan 2017/18;  The future of the sector in Perth and Kinross.

G Glover highlighted the importance of the food & drink sector to both the local economy in Perth and Kinross and the Scottish economy, adding that the food & drink sector was attractive to those looking to move into small business.

In response to a query from Councillor Jarvis, G Glover highlighted that there was a sense of pride within the sector of using the Perthshire banner. A Burnett added that there was a good opportunity to utilise the returning Business Month in May 2018, highlighting a workshop taking place in the AK Bell Library, Perth.

6. UPDATE ON REGIONAL TOURISM CAMPAIGN – TAY COUNTRY

A Graham, Perth and Kinross Council, delivered an update on the Regional Tourism Campaign – Tay Country, with an accompanying slide based presentation.

During the presentation, specific reference was made to the following;

 Regional tourism performance;  Regional tourism approach;  Marketing activities;  Consumer marketing;  Digital focus.

A Graham informed members that the tourism focus which had previously been on the East of Scotland was now focused on the ‘Tay Country’ of Perth & Kinross, Dundee, Angus and Fife. A Graham added that although there was lower productivity in the region than the Scottish tourism average, there was a strong asset base to build on, highlighting the soon to be open V&A Museum in Dundee and the regional linking asset of the River Tay.

Page 24 of 396 PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE (Art. 323(vi)) (Appendix XI) 13 JUNE 2018

In response to a query from Councillor Anderson regarding the types of accommodation there was a demand for, A Graham informed members that there would be demand for numerous types of accommodation, depending upon the preference of the individual visitor. A Graham added that there was a lack of a branded hotel in Perth and, in response to a query from Councillor Anderson on the potential for this, informed members that it was important to have a driver for this, highlighting the increased hotel development in Dundee with the V&A Museum.

7. UPDATE ON THE FAMOUS GROUSE IDEAS CENTRE

F Kerr, Perth and Kinross Council, delivered an update on the Famous Grouse Ideas Centre, with an accompanying slide based presentation.

During the presentation, specific reference was made to the following;

 The creative pipeline;  Creative incubator;  Creative accelerator.

F Kerr informed members that development was presently being undertaken at the former St. John’s Primary School, and the building will operate under the name ‘Creative Exchange’. F Kerr added that the lower ground would consist of 26 artists’ studios, and that the operator, WASPS, already had 30 notes of interest for the spaces.

F Kerr informed members that it was intended that the Council would own the building, with WASPS having a long-term lease, and that there would be £500,000 investment from The Famous Grouse.

8. REGIONAL SKILLS ASSESSMENT FOR PERTH AND KINROSS

A Carrington, Skills Development Scotland, delivered a slide based presentation on the Regional Skills Assessment for Perth and Kinross.

During the presentation, specific reference was made to the following;

 Population projections: change by age band 2014 – 2039;  School Leavers’ Destinations 2009/10 and 2015/16;  Total employment projections;  Proportion of occupations forecast;  Proportion of requirement forecast;  Resident and workplace based earnings 2016;  Tayside Local Authorities’ out-commuting.

A Carrington informed members that although there was forecasted growth in employment in Perth and Kinross over the next few years, contrary to the

Page 25 of 396 PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE (Art. 323(vi)) (Appendix XI) 13 JUNE 2018

predicted fall across Tayside, she exercised caution that much of this was replacement demand as opposed to expansion areas.

A Carrington highlighted Health and Social Care as a key employment sector in Perth and Kinross, also highlighting a large number of jobs in professional occupations. A Carrington emphasised that the majority of jobs becoming available were at a lower level and that many higher level jobs saw people commuting out of Perth and Kinross, adding that employers focused more upon qualifications than skills.

9. MIGRATION IN PERTH AND KINROSS

L McIntyre, Perth and Kinross Council, delivered a slide based presentation on Migration in Perth and Kinross.

During the presentation, specific reference was made to the following;

 Changing migration since vote to leave the European Union;  Citizenship applications since 2016;  Migration to Perth and Kinross 2004-2017.

L McIntyre informed members that net migration in Perth and Kinross was falling, primarily due to Britain’s forthcoming exit from the European Union. She added that the number of European Union citizens coming to look for employment had halved, but highlighted that there had been a rise in citizenship applications in Perth and Kinross since 2016.

In response to a query from Councillor Jarvis regarding the performance of Perth and Kinross in a national context, L McIntyre informed members that there was a high dependency upon the agricultural and food and drink sectors in Perth and Kinross. J Clarkson, VisitScotland, highlighted the pressing time issue in filling the employment gap left by the reduced number of European Union citizens, and stated the need to build on anecdotal evidence.

Councillor H Anderson highlighted the importance of removing stigma around certain employment sectors, and the need for salaries to reflect the removal of stigma.

10. CLOSING THE ATTAINMENT GAP

R Hill, Perth and Kinross Council, delivered a slide based presentation on Raising Attainment Strategy and an update on Tay Learning and Attainment.

During the presentation, specific reference was made to the following;

 National Improvement Framework priorities;  S4/S5/S6 Attainment;  School leavers’ literacy and numeracy;

Page 26 of 396 PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE (Art. 323(vi)) (Appendix XI) 13 JUNE 2018

 Attainment versus deprivation;  Vocational qualifications;  Positive leavers’ destinations and participation;  Tayside regional collaborative priorities;  Tay Learning and Attainment Group;  Areas of progress;  Areas for continued focus.

R Hill informed members that there had been a slight drop in literacy and numeracy attainment, but informed members that the latest figures were not available. R Hill later highlighted the Tayside Children’s Plan and particularly the importance of numeracy.

R Hill informed members that Perth and Kinross was above the national average in terms of positive destinations. He added that many Perth and Kinross students undertook gap years, and work was being undertaken with the government to look beyond the figures in this regard.

R Hill informed members of the importance of leadership development for schools, and added that Perth and Kinross was a high performing authority in national qualifications.

In response to a query from Councillor Jarvis regarding discrepancies in deprived areas, R Hill stated the importance of changing culture and development over time.

In response to a query from Councillor Anderson regarding the Pupil Equity Fund, R Hill informed members that £1200 was issued per student with a free school meal entitlement.

11. ANY COMPETENT BUSINESS

Councillor Purves paid tribute to Laura McIntyre, as this was her final meeting of the Economy and Lifelong Learning Outcome Delivery Group before leaving the Council. On behalf of members, Councillor Purves thanked Laura for all her hard work and wished her all the very best for the future.

12. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Economy and Lifelong Learning Outcome Delivery Group will take place Friday 23 April 2018 at 2.00pm.

~~~~~~

Page 27 of 396

Page 28 of 396 6

PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

Lifelong Learning Committee

31 October 2018

Statutory Consultation – Balhousie Primary School

Report by Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (Report No. 18/349)

PURPOSE OF REPORT This report informs the Lifelong Learning Committee of the outcome and findings of the statutory consultation exercise undertaken in respect of the formal proposal to close Balhousie Primary School as detailed in the published Consultation Report (attached as Appendix A). This report also seeks approval from the Lifelong Learning Committee to implement the proposal from August 2022.

1. BACKGROUND/MAIN ISSUES

1.1 The School Estate Strategy (Report No. 12/370 refers) sets out the Council’s aspirations for our schools and, in particular, the high value we place on learning, through our vision for well designed, maintained and managed schools.

1.2 The Council’s Transformation Strategy 2015-2020 ‘Building Ambition’ and Organisational Development Framework were approved by Council on 1 July 2015 (Report No. 15/292 refers). Together they detail how Perth and Kinross Council will deliver transformation over the five year period. Accompanying the strategy was a programme of major reviews which are considered to be key drivers and enablers of transformation across the organisation.

1.3 On 24 August 2016, Lifelong Learning Committee (Report No. 16/347 refers.) approved principles to be used as a basis for the transformation review, ‘Securing the Future of the School Estate’. The principles approved by Lifelong Learning Committee as a basis for the transformation review were as follows:

(i) schools should have an occupancy rate where possible greater than 60% of the capacity and ideally should be operating at over 80% capacity; (ii) every school should be rated as A or B, ie at least satisfactory for condition and suitability; and (iii) life expired buildings1 within the school estate should be prioritised for replacement.

1 Life expired buildings are defined as buildings which are uneconomical to maintain.

Page 29 of 396 1.4 On 2 November 2016, the Lifelong Learning Committee approved Report No 16/485 by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services). This report details the outcome of the high level review undertaken in respect of the school estate and proposed to proceed with further detailed work.

This report approved the development of an options appraisal in relation to the future of Balhousie Primary School due to the poor condition and poor suitability of the school which were both rated ‘C’ and with significant spend being required to improve its condition rating and their being limitations to what can be achieved to improve its suitability. Elements of the external social areas and accessibility were rated as suitability ‘D’. The occupancy of the school was also 45% at Census 2017.

1.5 Informal pre-consultation was undertaken with the affected communities to gather and share information, establish possible alternatives and engage the communities to understand and help shape the proposals for Balhousie Primary School to inform the options appraisal.

1.6 An options appraisal was developed for Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School. The options appraisals for Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School have been combined because there is funding of £16m in the Composite Capital Budget for a replacement primary school in the ‘North’ of Perth. The options appraisal considered whether there were opportunities for both schools, which have adjoining boundaries, to benefit jointly or separately from the funding in the capital programme.

1.7 The findings contained within the options appraisal concluded that the only reasonable option is to close Balhousie Primary School and for pupils to move to a new school because this option will provide a well-designed, accessible, modern teaching space which would benefit both Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School pupils and families. The cost of the new school would be approximately £4.4m less than the cost of building a new school at North Muirton and refurbishing Balhousie Primary School. This would provide best value for the Council, allowing it to invest the capital in the school estate and the revenue saved into improving other school buildings and supporting the wider delivery of education. None of the other options considered were determined to be reasonable alternatives to closure.

1.8 On 24 January 2018, the Lifelong Learning Committee considered the Options Appraisal and agreed to commence formal consultation on a proposal to close Balhousie Primary School (Report No 18/15 refers) in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

1.9 The 2010 Act’s principal purpose is to provide strong, accountable statutory consultation practices and procedures that local authorities must apply to their handling of all proposals for school closures and other major changes to schools. These consultation processes are expected to be robust, open, transparent and fair, and seen to be so. They are also expected to be consistent across Scotland.

Page 30 of 396 1.10 Councils have a statutory duty in terms of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to make adequate and efficient provision of school education across their entire area for the current school population and future pattern of demand.

1.11 Councils also have a statutory responsibility in terms of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 to achieve best value. The organisation of the school estate is therefore kept under regular review, including the need for school provision and other factors, such as altering catchment areas and the provision of school transport.

1.12 Most importantly, the Council would wish to optimise the educational experience for every pupil by providing:

 a range of social and emotional experiences;  an enriched and broad learning experience; and  the best possible education which meets the needs of all learners.

2. STATUTORY CONSULTATION

2.1 The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 sets out the process which must be followed in undertaking a statutory consultation on a proposal affecting a school.

2.2 The Council is required to prepare and publish a Proposal Paper which clearly sets out the proposal on which the Council is consulting. The Proposal Paper must include details of the proposed date for implementation, the educational benefits statement, a summary of the consultation process and details of the supporting evidence or information used to formulate the proposal.

2.3 For a school proposal, the Council is required to consult:

 The parents of the pupils and children at the affected schools  The parents of children expected to attend an affected school within 2 years of the date of publication of this proposal document  The pupils at the affected schools  The Parent Council (if any) of the affected schools  The teaching and ancillary staff at the affected schools  The trade union representatives of the above staff  The Community Councils  Relevant users of the affected schools

2.4 The 2010 Act also requires that Education Scotland must consider the educational aspects of the Council’s proposal and then prepare and submit a report to the Council which the Council must consider when preparing its final Consultation Report.

2.5 The Council is then required to prepare and publish its final consultation report. In preparing the report, the Council must consider the report from Education Scotland and other responses to the consultation.

Page 31 of 396 The consultation report must explain how the Council has reviewed the proposal, a summary of the points raised during the consultation and the Council’s response to them, details of any alleged inaccuracies or omissions and, for rural schools, an assessment of the rural school factors.

2.6 The proposal for Balhousie Primary School, subject to the outcome of the consultation process, is that Lifelong Learning Committee agrees that:

 Education provision at Balhousie Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 31 July 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter;  The pupils of Balhousie Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at a larger, new build North Muirton Primary School, from August 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter; and  The delineated catchment area of North Muirton Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Balhousie Primary School from August 2022.

2.7 An electronic link to the Proposal Paper was issued by letter to the consultees listed within the document, and was also published on the Council’s website: www.pkc.gov.uk.

2.8 The Proposal Paper made clear to consultees that the consultation period would run from Monday 19 March 2018 until Thursday 17 May 2018, which includes a period of 31 school days. Public Notice adverts were also placed in the local press.

2.9 The number of letters issued with details of the Proposal Paper was 556.

2.10 Two public meetings were held in North Inch Community Campus on Tuesday 24 April 2018 and Tuesday 1 May 2018. One parent and five members of the public attended the meeting on 24 April 2018 and seven members of the public attended the meeting on 1 May 2018.

2.11 Six written submissions were received during the statutory consultation period representing five individuals, as one member of the public submitted two written submissions. The six written submissions opposed the proposal and 53 online response forms were received of which 43 responses opposed the proposal.

2.12 In summary, 556 letters were issued inviting comments and participation in the consultation. The number of parents known to have participated in the consultation to make their views known is 26. Of the 10 responses which agreed with the Council’s proposa, 9 were from parents. However, it is also recognised that for the majority of parents of pupils at Balhousie Primary School that their children will not be affected by the proposal as they will have left the school by the proposed implementation date of August 2022.

Page 32 of 396 2.13 The main points raised at the public meetings were broadly around the same points as the written responses as three of the written responses were from two members of the public who also attended both the public meetings. In summary, the verbal responses and written representations can be grouped broadly as follows:

 Travel and Safety, including the implications of distance, safe walking routes and cost of transport.  Financial, including the implications of the use of funding for the new school and the use of funding for the maintenance for Balhousie Primary School.  Community impact, including the implications of the loss of a community amenity and community focal point, the relationship with the wider community, the impact on the residential area of a closed school if left empty and the opportunity to redevelop the area is being missed. Queries regarding what would happen to the building if Balhousie PS was to close and views that Balhousie PS serves a distinct and diverse community with different needs from those in North Muirton.  The new school including, the implications of house building and the impact on pupil numbers, projected pupil numbers and class sizes in the new school. Queries about how the decision was reached on where to build the new school and where North Muirton pupils would be during the building works. Queries as to why St Ninian’s is allowed to stay open.  Impact on pupils and families, including views that the new school at North Muirton must not come at the expense of Balhousie Primary School and that Balhousie’s character and ethos may be lost, views that that pupils at both schools are socio-economically disadvantaged and views that the proposal could have a serious impact on the educational development and overall level of happiness of pupils.

3 EDUCATION SCOTLAND REPORT

3.1 In accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, a report was produced by Education Scotland on the educational aspects of the proposal.

3.2 The report supports the proposal and is summarised below:

 Education Scotland notes that there are clear and strong potential educational benefits to Perth and Kinross Council’s proposal. Children and staff from both Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School could benefit from much improved and modern learning facilities. The council’s proposal has the potential to improve experiences and outcomes for children from both of the affected schools.  Education Scotland notes that the existing Balhousie Primary School building is under occupied and in a very poor condition with significant limitations to learning and teaching areas and to outdoor play space which impact negatively on the experience of children and staff.  Education Scotland notes that the existing North Muirton Primary School building also has significant limitations. In addition to the benefits to

Page 33 of 396 children and staff from both affected schools, the proposal to build a new school brings potential wider benefits to children and young people in Perth and Kinross arising from the Council’s approach to securing best value.  Parents, staff and children valued the strong sense of community in Balhousie Primary School, the existing ethos, positive relationships and the strong historical and community links to their school.

4. CONSULTATION REPORT

4.1 Having considered the verbal representations and Education Scotland’s Report, a Consultation Report (attached as Appendix A) was prepared and published for public scrutiny on the Council’s website (www.pkc.gov.uk) from Friday 28 September 2018 until Friday 26 October 2018.

This allowed for the required full three week review of the document prior to a final Committee decision on Wednesday 31 October 2018, and complies with Section 9 (3) and Section 11 of the 2010 Act.

5. CONCLUSION

5.1 Education Scotland has identified that the proposal has many clear and strong potential educational benefits for young people. These include staff and children from both schools benefitting from much improved modern facilities for learning and teaching and better outdoor space, improved early years provision and improved provision for children with additional support needs. Education Scotland has identified that the Council’s proposal has the potential to improve experiences and outcomes for children from both of the affected schools.

5.2 The larger, new build primary school will incorporate all stages of early years and primary, nurture and Additional Support Needs provision, allowing a range of learning opportunities for all children and young people attending the facility which cannot be met within the current Balhousie Primary School building.

5.3 The Council recognises the poor condition and suitability of Balhousie Primary School and the impact that has on the learning and teaching environment. Significant benefits could be provided to pupils from the Balhousie Primary School catchment area through access to a modern, purpose-built, fully accessible and well-designed learning environment.

5.4 If the Council adopts the proposal, it is understood that the educational benefits set out in the Proposal Paper would materialise. There would also be a requirement that close joint planning with parents/carers, staff and pupils from both schools is well managed in ways which are supportive to the pupils concerned, and in their long term interests.

The Council would also be working with pupils, parents, staff and the wider communities to establish the identity, ethos and culture of the new school.

Page 34 of 396 This would take account of the wide range of views to ensure the identity of the new school was truly representative of both communities and there is sufficient time to plan and prepare for this.

5.5 The key points that have been highlighted during the consultation period are as follows:

 The report from Education Scotland acknowledges that the proposal would lead to many clear and strong educational benefits for pupils and has the potential to improve experiences and outcomes for children from both of the affected schools.  The estimated cost of refurbishing Balhousie Primary School if it remains open will be in the region of £4.8 - £5.7 million. There would also be decant costs of approximately £600,000 if refurbishment works were to be undertaken. There would also be ongoing maintenance costs associated with the upkeep of an older building . Although the condition of the school would be improved, there would be limited improvement to the suitability and as it is unlikely that the learning and teaching environment can be fully modernised. It is considered that it does not represent best value to commit this level of funding to refurbish Balhousie Primary School when the school is under occupied and where the roll is unlikely to increase greatly in the future.  The potential socio economic impact for some pupils and families is considered to be small and must be balanced against both the educational and socio economic benefits that will arise from pupils being educated in a modern, fully accessible, fit for purpose, new build school and the benefits which that can offer. The provision of a new build school will benefit a significant number of pupils attending Balhousie Primary School who fall into the category of living in the most deprived areas.  Whilst the Council’s proposals have generally not been supported by the parents/carers, staff and the wider community who responded to the proposal, the vast majority of those consulted have raised no issues or opposition to the proposal.  The distance between the two schools is approximately 1.2 miles and the majority of pupils live within a mile of North Muirton Primary School.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 Following the outcome of the statutory consultation exercise detailed in the Consultation Report (attached as Appendix A), and having due regard to relevant written and oral representations and Education Scotland’s Report, it is recommended that the decision is made to implement the proposal that education provision at Balhousie Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 31 July 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter; the pupils of Balhousie Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at a larger, new build North Muirton Primary School from August 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter; and that the delineated catchment area of North Muirton Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Balhousie Primary School from August 2022.

Page 35 of 396 6.2 A comprehensive Proposal Paper containing an Educational Benefits Statement was produced in relation to the proposal. This allowed for informed consideration to be given to the proposal that education provision at Balhousie Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 31 July 2022 through formal consultation with key stakeholders. The outcome and findings of the statutory consultation exercise have been widely published and it is now recommended to implement the proposal with effect from August 2022.

6.3 It is recommended that the Committee:

(i) Notes the contents of the Consultation Report (attached as Appendix A); and (ii) Approves the implementation of the following proposal that:

Author Name Designation Contact Details Karen Robertson Service Manager Tel: 01738 475000 (Business Services) [email protected]

Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Executive Director 16 October 2018 (Education and Children’s Services)

Page 36 of 396 ANNEX

1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION

Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial Yes Workforce Yes Asset Management (land, property, IST) Yes Assessments Equality Impact Assessment Yes Strategic Environmental Assessment Yes Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) Yes Legal and Governance Yes Risk Yes Consultation Internal Yes External Yes Communication Communications Plan Yes

1. Strategic Implications

Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement

1.1 This section should set out how the proposals relate to the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement in terms of the following priorities:

(i) Giving every child the best start in life (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens (iii) Promoting a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy (iv) Supporting people to lead independent, healthy and active lives (v) Creating a safe and sustainable place for future generations

This report relates to all of these objectives.

Corporate Plan

1.2 The Perth and Kinross Community Plan 2013-2023 and Perth and Kinross Council Corporate Plan 2013/2018 set out five strategic objectives: (i) Giving every child the best start in life; (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens; (iii) Promoting a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy; (iv) Supporting people to lead independent, healthy and active lives; and (v) Creating a safe and sustainable place for future generations.

This report relates to all of these objectives.

Page 37 of 396 1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Policy Framework in respect of the following key policy area:

 Maximising Resources

2. Resource Implications

Financial

2.1 The annual recurring net savings of the preferred option is made up of staff costs and building running costs. The financial implications of this proposal is that there is a saving of £253,471 to be made if the proposal is to be implemented.

2.2 The annual cost of retaining Balhousie Primary School until disposal is £35,219 which is made up of costs for energy, rates and property maintenance.

2.3 The approximate capital cost to bring the Balhousie Primary School into an acceptable condition is between £4.8m and £5.7m which would not be required. The decant costs of approximately £600,000 would not be required. There would, however, be a requirement for essential works until the new school at North Muirton is complete and operational.

2.4 A new school can be provided which would accommodate pupils from both schools. The new school would be rated ‘A’ for condition and ‘A’ for suitability. The refurbishment of Balhousie Primary School will not achieve these ratings. The cost of the larger new school would be approximately £4.4m less than the cost of building a new school at North Muirton and refurbishing Balhousie Primary School.

2.5 On 30 June 2010, the Council approved the report Securing the Future – Towards 2015 and Beyond (Report 10/357 refers). This report set out our continuing strategy for securing the future, aiming to support the delivery of savings through revised service delivery models and ongoing improvement activities in the Council. Education and Children’s Services Service Review Programme within this report contains a re-design project to “review the school estate”.

2.6 Therefore, any savings arising from the proposed option to close Balhousie Primary School will be allocated against Education and Children’s Services budget savings targets. This will mitigate against making alternative budget reductions within other areas of Education and Children’s Services, with a corresponding reduction in service delivery in that area.

2.7 The annual budget is built reflecting cost drivers such as the number of schools, buildings, staff and pupils.

If Balhousie Primary School were to be closed then future years’ budgets would not contain any allowance for staffing Balhousie Primary School and there would be reduced property costs (and possibly no costs should the

Page 38 of 396 building be declared surplus to the Council’s requirements). Any per capita budgets relating to individual pupils would continue to be budgeted against the school that these pupils would attend following the closure of Balhousie Primary School and, therefore, are not included in the savings reported.

Workforce

2.8 There may be staffing implications relating to the proposal if implemented. Where necessary, any aspect of the implementation of these proposals that impacts on staff will result in consultation with the relevant trade unions and the individuals concerned. Appropriate arrangements would be made for staff at Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School in planning and consultation for the staffing requirements of the new build school.

Asset Management (land, property, IT)

2.9 If the proposal to permanently close Balhousie Primary School is approved, it is envisaged that Education and Children’s services would declare the building surplus to the requirements of Perth and Kinross Council.

3. Assessments

Equality Impact Assessment

3.1 Under the Equality Act 2010, the Council is required to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between equality groups. Carrying out Equality Impact Assessments for plans and policies allows the Council to demonstrate that it is meeting these duties.

The procedure presented in this report was considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (Eq1A) with the following outcome:

(i) Assessed as relevant and the following positive outcomes expected following implementation:

 The Equality Impact Assessment did not identify that any parent, child or young person would be treated less favourably as a result of this proposal. Pupils would have access to a modern, fully accessible, fit for purpose new build school and the benefits which that can offer at a new build North Muirton Primary School which is a positive impact.

 In overall terms, the socio economic impact for some pupils and families must be balanced against both the educational and socio economic benefits that will arise from pupils being educated in a modern, fit for purpose, new build school and the benefits which that can offer. The provision of a new build school will benefit a significant number of pupils attending Balhousie Primary School who fall into the category of living in the most deprived areas.

Page 39 of 396 Strategic Environmental Assessment

3.2 The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 places a duty on the Council to identify and assess the environmental consequences of its proposals.

However, no further action is required as it does not qualify as a PPS as defined by the Act and is therefore exempt.

Sustainability

3.3 N/A

Legal and Governance

3.4 Legal Services has been consulted in the preparation of this report which has been prepared in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, as amended.

Risk

3.5 N/A

4. Consultation

Internal

4.1 The Head of Democratic Services and Head of Legal Services have been consulted in the preparation of this report.

External

4.2 This report contains full details of the Statutory Consultation exercise which has been undertaken in respect of this proposal and this is fully detailed in Appendix A.

5. Communication

5.1 This is fully detailed in the Consultation Report attached as Appendix A.

2. BACKGROUND PAPERS te: No background papers, as defined by Section 50D of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (other than any containing confidential or exempt information) were relied on to any material extent in preparing the above report.

3. APPENDICES

Appendix A: Balhousie Consultation Report

Page 40 of 396 6

APPENDIX A

PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES

CONSULTATION REPORT

REPORT ON THE OUTCOME OF THE CONSULTATION RELATING TO THE FOLLOWING PROPOSAL:

27 SEPTEMBER 2018

This Consultation Report has been issued by Perth and Kinross Council in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

Page 41 of 396 Contents

Page

1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. BACKGROUND 5

3. CONSIDERATIONS 5

4. OPTIONS CONSIDERED 12

5. THE CONSULTATION PROCESS 15

6. THE PUBLIC MEETINGS 17

7. RESPONSES TO THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE 18

8. EDUCATION AUTHORITY RESPONSE TO WRITTEN AND ORAL 19 REPRESENTATIONS

9. EDUCATION SCOTLAND REPORT 26

10. EFFECT ON THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND TRAVEL 28 ARRANGEMENTS

11. ALLEGED OMISSIONS OR INACCURACIES 29

12. COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 9(1) OF THE SCHOOLS 30 (CONSULTATION) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2010

13. OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE REPRESENTATIONS TO SCOTTISH 31 MINISTERS IN TERMS OF SECTION 15(4) OF THE SCHOOLS (CONSULTATION) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2010

14. LEGAL ISSUES 32

15. PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS 34

16. CONCLUSION 34

17. RECOMMENDATIONS 36

Page 42 of 396 Appendices

Page

Appendix 1 Minute of Public Meeting of 24 April 2018 37

Appendix 2 Minute of Public Meeting of 1 May 2018 44

Appendix 3 Summary of Consultation Responses 49

Appendix 4 Pupil and Staff Consultation 55

Appendix 5 Education Scotland Report 67

Page 43 of 396 PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES

This report has been prepared following consultation on the Council’s proposal that:

 Education provision at Balhousie Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 31July 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter;  The pupils of Balhousie Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at a larger, new build North Muirton Primary School, from August 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter; and  The delineated catchment area of North Muirton Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Balhousie Primary School from August 2022.

Having had regard (in particular) to:

(a) Relevant written representations received by the Council (from any person) during the consultation period;

(b) Oral representations made to it (by any person) at the public meetings held on 24 April 2018 and 1 May 2018; and

1. INTRODUCTION

This is a consultation report prepared in compliance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 on the above proposal.

1.1 The purpose of this report is to:

 Provide a record of the total number of written responses made during the Statutory Consultation period;  Provide a summary of the written responses;  Provide a summary of oral representations made at the public meetings held on 24 April 2018 and 1 May 2018;  Provide a statement of the Council’s response to those written and oral representations;  Provide the full text of Education Scotland’s report and a statement of the Council’s response to this report;  State how the Council reviewed the above proposal following the representations received during the Statutory Consultation period and the report from Education Scotland;

Page 44 of 396  Provide details of any omission from, or inaccuracy in, the Proposal Paper and state how the Council acted upon it; and  State how the Council has complied with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 when reviewing the above proposals.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 Perth and Kinross Council works to enhance quality of life, make best use of public resources and ensure continuously improving services. Perth and Kinross Council’s Corporate Plan “Securing the Future” aims to ensure that individuals, families and communities experience the best possible outcomes from a range of services.

2.2 Perth and Kinross Council has a strong identity and clear priorities which everyone works together to achieve, creating areas which are vibrant and successful; safe, secure, healthy and sustainable environments; educated, responsible and informed citizens; confident and active communities; and places where people are nurtured and supported, giving every child the best start in life.

2.3 The Council’s Transformation Strategy 2015-2020 ‘Building Ambition’ and Organisational Development Framework were approved by Council on 1 July 2015 (Report No. 15/292 refers). They detail how Perth and Kinross Council will deliver transformation the five year period. Accompanying the strategy is a programme of major reviews which are considered to be key drivers and enablers of transformation across the organisation.

On 24 August 2016, Lifelong Learning Committee (Report No. 16/347 refers) approved principles to be used as a basis for the transformation review, ‘Securing the Future of the School Estate’.

2.4 The transformation review reflects the Local Outcome that “Our services will be responsive, of high quality and continually improving”. This also links with the School Estate Management Plan, Education and Children’s Services Policy Framework Maximising Resources and with the Education and Children’s Services objective to develop the range and quality learning experiences for all.

3. CONSIDERATIONS

3.1 On 2 November 2016, Lifelong Learning Committee (Report 16/485 refers) approved the development of a number of options appraisals to consider in detail schools which were identified as requiring further consideration as part of the School Estate Review. Balhousie Primary School was included in the schools to be considered by an options appraisal due to the poor condition and suitability of the school. The condition was rated ‘C’ meaning Poor – Showing major defect and/or not operating adequately.

Page 45 of 396 The suitability rating of the school was rated ‘C’ meaning Poor – Showing major problems and/or not operating optimally. Elements of the external social areas and accessibility were rated as suitability ‘D’ meaning Bad – Does not support the delivery of services to children and communities. Significant spend would be required to improve its condition rating and their being limitations to what can be achieved to improve its suitability due to being a restricted site. The occupancy of the school was also low at 45%.

North Muirton Primary School was included in the schools to be considered by an options appraisal due to the poor condition rating of the school with a recommendation that it should be replaced.

3.2 The provision of primary education at both Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School needs to be considered in the context of the needs of the pupils and the local community, both now and in the future.

3.3 The options appraisals for Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School were combined because there is funding in the Composite Capital Budget for a replacement primary school in the ‘North’ of Perth. The options appraisal considered whether there were opportunities for both schools, which have adjoining boundaries, to benefit jointly or separately from the funding in the capital programme. Although the options appraisals were combined, the options were a mixture of options affecting one school only and others where there was an effect on both schools.

3.4 Information was collated on pupil numbers, housebuilding, the school, travel arrangements, environmental impact, the local area and community and finances to inform the options. As part of the review, a pre-consultation exercise was carried out with the local community to inform the options appraisal for Balhousie Primary School. The detail of which is included in the options appraisal report. This allowed the community to consider options for the future of Balhousie Primary School and was an opportunity for the community to provide views on these options and identify any additional options which the Council should consider.

3.5 On 24 January 2018, Lifelong Learning Committee considered the options appraisal and agreed to commence formal consultation on a proposal to close Balhousie Primary School (Report No. 18/15 refers) in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 (The 2010 Act).

3.6 The 2010 Act’s principal purpose is to provide strong, accountable statutory consultation practices and procedures that local authorities must apply to their handling of all proposals for school closures and other major changes to schools. These consultation processes are expected to be robust, open, transparent and fair, and seen to be so. They are also expected to be consistent across Scotland.

3.7 These duties are outlined in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and the accompanying Statutory Guidance.

Page 46 of 396 3.8 Lifelong Learning Committee reports and the Proposal Paper referred to above are available on the Council’s website www.pkc.gov.uk.

3.9 The main considerations relating to the proposal are fully explained in the Proposal Paper, and the main points are highlighted as follows:

3.10 Balhousie Primary School is a 5 class school with a nursery located on Dunkeld Road, Perth and is a feeder primary school for Perth Grammar School. Balhousie Primary School is located approximately 1.2 miles from North Muirton Primary School.

3.11 Balhousie Primary School had a roll of 101 (Census 2017) with capacity for 224 pupils providing an occupancy rate of 45%. The school roll as at September 2018 is 117 pupils providing an occupancy of 52.2%. The principles approved by Lifelong Learning Committee as a basis for the transformation review were that:

 schools should have an occupancy rate where possible greater than 60% of the capacity and ideally should be operating at over 80% capacity;

 every school should be rated as A or B i.e. at least satisfactory for condition and suitability; and

 life expired buildings1 within the school estate should be prioritised for replacement. 3.12 At Census 2017, of the pupils who attended Balhousie Primary School, 66% of pupils (69 in total) lived within the catchment area. The remaining pupil roll (32 pupils) was made up of pupils who live outside of the catchment and attend the school as the result of placing requests. The catchment areas of these pupils include Tulloch Primary School, Goodlyburn Primary School and North Muirton Primary School.

3.13 At Census 2017, there were over 200 pupils living within the catchment area for Balhousie Primary School attending other schools. Of these pupils, 135 pupils attended St John’s RC Primary School which is a denominational school in close proximity to Balhousie Primary School, forming part of the North Inch Community Campus.

3.14 Balhousie Primary School building is suffering from significant deterioration to the external and internal fabric. Externally work is required to prevent and resolve issues as a result of water ingress and further deterioration to stone work. A programme of repair/replacement to windows is also required. Internally, particularly in the upper level classrooms and stairwells, further investigative work is required to establish a full programme of repairs including accessibility compliance and resolving issues with dampness and its effect on internal finishes.

1 Life expired buildings are defined as buildings which are uneconomic to maintain. 7

Page 47 of 396 The existing boilers, lighting and fire alarm systems are at the end of their serviceable life and require replacement in the short term.

3.15 It is not possible to replace Balhousie Primary School on the existing school site or in close proximity to the school. The school requires refurbishment at a cost of between approximately £4.8m and £5.7m. Revenue costs of approximately £600,000, would also be required for a decant if refurbishment was to take place. These works are not likely to improve the suitability of the school to any great degree and there would be limited changes or improvements to the teaching and learning environment. 3.16 The proposal for pupils from Balhousie to attend the proposed, larger new build North Muirton Primary School has strong educational benefits for pupils from the Balhousie catchment area.

The new school will offer a fit for purpose, modern learning and teaching environment for all pupils attending. 3.17 The Council has engaged with stakeholders and has considered other uses for the premises prior to formulating this proposal. The details of the other options are detailed in this report in Section 4.

3.18 Parents still retain the right to make a placing request for another school of their choice as outlined in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, as amended.

3.19 The permanent discontinuation of education provision at Balhousie Primary School with effect from 31 July 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter with the pupils of Balhousie Primary School catchment area permanently receiving their education at a larger, new build primary school, from August 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter will have the following benefits.

3.21 Learning and Teaching

 Children attending the new build primary school will have access to a wide range of teaching and support staff. The new building will house a double stream school i.e 14 classes, with a nurture class and enhanced provision, which will be purpose built for pupils with Additional Support Needs. This enhanced provision, and the allocated resources, will provide the opportunity for targeted support and safe and secure break out and intervention spaces.

 Within the larger, new build primary school, pupils will have access to a modern nursery area, with internal and external play areas, utilising a range of surfaces to support learning and play. The new school will have the benefit of having the early years provision in the same building as the primary classes, thus supporting a smooth transition from nursery to primary, with shared spaces and resources, accommodated in one place. The condition and suitability of the early years provision will be of the highest standard.

Page 48 of 396  The new build primary school will provide Strong Start places, as well as full time provision for nursery aged children within the Early Years setting, in purpose built accommodation and with staff who are experienced in supporting children from vulnerable families. In addition, the accommodation will have been built specifically for the 2 year old age group.

 Within a new build primary school, good practice can be shared between staff from both schools with opportunities to take forward continuous improvement through effective self-evaluation which involves pupils, staff and school community.

 Staff who currently don’t have a stage partner, because the school is single stream, will have the benefit of working alongside a partner in the new school, providing new opportunities for peer support, challenge and a sharing of ideas. The support and challenge of a senior management team, who are not class committed, will be available. This in turn supports the teaching practice in the classrooms and the delivery of the curriculum, to the benefit of all pupils, delivered in a way most appropriate to their individual needs.

3.22 Environment for Learning

 Experience in the Council’s other new school buildings has demonstrated that a new, flexible learning environment has inspired pupils. The modern, purpose built teaching spaces, breakout areas, communal and outdoor areas allow for greater flexibility in how the curriculum can be delivered, maximising use of both physical space and staff.

 In addition to classroom space, there will be General Purpose (GP) rooms, meeting and group rooms and a multi-purpose games hall. This will extend the opportunities for the pupils to utilise flexible accommodation, which is attractive, bright, with well-designed classrooms, naturally lit and with modern teaching equipment and resources. Spaces for learning will be designed in such a way as to allow a range of teaching styles and approaches including active outdoor learning.

 Within the new build school, classrooms will have the most up-to-date technology providing the opportunity for all children to access the curriculum in modern and innovative ways.

 The provision of a new build primary school will provide a range of facilities in school grounds, offering opportunities for the pupils to experience a range of team and individual sports. These outdoor facilities, which can be used by all children, will provide a space where such physical activity, both planned and informal, can take place throughout the year, regardless of inclement weather. Playtime will be a much more enjoyable experience for all children and young people given the size and nature of the outdoor space.

Page 49 of 396  A new build primary school will be fully accessible for both children and adults with Additional Support Needs with fully accessible toilet and changing facilities.

The new build will meet the requirements of accessibility for learners with disabilities, complying with the Council’s Accessibility Strategy and the Equality Act (2010).

3.23 Experiences and Opportunities

 Within the new build primary school, there will be numerous opportunities for social interaction as well as the more formal learning experiences planned for all children. This will include peer activities in class and at break times, availability of school clubs and extra-curricular activities and team activities and sports.

 All staff are encouraged to work collaboratively within a climate of continuous professional development that encourages and promotes a culture of shared leadership. Benefits to pupils from such activities are evident in their increased levels of confidence, their ability to compromise and to work as part of a team.

 There are many examples at present where children contribute to the life of the school in a range of ways, including Primary 7 prefects, buddies and a range of committees. One example of this is the successful eco development which has been sustained over a number of years and has included members of the community. Pupils are given opportunities to lead and make decisions. Pupils also have opportunities with an elected Pupil Council representing every class in school. Pupils are also actively involved in the day to day running of the school through activities such as organising playground activities and games, presenting learning events to parents and assisting younger children during assemblies. These activities are designed to develop independence and a sense of responsibility in pupils. All of these experiences and opportunities will be afforded to the pupils in the new build school.

 Staff actively seek opportunities for children to develop confidence, personal skills and physical fitness. Examples include a wide range of sporting events; participation in school productions and performances for parents, carers and peers on an annual basis; and after school clubs run by staff, Learning Evenings and Afternoons and a French Café. In addition there is a popular Glee Club. Within the new build primary school, the modern facilities will support these opportunities for all pupils.

 There are many opportunities for pupils to have links with the local community. These opportunities allow the pupils to develop social skills and assists with emotional wellbeing as well as the intergenerational work being undertaken. Skills gained within these areas have been transferrable and strengthened the children’s engagement in developing the skills required to be a successful contributor to society.

Page 50 of 396 These very important links can be maintained and possibly enhanced in the new build primary school.

 Pupils from both schools use the local area for their “Daily Mile”, promoting healthy activity and strengthening links with the local community and the varied environment around the school, with the river, trees and wildlife. With the location of the new build school, this will continue.

 Both North Muirton Primary School and Balhousie Primary School currently have active Parent Councils and parents are encouraged to participate in the life of the school. It is anticipated the new Parent Council will continue to be active and involved in all aspects of school life where appropriate.

 There is currently provision at North Muirton Primary School for After School Care, which offers structured play for the children and also provides a useful service to working parents and carers. This service would continue to be offered at the new build primary school, thus benefiting all children and their families.

 Pupils at both North Muirton Primary School and Balhousie Primary School currently have a range of educational experiences and opportunities. The coming together of both groups of staff and pupils in the new school will broaden these experiences and opportunities for all.

In Summary:

 The school roll at the new build primary school will allow all children to participate in peer support, classroom learning, and learning groups across stages and between classes, with the benefit of allowing children to have a wide and varied range of learning experiences.

 The new build school will easily lend itself to modern teaching methodology, with good use of break out space, accessible and flexible teaching spaces, outdoor areas and good facilities for sport and leisure. In addition the new technology available through a new build school will help support learning and teaching.

 The new build school will incorporate all stages from early years to P7 and will also include nurture and Additional Support Needs provision, allowing a range of learning opportunities for all children. The facilities for this provision will be purpose built, including those with Additional Support Needs.

 The children and parents of both Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School will have access to an educational establishment which has an excellent environment for learning. There will be sufficient capacity at the new primary school to fully meet the needs of children from both schools.

Page 51 of 396 4. OPTIONS CONSIDERED

A number of options were considered for the future of Balhousie Primary School as part of the Options Appraisal. In summary, these were: a) Both schools remain open – consider building a new school at North Muirton Primary School and improve condition and suitability at Balhousie Primary School

North Muirton Primary School is uneconomic to refurbish and maintain and replacement of the school is required. This option proposes that North Muirton Primary School will be replaced on the site of the existing school. There is funding of £16 million available in the capital programme for a replacement primary school in North Perth. £11.7 million will be required for the replacement of North Muirton Primary School which would accommodate the current capacity, including purpose built Additional Support Needs (ASN) and nursery accommodation.

Balhousie Primary School is currently under occupied, and it is unlikely that the roll will increase significantly in the future. The condition of the school is such that major refurbishment of Balhousie Primary School is required if the school is to remain open. It is estimated that the cost of refurbishing the school will be in the region of £4.8 - £5.7 million. There would also be ongoing maintenance costs associated with the upkeep of an older building. Although the condition of the school would be improved, there would be limited improvement to the suitability and to the learning and teaching environment. It is considered that it does not represent best value to commit this level of funding to refurbish Balhousie Primary School when the school is under occupied and where the roll is unlikely to increase greatly in the future. Even if additional funding was committed, over and above the £5.7m, to attempt to improve the suitability, it is unlikely that the learning and teaching environment can be fully modernised. The available capital funding is insufficient to build a new school at North Muirton and refurbish Balhousie Primary School. Even if there was sufficient funding, for the reasons outlined above, it is not considered that replacing North Muirton Primary School while also refurbishing Balhousie Primary School would represent best value. This is not considered a reasonable option in terms of best value as the expenditure required to refurbish the school would not achieve a significant improvement in the learning and teaching environment at Balhousie Primary School.

Page 52 of 396 b) Consider closing Balhousie Primary School and moving pupils to a larger, new build North Muirton Primary School

A new school at North Muirton would benefit both existing North Muirton Primary School and Balhousie Primary School pupils and staff by providing a well-designed, spacious, accessible, bright and modern learning environment. Children with Additional Support Needs would have purpose built facilities which would provide support for individual and family needs. Nursery children from North Muirton Primary School, who are currently in a separate building, would benefit from being based in the same building as the primary school children.

Travel distance and time will be increased for some pupils living within the existing Balhousie Primary School catchment area, but all pupils would be within statutory walking distance of the school. The staff at both Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School have experience in working with children and parents whose first language is not English. There are well established supports in place across schools for children and their parents. Support for those families whose first language is not English would remain through the use of the PKAVS Minority Communities Hub. The Council would support the transition to the new school through joint working with PKAVS. The cost associated with a new build, which would accommodate pupils from North Muirton Primary School and Balhousie Primary School, is approximately £13 million. This assumes the building is completed within 4 years. This would allow for a statutory consultation and 3 years design and build. Capital funding will be required for essential works to keep Balhousie Primary School operational until the new school at North Muirton is completed.

A new school would be rated ‘A’ for condition and ‘A’ for suitability. The refurbishment of Balhousie Primary School will not achieve these ratings with little improvement in the learning and teaching environment. The cost of the larger new school would be approximately £4.4m less than the cost of building a new school at North Muirton and refurbishing Balhousie Primary School. There is a positive environmental impact as a result of this option as both existing school buildings would be replaced by one energy efficient building which reduces carbon emissions and energy costs by utilising zero carbon construction and renewable technologies. This option will have a better outcome in terms of the learning and teaching environment for more than 300 pupils, additionally it will allow approximately £3m of capital in be reinvested in the wider school estate. Revenue savings will also support the wider delivery of education services.

Page 53 of 396 c) Balhousie Primary School remains open – expand the provision of other Perth and Kinross Council services utilising space within the school for these services and improve condition and suitability. Consider building a new North Muirton Primary School

Accommodating additional services in the school would be better value as the running costs and capital spend required for Balhousie Primary School would provide greater benefits in a more fully occupied building. It would retain the school for current pupils and maintain links between the school and the local community.

However, no other service was identified which could utilise the available space within Balhousie Primary School: The Parenting Team are currently located in Balhousie Primary School; The Additional Support Needs provision which was previously located within Balhousie Primary School was moved to a more accessible school; there is no requirement for additional nursery places and there is no potential, suitable community use identified for the building.

It should be noted that any additional service would not be able to utilise space within Balhousie Primary School until refurbishment works were completed and, therefore, this would have to be considered at a future date when service/asset requirements are known. This creates an added uncertainty as it cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty that other additional services could be identified at that time. Therefore this option is not considered reasonable d) Alternative Option

One option suggested as part of the pre-consultation was that St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School could be closed and pupils from St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School move into Balhousie Primary School. St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School is located in close proximity (0.2 miles) to Balhousie Primary School.

St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School is denominational school and, therefore, an appraisal of this option was undertaken on the basis that St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School would retain its denominational status and move into Balhousie Primary School building and operate as a separate school.

It would be possible to move St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School into Balhousie Primary School and operate it as a separate school. However, there will be operational compromises to be made by pupils and staff in both schools with the sharing and timetabling of ancillary space such as dining, hall and outdoor space. It is likely that these compromises will not benefit either set of pupils.

Financial benefits would be achieved through the closure of St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School, in terms of the reduction in annual property costs and the capital cost of upgrading St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School.

Page 54 of 396 The cost of upgrading Balhousie Primary School would represent better value with increased pupil numbers. However, this assumes that St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School pupil numbers are maintained with the move to Balhousie Primary School.

The key issue with this option is, however, the fact that pupils from St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School would be moving to a school which is a less suitable environment than their current school, even if the works were carried out on Balhousie Primary School. Although the condition of Balhousie Primary School would be improved through the carrying out of those works, there would be limited improvement to the suitability and to the learning and teaching environment, and no upgrading across other areas

Pupils generally attend St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School as a result of a successful placing request and it is possible that pupil numbers would not be sustained if the school was relocated to Balhousie Primary School. This option could result in uncertainty over the future of St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School through a reduction in pupil numbers. This would result in Balhousie Primary School once again being under occupied. Therefore, this is not considered a reasonable option. e) In developing the Options Appraisal for Balhousie Primary School, Perth and Kinross Council undertook a robust process of consultation work and consulted face to face with key stakeholders which allowed opportunities to consider and discuss the alternatives with the Council and provide valuable feedback to the Council on the aspects of the alternatives which were reasonable and not reasonable as well as the opportunity to explore other alternatives. This ensured the opportunity for any other alternatives or suggestions to be communicated to the Council in order that the Options Appraisal was comprehensive and inclusive of the key stakeholders’ views. This also ensured further opportunity to provide representation of any other alternatives providing the Council with confidence that the Options Appraisals and assessment of alternatives was robust and comprehensive. The statutory consultation process also provided an opportunity for consultees to suggest other alternatives to the proposal during the statutory consultation process.

5. THE CONSULTATION PROCESS

5.1 On 24 January 2018, Lifelong Learning Committee considered the options appraisal for Balhousie Primary School and agreed to commence formal consultation on a proposal to close Balhousie Primary School (Report No 18/15 refers) in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

5.2 An electronic link to the Proposal Paper was issued by letter on 16 March 2018 to those individuals and bodies listed overleaf:

Page 55 of 396 In accordance with statutory requirements and good practice, the following persons were consulted:

 The Parent Council of the affected schools  The parents of the pupils and children at the affected schools  The parents of children expected to attend the affected schools within 2 years of the date of publication of this proposal document  The pupils at the affected schools  The teaching and ancillary staff at the affected schools  The trade union and professional association representatives of the above staff  The Community Council  Relevant users of the affected schools  Elected Members of Perth and Kinross Council  Lay Members of Lifelong Learning Committee  The Constituency MSPs and List MSPs covering the Constituency  The Constituency MP  The Executive Director, Housing & Environment, Perth and Kinross Council  Tayside Contracts  LiveActive Leisure  Education Scotland

5.3 The Proposal Paper was also published on the Council’s website: www.pkc.gov.uk

5.4 The Proposal Paper made clear to consultees that the consultation period would run from Monday 19 March 2018 until Thursday 17 May 2018 – a period of at least 30 school days.

5.5 The proposal on which consultation took place was that:

5.6 The requirements for consulting on a relevant proposal relating to schools are set out in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

 A Proposal Paper was published on Monday 19 March 2018. A copy of this document was available free of charge to the consultees listed within the document.

Page 56 of 396  The Proposal Paper was published on the Perth and Kinross Council website www.pkc.gov.uk and was available in paper copy upon request.  An advertisement ran in the Courier and Advertiser and the Perthshire Advertiser on 16 March 2018.  Two public meetings were held to discuss the proposal on Tuesday 24 April 2018 and Tuesday 1 May 2018.  The Consultation period ended on Thursday 17 May 2018.  Education Scotland’s involvement consisted of: the options appraisal and proposal document being sent to them, and visits to the sites of North Muirton and Balhousie Primary Schools, including discussion with relevant consultees. They also received a copy of all written representations and minutes of the public meetings. They then prepared a report on the educational aspects of the proposal. This is attached as Appendix 5.

5.7 The following schools are affected by the proposal:

 Balhousie Primary School  North Muirton Primary School

5.8 The number of letters issued with details of the Proposal Paper was 556.

5.9 During the consultation period, representations were sought from interested parties, either in oral or written form or electronically. A generic email account was set up by the Council to receive enquiries on the proposal or representations.

5.10 This Consultation Report is the Council’s response to the issues raised during the consultation period on the Proposal Paper.

5.11 This Consultation Report was published on the Council’s website for a period of no less than 3 weeks prior to final consideration by Lifelong Learning Committee on 31 October 2018.

6. THE PUBLIC MEETINGS

6.1 A public meeting was held in North Inch Community Campus on Tuesday 24 April 2018. One parent and five members of the public from the community attended. A full note of the meeting is attached as Appendix 1 which details the questions and issues raised at the meeting.

6.2 A second public meeting was held in North Inch Community Campus on Tuesday 1 May 2018. Seven members of the public from the community attended. No parents attended and three of the seven members of the public also attended the public meeting on 24 April 2018. A full note of the meeting is attached as Appendix 2 which details the questions and issues raised at the meeting.

Page 57 of 396 7. RESPONSES TO THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE

7.1 From the 556 consultees who were invited to respond to the Council’s proposal, 53 online response forms were received. Ten responses agreed with the Council’s proposal and 43 disagreed with the Council’s proposal. Five responses were only partially completed and did not contain the respondents’ names, addresses or respondent groups.

In addition, six written representations were received. One member of the public from the community submitted two written responses, therefore this represents 5 individuals. All the written responses stated they did not agree with the Council’s proposal. The details of the respondents are contained within the Summary of Consultation Responses, attached as Appendix 3 which also includes details of the comments which were received.

7.2 In summary, the responses can be grouped broadly as follows:

 Travel and Safety including the implications of distance, safe walking routes and cost of transport.  Financial including the implications of the use of funding for the new school and the use of funding for the maintenance for Balhousie Primary School.  Community impact including the implications of the loss of a community amenity and community focal point, the relationship with the wider community, the impact on the residential area of a closed school if left empty and the opportunity to redevelop the area is being missed. Queries regarding what would happen to the building if Balhousie Primary School was to close and views that Balhousie PS serves a distinct and diverse community with different needs from those in North Muirton.  The new school including the implications of house building and future house building and the impact on pupil numbers, projected pupil numbers and class sizes in the new school. Queries on how the decision was reached on where to build the new school and where North Muirton pupils would be during the building works. Queries on why St Ninian’s is allowed to stay open.  Impact on pupils and families including the implications of the new school at North Muirton must not come at the expense of Balhousie Primary School and that Balhousie’s character and ethos may be lost, views that that pupils at both schools are socio-economically disadvantaged and views that the proposal could have a serious impact on the educational development and overall level of happiness of pupils.

7.3 In summary, 556 letters were issued inviting comments and participation in the consultation. The number of parents known to have participated in the consultation to make their views known is 26. However, it is recognised that for the majority of parents of pupils at Balhousie Primary School that their children will not be affected by the proposal as they will have left the school by the proposed implementation date of August 2022.

Page 58 of 396 7.4 Specific consultation meetings took place with affected pupils and staff at Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School and full details of these is attached as Appendix 4.

8. EDUCATION AUTHORITY RESPONSE TO WRITTEN AND ORAL REPRESENTATIONS

8.1 Clarification was sought on whether the overall occupancy of the school includes nursery pupils? The reported occupancy level of the school only considers P1 – 7 pupils and does not include nursery pupils which is the case for all primary schools.

8.2 Query raised that parents bought their house due to the proximity to Balhousie Primary School and that children will not be safe walking to North Muirton to the new school due to the volume of traffic, and whether there would be School Crossing Patrollers on the route. The Council would not expect parents to allow their children to walk to school alone until such time as they are satisfied they could do so unaccompanied safely. Safe walking routes to school including the requirement for School Crossing Patrollers will be taken forward if the proposal is agreed.

8.3 Query raised that the Council was just going through the motions, regardless of views of the public the proposal will ultimately go ahead anyway? There is a low turnout to the public meetings because no one is listening. The public meetings have not been pushed to raise awareness. It was felt that it is a ‘fait accompli’. Information regarding the statutory consultation and public meetings was made widely available, through social media (Facebook, Twitter), the Perth and Kinross Council website, local press and directly from the school. This was in addition to the statutory consultees being written to directly. Perth & Kinross Council used all reasonable mechanisms available to reach all statutory consultees. It is assured that the proposal is not a ‘fait accompli’; no outcome has been decided at this stage. As a local democracy the Council is following due process and it is by no means complete. In addition, Education Scotland is an external body and is involved in the process by assessing the educational aspects of the proposal.

8.4 Query raised that money could have been better spent by the Council to increase the lifetime of the school building. It is recognised that sometimes buildings are no longer fit for purpose. Balhousie Primary School is rated category C for condition and suitability. The external social areas and accessibility are rated as suitability D.

The cost of refurbishing the structure of Balhousie Primary School building and the limited impact that would have on the suitability of the school as a consequence of the internal design and building limitations in the surrounding area have resulted in the proposal.

Page 59 of 396 8.5 Clarification was sought on what is meant by a flexible learning environment and whether this meant open plan. Flexible learning may include moveable walls; large spaces able to be subdivided readily. Examples of this are included new buildings at Oakbank Primary School and North Inch Community Campus. A range of different spaces suitable for different learning experiences are provided in schools. It is recognised that semi-open plan is an emerging model (e.g. Oakbank and Crieff Schools); where teaching areas have 3 walls and one side remains open to a shared breakout area. Feedback from staff at Tulloch Primary School is recognised as an example of semi-open plan being used well. Feedback from staff at Tulloch Primary School has indicated that any prior concerns they had about noise in this new environment are unfounded.

8.6 Clarification was sought on whether there could be a radio broadcast to notify local residents of the consultation. Radio broadcasts have not been used in school proposal consultations to date. However, the Council will consult with the Council’s media team for future consultations.

8.7 It was noted that the report focuses on the only reasonable option being to close Balhousie and clarification was sought on what is the projected lifespan of a school. The approximate lifespan of a school building is approximately 50 years.

8.8 Query raised that 3 miles is a long walk for a secondary school child, as is 2 miles for a primary school child. It was noted that will take up a large part of the day to walk this far and the socio economic status of parents in the area should be considered if public transport is to be used. The majority of children living within the catchment of Balhousie Primary School currently live within 1 mile of the proposed new school at North Muirton Primary School. It is recognised that there may be an economic impact on families, if parents choose to take public transport or the car instead of walking to school. The majority of pupils are likely to take less than 20 minutes to get to school by walking. In overall terms, the socio economic impact for some pupils and families must be balanced against both the educational and socio economic benefits that will arise from pupils being educated in a modern, fit for purpose, new build school and the benefits which that can offer. The provision of a new build school will benefit a significant number of pupils attending Balhousie Primary School who fall into the category of living in the most deprived areas.

This could encourage the wider promotion of walking to school and initiatives such as park and stride which is a positive outcome. Pupils living within Perth City Centre are generally well placed to be able to walk to school due to the proximity and distance to travel to school. The provision of footpaths, mechanical crossings, street lighting and traffic speeds are all considerations when determining safe walking routes for pupils accompanied by a responsible adult to travel to and from school.

Page 60 of 396 It is recognised that large number of families living in the catchment area for Balhousie Primary School are already travelling to St John’s RC Primary School and North Muirton Primary School.

8.9 Query raised that the Infrastructure in the local areas does not support travel to school by car/bus. Travel patterns have been reviewed as part of the options appraisal. It is intended that further work will be undertaken to maximise opportunities for safe walking or cycling to school including the requirement for School Crossing Patrollers, if the proposal is implemented. Any existing concerns around the safety of walking/cycling to North Muirton Primary School will also be considered as part of the design of the new school, if the proposal is implemented. Planning will consider traffic as part of the application for the new school.

8.10 Query that the report refers to ‘date of closure’ and therefore it’s a done deal. The date contained within the Proposal Paper is a proposed date should this be implemented. No decisions have been taken regarding the closure of Balhousie Primary School and the Council is only undertaking statutory consultation at this stage and the outcome of this will be referred to Lifelong Learning Committee on 31 October 2018.

8.11 Query raised that the residents of the local care home were not aware of the proposal and there has been a lack of communication. The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) act 2010 determines the people who must be made aware of a statutory consultation relating to a school proposal and that law determines who the Council must consult: Parents/carers of children at the directly affected schools and those pupils who will be affected in the future, staff at the directly affected schools, Parent Councils, Community Councils, Trade Unions and users of the schools. There is no legal requirement to contact those in the wider local area, however, Perth and Kinross Council has been open and transparent and in order to allow other local residents the opportunity to make a representation, public meetings were open to anyone who has an interest in the school. In addition, information regarding the consultation and public meetings has been made widely available through social and local media. Some residents and staff attended the public meeting on 1 May 2018.

8.12 Clarification was sought on how the decision was reached on where to build the new school. The proposed site has been identified as the only suitable site available in the area.

8.13 Clarification was sought on what the projected roll number for the school would be. Should the proposal be implemented, the current projected roll for the larger, new build primary school at North Muirton would be 380 pupils in 2022.

Page 61 of 396 8.14 Query raised about the children who may struggle in a school environment with high pupil numbers. The proposed new school is comparable in size to other Perth primary schools. All schools, regardless of size, are required to support the individual needs of pupils.

8.15 Clarification was sought on why Historic Scotland has not been involved as it is a listed building and what input Historic Scotland would have. Historic Scotland would be fully consulted as part of any planning process on any works required to the current Balhousie Primary School building.

8.16 Query raised that more houses are being built in the future and more are planned and this will mean more children and numbers will increase in the years ahead. The planned new house building programmes have been taken into consideration and the pupil numbers have been factored in the school roll projections which are detailed in the Proposal Paper.

8.17 Clarification was sought on St Ninian’s Primary School - why was this saved and why is it allowed to remain? The Options Appraisal for St Ninian’s Primary School was considered and approved by Lifelong Learning Committee which determined the school was to remain open. The reasons for this are set out in Section 4 of this report.

The key issue with this option was the fact that pupils from St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School would be moving to a school which is a less suitable environment than their current school, even if works were carried out on Balhousie Primary School. Although the condition of Balhousie Primary School would be improved through the carrying out of those works, there would be limited improvement to the suitability and to the learning and teaching environment, and no upgrading across other areas

In addition, pupils generally attend St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School as a result of a successful placing request and it is possible that pupil numbers would not be sustained if the school was relocated to Balhousie Primary School. This option could result in uncertainty over the future of St Ninian’s Episcopal Primary School through a reduction in pupil numbers. This would result in Balhousie Primary School once again being under occupied. Therefore, this was not considered a reasonable option

8.18 Clarification was sought on where pupils at North Muirton PS will be situated during the building works? Pupils at North Muirton Primary School will remain in their current school as the new build is undertaken on another part of the current school site as a tandem build. This has recently been the way in which the new schools build at Alyth, Tulloch and Kinross have been undertaken.

Page 62 of 396 8.19 Clarification was sought on what the intention is for Balhousie after what happened with Caledonian Road. If the Proposal is approved, then Education & Children’s Services would declare the building surplus to the requirements of their service. Thereafter, the Council will look at the options which can include community asset transfer or the building placed on the open market.

8.20 It was suggested that the £14m for a new school could be split into £5.7m into improving Balhousie Primary School and £5m into improving North Muirton Primary School, leaving a substantial amount of funding leftover. Is there another way of using that funding? The Council has already approved the funding to be used for a new primary school in North Perth. North Muirton Primary School cannot be refurbished in a cost effective way which led to the recommendation that it requires to be replaced.

8.21 The new school should have a new identity and new name so not to exclude either community. If the proposal is to be implemented, the Council would be working with pupils, parents, staff and the wider communities to establish the identity, ethos and culture of the new school. This would take account of the wide range of views to ensure the identity of the new school was truly representative of both communities recognising the history and value of both schools and there is sufficient time to plan and prepare for this.

8.22 Balhousie Primary School serves a distinct and diverse community with a different set of needs from those in North Muirton. A large proportion of pupils at Balhousie, for example, do not speak English as their first language. It is recognised that a significant proportion of the families of those attending Balhousie Primary School are either from minority ethnic communities or have English as a second language. The impact on these families of changing school will be addressed through continuing access to the universal services of English as an Additional Language (EAL) and support provided through Minority Ethnic Access Development (MEAD) as part of the PKAVS Minority Communities Hub, which are currently accessed by families at Balhousie Primary School and these will continue to be provided at the new primary school. All schools are required to meet the educational needs of all pupils who attend regardless of their needs or ethnicity. If the proposal is to be implemented, then children and their families would continue have their needs supported as is the case currently. 8.23 The commute through a heavily-congested city centre could pose a significant safety risk to parents and, in particular, young children. There is national criteria which is used to determine whether or not a walking route to school would be determined as unsafe for pupils to walk accompanied by a responsible adult.

Page 63 of 396 Pupils living within Perth City Centre are generally well placed to be able to walk to school due to the proximity and distance to travel to school. The provision of footpaths, mechanical crossings, street lighting and traffic speeds are all considerations when determining safe walking routes for pupils accompanied by a responsible adult to travel to and from school. These are all available to pupils travelling within Perth City to attend school. It is also recognised that large number of families living in the catchment area for Balhousie Primary School are already travelling to attend other schools.

8.24 Balhousie Primary School has a good reputation for helping a diverse section of children, especially those with additional support needs. All schools in Perth and Kinross, regardless of location, demographic or size, are required to support the individual needs of all pupils who attend the school.

8.25 Extra space at Balhousie Primary School could be utilised for the local community offering exercise/art/cooking/English classes. This was considered as part of the options appraisal. Accommodating additional services in the school would be better value as the running costs and capital spend required for Balhousie Primary School would provide greater benefits in a more fully occupied building. It would retain the school for current pupils and maintain links between the school and the local community.

8.26 Query regarding the environmental impact of more buses and cars accessing the area of the new school. The majority of children living within the catchment of Balhousie Primary School currently live within 1 mile of the proposed new school at North Muirton Primary School which is well within the statutory walking distance to school. It is recognised that there may be an environmental impact and economic impact on families, if parents choose to take public transport or the car instead of walking to school. However, the majority of pupils are likely to take less than 20 minutes to get to school by walking.

Page 64 of 396 In overall terms, the socio economic impact for some pupils and families must be balanced against both the educational and socio economic benefits that will arise from pupils being educated in a modern, fit for purpose, new build school and the benefits which that can offer. The provision of a new build school will benefit a significant number of pupils attending Balhousie Primary School who fall into the category of living in the most deprived areas.

8.27 Two schools would mean the schools were geographically spread out in the area and would provide two school options for parents to choose. The distance between Balhousie Primary School and the new school site at North Muirton is approximately 1.2 miles. The distance between Balhousie Primary School and St Ninian’s Primary School is approximately 0.2 miles. The distance between Balhousie Primary School and St John’s RC Primary School is approximately 0.48 miles. These schools all provide for pupils and parents in the area.

Notwithstanding each catchment area having a designated primary school, the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 makes provision for parents to choose a school for their child other than the school designated by the Council by way of making a placing request. Therefore, parents are not restricted to sending their children to the school designated by the Council.

8.28 There is vagueness in the cost of repairing Balhousie Primary School between £4.8 - £5.7 million. The Options Appraisal and Proposal Paper both advised that the condition of the school is such that major refurbishment of Balhousie Primary School is required if the school is to remain open. It is currently estimated that the cost of refurbishing the school will be in the region of £4.8 - £5.7 million and should the proposal not be implemented, then these figures would need to be updated. There would also be ongoing maintenance costs associated with the upkeep of an older building.

8.29 Class sizes will be large in the new school. All class sizes will be operating in accordance with the legal maximum class sizes for primary classes in Scotland as is the case in all schools.

Page 65 of 396 9. EDUCATION SCOTLAND REPORT

9.1 In accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, a report was produced by Education Scotland on the educational aspects of the proposal.

9.2 Education Scotland visited North Muirton and Balhousie Primary Schools week commencing 21 May 2018 to speak to relevant consultees. Education Scotland attended the public meeting held on 24 April 2018 in connection with the Council’s proposals.

9.3 The Education Scotland report is reproduced in full (Appendix 5).

9.4 The report supports the proposal and is summarised below:

 Education Scotland notes that there are clear potential educational benefits to Perth and Kinross Council’s proposal. The council intends to establish a two stream primary school with flexible learning spaces, improved technology, outdoor areas and good facilities for sport and leisure. Its proposal includes plans to provide improved early years facilities, a nurture class and enhanced provision for children with additional support needs. Children and staff from both Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School could benefit from much improved and modern learning facilities. The council’s proposal has the potential to improve experiences and outcomes for children from both of the affected schools.

 Education Scotland notes that the existing Balhousie Primary School building is under occupied and in a very poor condition with significant limitations to learning and teaching areas and to outdoor play space which impact negatively on the experience of children and staff. Prior to the consultation, the council examined the cost of refurbishing the existing building and concluded that refurbishment would be unduly costly and would not resolve many of the limitations of the existing building.

 Education Scotland notes that the existing North Muirton Primary School building also has significant limitations. The Council has concluded that it would be uneconomic to refurbish and maintain the existing building.

In addition to the benefits to children and staff from both affected schools, the proposal to build a new school brings potential wider benefits to children and young people in Perth and Kinross arising from the Council’s approach to securing best value.

 Education Scotland notes that children currently attending from Balhousie Primary School would have an increased distance to travel to a new school in North Muirton but all pupils would be within the statutory walking distances to school. Appropriately, the council has undertaken to develop a travel plan for the new school including safe walking routes.

Page 66 of 396  Almost all parents, staff and children from Balhousie Primary School who spoke with HM Inspectors were not in favour of the Council’s proposal. Although they could see benefits to the purpose built, modern and enhanced facilities in the council’s proposal, they felt the existing school building should be refurbished and brought up to standard.

They valued the strong sense of community in Balhousie Primary School, the existing ethos, positive relationships and the strong historical and community links to their school.

 Almost all parents, staff and children from North Muirton Primary School were in favour of the Council’s proposal and enthusiastic about the opportunities a new building could provide to enhance learning and teaching. Staff agreed that the proposed two stage primary school could provide benefits to staff for mutual support and challenge to improve learning and teaching. They welcomed the proposals for improved space for early years and enhanced provision for additional support needs. They were aware of the limitations of the existing building and felt that the facilities were in serious need of improvement. They were confident that with appropriate planning the two school communities could be brought together successfully to benefit from the new facilities.

 Staff and children from both schools expressed a wish to be involved in detailed decisions about the design and layout of the new school, should the Council decide to implement its proposal. Parents of Balhousie Primary School felt that if the Council were to decide to proceed, a new school name and uniform should be considered to ensure that the new school’s identity represented the whole catchment area. Appropriately, the Council in its proposal document has undertaken to consult with staff, parents and Parent Councils of both schools on the development of plans for the integration of pupils into the new school.  Education Scotland notes that there are clear and strong potential educational benefits to Perth and Kinross Council’s proposal.

Staff and children from both schools could benefit from much improved modern facilities for learning and teaching and better outdoor space, improved early years provision and improved provision for children with additional support needs.

9.5 Perth and Kinross Council’s Response to Education Scotland’s Report

The Council welcomes the report from Education Scotland and accepts its findings and notes the concerns raised by pupils, parents and staff from Balhousie Primary School in response to the Council’s proposal.

In response to the findings contained within the Education Scotland report, Perth and Kinross response is as follows:

Page 67 of 396 The council will need to provide reassurance to parents, children and staff from Balhousie Primary School that the school’s existing links with the local community can be maintained and enhanced.

Perth and Kinross Council has undertaken to involve and consult with stakeholders in the implementation process if it decides to proceed with its proposal. Perth and Kinross Council will continue to engage with parents, pupils and staff to ensure the school’s existing links with the local community can be maintained and enhanced as part of the new build school and wider catchment area which would serve the school.

Both schools currently have strong links with their local communities. Although the catchment would be larger, this may bring more opportunities and plans can be made well in advance to retain these links.

10. EFFECT ON THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS

10.1 Although not required to do so (as Balhousie Primary School is not a rural school), the Council has set out the anticipated effect on the local community and travelling arrangements as these were fully considered in developing the options appraisal for Balhousie Primary School.

10.2 Effect on the Local Community

10.2.1 The feedback from the community drop-in sessions and online questionnaire from Balhousie Primary School was that the school plays a vital link in engaging with the local community.

10.2.2 From both drop-in sessions held as part of the options appraisal process, concerns regarding the integration of the pupils and community were raised. However, there were also positive comments in relation to the opportunity for the communities to mix. The integration of pupils and community members would have to be carefully managed and supported in the event of Balhousie Primary School closing. By the time the new school is being built, the Council will also have the benefit of experience in creating and supporting the formation of a new pupil group at Bertha Park High School. 10.2.3 Families living in the Balhousie Primary School catchment area who use the existing school as a link to the local community would continue to be supported by organisations such as PKAVS. Both schools are also experienced in dealing with families who do not have English as a first language. 10.2.4 Both schools have strong links with their local communities. Although the catchment would be larger if the proposal is implemented, this may bring more opportunities and plans can be made well in advance to retain these links.

Page 68 of 396 10.3 Travel Arrangements

10.3.1 A high level assessment was undertaken regarding the impact on those pupils who currently walk to Balhousie Primary School and how they would be affected should the school close and they move to North Muirton Primary School. Out of 83 catchment pupils, 46 live within a mile of North Muirton Primary School. The pupils who live a mile away would take approximately 20 minutes to walk to school. The furthest current pupils would have to travel is approximately 1.7 miles; this would take approximately 33 minutes. There are 5 pupils who would travel this distance.

10.3.2 A number of pupils within the Balhousie Primary School catchment are already travelling to schools which are further from their home than Balhousie Primary School. 10.3.3 If the proposal is to be implemented, then a Travel Plan for the new school would be developed. This work would be undertaken to maximise opportunities for safe walking or cycling to school including the requirement for crossing patrollers. Any existing concerns around the safety of walking/cycling to North Muirton Primary School will also be considered as part of the design of the new school, if the proposal is implemented.

10.3.4 There are existing concerns regarding vehicle movements at the current North Muirton Primary School. An option that will be considered to alleviate these issues is to create vehicle drop off/pick up in Argyll Road when the new school is built. 10.3.5 Staff in Perth and Kinross tend to travel throughout the area to work in schools. Many staff do not live within the catchment area of the school they work in. A distance of 1.2 miles is a relatively short distance to travel in Perth. It is, therefore, considered that there is very limited impact on staff travelling arrangements. 10.3.6 In overall terms, the adverse effects arising from the additional travel time for some pupils must be balanced against the educational benefits that will arise for pupils from attending a modern, fit for purpose, new build school.

11. ALLEGED OMISSIONS OR INACCURACIES

11.1 Section (10) (3) of the 2010 Act also places a requirement on the Council to provide details of any inaccuracy or omission within the Proposal Paper which has either been identified by the Council or raised by consultees. This section of the 2010 Act also requires the Council to provide a statement on the action taken in respect of the inaccuracy or omission, or, if no action was taken, to state that fact and why.

11.2 In the course of the consultation exercise, there were no areas identified by respondents as being inaccurate or omitted from the Proposal Paper during the consultation period.

Page 69 of 396 12. COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 9(1) OF THE SCHOOLS (CONSULTATION) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2010

12.1 Section 9(1) of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 states that: After the Education Authority has received Education Scotland’s report, the Authority is to review the relevant proposal having regard (in particular) to: (i) written representations received by the Authority (from any person) during the consultation period, (ii) oral representations made to it (by any person) at the public meetings, (iii) Education Scotland’s report.

12.2 Following receipt of the Education Scotland report, the online and written representations and oral representations made at the public meetings held during the consultation period, officers reviewed the proposals.

12.3 The feedback from the consultation was considered by officers where all the questions and comments raised were considered in detail. Data and factual information was checked where required and advice and input was sought from other Council Services where needed to consider the issues raised This ensured that the Council met the requirements to review the proposal under section 9(1) and 13(5) of the 2010 Act.

12.4 Officers of the Education Authority have listened carefully to the points made at the public meetings and have considered equally carefully the Education Scotland report and the online and written representations.

None of the representations led officers to conclude that any of these options should be reconsidered as reasonable alternatives.

The Educational Benefits were reviewed in respect of the Education Scotland report and representations made. There were no factors included in the Education Scotland report or representations made requiring any aspect of the Educational Benefits to be reconsidered.

Having reviewed the Education Scotland report and feedback from consultees, officers concluded that the basis of the original proposal continues to be the most appropriate response to the poor condition and suitability rating of Balhousie Primary School and the low occupancy of the school.

12.5 It is considered that the proposal addresses the issue of the poor condition and suitability rating of Balhousie Primary School and low occupancy and remains the best solution to ensure the children and parents of Balhousie Primary School will have access to a well-designed, accessible, modern, fit for purpose educational establishment.

Page 70 of 396 There would be sufficient capacity at a larger, new build North Muirton Primary School to fully meet the needs of the Balhousie Primary School children without disrupting the learning of the North Muirton Primary School children.

A refurbishment of Balhousie Primary School is not likely to improve the suitability of the school to any degree and there would be limited changes or improvements to the teaching and learning environment. A refurbishment would be unduly costly and would not resolve many of the limitations of the existing building and this is not considered to be in the best educational interests of the current and future pupils from Balhousie Primary School catchment area.

13. OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE REPRESENTATIONS TO SCOTTISH MINISTERS IN TERMS OF SECTION 15(4) OF THE SCHOOLS (CONSULTATION) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2010

13.1 When the Education Authority has made a final decision to implement the proposal, it will require to notify the Scottish Ministers of that decision, and provide them with a copy of the proposal document and consultation report. This must be done within six working days of that decision. The Scottish Ministers have an eight week period from the date of that final decision to decide if they will call-in the proposal.

13.2 Within the first three weeks of that eight week period, the Scottish Ministers will take account of any relevant representations made to them by any person. Until the outcome of the eight week call-in process is known, the Authority cannot proceed to implement the proposal.

13.3 If the Scottish Ministers call-in the proposal, they must refer the proposal to the Convener of the School Closure Review Panels who may refuse to consent to the proposal or grant their consent to the proposal subject to conditions or unconditionally.

13.4 Recipients of this Consultation Report, and other readers, should note that the legislation allows for any person to make representations to Scottish Ministers within three weeks of the Council taking their final decision to implement a closure proposal.

Perth and Kinross Council’s Lifelong Learning Committee will take the decision on whether or not to implement this closure proposal at its meeting on 31 October 2018. If the decision is taken to implement the closure proposal, any representations to Scottish Ministers, therefore, in this context need to be with the Ministers within three weeks of this date. Therefore, any representations must be made to Scottish Ministers by 22 November 2018.

Page 71 of 396 13.5 Anyone wishing to make representation to Scottish Ministers during the three week period referred to above should do so by email to [email protected] or in writing to:

School Infrastructure Unit The Scottish Government Area 2A (South) Victoria Quay EDINBURGH EH6 6QQ

14. LEGAL ISSUES

14.1 The Council has complied in full with the requirements of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 throughout this statutory consultation.

14.2 The Council is mindful of its duties in respect of equality and the Equality Impact Assessment did not identify that any parent, child or young person would be treated less favourably as a result of this proposal. Pupils would have access to a modern, fully accessible, fit for purpose new build school and the benefits which that can offer at a new build primary school, which include improved accessibility for disabled pupils and parents and improved facilities for pupils with Additional Support Needs, which is a positive impact.

14.3 In terms of Socio Economic Impact, the assessment identified that a significant number of pupils attending Balhousie Primary School live in households that are categorised as deprived based on ACORN and SIMD. SIMD quintile 1 represents the most deprived areas. 38% of the pupils attending Balhousie Primary School live in areas which are in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile 1. This compares to an average of 7% in SIMD quintile 1 across Perth and Kinross. ACORN 5 represents the most deprived areas. 59% of pupils attending Balhousie Primary School fall into category 5. This compares to an average of 13% across Perth and Kinross.

14.4 It is recognised that a significant proportion of the families of those attending Balhousie Primary School are either from minority ethnic communities or have English as a second language. The impact on these families of changing school will be addressed through continuing access to the universal services of English as an Additional Language (EAL) and support provided through Minority Ethnic Access Development (MEAD) as part of the PKAVS Minority Communities Hub, which are currently accessed by families at Balhousie Primary School and these will continue to be provided at the new primary school. All schools are required to meet the educational needs of all pupils who attend regardless of their needs or ethnicity.

Page 72 of 396 14.5 Both Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School are in receipt of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF). PEF is being provided as part of the £750m Attainment Scotland Fund which will be invested over the current Parliamentary term to tackle the poverty related attainment gap. 14.6 There may be an economic impact on families, if parents choose to take public transport or the car instead of walking to school through increased cost of transport to school. However, the majority of pupils are likely to take less than 20 minutes to get to school by walking and all will be within the statutory walking distance to school. This could encourage the wider promotion of walking to school and initiatives such as park and stride which is a positive outcome. Pupils living within Perth City Centre are generally well placed to be able to walk to school due to the proximity and distance to travel to school. The provision of footpaths, mechanical crossings, street lighting and traffic speeds are all considerations when determining safe walking routes for pupils accompanied by a responsible adult to travel to and from school. A large number of families living in the catchment area for Balhousie Primary School already choose to travel to St John’s RC Primary School and North Muirton Primary School.

14.7 The new build primary school would benefit families from Balhousie Primary School by allow children to access a breakfast club and after school club within the school. Currently children from Balhousie Primary School are transported to St John’s RC Primary School for after school care. This would allow for easier access to wraparound care for those parents who are working or are in education, and providing an opportunity to encourage and support those parents who are looking to return to work or education.

14.8 In overall terms, the potential socio economic impact for some pupils and families is considered to be small and must be balanced against both the educational and socio economic benefits that will arise from pupils being educated in a modern, fit for purpose, new build school and the benefits which that can offer. The provision of a new build school will benefit a significant number of pupils attending Balhousie Primary School who fall into the category of living in the most deprived areas.

14.9 Under the terms of the Schools (Scotland) (Consultation) Act 2010, it is a legal requirement that the Council should not reach any formal decision without waiting until a period of three weeks starting on the day on which this Consultation Report is published in electronic and printed form has expired.

14.10 As it is the intention that this Consultation Report should be published, both electronically and in written form, if required, on 28 September 2018 until 26 October 2018, this meets the statutory requirement to publish this report for more than three weeks before consideration of the proposal by Lifelong Learning Committee.

Page 73 of 396 15. PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS

15.1 There may be staffing implications relating to the proposal if implemented. Where necessary, any aspect of the implementation of these proposals that impacts on staff will result in consultation with the relevant trade unions and the individuals concerned. Appropriate arrangements would be made for staff at Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School in planning and consultation for the staffing requirements of the new build school.

16. CONCLUSION

16.1 The Council now has 4 broad options to consider, namely:

(a) adopt the proposal; (b) withdraw the proposal; (c) amend the proposal in some way which allows the proposal to proceed; or (d) amend the proposal significantly and undertake a further consultation exercise on a new proposal.

16.2 Education Scotland has identified that the proposal has many clear and strong potential educational benefits for young people. These include staff and children from both schools benefitting from much improved modern facilities for learning and teaching and better outdoor space, improved early years provision and improved provision for children with additional support needs. Education Scotland has identified that the Council’s proposal has the potential to improve experiences and outcomes for children from both of the affected schools.

The larger, new build primary school will incorporate all stages of early years and primary, nurture and ASN provision, allowing a range of learning opportunities for all children and young people attending the facility which cannot be met within the current Balhousie Primary School building.

In withdrawing the proposal, the Council would be failing to recognise or respond to the poor condition and suitability of Balhousie Primary School and the impact that has on the learning and teaching environment. The Council would be failing to recognise the significant benefits which could be provided to pupils from the Balhousie Primary School catchment area through access to a modern, purpose-built, fully accessible and well-designed learning environment.

16.3 If the Council adopts the proposal, it is understood that the educational benefits set out in the Proposal Paper would materialise. There would also be a requirement that close joint planning with parents/carers, staff and pupils from both schools is well managed in ways which are supportive to the pupils concerned, and in their long term interests.

Page 74 of 396 The Council would also be working with pupils, parents, staff and the wider communities to establish the identity, ethos and culture of the new school. This would take account of the wide range of views to ensure the identity of the new school was truly representative of both communities recognising the history and value of both schools and there is sufficient time to plan and prepare for this.

16.4 The key points that have been highlighted during the consultation period are as follows:

 The report from Education Scotland acknowledges that the proposal would lead to many clear and strong educational benefits for pupils. This includes staff and children from both schools benefiting from much improved modern facilities for learning and teaching and better outdoor space, improved early years provision and improved provision for children with additional support needs. Education Scotland has identified that the Council’s proposal has the potential to improve experiences and outcomes for children from both of the affected schools.

 The estimated cost of refurbishing Balhousie Primary School if it remains open will be in the region of £4.8 - £5.7 million. There would also be ongoing maintenance costs associated with the upkeep of an older building. Although the condition of the school would be improved, there would be limited improvement to the suitability and to the learning and teaching environment as it is unlikely that the learning and teaching environment can be fully modernised. It is considered that it does not represent best value to commit this level of funding to refurbish Balhousie Primary School when the school is under occupied and where the roll is unlikely to increase greatly in the future.

 The potential socio economic impact for some pupils and families is considered to be small and must be balanced against both the educational and socio economic benefits that will arise from pupils being educated in a modern, fully accessible, fit for purpose, new build school and the benefits which that can offer. Any potential socio economic disadvantage will be outweighed by the benefits a new school can offer. The provision of a new build school will benefit a significant number of pupils attending Balhousie Primary School who fall into the category of living in the most deprived areas.

 Whilst the Council’s proposals have generally not been supported by the parents/carers, staff and the wider community who responded to the proposal, the vast majority of those consulted have raised no issues or opposition to the proposal.

 The distance between the two schools is approximately 1.2 miles and the majority of pupils live within a mile of North Muirton Primary School.

Page 75 of 396 17. RECOMMENDATIONS

17.1 On the basis of the feedback received and taking account of the educational, environment and social benefits of the proposal, it is concluded that the following proposal is the most suitable option and it is recommended that the Council:

 Approves that Education provision at Balhousie Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 31 July 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter;  The pupils of Balhousie Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at a larger, new build North Muirton Primary School, from August 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter; and  The delineated catchment area of North Muirton Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Balhousie Primary School from August 2022.

Sheena Devlin Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) 27 September 2018

Page 76 of 396 Appendix 1 Perth & Kinross Council Education & Children’s Services Statutory Consultation Public Meeting

Minute of Meeting Held on Tuesday 24 April 2018

7.00pm at North Inch Community Campus

Present Councillor Caroline Shiers Convener, Lifelong Learning Committee Councillor Callum Purves Vice-Convener, Lifelong Learning Committee Sheena Devlin Executive Director, Education and Children’s Services Karen Robertson Service Manager - Business Services Carol Taylor Service Manager – Resource Management John Beveridge Service Manager – Property Services

In Attendance Councillor Andrew Parrott Perth and Kinross Council Ken McAra Education Scotland J Buchan The Courier & Advertiser

Gillian Holden – Minute Perth and Kinross Council

Six members of the public.

1. Welcome and Introductions Councillor Shiers opened the meeting and welcomed the members of the public in attendance to the statutory consultation public meeting. Councillor Shiers introduced herself and the Council Officers to the members of the public.

2. Statutory Consultation Sheena Devlin briefly outlined the statutory consultation process and the proposal. Sheena Devlin advised that attendees of the meeting are encouraged to express their views or concerns which would be recorded and published in the minute of the public meeting. She explained that she would stop at intervals during the presentation to take questions. For ease of reading, all questions and comments are detailed at section 6 and 7 respectively. Members of the public were advised that the Council Officers in attendance would be able to provide more specific information regarding parts of the proposal relating to their respective service areas. Karen Robertson advised that 17 May 2018 is the deadline for any representations to be made on the proposal.

3. The Proposal Sheena Devlin gave a presentation on the background of the proposal which outlines the reasons for the Council’s proposal. The reasons included the current condition of Balhousie Primary School (which is rated as a category C) and the under occupancy of Balhousie Primary School.

Page 77 of 396 Sheena Devlin advised that, for the purposes of the proposal, the new school would be referred to as North Muirton Primary School. However reiterated that it is not assumed that the new school will be called North Muirton Primary School; there would be an opportunity to develop a new school identity, school name and school uniform if the proposal is to be implemented.

4. Presentation

Background

On 24 August 2016 the Lifelong Learning Committee approved the review of Perth & Kinross Council’s School Estate. On 2 November 2016, further approval was given by the Lifelong Learning Committee for the development of number of Options Appraisals, including for Balhousie Primary School.

Following this, Report No 18/15 [217Kb] was presented to the Lifelong Learning Committee on Wednesday 24 January 2018. This report presented an Options Appraisal [876Kb] containing an Educational Benefits Statement regarding Balhousie Primary School. As a result, this Committee approved to prepare and publish a proposal paper [2Mb] and commence formal consultation on the following proposals:

 Education provision at Balhousie Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 31 July 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter;  That the pupils of Balhousie Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at a larger, new build North Muirton Primary School from August 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter; and  That the delineated catchment area of North Muirton Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Balhousie Primary School from August 2022.

Current Arrangements & Options

Sheena Devlin outlined reasons for the proposal: occupancy, condition and suitability. Details of these were contained within the options appraisal which was considered by the Lifelong Learning Committee.

Likely Effect of Proposal on the Local Community

Sheena Devlin gave a summary of the likely effects on the local community which are set out in detail in the proposal paper.

Travel/Transport

Karen Robertson advised that a high level assessment has been undertaken to identify how pupils at Balhousie Primary School would be affected by the proposal.

Page 78 of 396 Karen Robertson provided information about the maximum statutory walking distances set out in legislation (2 miles for children aged up to 8 years and 3 miles for children aged 8 and over) for children attending their catchment school. She advised that Perth & Kinross Council Policy is more generous and extends this to 2 miles for children in primary school and 3 miles for children in secondary school. The high level assessment identified that no child currently attending Balhousie primary School would be required to travel more than 2 miles to the new school site at North Muirton Primary School.

The potential increase in travel time/distance for some pupils was offset by the educational benefits which could be provided by a new school, which are set out in detail in the proposal paper.

Educational Benefits

Sheena Devlin detailed the educational benefits for pupils who may attend the prosed new school. It was advised that the relevant appendix from the Report can be sent to individuals on request.

It was explained that by highlighting the educational benefits of the new school, the Council are not implying that these benefits do not already exist at Balhousie, but they are being considered when looking at the proposal in terms of what would be provided in the proposed new school.

Summary

Sheena Devlin provided a summary of the presentation and proposal.

5. Statutory Consultation Process

Karen Robertson provided information on the legal framework as per the Schools Consultation Scotland Act 2010.

Attendees were advised that questions from the evening would be published in the minute of the meeting on the Perth & Kinross Council website under Statutory Consultations for Balhousie Primary School.

Karen Robertson advised that Perth and Kinross Council is currently half way through the process and detailed the next steps:

 Involvement of Education Scotland to review and prepare a report on the educational aspects of the proposal.  Final Consultation Report must be published for 3 weeks before being presented to the Lifelong Learning Committee (LLC) of Perth & Kinross Council.  It is anticipated that by the end of October 2018 – the LLC will consider and determine whether they agree that the proposal should be implemented.

Page 79 of 396  If LLC agree it is to be implemented, notification will be given to the Scottish Ministers, who will decide if the proposal will be called-in or not and whether the proposal can be implemented in full, in part or not at all.

6. Questions

Question 1 Does the overall occupancy of the school include nursery pupils?

A. Sheena Devlin advised that, for the purposed of reporting, occupancy only considers P1 – 7. Not all schools have nurseries and, although it is statutory that the Council provides free early learning and childcare, it is not statutory for parents to access this provision.

Question 2 I bought my house due to the proximity to Balhousie Primary School. My children will not be safe walking to North Muirton Primary School due to the volume of traffic. Will there be Crossing Patrollers on the route?

A. School pupils would not be expected to walk to school alone until such time as their parent was satisfied they could do so unaccompanied safely. Safe walking routes to school including the requirement for Crossing Patrollers will be taken into consideration if the proposal is agreed.

Question 3 Are we just going through the motions, regardless of views of the public the Council will ultimately go ahead with the proposal anyway? There is a low turnout (to the public meeting) because no one is listening. The public meetings have not been pushed to raise awareness. I feel it is a ‘fait accompli’.

A. Sheen Devlin assured the attendees that information regarding the statutory consultation and public meetings has been made widely available, through social media (Facebook, Twitter), the Perth and Kinross Council website, local press and directly from the school. This is in addition to the statutory consultees being written to directly. Perth & Kinross Council has used all reasonable mechanisms available to reach everyone affected. Sheena Devlin assured attendees that the proposal is not a ‘fait accompli’; no outcome has been decided. As a local democracy we are in the middle of due process, it is by no means complete. We are monitored by Education Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government to ensure that the statutory process is undertaken in accordance with the Law (Act 2010).

Question 4 Could money have been better spent by the Council to increase the lifetime of the school building?

A. Sheena Devlin advised that sometimes buildings are no longer fit for purpose. Balhousie is a category C. It is the internal design and building limitations in the surrounding area that have resulted in the proposal.

Page 80 of 396 Question 5 Clarify what is meant be a flexible learning environment? Does this mean open plan?

A. Sheena Devlin advised that this may include moveable walls; large spaces able to be subdivided readily. Examples include new buildings at Oakbank and North Inch Community Campus. Sheena Devlin advised that semi- open plan is an emerging model (e.g. Oakbank and Crieff Schools); teaching areas have 3 walls and one side remains open to a shared breakout area. Feedback from staff at Tulloch was highlighted as an example of semi-open plan being used well. Feedback from staff has indicated that any prior concerns they had about noise in this new environment were unfounded.

Question 6 Can there be a radio broadcast to notify local residents of the consultation?

A. We will consult with the Perth and Kinross Council media team.

Question 7 The report focuses on the only reasonable option being to close Balhousie, what is the projected lifespan of a school

A. John Beveridge responded that it was approximately 50 years.

7. Comments

Comment 1 3 miles is a long walk for a secondary school child, as is 2 miles for a primary school child. It will take up a large part of the day to walk this far and the socio economic status of parents in the area should be considered if public transport is to be used.

Karen Robertson reiterated that the majority of children living within the catchment of Balhousie Primary School currently live within 1 mile of the proposed new school at North Muirton Primary School.

Comment 2 Infrastructure in the local areas does not support travel to school by car/bus.

Karen Robertson advised that travel patterns have been looked at as part of the design. It is intended that work will be undertaken to maximise safe walking or cycling to school. Any existing concerns around the safety of walking/cycling to North Muirton Primary School will also be considered as part of the design. Carol Taylor advised that Planning will consider traffic as part of the application for the new design.

Page 81 of 396 Comment 3 Attendance at Balhousie is not great; we should encourage pupils to attend. In addition to monetary value, other categories should be considered.

Comment 4 Report refers to ‘date of closure’ it’s a done deal.

Sheena Devlin confirmed that this is a proposed date. No decisions have been taken (as per Q3).

Comment 5 The residents of the local care home were not aware of the proposal. There has been a lack of communication.

Karen Robertson advised that, by Law, there are people that must be made aware of a statutory consultation relating to a school proposal and the Law determines who the Council must contact: Parents/carers of children at the directly affected schools and those pupils who will be affected in the future, staff at the directly affected schools, Parent Councils, Community Councils, Trade Unions and users of the schools. There is no legal requirement to contact those in the wider local area, however, Perth and Kinross Council has been open and transparent and in order to allow other local residents the opportunity to make a representation, this is a public meeting open to anyone who has an interest in the school. As advised by Sheena Devlin, information regarding the consultation and public meetings has been made widely available through social and local media.

Comment 6 Councillor Parrott advised that he spoke against the closure of Balhousie Primary School. Councillor Parrott stated that he respects the statutory process of the consultation which is not to be viewed as a ‘box ticking’ exercise and he was disappointed by the turnout; he hopes that there will be more people at the next meeting.

Comment 7 Attendee raised concerns that the other public meeting is to be held on the same day of the week at the same time (as the meeting held on 24 April); this may make it difficult for those with work commitments to attend.

Comment 8 One attendee made a statement, main points as summarised below:  Pupils at both schools (Balhousie and North Muirton) are socioeconomically disadvantaged, concerns around Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC).  Councillors who voted against closure are not here to represent, their status is preventing them from coming out.  Closing one of the few community resources in that area of Perth does not promote community.

Page 82 of 396  How much consultation has there been with parents? Has this taken consideration of social trends, social cohesion when identifying proposal options. The feeling is that all other proposal options have been rejected in favour of closure.  Proposed alternatives: sheds could be made a community hub; English as an Additional Language (EAL) classes could be carried out in the additional space at Balhousie; private nurseries could lease space from Balhousie; regeneration of the playground.  The opportunity to redevelop the area of Balhousie Primary School is being missed.  A direct intervention needs to be made for Acorn 4 & 5 pupils, to encourage parents to engage in education. How do we turn around “historic underachievement” in terms of Acorn 4 & 5 pupils.

6. Closing

Sheena Devlin closed the meeting and thanked everyone for attending and their contribution and provided assurance that Perth and Kinross Council will continue to publicise the statutory consultation and again reiterated that this is not a ‘done deal’; anyone who wishes to share their views is encouraged to make a representation through the consultation process.

Page 83 of 396 Appendix 2 Perth & Kinross Council Education & Children’s Services

Statutory Consultation Public Meeting Minute of Meeting held on Tuesday 1 May 2018 at 7.00pm in the Lecture Theatre, North Inch Community Campus

Present Sharon Johnston Head of Service, (Early Years & Primary) Karen Robertson Service Manager, (Business Services) Carol Taylor Service Manager - Resource Management Ryan Graham Maintenance Team Leader, TES

In Attendance Councillor Caroline Shiers Perth & Kinross Council Councillor John Rebbeck Perth & Kinross Council Councillor Chris Ahern Perth & Kinross Council Councillor Andrew Parrot Perth & Kinross Council Councillor Dave Doogan Perth & Kinross Council Cath Grieve – minute Perth & Kinross Council

7 members of the public

1. Welcome and Introductions

Councillor Shiers opened the meeting by welcoming members of the public attending. Councillor Shiers went on to introduce herself and Council Officers to the members of the public.

2. Format of meeting

Sharon Johnston outlined the format for the meeting by explaining that the statutory consultation public meeting is a very formal process and will follow a set route. A minute would be taken of the meeting and views would be recorded and taken into account. For ease of reading, all questions and comments are detailed at section 5 and 6 respectively. This would then be forwarded to Education Scotland and also published on the Council website. Sharon indicated she would provide a summary of the journey to date, describe the thinking behind the proposals and outline the next steps going forward. Perth and Kinross Council Officers and Elected Members were present to listen to the views expressed by the members of the public. The meeting is also an opportunity for the members of the public to ask any questions or voice any concerns they may have.

3. The proposal

Sharon Johnston set the scene by explaining that a report approved at Lifelong Learning Committee in November 2016 proposed a review of the Schools

Page 84 of 396 Estate. Following this a number of Options Appraisals were developed and Balhousie Primary School was included in this. The proposals are:

 Education provision at Balhousie Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 31 July 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter  That the pupils of Balhousie Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at a larger, new build North Muirton Primary School from August 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter; and  That the delineated catchment area of North Muirton Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Balhousie Primary School from August 2022.

Balhousie Primary School The building is in poor condition and deterioration is getting progressively worse. It is deemed as unsuitable for providing the best learning experience for children. and is graded at condition “C”. Also pupil numbers at the school are low.

As part of the informal consultation process drop-in events for stakeholders were organised and it was noted these were well attended. An on-line questionnaire was also available from August to October. It was noted that 34 forms were submitted although only 23 were completed.

Sharon Johnston went on to give details of the education provision within the school. 66% of children who attend the school live within the catchment area with placing requests making up the remainder.

North Muirton Primary School

Sharon Johnston provided details of the current provision at North Muirton including education, nursery and specialist provision. The building is also graded at condition “C”. 74% of pupils live within the catchment area, with placing requests being the remainder.

4. Presentation

Karen Robertson gave a presentation describing the Statutory consultation process in further detail and explained what the Council is required to do and what duties the Council must fulfil.

Travel Arrangements / Walking Distances It is the Education (Scotland) Act which sets maximum walking distances for pupils and these are: Aged 8 & over (3 miles) and Under 8s (2 miles). A high level assessment was undertaken with regard to the impact of travel for pupils currently attending Balhousie Primary School. The policy of Perth and Kinross Council in respect of walking distances to school is more generous: Primary school pupils - (2 miles) and Secondary School pupils - (3 miles). Of the 69 pupils who live within catchment area of Balhousie, 48 pupils live within 1 mile which is calculated to take 20 minutes to travel. Placing Requests invariably have to travel further.

Page 85 of 396 Educational Benefits Sharon Johnston detailed what the key Educational Benefits will look like in the new build these will include enhanced provision; break out areas, outdoor areas, nursery and early years provision all in one place. Peer support, wide and varied learning experiences, ASN purpose built, communal areas, up to date IT technology and resources.

Karen Robertson gave an assurance that the Lifelong Learning Committee has made no decision at this time; it has only given approval for the statutory consultation exercise to be undertaken. The consultation period runs from 19 March 2018 to 17 May 2018 and any comments or views must be submitted by 5.00pm on 17 May. Various communication methods have been used and views can either be submitted online, by email or in writing to the Council. Further details are provided in the Proposal Paper and on the Council website.

Next Steps / Timescale  Education Scotland involvement - visits to schools are planned during week beginning 21 May 2018  3 week period for consultation report to be drafted (before end of summer 2018)  Consultation report - (will set out information from the public meetings)  The Council will publish on their website for 3 weeks (around August 2018 and respondents would be advised of this)  Report to Lifelong Learning Committee - (end of October 2018) for final decision.

If the decision is to proceed with closure, then Scottish Ministers must be informed and they will decide if approval to close the school is to be given and whether any conditions are required. Karen Robertson provided further details on the process that has to be adhered to.

If the decision is not be implemented then the process stops.

5. Questions

Q1 How was the decision reached on where to build?

A. The proposed site has been identified as the only suitable site available in the area.

Q2 What is the projected roll number for the school?

A. The projected roll currently is high 300s.

Q3 What about the children who may struggle in a school environment with high pupil numbers?

Page 86 of 396 A. The proposed new school is comparable in size to other Perth primary schools. All schools, regardless of size, are required to support the individual needs of pupils.

Q4 It is a listed building, why has Historic Scotland not been involved?

A. Historic Scotland would be fully consulted as part of any planning process on any works required to the building.

Q5 More houses are being built in the future and more are planned this will mean more children and numbers will increase in the years ahead

A. The planned new house building programmes have been taken into consideration and the pupil numbers have been factored in the school roll projections.

Q6 St Ninian’s Primary School - how was this saved, how is it allowed to remain?

A. The Options Appraisal for St Ninian’s Primary School was considered and approved by Lifelong Learning Committee which determined the school remaining open. However, the school building at St Ninian’s is not of the same poor condition as Balhousie.

Q7 Where will pupils at North Muirton PS be situated during the building works?

A. Pupils will remain where they are as the new build in undertaken.

What is the input from Historic Scotland?

A. Historic Scotland would be fully consulted as part of any planning process on any works required to the building.

Q9 What is intention for Balhousie after what happened with Caledonian Road?

A. If the Proposal is approved, then Education & Children’s Services would declare the building surplus to their service then the Estates Team will look at 2 possible options - either community asset transfer process route or the building will be placed on the open market.

Page 87 of 396 6. Comments

Comment 1 £430k has been spent on maintenance in over 20 years which doesn’t seem very much. Newer builds also have maintenance costs. Look at Tulloch PS, Oakbank PS, Kinross PS and North Muirton PS these buildings are only 45 years old yet are being replaced.

Comment 2 Perth and Kinross Council does not have a good track record of looking after buildings. It should be a case of promoting a culture of valuing old buildings and making them fit for purpose rather than discarding.

Comment 3 I agree that the first priority is the children’s education. The small classes at the school and the relationship built up with Balhousie Care Home in particular, and also with the community in general, was good to see. Now I’m rather concerned about the detrimental effect of the proposals.

Comment 4 It appears that all city centre schools are closing - for example if I lived in Craigie but because of work commitments chose a city centre school. It seems you are not being accommodating or making it easy in this respect.

Comment 5 £14m for new school - this could be split into £5.7m into improving Balhousie Primary School and £5m into improving North Muirton Primary School leaving a substantial amount of funding leftover. Is there another way of using funding?

A. The Council has already approved the funding to be used for a new school in North Perth.

Sharon Johnston thanked everyone for their time and attendance and the meeting was closed.

Page 88 of 396 Appendix 3

Perth & Kinross Council

Education and Children’s Services

Balhousie Primary School

Summary of Consultation Responses

Page 89 of 396 The statutory consultation on the proposal to close Balhousie Primary School commenced on Monday 19 March 2018 and closed on Thursday 17 May 2018.

Details of the proposal document were issued to the list of consultees contained within the Proposal Paper. 556 letters were issued with a link to the proposal paper and details of where and how to obtain a paper copy. The Proposal Paper was also published on the Council website. Public Notice adverts were placed in the local press on 16 March 2018.

A specific email address was set up for representations and enquiries. This was in addition to the usual methods of submitting representations. An online response form was set up on the consultation webpage.

Response Forms

53 response forms were received. 10 responses agreed with the Council’s proposal and 43 disagreed with the Council’s proposal. 5 responses were only partially completed and did not contain the respondents’ names, addresses or respondent groups. Comments on the response forms have been reported below exactly as they were submitted.

RESPONDENT GROUP NUMBER OF AGREE DISAGREE RESPONSES

Parents 26 9 17 Pupils 1 1 Staff 8 8 Elected Members - Parent Councils - Community Members 6 6 Grandparents 7 7 Trade Unions - Unknown 5 1 4

Total 53 10 43

Public Meetings

As part of the statutory consultation process, 2 public meetings were held on 24 April 2018 and 1 May 2018 at North Inch Community Campus, Perth. The same presentation was given at each meeting.

Tuesday 24 April 2018 – North Inch Community Campus Attended by 1 parent and 5 members of the public from the local community.

Page 90 of 396 Questions and comments were around:  the occupancy of the school, safe walking routes to the new school and traffic congestion  views that the proposal will be implemented regardless of the views of the public  that the meetings have not been pushed enough to raise awareness  whether money could have been spent better to increase the lifetime of Balhousie school building  clarification on what is meant by flexible learning environments  what is the projected lifespan of a school building  the walking distance to the new school is considered excessive and public transport will be costly  infrastructure in the local area does not support travel to school by bus or car  attendance at Balhousie is not good and pupils should be encouraged to attend  the Council should consider more categories in addition to monetary value  the residents of the local care home were not communicated with about the proposal  the day and time of the public meetings may be difficult for people with work commitments to attend  pupils at both schools are socio-economically disadvantaged and concerns about Getting it Right for Every Child  closing one of the few community resources does not promote community  how much consultation has there been with parents  whether the proposal has taken account of social trends and social cohesion  proposed alternatives could be a community hub, English as an Additional Language classes, private nurseries could lease space and the playground could be regenerated  the opportunity to redevelop the area is being missed  direct intervention needs to be made for Acorn 4 and 5 pupils to encourage parents to engage in education and turn around “historic underachievement”.

Tuesday 1 May 2018 – North Inch Community Campus Attended by 7 members of the public from the local community. No parents attended and 3 of the 7 members of the public also attended the public meeting on 24 April 2018.

Questions and comments were mainly around:  how the decision was reached on where to build the new school  the projected pupil numbers for the new school  pupils who may struggle in a school with large pupil numbers  why Historic Scotland had not been involved and what is their input  house building and future house building and the impact on pupil numbers  why St Ninian’s is allowed to stay open  where will North Muirton pupils be during the building works  what would happen with the Balhousie school building if the school were to close

Page 91 of 396  money spent on maintenance of Balhousie over the past 20 years does not seem very much  Perth and Kinross Council should be promoting a culture of valuing old buildings and making them fit for purpose rather than discarding them  the small classes and relationship built with Balhousie Care Home and the community is good  concerned about the detrimental effect of the proposals, it appears all city centre schools are closing and Perth and Kinross Council is not being accommodating or making it easy for parents to choose schools because of work commitments  the funds for the new school could be split to improve Balhousie and improve North Muirton leaving a substantial amount of funding leftover.

Written Representations

During the consultation period between 19 March 2018 and 17 May 2018, representations were invited from statutory consultees and interested parties. 6 written responses were received in total:

Community Members - 4 MSP - 1 MP - 1

One community member submitted 2 written representations, therefore this represents 5 individuals.

All the written representations stated they did not agree with the proposals. Three of the written responses were from community members who had also attended either one or both of the public meetings and many of the issues/queries submitted were also raised at the public meetings.

The main concerns were around the same issues raised at the public meetings:  the new school at North Muirton must not come at the expense of Balhousie Primary School  Balhousie Primary School serves a distinct and diverse community with different needs from those in North Muirton  the proposal could have a serious impact on their educational development and overall level of happiness  many will have to walk up to a mile through a city centre which could pose significant safety risk to parents and pupils  Balhousie Primary School has a good reputation for supporting for helping a diverse section of children especially ones with additional support needs  Balhousie’s character and ethos may be lost  concern that the building will be boarded up and left empty for years which will make the area look run down  money should be spent to improve Balhousie making it fit for purpose, old buildings far outlast new buildings

Page 92 of 396  Balhousie can continue to have smaller class sizes giving choice to parents and schools would be geographically spread out  Proposal seems to point to the precedence of financial concerns over community capital  The same educational benefits would accrue at a refurbished Balhousie Primary School  Concern that both schools have been allowed to reach such a state of disrepair  Two different school communities appeal to parents and pupils in different ways  Concerns that projected pupils from new housebuilding have been underestimated to attend Balhousie Primary School  It is unclear why the option of refurbishing both Balhousie and North Muirton schools is not being considered  If Balhousie Primary School closed then the opportunity for a local community point will be lost  Private nursery provision in the area could be integrated into Balhousie Primary School to achieve full social integration  If the site is sold for housing, there will be no long term benefit to the community and will detract from the residential amenity of the area.

Comments Received on Response Forms

 Many students who attend Balhousie are EAL and low income and an even further distance for them to travel will cause greater hardship  Balhousie may be falling down but at least classrooms are quiet and teachers can teach  Buildings being built by procurement to the lowest bidder will never last the amount of time Balhousie has  Tear down Balhousie and build and create a smaller, better built facility on the same site and selling off part of the land to help finance or combining it with St Ninian’s.  Ethos at Balhousie has a community/big family feel. This would be lost if moved to a bigger school.  If closing Balhousie, name change of new school to ensure smooth transition.  Keeping two separate schools would benefit the needs of children and more likely to meet all individual needs  Close St Ninian’s and combine with Balhousie as Balhousie has plenty of room and an established nursery.  School with history and proud teachers  If Balhousie was more physically attractive, more families would choose the school  Balhousie to remain open; some money from proposed new build to be directed towards building works at Balhousie; Balhousie to be decanted to Inch View at that time.  School to remain open but open up the catchment area to increase capacity and include other services.

Page 93 of 396  New school should have a new identity and new name so not to exclude either community  Rent out space for community use in the evening such as youth groups, fitness classes etc  Many parents walk their children to school from town and surrounding areas. They will now need to take cars or buses adding to congestion on the roads, pollution and unhealthy children  Balhousie School to stay open and make it more appealing for families to send their children there  Expand catchment area for Balhousie Primary School  If Balhousie were to close my concerns would include the size of the classes. The next issue would be traffic and parking problems – will there be a large car park for parents dropping off?  The children of Balhousie are settled and currently have all of their needs met and moving pupils in the middle of the schooling is not something that should even be considered. They don’t need a shiny new school building they need theirs repaired.  Renovating or rebuilding the school would have been good because it is in a good location for a lot of people  If the Council can afford a new school at Bertha Park and North Muirton, they could afford to actually maintain Balhousie. These proceedings are a sham anyway because it’s obvious that the decision to close Balhousie has already been made  Has anyone thought of the impact the closure would have on the local community and businesses?  Restore the building and invest in education of future children  The cost to bring Balhousie up to standard would surely be worth it considering the number of children who will gain education there. The value of the education of the future children as the school would be open for another 50+ years  Balhousie is also a landmark building which if not brought up to standard will be left to ruin like many other Council buildings  The current class sizes within the school allow the children to get the perfect child/teacher attention  The smaller pupil roll also allows teachers to recognise children throughout the school on first name basis  The smaller class sizes at Balhousie are beneficial to the children and their learning  I think that it is better for my children to study in a small community school because I know every parent and I feel I can share things better  I think the decision to my our kids to North Muirton is ridiculous and unfair  Balhousie school is very close to my house and we would like them to stay in the school  It is better for my grandchildren to be in Balhousie because it is closer to my house and they are happier in Balhousie  All family are living very close to the school and also I have been studied in a small village school which everybody know everybody and feels very safe and better organise than big school is

Page 94 of 396 Appendix 4

Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

Balhousie Pupil consultation P1/2 17 April 2018 After a short, age appropriate presentation on the proposal, the pupils were asked about how they felt about the option to close Balhousie, build a new school at North Muirton and move all pupils in together? There were 20 children in the class. After a first check, 18 of the children said they understood the option. After further explanation, all 20 children said that they understood. Pupils were then asked to indicate by sticker which of the three emotions best described how they felt about each option. The results were:

13 2 5

Children were also given the opportunity to ask questions/share thoughts and these are summarised below:

Hope same thickness but taller so more people will fit in Needs to be big enough for all Be like a new family How will we know way to new school? How will they knock down school? It will be better for teachers Will we take everything from this school? This school is a nice school I love it I don’t want to leave What name will it have? Are we all going together? Seeing all friends All the children learning

Page 95 of 396 Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

Pupil consultation P2/3 Balhousie 17 April 2018 After a short, age appropriate presentation on the proposal, the pupils were asked about how they felt about the option to close Balhousie, build a new school at North Muirton and move all pupils in together? There were 21 children in the class. After a first check, 17 of the children said they understood the option. After further explanation, all 21 children said that they understood. Pupils were then asked to indicate by sticker which of the three emotions best described how they felt about each option. The results were:

13 6 2

Children were also given the opportunity to ask questions/share thoughts and these are summarised below:

Why do we have to do it? Getting too old Would you still wear same clothes? What would be the name? Why can’t you build here? New name Will it be bigger? How many classes? Will there be a nursery? Will it be one school or split? I will be concerned I will be in p7 and will have to move Who will build it? Will there be a North Muirton side and a Balhousie side? More friends What will they do with this school?

Page 96 of 396 Balhousie fun, it’s big, lots of classrooms and people Get to play outside See friends and family North Muirton near my house Would you wear new clothes?

Page 97 of 396 Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

North Muirton Primary School P2

18 April 2018 Pupil consultation After a short, age appropriate presentation on the proposal, the pupils were asked about how they felt about the option to close Balhousie, build a new school at North Muirton and move all pupils in together? There were 21 children in the class. After a first check, 18 of the children said they understood the option. After further explanation, all 21 children said that they understood. Pupils were then asked to indicate by sticker which of the three emotions best described how they felt about each option. The results were:

13 8

Children were also given the opportunity to ask questions/share thoughts and these are summarised below:

Mix all together

Would miss reading corner

Sad like being in shop

I would like a swing

I would like a new school playground

My cousin at Balhousie

All now one

Page 98 of 396 Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

Pupil consultation P1/2S North Muirton 18 April 2018 After a short, age appropriate presentation on the proposal, the pupils were asked about how they felt about the option to close Balhousie, build a new school at North Muirton and move all pupils in together? There were 20 children in the class. All of the children said they understood the option. Pupils were then asked to indicate by sticker which of the three emotions best described how they felt about each option. The results were:

7 4 9

Children were also given the opportunity to ask questions/share thoughts and these are summarised below:

Will there be new stuff

I like it don’t mind cause school getting older

Both old don’t mind and there will be a new one

Happy cause new children

Page 99 of 396 Pupil consultation P1/2M North Muirton 18 April 2018 After a short, age appropriate presentation on the proposal, the pupils were asked about how they felt about the option to close Balhousie, build a new school at North Muirton and move all pupils in together? There were 18 children in the class. All of the children said they understood the option. Pupils were then asked to indicate by sticker which of the three emotions best described how they felt about each option. The results were:

13 2 3

Children were also given the opportunity to ask questions/share thoughts and these are summarised below:

Happy new school

Want to see what it looks like

Happy getting new school

I don’t care, will be getting three days off

Page 100 of 396 Pupil consultation P3 North Muirton 18 April 2018 After a short, age appropriate presentation on the proposal, the pupils were asked about how they felt about the option to close Balhousie, build a new school at North Muirton and move all pupils in together? There were 31 children in the class. All of the children said they understood the option. Pupils were then asked to indicate by sticker which of the three emotions best described how they felt about each option. The results were:

15 9 7

Children were also given the opportunity to ask questions/share thoughts and these are summarised below:

I don’t know people from Balhousie

They might be mean to me

I have friend at the other school

I have one friend at this school I might get more with new school

Page 101 of 396 Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 staff meeting 17 April 2018

Balhousie Primary School

Gill Doogan, Quality Improvement Officer

Lorna Hamilton, Project Officer (Early Years & Primary)

22 staff

This meeting was held to allow staff the opportunity to see the presentation that will be shared at the public meetings on 24 April 2018 and 1 May 2018. Staff had the opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation

Educational benefits - proposed new building Q.1 Do you think the new school will be enough A New build calculations are taken into consideration by Asset management team (LH) and the proposal will be for 14 classes, giving a double stream school.

Q.2 Will we get a chance on how the building will look. - will PE Hall be separate A If it goes ahead there will be opportunities to consult on the building. Staff included from design stage (user group) (GD/LH).

Q.3 What will make the decision for the council to merge the two schools? A There is a proposal paper online. The consultation period runs from Monday 19 March to close of business on Thursday 17 May 2018. Consultation report, public meeting notes, info collated Education Scotland view these once gathered then review paper over summer (LH)

Education Scotland Inspectors review educational aspects of the proposal. They will consider the proposal paper and responses to the consultation. They may also visit schools affected. They will then send a report to the council by 8 June 2018. Their involvement ends there, unless the decision is called in by the government, when they will be asked to provide advice.

The Consultation Report will be prepared over the summer and published after the summer holidays.

LLC will consider this on 31 October 2018.

Scottish ministers will be informed of decision by 6 November 2018 and they have up to 8 weeks to consider.

If “called in” the School Closure Review Panel have up to 16 weeks to review. (LH/GD)

Q.4 Why decision Balhousie and not St Ninian’s? Why keep smaller school open? Why was this decision made ? Was it because it is episcopal ?

Page 102 of 396 Why in favour of keeping small school and refurbish this one. A There would be operational issue in having two schools within one building. The building at St Ninian’s is in a better condition, suggest staff read proposal paper, lots of factors, shared school not workable (LH).

Q.5 Is there to be a new build nursery at St Ninian’s? A There are no plans for a new build. The nursery will utilise existing accommodation in St Ninian’s, which has the added benefit of reducing the capacity.

Q.6 Why have staff not been consulted? Should we not have been consulted before it went to LLC. We would have liked to have had some consultation. Left in the dark. We work here our contribution would be valuable feel it is too far down line now A Community meetings were held for wider community. (LH) We were told not to go (Staff) You would have different question, this was not to exclude you. There have been no decisions made. Fill in the online consultation form or the paper copy this is your opportunity to have your say (GD/LH)

Q.7 Are you able to share pupil consultation from this afternoon. (FW) A Gave an overview of the pupil consultation (GD/LH)

Q.8 P4 - 7 not consulted feel this should have happened Feel it’s not right. It would have been nice for P4-7 to be included A As per the Schools (Consultation) Act 2010 we do not have to consult them as they will not be affected by the proposal (GD). P4- 7 nothing stopping you getting them to complete consultation proposal (LH). FW as staff teaching we can include pupil council to have their say.

Q.9 What makes up the LLC members, how many parties? Feel one members mind already made up. Feel like a foregone conclusion A DMM to forward information to Gill.

Q.10 What will the name of the school be or a new name to unite not fair if it’s North Muirton. FW parents have raised this at community drop in. A Presently new build North Muirton.

Q.11 FW is it too early what will happen to us. A Early stages as might not happen. There is the Framework for Managing Workforce Changes on Eric which staff can view. If it does go ahead HR will support, offer training, staff matched, promoted posts considered.(LH)

Q.12 So what will happen with 2 HTs ? What if you decide you don’t want to work in a bigger nursery, would it be taken into consideration. (ECP)

Page 103 of 396 A We can’t say yet (LH). FW there is voluntary transfer scheme look at numbers, skills, if it works for the nursery. A GD we will ask the question If it is going ahead you will get an idea soon.

FW explained to the staff that the potential decision wouldn’t be made until October 2018, so in the meantime it would be business as usual. The fabric of the building will get the attention needed, more restoration round the school.

As no decision has yet been made, maintenance will take place to ensure staff and pupils are not working and learning in unsuitable conditions. If the school does not close, further attention will be given to planning how the building can be improved.

GD - Education Scotland Inspectors are involved in every proposal and review the council’s proposal paper, focusing on educational aspects. Sometimes they attend the public meetings, or they will get a written summary from the council

Inspectors will prepare a professional and independent report on the educational aspects of the proposal. They will consider the proposal paper and responses to the consultation. They will also visit schools affected. They will then send a report to the council by 8 June 2018. Their involvement ends there, unless the decision is called in by the government, when they will be asked to provide advice. Consultation report finalised over summer published September 2018, LLC will consider proposal on 31 October, Scottish ministers informed of decision and they have 8 weeks to consider.

Q.13 FW 6million to get up to standard would it be less to build one school. A Explanation in proposal paper (LH).

A copy of the proposal left for staff to look at.

Copies of consultation proposal response form left for staff to complete.

Page 104 of 396 Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 staff meeting 18 April 2018

North Muirton Primary School

Gill Doogan, Quality Improvement Officer Lorna Hamilton, Project Officer (Early Years & Primary) 22 staff

A copy of the proposal left for staff to look at. Copies of consultation proposal response form left for staff to complete.

GD said that if they had any more relevant questions/ thoughts to forward to the Headteacher.

Q.1 What constitutes suitability? A Grading around class size/break out space.

Q.2 If it is only North Muirton would it affect the size of the school/budget and will this affect the time (build) time line? A Not clear yet will know more after 31/10.

Q.3 Proposal to close North Muirton School has it been considered rebranding the new school, why do we have to continue with name? A It’s easier to build a new build for an existing school and money has been allocated for a new school in North Perth so North Muirton proposed. Logistically it’s not good to close two schools close together. (LH/GD)

AB Change of uniform would feel all as one

Q.4 Will the new school have walls/doors? A If it goes ahead there will be opportunities to consult on the building. Staff included from design stage (user group) (GD/LH).

Q.5 Do we have projections for new builds in areas? A Asset management teams project figures and this is included in the proposed / projected figures (0.75children per house) (LH).

Q.6 Is there a diagram of the catchment area? A Yes that is in the proposal paper (copy left with school) (GD).

Q.7 How many more children, approximately 100? A Could be more if it goes ahead it will be built to accommodate catchment area (LH). LH Anyone worried about jobs?

Page 105 of 396 LH explained that there is the Framework for Managing Workforce Changes on Eric which staff can view. If it does go ahead HR will support, offer training, staff matched, promoted posts considered.(LH).

LH gave an overview of what will happen now.

Consultation report finalised over summer and published after the summer holidays, LLC will consider.

31/10 consider proposal, Scottish ministers informed of decision and they have 8 weeks to consider.

Page 106 of 396 Appendix 5

Report by Education Scotland addressing educational aspects of the proposal by Perth and Kinross Council to close Balhousie Primary School and combine its catchment area with a new build North Muirton Primary School from August 2022.

1. Introduction

1.1 This report from Education Scotland has been prepared by Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Education (HM Inspectors) in accordance with the terms of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and the amendments contained in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. The purpose of the report is to provide an independent and impartial consideration of Perth and Kinross Council’s proposal to close Balhousie Primary School and combine its catchment area with a new build North Muirton Primary School from August 2022. Section 2 of the report sets out brief details of the consultation process. Section 3 of the report sets out HM Inspectors’ consideration of the educational aspects of the proposal, including significant views expressed by consultees. Section 4 summarises HM Inspectors’ overall view of the proposal. Upon receipt of this report, the Act requires the council to consider it and then prepare its final consultation report. The council’s final consultation report should include a copy of this report and must contain an explanation of how, in finalising the proposal, it has reviewed the initial proposal, including a summary of points raised during the consultation process and the council’s response to them. The council has to publish its final consultation report three weeks before it takes its final decision. Where a council is proposing to close a school, it needs to follow all legislative obligations set out in the 2010 Act, including notifying Ministers within six working days of making its final decision and explaining to consultees the opportunity they have to make representations to Ministers.

1.2 HM Inspectors considered:

 the likely effects of the proposal for children of Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School, any other users; children likely to become pupils within two years of the date of publication of the proposal paper; and other children and young people in the council area;

 any other likely effects of the proposal;

 how the council intends to minimise or avoid any adverse effects that may arise from the proposal; and

 the educational benefits the council believes will result from implementation of the proposal, and the council’s reasons for coming to these beliefs.

1.3 In preparing this report, HM Inspectors undertook the following activities:

 attendance at the public meeting held on 24 April 2018 in connection with the council’s proposals;

Page 107 of 396  consideration of all relevant documentation provided by the council in relation to the proposal, specifically the educational benefits statement and related consultation documents, written and oral submissions from parents and others; and

 visits to the site of Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School, including discussion with relevant consultees.

2. Consultation Process

2.1 Perth and Kinross Council undertook the consultation on its proposal with reference to the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and the amendments in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

2.2 Prior to the consultation, the council undertook an options appraisal and a pre-consultation exercise in which a number of alternative options for Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School were explored. The council concluded that the proposal option was the most viable and consistent with its statutory responsibilities to secure best value and to make adequate and efficient provision of school education.

2.3 The council undertook the consultation between 19 March and 17 May 2018. Letters were issued to the list of statutory consultees with a link to the proposal paper and details of where and how to obtain a paper copy and advertisements were placed in the local press. Two public meetings were held. The first, held on 24 April 2018, was attended by seven members of the public. The second, held on 1 May 2018, was attended by six members of the public. The council received 53 returned consultation forms of which 43 were against the proposal and ten in favour. A further six written representations opposing the proposal were received by the council.

3. Educational Aspects of Proposal

3.1 There are clear potential educational benefits to Perth and Kinross Council’s proposal. The council intends to establish a two stream primary school with flexible learning spaces, improved technology, outdoor areas and good facilities for sport and leisure. Its proposal includes plans to provide improved early years facilities, a nurture class and enhanced provision for children with additional support needs. Children and staff from both Balhousie Primary School and North Muirton Primary School could benefit from much improved and modern learning facilities. The council’s proposal has the potential to improve experiences and outcomes for children from both of the affected schools.

3.2 The existing Balhousie Primary School building is under occupied and in a very poor condition with significant limitations to learning and teaching areas and to outdoor play space which impact negatively on the experience of children and staff. Prior to the consultation, the council examined the cost of refurbishing the existing building and concluded that refurbishment would be unduly costly and would not resolve many of the limitations of the existing building.

Page 108 of 396 3.3 The existing North Muirton Primary School building also has significant limitations. The council has concluded that it would be uneconomic to refurbish and maintain the existing building. In addition to the benefits to children and staff from both affected schools, the proposal to build a new school brings potential wider benefits to children and young people in Perth and Kinross arising from the council’s approach to securing best value.

3.4 Children currently attending from Balhousie Primary School would have an increased distance to travel to a new school in North Muirton but all pupils would be within the statutory walking distances to school. Appropriately, the council has undertaken to develop a travel plan for the new school including safe walking routes.

3.5 Almost all parents, staff and children from Balhousie Primary School who spoke with HM Inspectors were not in favour of the council’s proposal. Although they could see benefits to the purpose built, modern and enhanced facilities in the council’s proposal, they felt the existing school building should be refurbished and brought up to standard. They valued the strong sense of community in Balhousie Primary School, the existing ethos, positive relationships and the strong historical and community links to their school. Parents were of the view that the council had allowed the school building to fall into disrepair over a number of years and now had a responsibility to fund refurbishment. Staff and parents felt that the additional distance to the proposed new build school would bring several disadvantages and could negatively impact on existing community links and levels of parental engagement. Parents and staff spoke of the important intergenerational work which involves children working with residents of a local care home. They were concerned that this and other examples of community partnerships could suffer in the council’s proposal. Perth and Kinross Council will need to provide reassurance that the school’s existing work in partnership with the local community in Balhousie can be maintained if it decides to implement its proposal.

3.6 Almost all parents, staff and children from North Muirton Primary School were in favour of the council’s proposal and enthusiastic about the opportunities a new building could provide to enhance learning and teaching. Staff agreed that the proposed two stage primary school could provide benefits to staff for mutual support and challenge to improve learning and teaching. They welcomed the proposals for improved space for early years and enhanced provision for additional support needs. They were aware of the limitations of the existing building and felt that the facilities were in serious need of improvement. They were confident that with appropriate planning the two school communities could be brought together successfully to benefit from the new facilities.

3.7 Staff and children from both schools expressed a wish to be involved in detailed decisions about the design and layout of the new school, should the council decide to implement its proposal. Parents of Balhousie Primary School felt that if the council were to decide to proceed, a new school name and uniform should be considered to ensure that the new school’s identity represented the whole catchment area. Appropriately, the council in its proposal document has undertaken to consult with staff, parents and Parent Councils of both schools on the development of plans for the integration of pupils into the new school.

Page 109 of 396 4. Summary

There are clear and strong potential educational benefits to Perth and Kinross Council’s proposal. Staff and children from both schools could benefit from much improved modern facilities for learning and teaching and better outdoor space, improved early years provision and improved provision for children with additional support needs. Perth and Kinross Council has undertaken to involve and consult with stakeholders in the implementation process if it decides to proceed with its proposal. The council will need to provide reassurance to parents, children and staff from Balhousie Primary School that the school’s existing links with the local community can be maintained and enhanced.

HM Inspectors Education Scotland May 2018

Page 110 of 396 7

PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

Lifelong Learning Committee

31 October 2018

Statutory Consultation – Forteviot Primary School

Report by Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (Report No. 18/350)

PURPOSE OF REPORT This report informs the Lifelong Learning Committee of the outcome and findings of the statutory consultation exercise undertaken in respect of the formal proposal to close Forteviot Primary School as detailed in the published Consultation Report (attached as Appendix A). This report also seeks approval from the Lifelong Learning Committee to implement the proposal from 1 July 2019.

1. BACKGROUND

1.3 On 24 August 2016, Lifelong Learning Committee (Report No. 16/347 refers) approved principles to be used as a basis for the transformation review, ‘Securing the Future of the School Estate’. The principles approved by Lifelong Learning Committee as a basis for the transformation review were as follows:

1 Life expired buildings are defined as buildings which are uneconomical to maintain.

Page 111 of 396 1.4 In October 2016, the decision was taken to ‘mothball’ Forteviot Primary School. This was as a result of a diminishing school roll and resulting under capacity. This means provision in a school is suspended with pupils temporarily zoned to another catchment area. Mutually agreed arrangements were made with the parents of the three remaining Forteviot Primary School pupils to temporarily zone pupils to Forgandenny Primary School.

1.5 On 2 November 2016, the Lifelong Learning Committee approved (Report No. 16/485 refers) by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services). This report details the outcome of the high level review undertaken in respect of the school estate and proposed to proceed with further detailed work.

1.6 This report approved the development of an options appraisal in relation to the future of Forteviot Primary School due to very low occupancy. The pupil roll at Census 2016 was 5 pupils giving an occupancy of 10%. The pupil roll was due to be 3 pupils by October 2016, giving an occupancy of 6% prior to the school being mothballed.

1.7 Informal pre-consultation was undertaken with the affected communities of both Forteviot and Forgandenny to gather and share information, establish possible alternatives and engage the communities to understand and help shape the proposals for Forteviot Primary School to inform the options appraisal.

1.8 Following on from these, and using information obtained during the pre- consultation activities, an options appraisal was developed for Forteviot Primary School. There were four options identified. The findings contained within the options appraisal concluded that, of these four options, the only reasonable option is to close Forteviot Primary School because the school roll is not sustainable. None of the other options considered were determined to be reasonable alternatives to closure nor would they allow the school roll to reach a sustainable level.

1.9 On 24 January 2018, the Lifelong Learning Committee considered the Options Appraisal and agreed to commence formal consultation on a proposal to close Forteviot Primary School (Report No. 18/14 refers) in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

1.10 The 2010 Act’s principal purpose is to provide strong, accountable statutory consultation practices and procedures that local authorities must apply to their handling of all proposals for school closures and other major changes to schools. These consultation processes are expected to be robust, open, transparent and fair, and seen to be so. They are also expected to be consistent across Scotland.

1.11 The 2010 Act makes special arrangements in relation to rural schools, and establishes a presumption against the closure of rural schools.

1.12 The result of this is that education authorities must have special regard to a number of factors before formalising a proposal to close a rural school and in

Page 112 of 396 consulting on and reaching a decision as to whether to implement a rural school closure proposal.

1.13 Councils have a statutory duty in terms of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to make adequate and efficient provision of school education across their entire area for the current school population and future pattern of demand.

1.14 Councils also have a statutory responsibility in terms of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 to achieve best value. The organisation of the school estate is therefore kept under regular review, including the need for school provision and other factors, such as altering catchment areas and the provision of school transport.

1.15 Most importantly, the Education Authority would wish to optimise the educational experience for every pupil by providing:

 a range of social and emotional experiences;  an enriched and broad learning experience; and  the best possible education which meets the needs of all learners.

2. STATUTORY CONSULTATION

2.1 The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 sets out the process which must be followed in undertaking a statutory consultation on a proposal affecting a school.

2.3 For a school proposal, the Council is required to consult:

Page 113 of 396 2.5 The Council is then required to prepare and publish its final consultation report. In preparing the report, the Council must consider the report from Education Scotland and other responses to the consultation. The consultation report must explain how the Council has reviewed the proposal, a summary of the points raised during the consultation and the Council’s response to them, details of any alleged inaccuracies or omissions and, for rural schools, an assessment of the rural school factors.

2.6 The proposal for Forteviot Primary School, subject to the outcome of the consultation process, is that:

 Education provision at Forteviot Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 28 June 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter;  The pupils of Forteviot Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at Forgandenny Primary School, from 1 July 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter; and  The delineated catchment area of Forgandenny Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Forteviot Primary School from 1 July 2019.

2.7 An electronic link to the Proposal Paper was issued by letter to the consultees listed within the document, and was also published on the Council’s website: www.pkc.gov.uk.

2.9 The number of letters issued with details of the Proposal Paper was 151.

2.10 One public meeting was held in Forgandenny Primary School on Thursday 26 April 2018. Five members of the public attended this meeting.

2.11 Two online responses were received during the statutory consultation period. No written representations were received.

2.12 In summary, the verbal responses raised at the meeting can be grouped broadly as follows:

 Queries regarding the impact additional Forteviot catchment pupils would have on the availability of spaces for younger siblings of placing requests already attending Forgandenny Primary School;  Clarification regarding the P1 intake, maximum P1 intakes and future projected rolls;  Clarification on the impact of house building in the Forgandenny catchment area and the impact on the future school capacity and whether the school would need to be extended in the future;

Page 114 of 396  Clarification on the ownership of Forteviot Primary School and the future use of the building if the school was to close; and  Clarification on the consultation process and the statutory consultees.

3 EDUCATION SCOTLAND REPORT

3.1 In accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, a report was produced by Education Scotland on the educational aspects of the proposal.

3.2 The report supports the proposal and is summarised below:

 Prior to formulating the proposal, the Council had given appropriate consideration to any reasonable alternative to closure and evaluated these accordingly as outlined in their options appraisal paper.  In undertaking their options appraisal, the Council gave well-balanced consideration to any potential impact of the closure on the local community, the environment and children, young people and other school users.  Education Scotland acknowledges that the Council has presented a comprehensive account of the educational benefits of closing Forteviot Primary School.  The proposal further secures a long term sustainable school roll and future for the Forgandenny school community through the proposed, expanded and enlarged catchment area. Overall, HM Inspectors consider that there are many clear and well-founded educational benefits to the proposal.  The Council’s proposal to permanently discontinue education provision at Forteviot Primary School, making consequent changes to catchment areas, is of clear educational benefit. Since the mothballing of the school in October 2016, the Forteviot pupils have become well-integrated into Forgandenny Primary School, benefiting from being educated alongside a larger peer group at every stage. The children have adjusted well to the move and to the minimal additional travel involved and overall there has been no detrimental impact.  Education Scotland notes that alternative options to closure have been very well-considered.

3.3 With a declining and unsustainable school roll and facilities requiring investment, potential savings can be secured as a result of the closure, minimising the impact of any cuts to education services and contributing to the Council’s vision of best value and that no objections to the proposal as it stands were received. Affected parents have advised that they would not send their children back to Forteviot Primary School if the school were to re- open.

4. CONSULTATION REPORT

4.1 Having considered the verbal representations and Education Scotland’s Report, a Consultation Report (attached as Appendix A) was prepared and

Page 115 of 396 published for public scrutiny on the Council’s website (www.pkc.gov.uk) from Friday 14 September 2018 until Friday 5 October 2018.

This allowed for the required full three week review of the document prior to a final Committee decision on Wednesday 31 October 2018, and complies with Section 9 (3) and Section 11 of the 2010 Act.

5. CONCLUSION

5.1 The Council recognises there has been no opposition from parents, staff and pupils towards the proposal and there is no support from statutory consultees, and the wider community to keep the school open. Affected parents do not wish to see the school re-opened.

5.2 Education Scotland has identified that the proposal has many clear and well- founded educational benefits for young people. This includes the larger number and wider range of peers in Forgandenny Primary School which allows children to access a learning environment where there are groups of learners at all stages of school, further allowing them to develop their social and interpersonal skills in a broader range of appropriate contexts.

5.3 If the Council adopts the proposal, it is understood that the educational benefits set out in the Proposal Paper would materialise. There is evidence that children from Forteviot have become well-integrated into Forgandenny Primary School since the school was mothballed and the children have adjusted well to the move.

5.4 The key points that have been highlighted during the consultation period are as follows:

 The Council’s proposals have been generally supported by parents/carers, staff and the wider community.  The report from Education Scotland acknowledges that the proposal has led to clear and well-founded educational benefits for pupils.

 The Council, having had special regard to the rural school factors, does not consider that the proposal will adversely affect the sustainability of the community, or that there will be an adverse effect from the premises no longer being available for community use.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 Following the outcome of the statutory consultation exercise detailed in the Consultation Report (attached as Appendix A), and having due regard to relevant written and oral representations and Education Scotland’s Report, it is recommended that the decision is made to implement the proposal that education provision at Forteviot Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 28 June 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter; that the pupils of Forteviot Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at Forgandenny Primary School from 1 July 2019, or as soon as

Page 116 of 396 possible thereafter; and that the delineated catchment area of Forgandenny Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Forteviot Primary School from 1 July 2019.

6.2 A comprehensive Proposal Paper containing an Educational Benefits Statement was produced in relation to the proposal. Pupils are already attending and are benefiting by attending Forgandenny Primary School which was evident when Education Scotland visited the school. The Proposal Paper allowed for informed consideration to be given to the proposal that education provision at Forteviot Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 28 June 2019 through formal consultation with key stakeholders. The outcome and findings of the statutory consultation exercise have been published. On the basis of the feedback received and taking account of the educational and social benefits of the proposal, it is concluded that the following proposal is the most suitable option and it is now recommended to implement the proposal with effect from 1 July 2019.

6.3 It is recommended that the Committee:

(i) Notes the contents of the Consultation Report (attached as Appendix A); and (ii) Approves the implementation of the following proposal that:  Education provision at Forteviot Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 28 June 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter;  The pupils of Forteviot Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at Forgandenny Primary School, from 1 July 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter; and  The delineated catchment area of Forgandenny Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Forteviot Primary School from 1 July 2019.

Author Name Designation Contact Details Karen Robertson Service Manager Tel: 01738 475000 (Business Services) [email protected]

Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Executive Director 16 October 2018 (Education and Children’s Services)

Page 117 of 396 ANNEX

1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION

1. Strategic Implications

Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement

1.1 This section should set out how the proposals relate to the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement in terms of the following priorities:

This report relates to all of these objectives.

Corporate Plan

This report relates to all of these objectives.

Page 118 of 396 1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Policy Framework in respect of the following key policy area:

 Maximising Resources

2. Resource Implications

Financial

2.1 The annual recurring savings of the preferred option is made up of staff costs and building running costs. The financial implications of this proposal is that there will be a saving of £113,407 to be made if the proposal is to be implemented.

2.2 The annual cost of mothballing Forteviot Primary School is £1,850 which is made up of costs for energy and property maintenance.

2.3 On 30 June 2010, the Council approved the report Securing the Future – Towards 2015 and Beyond (Report No. 10/357 refers). This report set out our continuing strategy for securing the future, aiming to support the delivery of savings through revised service delivery models and ongoing improvement activities in the Council. Education and Children’s Services Service Review Programme within this report contains a re-design project to “review the school estate”.

2.4 Therefore, any savings arising from the proposed option to close Forteviot Primary School will be allocated against Education and Children’s Services budget savings targets. This will mitigate against making alternative budget reductions within other areas of Education and Children’s Services, with a corresponding reduction in service delivery in that area.

2.5 The annual budget is built reflecting cost drivers such as the number of schools, buildings, staff and pupils. If Forteviot Primary School were to be closed then future years’ budgets would not contain any allowance for staffing Forteviot Primary School and there would be reduced property costs (and possibly no costs should the building be declared surplus to the Council’s requirements). Any per capita budgets relating to individual pupils would continue to be budgeted against the school that these pupils would attend following the closure of Forteviot Primary School.

2.6 It is envisaged that the existing Forteviot Primary School will be declared surplus to the requirements of Perth and Kinross Council. This will minimise the risks associated with vacant buildings.

Workforce

2.7 There are no staffing implications relating to the proposal. Appropriate arrangements were made for staff at Forteviot Primary School when the school was mothballed in October 2016 and these arrangements have been in place since then.

Page 119 of 396 Asset Management (land, property, IT)

2.8 If the proposal to permanently close Forteviot Primary School is approved, Education and Children’s services would declare the building surplus to the requirements of Perth and Kinross Council.

3. Assessments

Equality Impact Assessment

The procedure presented in this report was considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (Eq1A) with the following outcome:

(i) Assessed as relevant and the following positive outcomes expected following implementation:

 The Equality Impact Assessment did not identify that any parent, child or young person would be treated less favourably as a result of this proposal. Pupils would have access to a wider peer group of both sexes at Forgandenny Primary School which is a positive impact.

 In terms of Socio Economic Impact, the assessment identified that there may be a small disadvantage for some parents who would have further to travel when attending meetings or events in school. However, the identified benefits significantly outweigh any disadvantage. It is also not considered to be a significant disadvantage as parents are already travelling to access all other services outside Forteviot village. In addition, a number of pupils from Forteviot catchment area were already attending Forgandenny Primary School as the result of successful placing requests prior to Forteviot Primary School being mothballed.

Strategic Environmental Assessment

3.2 The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 places a duty on the Council to identify and assess the environmental consequences of its proposals.

However, no further action is required as it does not qualify as a PPS as defined by the Act and is therefore exempt.

Sustainability

3.3 N/A

Page 120 of 396 Legal and Governance

3.4 Legal Services has been consulted in the preparation of this report which has been prepared in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, as amended.

Risk

3.5 N/A

4. Consultation

Internal

4.1 The Head of Democratic Services and Head of Legal Services have been consulted in the preparation of this report.

External

4.2 This report contains full details of the Statutory Consultation exercise which has been undertaken in respect of this proposal and this is fully detailed in Appendix A.

5. Communication

5.1 This is fully detailed in the Consultation Report attached as Appendix A.

3. APPENDICES

Appendix A: Consultation Report

Page 121 of 396

Page 122 of 396 7

APPENDIX A

PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES

CONSULTATION REPORT

REPORT ON THE OUTCOME OF THE CONSULTATION RELATING TO THE PROPOSAL TO CLOSE FORTEVIOT PRIMARY SCHOOL

12 SEPTEMBER 2018

This Consultation Report has been issued by Perth and Kinross Council in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

Page 123 of 396 Contents

Page

1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. BACKGROUND 5

3. CONSIDERATIONS 5

4. OPTIONS CONSIDERED 11

5. THE CONSULTATION PROCESS 16

6. THE PUBLIC MEETING 18

7. RESPONSES TO THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE 18

8. EDUCATION AUTHORITY RESPONSE TO WRITTEN AND ORAL 20 REPRESENTATIONS

9. EDUCATION SCOTLAND REPORT 24

10. RURAL SCHOOL – COMPLIANCE WITH SECTIONS 11A TO 13 OF 27 THE SCHOOLS (CONSULTATION) (SCOTLAND) Act 2010 Effect on the Local Community Travel Arrangements

11. ALLEGED OMISSIONS OR INACCURACIES 29

12. COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 9(1) OF THE SCHOOLS 30 (CONSULTATION) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2010

13. OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE REPRESENTATIONS TO SCOTTISH 31 MINISTERS IN TERMS OF SECTION 15(4) OF THE SCHOOLS (CONSULTATION) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2010

14. LEGAL ISSUES 32

15. PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS 33

16. CONCLUSION 33

17. RECOMMENDATIONS 34

Page 124 of 396 Appendices

Page

Appendix 1 Minute of Public Meeting of 26 April 2018 35

Appendix 2 Summary of Consultation Responses 43

Appendix 3 Pupil and Staff Consultation 46

Appendix 4 Education Scotland Report 49

Page 125 of 396 PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES

This report has been prepared following consultation on the Council’s proposal that:

Having had regard (in particular) to:

(a) Relevant written representations received by the Council (from any person) during the consultation period;

(b) Oral representations made to it (by any person) at the public meeting held on 26 April 2018; and

1. INTRODUCTION

This is a consultation report prepared in compliance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 on the above proposal.

1.1 The purpose of this report is to:

 Provide a record of the total number of written responses made during the Statutory Consultation period;  Provide a summary of the written responses;  Provide a summary of oral representations made at the public meeting held on 26 April 2018;  Provide a statement of the Council’s response to those written and oral representations;  Provide the full text of Education Scotland’s report and a statement of the Council’s response to this report;  State how the Council reviewed the above proposal following the representations received during the Statutory Consultation period and the report from Education Scotland;  Provide details of any omission from, or inaccuracy in, the Proposal Paper and state how the Council acted upon it; and

Page 126 of 396  State how the Council has complied with Sections 11A to 13 of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 when reviewing the above proposals.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 Forteviot Primary School has been mothballed since October 2016. This was as a result of very low numbers of primary age pupils living in the catchment area and parental choice to send children living in the catchment area to other schools. The previously agreed arrangements to mothball the school have continued during this period as there has been no increase in the number of children in the catchment area.

2.2 At its meeting on 2 November 2016, the Lifelong Learning Committee of Perth and Kinross Council approved Report No 16/485 by the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services). It approved the development of an options appraisal in relation to the future of Forteviot Primary School.

2.3 On 24 January 2018, Lifelong Learning Committee considered the options appraisal and agreed to commence formal consultation on a proposal to close Forteviot Primary School (Report No 18/14 refers) in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

2.4 The 2010 Act’s principal purpose is to provide strong, accountable statutory consultation practices and procedures that local authorities must apply to their handling of all proposals for school closures and other major changes to schools. These consultation processes are expected to be robust, open, transparent and fair, and seen to be so. They are also expected to be consistent across Scotland.

2.5 The 2010 Act makes special arrangements in relation to rural schools, and establishes a presumption against the closure of rural schools. The result of this is that education authorities must have special regard to a number of factors before formalising a proposal to close a rural school and in consulting on and reaching a decision as to whether to implement a rural school closure proposal.

2.6 These duties are outlined in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and the accompanying Statutory Guidance.

2.7 Lifelong Learning Committee reports and the Proposal Paper referred to above are available on the Council’s website www.pkc.gov.uk.

3. CONSIDERATIONS

3.1 The main considerations relating to the proposal are fully explained in the Proposal Paper, and the main points are highlighted as follows:

Page 127 of 396 3.2 Perth and Kinross Council works to enhance quality of life, make best use of public resources and ensure continuously improving services. Perth and Kinross Council’s Corporate Plan “Securing the Future” aims to ensure that individuals, families and communities experience the best possible outcomes from a range of services.

3.3 Perth and Kinross Council has a strong identity and clear priorities which everyone works together to achieve, creating areas which are vibrant and successful; safe, secure, healthy and sustainable environments; educated, responsible and informed citizens; confident and active communities; and places where people are nurtured and supported, giving every child the best start in life.

3.4 The Council’s Transformation Strategy 2015-2020 ‘Building Ambition’ and Organisational Development Framework were approved by Council on 1 July 2015 (Report No. 15/292 refers). They detail how Perth and Kinross Council will deliver transformation over the next five years. Accompanying the strategy is a programme of major reviews which are considered to be key drivers and enablers of transformation across the organisation.

3.5 On 24 August 2016, Lifelong Learning Committee (Report No. 16/347 refers) approved principles to be used as a basis for the transformation review, ‘Securing the Future of the School Estate’.

3.6 This approach reflects the Single Outcome Agreement National Outcome 15 that “Our public services are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive to local people’s needs”, and the Local Outcome that “Our services will be responsive, of high quality and continually improving”. This report also links with the School Estate Management Plan, Education and Children’s Services Policy Framework Maximising Resources and with the Education and Children’s Services objective to develop the range and quality learning experiences for all.

3.7 Forteviot Primary School is a single teacher school serving the village of Forteviot and surrounding area and is a feeder primary school for Perth High School currently. Bertha Park High School is the associated secondary school for Forteviot from August 2019. Forteviot Primary School is located approximately 2.7 miles from Forgandenny Primary School and pupils have been zoned to Forgandenny Primary School since the school was mothballed in October 2016.

3.8 The capacity of Forteviot Primary School is 50 pupils. The Forteviot Primary School roll at Census 2013 was 24 pupils and at Census 2016 was 5 pupils, with only 3 of these children living in the catchment area.

3.9 There were 14 pupils in total who lived within the catchment area for Forteviot Primary School at Census 2016, however 11 of these pupils attended schools outwith their catchment area as a result of successful placing requests made by their parents. By September 2018, the number of pupils living within the catchment area for Forteviot Primary School was 7. 6

Page 128 of 396 3.10 Forteviot Primary School and Forgandenny Primary School had a close relationship prior to the mothballing as the result of a shared headship. Whilst a shared headship provided a means of improving cost effectiveness, it did not address the wider population issues within the Forteviot area.

3.11 There has been a downward trend in the number of pupils under the age of 16 years living in the catchment area in recent years and the number of pre- school pupils in the catchment area is very small. Members of the community noted during the pre-consultation that the dynamics of the village had changed over the years with fewer families coming to live in the area which was considered to be due to the lack of employment and affordable housing.

3.12 In January 2018, there were 3 years out of the last 6 years where there were no children under 1 year old, living in the Forteviot catchment area, registered with GPs.

3.13 The provision of primary education within Forteviot needs to be considered in the context of the needs of the pupils and the local community, both now and in the future.

3.14 Information was collated on pupil numbers, house building, finances, the school, travel arrangements, environmental impact and the local area and community to inform the options. As part of the review, a pre-consultation exercise was carried out with the local community to inform the options appraisal for Forteviot Primary School. This allowed the community to consider options for the future of Forteviot Primary School and was an opportunity for the community to provide views on these options and identify any additional options which the Council should consider.

3.15 Future pupil projections have been considered using aggregated GP registration data and both Forgandenny Primary School and Forteviot Primary School pupil numbers are projected to remain static over the next 4 years. There are very low numbers of pre-school children in the Forteviot catchment area over the next 4 years with no house building planned in the area. Pupil projections in the catchment area do not indicate that the potential pupil numbers will increase in the future and there is no suggestion going forward that this is likely to change.

3.16 At January 2018, the highest projected occupancy level, including house building, for future years at Forteviot Primary School is 8% in 2020/21 and at Forgandenny Primary School is 79.1% in 2020/21.

3.17 This presents a diminished and unsustainable school pupil population for Forteviot Primary School with no foreseeable prospect of an increased, stable pupil population based on a significantly reduced birth rate over a sustained period of time.

3.18 The low pupil roll at Forteviot Primary School presented challenges in providing a breadth of social and emotional experiences required to meet the social and emotional needs of pupils. 7

Page 129 of 396 3.19 The proposal for pupils from Forteviot to attend Forgandenny Primary School has strong educational benefits for pupils from the Forteviot catchment area.

It will increase pupils’ resilience through being part of a larger school community and will also help promote their social and emotional development by providing greater challenge as well as the opportunity to be part of a wider, age-appropriate peer group.

3.20 Prior to Forteviot Primary School being mothballed, a number of parents had already made placing requests for their children to be educated in Forgandenny Primary School.

3.21 Pupils from the Forteviot Primary School catchment area have been zoned to Forgandenny Primary School for 2 years. Forgandenny Primary School offers high quality learning experiences across the four contexts of learning that encourages high levels of achievement and provides a wide range of opportunities for children to achieve their full potential as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

3.22 The Council has engaged with stakeholders and has considered other uses for the premises prior to formulating this proposal. The details of the other options are detailed in this report in Section 4.

3.23 Parents still retain the right to make a placing request for another school of their choice as outlined in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, as amended.

3.24 The permanent discontinuation of education provision at Forteviot Primary School with effect from 28 June 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter with the pupils of Forteviot Primary School catchment area permanently receiving their education at Forgandenny Primary School, from 1 July 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter will have the following benefits (based on Forgandenny Primary School as children from Forteviot Primary School catchment area have been attending the school since October 2016).

3.25 Learning and Teaching

 The Education Scotland inspection report, which was published in August 2016, stated that Forgandenny Primary School provides a “…rich and broad curriculum which is firmly grounded in the principles of Curriculum for Excellence.” This is recognition that the school provides high quality learning experiences across the four contexts for learning. Contexts for learning are very relevant to the children and are explored by them through tasks and activities which they find engaging. An example of this would be the whole school project “The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design” that had a strong focus on science, technology and engineering. Education Scotland highlighted in this report that pupils at Forgandenny were ambitious and eager to do well at school and in the future.

Page 130 of 396  Literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing are the central aspects of all learning, and while planning learning is a shared activity, which is led by class teachers, the pupils are involved at a high level with the planning.

Work is differentiated to adapt to pupils’ needs and pupils benefit from being able to work on co-operative learning tasks with others. Class teachers plan effectively so that tasks and activities are matched to children’s varying needs. Support staff are skilled and very well deployed to meet identified needs for individuals and groups of children.

 Forgandenny Primary School has support from a Pupil Support Teacher, allowing group work to take place if required, which not only benefits pupils with Additional Support Needs, but all other pupils, who can work in these groups, and benefit from short term support.

 At Forgandenny Primary School, there are pupils of all age groups within the school which affords all pupils the opportunity to work in groups, at peer level and across all stages in the school and in mixed sex groups. It also allows the sharing of ideas, peer support, informal mentoring and relationship building, all of which contribute to the whole school experience for all pupils.

 A collegiate approach to professional engagement amongst all staff is evident within the school. They come together regularly to review and improve practice as a school, with partner services and other schools in the Local Management Group. Access to peer support and development allows staff to engage in professional learning opportunities more readily, enabling them to deliver a high quality of teaching to the pupils, with the benefit to the pupils of having committed, enthusiastic and forward thinking teachers.

 Having three composite classes that straddle over early, first and second levels of curriculum for excellence, means that at Forgandenny Primary School there is a collaborative approach to teaching, which creates links in learning across stages on a termly basis, creating a wealth of opportunities for collaborative/co-operative learning, for all pupils.

 Outdoor learning was also highlighted by Education Scotland as an important strength. Work with Strathallan School and links with the Parish Church were cited as effective partnerships which enhance the curriculum. 3.26 Environment for Learning

 The original building built circa 1840 is traditional, part two storey building with sandstone walls under pitched slate roofs. The building was extended circa 1960 with a single storey traditional building with render and stone walls.

 The school grounds and adjacent park at Forgandenny provide a wide range of opportunities for the pupils to experience a range of team and individual sports, such as football, cricket, netball and athletics in the summer term.

Page 131 of 396  There is a shared break out space at Forgandenny Primary School, allowing children to work outwith their classrooms, independently, on progressing school improvement through their committee work, such as the Penguin Parliament, which is the pupil council.

 Forgandenny Primary School has a small kitchen area for use of all pupils, contributing to their learning in health, wellbeing and social skills.

3.27 Experiences and Opportunities

 Forgandenny Primary School has pupils of both sexes at each stage, allowing all pupils to interact and socialise with groups of children their own age and sex, at appropriate levels. The benefit to pupils is that they are given opportunities to widen their social circle, allowing them to foster positive relationships and tolerance.

 Pupils from Forteviot have already become an integral part of the school community at Forgandenny Primary School.

 Pupils are given a range of opportunities to be involved in improving their school, such as being Buddies, where older children work with younger ones, and Responsibility Groups, which focus on Global Goals, to help improve the environment. Most recently the school achieved its second Eco Schools Scotland Green Flag.

 At Forgandenny parents play a key role in the leadership and ethos of the school. The Parent Forum organises a range of social and fundraising events to support the school. In addition, the school has an active Parent Council. Parents are welcomed into school and encouraged to be involved in their children’s learning, including attendance at pupil-led events. The positive relationships fostered with parents with the school, allows them to further support their children in their learning at school.

 Forgandenny Primary School involves children in the formal parental consultation evenings with the aim of opening up learning conversations between teacher, parent and pupil

 After school there are sports activities run by parents and the close proximity to Strathallan School allows pupils the opportunity to participate in a range of after school clubs.

This provides the pupils with activities that are local to them, reducing travel times and reliance on parent transport, but also giving them opportunities to build on school relationships by continued interaction with their peer group. The benefits of healthy activities and sports have an impact on the pupils’ health and wellbeing, which in turn improves their readiness to learn.

Page 132 of 396  The local park is used for the school’s Daily Mile, providing all children and staff in the school the benefit of daily exercise and fresh air, which in turn helps to improve focus, concentration and behaviour in class and embeds physical activity into the school’s approach to Health & Wellbeing.

 Transition from P7 to secondary school is supported by the larger number of pupils in Forgandenny Primary School, offering peer support and friendship groups. In summary:

 Re-designating the Forteviot Primary School catchment area to Forgandenny Primary School will allow all pupils access to a school with learning groups across all stages.

 The range of learning experiences for children will be wide and varied, with classroom learning being supplemented by learning groups across stages and between classes, bringing with that the opportunity to share learning experiences between the youngest and oldest pupils, as well as within the immediate peer group.

 All pupils will have access to peer support, helping to develop their social and interpersonal skills, both in the classroom and in the social activities available at the school.

 The children and parents of Forteviot Primary School will have access to an educational establishment which has a well-planned and committed approach to taking forward improvement. There is sufficient capacity at Forgandenny Primary School to fully meet the needs of the Forteviot Primary School children without having a detrimental impact on the learning of the existing pupils of Forgandenny Primary School.

4. OPTIONS CONSIDERED

A number of options were considered for the future of Forteviot Primary School as part of the Options Appraisal:

a) School remains open but continue with mothballing of Forteviot Primary School – pupils attend Forgandenny Primary School.

The school has been mothballed since October 2016. Leaving the school open but with continued mothballing of the school is only a reasonable option if there are likely to be changes within the catchment area in the next 2-3 years which would result in an increase in the pupil roll.

Pupil numbers are not projected to increase in the next 4 years. There has been a downward trend in the number of people under 16 living in the catchment area in recent years.

Page 133 of 396 The number of children of pre-school age living in the catchment area is very small, and in recent years there have been occasions where there have been no P1 age children in the catchment area. There are no significant housing or other developments which are likely to impact positively on the size of the pupil population in the next 2-3 years.

If the school remains mothballed, the building would remain out of use awaiting a potential reopening or final closure. While the school is mothballed, there is a possibility of it reopening, which could be viewed as a positive. However, continued mothballing creates continued uncertainty for parents and the community. In addition, there are no opportunities to progress alternative uses for the building, which may include community asset transfer, lease or sale of the building, all of which may benefit the wider community. Therefore, on balance, it is considered that continued mothballing is more likely to be a negative than a positive, in terms of community impact.

If Forteviot Primary School was left mothballed on an indefinite basis, Perth and Kinross Council would incur annual costs to maintain the building. Unoccupied buildings can deteriorate more rapidly than operational premises and can become a focus for opportunistic crimes and/or targets for vandalism whether the premises are located in urban or rural areas.

In summary, on the basis that there is no indication that pupil numbers will increase in the next 2-3 years, mothballing is not considered a good use of resources and would prevent the building being used to benefit the community. Therefore, continued mothballing is not viewed as a reasonable alternative. b) Consider closing school – pupils attend Forgandenny Primary School.

Forgandenny Primary School currently accommodates pupils from Forteviot Primary as a result of the mothballing. Pupil numbers at Forgandenny are projected to remain static for the next 4 years. Forgandenny Primary has capacity to continue to accommodate the projected pupil numbers should Forteviot Primary School be closed. This option is considered to be reasonable and further detail is provided in relation to educational benefits, travel, environmental impact, community impact and financial impact.

Forteviot Primary School and Forgandenny Primary School already had links with each other prior to the mothballing and pupils who moved there in October 2016 following the mothballing are now settled at Forgandenny Primary School. Travel arrangements for pupils and staff have been in place since October 2016 and there are no known issues. Some of the pupils have a shorter distance to travel.

Page 134 of 396 There are environmental benefits to Forteviot Primary School pupils being transferred to Forgandenny Primary School in that they are being transported by the Council rather than travelling individually as they did through placing requests. Pupil numbers at Forteviot Primary School have been reducing year on year since 2009/10 due to a reduction in school age children living in the catchment area. Community feedback is that there is limited employment in the area compared to previously and that housing is not affordable for families. These are factors which are likely to have had an impact on the number of children living in the catchment area. Pupil numbers have also decreased due to parents requesting placements at other local schools. These placing requests out of the area have in the past been offset to some degree by placing requests into Forteviot Primary School; however this has not been enough to sustain the roll latterly. If the school was to close there would be no significant impact on the community in terms of access to facilities for community events: other facilities such as the hall are available within Forteviot for community use and are currently well used by the community. The school was not used for lets latterly. It is not considered that the closure of the school would have a negative impact on the sustainability of the community. Forteviot is located 7 miles south west of Perth and is approximately 2.7 miles from Forgandenny and approximately 3.2 miles from Dunning. The community currently travel to access health, retail and leisure facilities. The Council has received requests from a business for the use of the school should it close. Closure of the school would provide opportunities for the building to be used for the benefit of the community, either for business or residential use, or for community use if a suitable plan was identified. Pupil numbers at Forgandenny Primary School (not including Forteviot Primary School pupils) have been reducing over recent years and the positive impact of Forteviot pupils on the school roll supports the sustainability of Forgandenny Primary School which is also in a rural location and is a rural school. It is considered that closure of the school is the most appropriate response to the issue of decreasing numbers of young children living in the catchment area. This, coupled with parents choosing to place their children at other primary schools, has led to the school being mothballed. There is no indication that the roll will increase in future years as pre-school children numbers are very low and are likely to remain so. This option also has the benefit of supporting the sustainability of Forgandenny Primary School, which is approximately 2.7 miles from Forteviot Primary School and is also a small rural school. There is no evidence to indicate that this option would have an adverse impact on the community, travelling arrangements or the environment. 13

Page 135 of 396 c) Consider closing school – pupils attend alternative primary school to Forgandenny Primary School.

The closest alternative to Forgandenny Primary School for Forteviot pupils is Dunning Primary School which is approximately 3.2 miles away from Forteviot Primary School. This is the only neighbouring school which could reasonably be considered as an alternative, as it is the closest school other than Forgandenny Primary School. It would not benefit pupils to attend any school other than the nearest neighbouring school in terms of increased travel time. Dunning Primary School has a capacity of 125 pupils compared with the capacity of 50 pupils at Forteviot Primary School. The pupil roll at Dunning Primary School at Census 2017 is 117; therefore there is not enough capacity at Dunning Primary School to accommodate all 13 of the primary children who reside in the Forteviot Primary School catchment area as at Census 2017. It would not be good practice to make changes to a catchment area where the number of available places in the school was such that all pupils residing in the area could not be accommodated at that school.

Dunning Primary School is close to capacity and could not accommodate all of the Forteviot catchment pupils at this point. The roll at Dunning Primary School will continue to be high and therefore this is unlikely to be an option which could be considered in the near future.

The pupils from Forteviot Primary School have settled in well to Forgandenny Primary School. Forteviot Primary School and Forgandenny Primary School had a close relationship prior to the mothballing, including a shared headship, joint outdoor learning, workshops, P7 trips and shared transition days for secondary school. The pupils also live nearer to Forgandenny than Dunning and have less distance to travel. Prior to mothballing, parents from Forteviot have generally chosen to request places at Forgandenny Primary School rather than Dunning Primary School. There are 9 pupils who reside in the Forteviot catchment area at Forgandenny Primary School (Census 2017). Two of these pupils went to Forgandenny Primary School when the school was mothballed but the remainder attended Forgandenny following successful placing requests.

Pupils attending Forgandenny Primary School from Forteviot make Forgandenny Primary School, which is a small rural school, more sustainable by increasing pupil numbers.

In summary, it is therefore considered that the option of closing Forteviot Primary with the pupils attending another neighbouring school, other than Forgandenny, is not a reasonable alternative. Dunning Primary School cannot accommodate all the pupils from Forteviot. Dunning is also further to travel for most pupils in the Forteviot catchment.

Page 136 of 396 d) Catchment area is reviewed to determine whether this would increase the school roll sufficiently to ensure the future sustainability of the school.

A catchment review can, in principle, be a reasonable option in some cases to increase the potential roll, and therefore sustainability, of a school. An in-depth analysis is required in each case to ascertain if a sustainable increase in school roll could be achieved and a detrimental impact on neighbouring schools is not created as a result. Following a mapping exercise it is considered unlikely that the catchment area could be made more sustainable by implementing any of the options examined. This is primarily because there are only small numbers of pupils living outwith the main settlements surrounding the catchment area which are Forgandenny, Dunning and Bridge of Earn. In addition, the pupils who do live outside the main settlements live closer to other schools.

There are limited numbers of pupils living in the catchment areas surrounding Forteviot Primary School catchment area and the boundaries would have to be moved in a number of directions to make a new catchment potentially sustainable. It is also likely that the majority of current primary school pupils would continue to attend their current school, so in the short term there would be little benefit to the Forteviot roll. In January 2018, if all new P1s from the combined adjusted catchment areas proposed within the options appraisal attended Forteviot Primary School, this would equate to 10 pupils in the next 4 years. However, even with an additional 10 pupils, the school roll would only be 13 pupils by 2021. In addition, a number of the potential boundary changes would have a detrimental impact on pupils in those catchment areas in relation to increased travel distance. In some cases pupils would have to travel past existing primary schools to reach Forteviot, therefore not accessing their nearest primary school. A suggestion was made from members of the community that pupils from Oudenarde could be accommodated at Forteviot Primary School. There are currently 56 primary school pupils living in Oudenarde who are zoned to attend Inch View Primary School in Perth, although a number of these pupils attend a number of different schools as a result of successful placing requests. Oudenarde pupils are currently accommodated at Inch View Primary School until a new school is built at Oudenarde. Accommodating children from Oudenarde at Forteviot Primary School would create a number of practical difficulties. These include increased distance and travel time. The most significant difficulty would be that Forteviot Primary School cannot accommodate the current number of primary pupils living in Oudenarde, let alone increasing numbers through further planned housebuilding at Oudenarde.

Page 137 of 396 In summary, it is unlikely that increasing the catchment area in a number of directions will create a sustainable catchment for Forteviot Primary School, due to the small numbers of children living in these areas. Furthermore, these changes would likely be detrimental to those children as a result of increased travel distance. A number of schools adjoining the Forteviot catchment are also rural schools, and so there is also a risk that the sustainability of the rolls for some of those schools would be adversely affected if their catchment area were to be reduced. e) Immediate re-opening of the school was not considered to be a reasonable option, given the very small number of children resident in the catchment area. If the school were to re-open in August 2018, the maximum pupil numbers from the catchment would be 2. It is highly unlikely that any of the pupils from the Forteviot Primary School catchment area would return to the school were it to re-open, based on feedback from the pre-consultation sessions. Even assuming all new P1 pupils living in Forteviot catchment area were to attend Forteviot Primary School if it were to re-open, the school roll would only reach between 2 and 4 pupils for the period 2018 - 2022. This was therefore not included as an option for consideration. f) In developing the Options Appraisal for Forteviot Primary School, Perth and Kinross Council undertook a robust process of consultation work and consulted face to face with key stakeholders which allowed opportunities for parents, staff pupils and the wider communities to consider and discuss the alternatives with the Council and provide valuable feedback to the Council on the aspects of the alternatives which were reasonable and not reasonable as well as the opportunity to explore other alternatives. This ensured the opportunity for any other alternatives or suggestions to be communicated to the Council in order that the Options Appraisal was comprehensive and inclusive of the key stakeholders’ views. This also ensured further opportunity to provide representation of any other alternatives providing the Council with confidence that the Options Appraisals and assessment of alternatives was robust and comprehensive. The statutory consultation process also provided an opportunity for consultees to suggest other alternatives to the proposal during the statutory consultation process. No other alternatives were notified to the Council during this process.

5. THE CONSULTATION PROCESS

5.1 On 24 January 2018, Lifelong Learning Committee considered the options appraisal for Forteviot Primary School and agreed to commence formal consultation on a proposal to close Forteviot Primary School (Report No 18/14 refers) in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

5.2 An electronic link to the Proposal Paper was issued by letter on 16 March 2018 to those individuals and bodies listed under Distribution within the document. The Proposal Paper was also published on the Council’s website: www.pkc.gov.uk

Page 138 of 396 5.3 The Proposal Paper made clear to consultees that the consultation period would run from Monday 19 March 2018 until Thursday 17 May 2018 – a period of at least 30 school days.

5.4 The proposal on which consultation took place was that:

5.5 The requirements for consulting on a relevant proposal relating to schools are set out in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

 A Proposal Paper was published on Monday 19 March 2018. A copy of this document was available free of charge to the consultees listed within the document.  The Proposal Paper was published on the Perth and Kinross Council website www.pkc.gov.uk and was available in paper copy upon request.  An advertisement ran in the Courier and Advertiser and the Perthshire Advertiser on 16 March 2018.  One public meeting was held to discuss the proposal on Thursday 26 April 2018.  The Consultation period ended on Thursday 17 May 2018.  Education Scotland’s involvement consisted of: the options appraisal and proposal document being sent to them, and visits to the site of Forgandenny and Forteviot Primary Schools, including discussion with relevant consultees. They also received a copy of all written representations and minute of the public meeting. They then prepared a report on the educational aspects of the proposal. This is attached as Appendix 4.

5.6 The following schools are affected by the proposal:  Forteviot Primary School  Forgandenny Primary School

5.7 In accordance with statutory requirements and good practice, the following persons were consulted:

 The Parent Council (if any) of the affected schools  The parents of the pupils and children at the affected schools  The parents of children expected to attend the affected schools within 2 years of the date of publication of this proposal document  The pupils at the affected schools 17

Page 139 of 396  The teaching and ancillary staff at the affected schools  The trade union and professional association representatives of the above staff  The Community Council  Relevant users of the affected schools  Elected Members of Perth and Kinross Council  Lay Members of Lifelong Learning Committee  The Constituency MSPs and List MSPs covering the Constituency  The Constituency MP  The Director, Housing & Environment, Perth and Kinross Council  Tayside Contracts  LiveActive Leisure  Education Scotland

5.8 The number of letters issued with details of the Proposal Paper was 151.

5.10 This Consultation Report is the Council’s response to the issues raised during the consultation period on the Proposal Paper.

5.11 This Consultation Report was published on the Council’s website for a period of no less than 3 weeks prior to final consideration by Lifelong Learning Committee on 31 October 2018.

6. THE PUBLIC MEETING

6.1 The public meeting was held in Forgandenny Primary School on Thursday 26 April 2018. Three parents and two community members attended. A full note of the meeting is attached as Appendix 1 which details the questions and issues raised at the meeting.

6.2 The small number of attendees at the public meeting and the questions and issues raised, indicate that there were no significant issues raised by parents or members of the public regarding the proposal.

7. RESPONSES TO THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE

7.1 In all, two online response forms were received. Both responses agreed with the Council’s proposal. Both responses were only partially completed and did not contain the respondents’ names, addresses or respondent groups. No written representations were received. The details of the respondents are contained within the Summary of Consultation Responses, attached as Appendix 2. 18

Page 140 of 396 7.2 In summary, the oral responses can be grouped broadly as follows:

 Comment that by the time the proposal would be implemented, Forteviot would have been part of Forgandenny Primary School’s catchment area for 3 years.

 Clarification was sought regarding the number of P1 pupils due to start at Forgandenny PS in August 2018.

 Queries were raised regarding the impact additional Forteviot catchment pupils would have on the availability of spaces for younger siblings of placing requests attending Forgandenny PS. It was stated that there will be an effect on the community if siblings don’t get into the school and they would be losing part of our school family. Siblings may be removed if the younger ones don’t get a place. This could also affect childminders in the area.

 Clarification was sought on the maximum number of P1 pupils who can be accepted into P1 at Forgandenny PS and what would happen if there was no room at Forgandenny or Dunbarney Primary Schools.

 Clarification was sought on whether there was a plan to move Forgandenny Primary School to Forteviot Primary School if there were too many pupils at Forgandenny Primary School and whether there were any plans to extend Forgandenny Primary School.

 Clarification was sought that the 17 houses planned for the Forgandenny catchment area had been accounted for and whether the Planning Department check school capacities before granting planning permission.

 Clarification was sought on whether Forteviot Primary School was owned by Dupplin Estate and what would happen to the building if the proposal was implemented.

 Clarification was sought on why only some people in the village have received letters about the consultation, whether prospective parents and the Community Council had been written to and whether Strathallan School could be included as statutory consultees.

 Clarification was sought regarding whether Forgandenny PS would be allocated an additional classroom assistant if the number of P1 pupils increased.

 Clarification was sought on whether the whole catchment boundary was to change and it was stated that the proposed new catchment area will be huge.

 Clarification was sought on whether Forteviot PS could be used for children living in Oudenarde.

Page 141 of 396 7.3 In summary, 151 letters were issued inviting comments and participation in the consultation. Three parents are known to have participated in the consultation to make their views known.

7.4 Specific consultation meetings took place with pupils and staff at Forgandenny Primary School and full details of these is attached as Appendix 3.

8. EDUCATION AUTHORITY RESPONSE TO WRITTEN AND ORAL REPRESENTATIONS

8.1 Clarification was sought that by the time the proposal would be implemented, Forteviot will have been part of Forgandenny catchment for 3 years. Yes. Forteviot Primary School was mothballed in October 2016, so if the proposal is to be implemented at the start of the new school session in August 2019, that will be almost three years that Forteviot pupils have been zoned to Forgandenny Primary School. The positive aspect of this is that the Council has been able to see how the pupils have been integrated into Forgandenny Primary School.

8.2 Clarification was sought regarding the number of P1 pupils from Forteviot due to start at Forgandenny Primary School in August 2018. Since the proposal paper was written, one Primary One pupil for the year 2018/19 from Forteviot catchment has become known to the Authority. There is no knowledge of any others as they have not been enrolled in a Perth and Kinross school. The confirmed P1 intake at Forgandenny Primary School in August 2018 was 14 pupils which consisted of 10 catchment pupils and 4 placing requests.

8.3 Queries were raised regarding the impact additional Forteviot catchment Primary Ones have on the availability of spaces for younger siblings of placing request pupils looking to attend Forgandenny Primary. At the time of the public meeting taking place, placing requests had not yet been finalised for August 2018, therefore parents who had applied had not received a decision. As the pupils in the Forteviot Primary catchment area are within the temporarily zoned catchment for Forgandenny Primary, then they are not placing requests. Every parent making a placing request, for any school, is taking a risk that it may not be granted. The priority for the Local Authority is to ensure that there is sufficient space within a school for catchment pupils. Thereafter, the Admissions Policy does recognise that those who make a placing request where there is an older sibling already attending the school are given priority among other placing requests.

The majority of pupils in the Forteviot Primary catchment attended Forgandenny Primary School prior to the school being mothballed, so there was no sudden influx of pupils after mothballing.

Page 142 of 396 Last year, all category 2 placing requests who had an older sibling already attending the school were allocated places in Forgandenny Primary School but some category 3 placing requests who did not have an older sibling in attendance at the school were not granted places.

8.4 Clarification was sought on the maximum number of Primary One pupils who can be accepted at Forgandenny Primary School. It was confirmed that there is no cap on the primary 1 intake. There is a degree of flexibility and numbers would depend on the composition of classes and the allocation of classroom space. Having 3 classrooms in school helps with this flexibility. Small rural schools are experienced at managing fluctuating numbers and ages of children and taking account of that in setting class structures.

8.5 Clarification was sought on where pupils would attend school if there is no room at Forgandenny or Dunbarney Primaries. There is sufficient capacity at Forgandenny and Dunbarney Primary Schools for catchment pupils. In addition, there is a procedure for reserving places in schools, which can only be allocated to category 1 pupils living in the catchment area. The purpose of a reserved places policy is to ensure that sufficient space is maintained in a school for catchment pupils. The number of reserved places is reviewed annually for each school.

8.6 Clarification was sought on whether there was a plan that if there were too many pupils at Forgandenny, the school would move to the Forteviot building. That has never been considered and would not be a workable plan as Forteviot Primary School building is smaller than Forgandenny Primary School.

8.7 Clarification was sought that the 17 new houses planned for in the Forgandenny catchment area, had been accounted for. Future housebuilding plans have been considered as part of the pupil projections for Forgandenny Primary School. There is a legal duty to educate children in their local school wherever possible, and there is flexibility in how the classes in the school are structured (see paragraph 8.4).

8.8 Clarification was sought on whether there are any plans to extend Forgandenny Primary School. There are no plans to extend Forgandenny Primary School. There is no requirement to consider a building extension based on pupil projections.

8.9 Clarification was sought on whether the Planning Department check on school capacities before granting planning permission. Yes. As well as developer contributions for larger developments, there are also regular meetings between staff in Education & Children’s Services and Planning, where these issues are discussed.

Page 143 of 396 8.10 Clarification was sought regarding a new development planned for the area and whether the Local Development Plan (LDP) allows for this. The LDP has been considered in determining projected pupil figures.

8.11 Clarification was sought on whether Forteviot Primary School was owned by Dupplin Estate. No, the school building belongs to Perth & Kinross Council. The playing fields are leased from the estate, however the building is not.

8.12 It was queried why a meeting like this was not held last year. We were not in a statutory consultation period last year. Mothballing of a school is an option open to the local authority in limited circumstances and with parental agreement, where existing pupils are affected. This was discussed and agreed with the affected parents. There is no requirement to carry out a statutory consultation at that point. However, now there is a formal proposal to close Forteviot Primary, this has to be consulted on.

8.13 Clarification was sought regarding why only some people have received letters inviting them. As part of a statutory consultation, there are categories of people who are statutory consultees who have to be consulted with and those are the people who have been written to directly. The wider public who may not be statutory consultees are invited as part of the public notices and social media advertising so they can also participate. The Community Council is also a statutory consultee.

8.14 It was queried that if there was an influx of 20 children, would Forteviot Primary be opened up again. Not necessarily. It would depend on where they lived, their stage in school and other factors.

8.15 Clarification was sought on whether other schools are closing? Yes, there are schools closing in other local authority areas, as well as proposals to close some other schools in Perth & Kinross.

8.16 Clarification was sought regarding had prospective parents been contacted, and the wider community, other than by letter and using social media? Yes, prospective parents that are known to Perth & Kinross Council have been contacted, as they are statutory consultees.

8.17 A query was raised that the Community Council did not receive a letter A Community Councillor was in attendance at the meeting and it was confirmed that a letter was sent to the Community Council as the Community Council is a statutory consultee. Post meeting note: The distribution of letters was checked following the public meeting and it was confirmed that the letter was emailed to Earn Community Council on 16 March 2018.

Page 144 of 396 8.18 Clarification was sought regarding teachers at Strathallan Independent School who may come to the school, can be prospective parents, but haven’t been offered a job yet How would they be consulted with? They would be treated in the same way as anyone else moving into the catchment area. Prospective parents who do not yet live in the catchment area can participate as members of the wider public at this stage.

8.19 A query was raised regarding whether the statutory consultation list can include Strathallan. If there are parents there whose children attend Forgandenny Primary School, they would have received a letter as part of the statutory consultation. If not, they would be made aware by the publicity used for the wider community. There is no requirement, or reason to include an independent school as a specific consultee. Independent schools in the catchment area of a Perth and Kinross school are not statutory consultees.

8.20 A query was raised regarding whether the road at the side of the school is a Council road. Why is it never gritted? Perth & Kinross Council categorises and prioritises all roads for gritting and ploughing purposes. It is likely that in terms of the road network across Perth & Kinross, the short lane would be a low priority.

8.21 Clarification was sought on if there is an excess of new Primary One pupils, will the school be given an additional Classroom Assistant. It would depend on the school roll, which dictates the numbers of teacher and primary school support staff. In addition to this, there are also Pupil Support Assistants who are allocated to schools depending on the educational needs of individual pupils.

8.22 A query was raised regarding when will we know when placing requests have been allocated. The relevant parents are informed in writing by 30 April in the year for which the request is made.

8.23 Clarification was sought on whether the whole boundary is being changed. No, there is no review of Forgandenny’s existing catchment area, other than the subsuming of the existing Forteviot catchment area. Boundaries with other schools are unaffected.

8.24 Clarification was sought on what will happen to Forteviot Primary? Education & Children’s Services would declare it surplus to educational requirements. There are a number of possible options for use of the building such as community asset transfer and sale on the open market.

8.25 Clarification was sought on whether Forteviot could be used for Oudenarde children? This was addressed in the Proposal Paper and discounted as a viable option. There are currently 57 primary aged pupils living in Oudenarde, which would take both Forteviot and Forgandenny over capacity. 23

Page 145 of 396 It was noted that some households in the Oudenarde development rely on public transport, which would limit their involvement in the school community, due to the lack of transport between the communities.

8.26 Clarification was sought on whether Oudenarde children are being treated differently to others in adjacent communities. When Bertha Park High School opens, Oudenarde, along with Dunbarney and Forgandenny, will feed to that secondary school.

9. EDUCATION SCOTLAND REPORT

9.1 In accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, a report was produced by Education Scotland on the educational aspects of the proposal.

9.2 Education Scotland visited Forgandenny and Forteviot Primary Schools week commencing 21 May 2018 to speak to relevant consultees. Education Scotland did not attend the public meeting held on 26 April 2018 in connection with the Council’s proposals.

9.3 The Education Scotland report is reproduced in full (Appendix 4).

9.4 The report supports the proposal and is summarised below:

 Education Scotland acknowledges that the Council has presented a comprehensive account of the educational benefits of closing Forteviot Primary School. Since the mothballing of the school in October 2016, children from the Forteviot catchment area and formerly on the school roll at Forteviot Primary School have been educated at Forgandenny Primary School.

This has enabled Forteviot children to access learning with groups of learners at all stages within a primary school. It has supported a greater number of learning opportunities across and between classes. It has provided Forteviot children with the opportunity to benefit from peer support from a wider group of peers and to develop their social and interpersonal skills in a broader range of appropriate contexts. Transition to secondary school has been strengthened, supported by a wider group of peers and friendship groupings. There has been no noticeable detrimental impact on children’s education following their transfer to Forgandenny Primary School. As pupils of Forgandenny Primary School, children have benefited from established school partnerships such as those with Strathallan School. These provide access to digital learning and sports facilities, enhancing the curricular experience and supporting children’s achievement and health and wellbeing. Children have also been able to benefit from Forgandenny Primary School’s well-established involvement in both outdoor learning activities and sustainable education initiatives.

Page 146 of 396  Education Scotland notes that many parents had already exercised their right to placing requests for other schools prior to the mothballing, due to concerns about the falling roll and a reduction in opportunities for children to socialise with peers. In addition, the Forgandenny Primary School building has been rated more positively than the Forteviot building in relation to both suitability and condition and a closure decision would mean financial savings could be secured in line with the council’s drive for best value.

The proposal further secures a long term sustainable school roll and future for the Forgandenny school community and the proposed enlarged catchment area. Overall, HM Inspectors consider that there are many clear and well-founded educational benefits to the proposal.

 Education Scotland notes that children who met with HM Inspectors were positive about the proposal overall.

Those travelling the 2.7 miles, or six minutes, on average, from the Forteviot catchment were anxious to know if transport would continue to be provided for them once their school was closed. They expressed a desire for consistency in the council’s approach, in that should Forteviot Primary School be closed then other schools with similarly small rolls should also be considered in the same way.

 Education Scotland notes that staff who met with HM Inspectors believe that there has been no negative impact for Forteviot children resulting from the move to Forgandenny Primary School. They identify a number of advantages, including a more positive learning experience overall.

They had some concerns, that with land in the catchment area now zoned for housing, the Forgandenny building and grounds would not have sufficient capacity in the future to cope with the increased demand from catchment families.

They also recognised the potential impact on families, given that with an increased school roll, any future placing requests were less likely to be successful and therefore some siblings might not be able to be educated alongside their brother or sister.

 Parents who met with HM Inspectors expressed similar views to staff. While no concerns had been raised by their children, as parents, they did have a concern over what might happen to the existing school building at Forteviot and were keen that the rich potential of the setting was capitalised upon for the benefit of the community. Some parents highlighted that the site at Forgandenny was limited in size, with restricted space both indoors and out, compared with the Forteviot site, despite Forteviot only having two classrooms and that the space currently available might be further compromised in the future, if temporary accommodation or an extension was required to accommodate an increased number of pupils. 25

Page 147 of 396  Education Scotland indicates that as the proposal will lead to the closure of an accessible rural school, HM Inspectors also took account of the council’s consideration of the factors to which it should have special regard. Prior to formulating the proposal, the council had given appropriate consideration to any reasonable alternative to closure and evaluated these accordingly as outlined in their options appraisal paper.

In undertaking their options appraisal, the council gave well-balanced consideration to any potential impact of the closure on the local community, the environment and children, young people and other school users. A pre-consultation exercise was carried out with the community to help inform the options appraisal. Information on pupil numbers, house building and financial implications were also sought and presented as part of this exercise.

 Education Scotland advises that Perth and Kinross Council’s proposal to permanently discontinue education provision at Forteviot Primary School, making consequent changes to catchment areas, is of clear educational benefit. Since the mothballing of the school in October 2016, the Forteviot pupils have become well-integrated into Forgandenny Primary School, benefiting from being educated alongside a larger peer group at every stage. The children have adjusted well to the move and to the minimal additional travel involved and overall there has been no detrimental impact.

 Education Scotland notes that alternative options to closure have been very well-considered. With a declining and unsustainable school roll and facilities now requiring significant investment, potential savings can be secured as a result of the closure, minimising the impact of any cuts to education services and contributing to the Council’s vision of best value and that no significant objections to the proposal as it stands were received.

9.5 Perth and Kinross Council’s Response to Education Scotland’s Report

The Council welcomes the report from Education Scotland and accepts its findings and notes that pupils, parents and staff have raised no objections to the Council’s proposal.

In response to the findings contained within the Education Scotland report, Perth and Kinross response is as follows:

9.5.1 In finalising the proposal, the council should reassure children and their families about future long term travel arrangements for children in the Forteviot catchment area.

If the proposal was accepted, this would result in all pupils who live within the catchment area of Forteviot Primary School continuing to be provided with free home to school transport to Forgandenny Primary School where their home address is more than 2 miles from Forgandenny Primary School. 26

Page 148 of 396 This will include all pupils who attended Forgandenny Primary School as a result of a successful placing request from Forteviot catchment area, made prior to mothballing.

This would be in accordance with the Council’s Home to School Transport Policy. This policy states that all primary school pupils attending their catchment school, who live more than 2 miles from their catchment school, will be entitled to free home to school transport.

9.5.2 It should also continue to engage with the Forteviot community regarding any future plans for the Forteviot Primary School building.

Perth and Kinross Council will continue to engage with the local community regarding future plans for the Forteviot Primary School building.

10. RURAL SCHOOL – COMPLIANCE WITH SECTIONS 11A TO 13 OF THE SCHOOLS (CONSULTATION) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2010

10.1 Forteviot Primary School is an accessible rural school, and the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 therefore requires the Education Authority to have special regard to the following factors:

 The likely effect on the local community as a consequence of the proposal; and  The likely effect caused by different travelling arrangements that may be required.

10.2 Effect on the Local Community

Community Impact – Loss of the school

10.2.1 At the community drop-in session held as part of the options appraisal process, the community described some of the challenges of living in a rural community, primarily the lack of employment and affordable housing. They linked this to the lack of young families living in the area or moving into the area. It is true that pupil numbers are falling, and that the reasons identified by the community are likely to be the main factors leading to a drop in the numbers of children living in the catchment area. However, it also seems to be the case that families who do live within the catchment area are more mobile and exercising their right to choose other schools for their children. 10.2.2 The community did not suggest that the lack of a school would deter new families from moving into the area. It is clear that families living in the catchment area are travelling to access education as well as other services and so it appears to be an accepted part of life within the community.

Page 149 of 396 10.2.3 In 2017, the Council closed schools in Calvine (Struan Primary School) and Enochdhu (Straloch Primary School) after they had been mothballed for 5 years. The evidence from both areas was that families were not deterred from moving into the area by having to travel to a neighbouring village. There are clear parallels with Forteviot in that the communities already travelled to other local communities to access services. Neither school/community was as accessible as Forteviot, which is close to Perth and has good road links, which will be a factor in promoting sustainability of the community. 10.2.4 The Kinross-shire Almond and Earn Action Partnership has been working with communities across the two wards to highlight key inequalities people face in Kinross-shire, Almond and Earn. The group’s remit is to identify opportunities for public services to support communities in developing solutions to the challenges they face. The Partnership’s Local Action Plan published in October 2017 has put a series of actions in place to explore which buildings and public spaces can be made available for community groups to use. This action was informed by a growing demand from many community groups who need facilities to meet and run activities in. 10.2.5 The outcome which the Action Partnership is aiming to achieve with this action is to build resilience within the communities of the two wards and to get more people involved in local activities in the community in which they live. Evidence shows many people in the ward feel isolated; as the area is rural, people often have to travel great distances to take part in activities they enjoy and sometimes transportation to groups is not always possible for people without access to a car. By creating new opportunities for people to get involved in the Action Partnership, it aims to get more people participating in activities locally which can improve people’s health and wellbeing. This work already being undertaken across the wider community will contribute effectively towards ensuring the sustainability of the community. This is more likely to be effective for the sustainability of the community as a whole, than to maintain the school in the community. Particularly, given that many parents living in the area were already content with having to travel for school. 10.2.6 The evidence indicates that there will be little effect on the sustainability of the community if the school were to close. Community Impact - Use of the Building

10.2.7 Community events in Forteviot are generally held at the village hall and the school was not particularly well used latterly by the community. Within the village there is also a church and a bowling club, so there is not a lack of facilities for the community to meet or hold events. It is likely that the village hall will continue to be the main focus for community activity. 10.2.8 The closure of the school may result in additional facilities being made available to the community if the building is sold or leased for community use.

Page 150 of 396 10.2.9 The suggestions received for the building at the community drop-in session were: community activities, business centre, sports, specialist school, cultural purposes, a community project and artisan workshops. 10.2.10The Council has received enquiries from members of the community for the use of the building should it be closed.

10.3 Travel Arrangements

10.3.1 As Forteviot Primary School is a rural school, special regard was paid to the rural school factors. These were considered fully in the Options Appraisal stage and were a focus of the pre-consultation with the community.

10.3.2 The travel distance from Forteviot Primary School to Forgandenny Primary School is approximately 2.7 miles with a travel time of 6 minutes. The current travel arrangements for pupils living in Forteviot catchment area have been in place since Forteviot Primary School was mothballed in October 2016. There have been no issues with the travel arrangements. Taking this option forward would not affect the travel arrangements for current pupils and future pupils are unlikely to have hugely different travel arrangements.

10.3.3 Travelling for primary school education is common across Perth & Kinross because of the geography of the area. Prior to the mothballing of Forteviot Primary School, pupils journeyed between approximately 2 and 5.5 miles each way. Since attending Forgandenny Primary School, journey distances are between approximately 1 and 8.2 miles each way. So, for some pupils in the Forteviot catchment area, travel distance to school has in fact decreased. 10.3.4 Staff in Perth and Kinross tend to travel throughout the area to work in schools. Many staff do not live within the catchment area of the school they work in. A distance of 2.7 miles is a relatively short distance to travel in rural Perth and Kinross. It is therefore considered that there is very limited impact on staff travelling arrangements. 10.3.5 The community requires to travel to access other services such as GP and dental surgeries, shops and post offices. Forgandenny Primary School is closer than most other facilities which the community require to access. 10.3.6 As the school is not generally used by the community, there should be no impact on travelling arrangements for any other users of the school’s facilities. In any event, the distance is relatively small and the local community is used to travelling to access other services.

11. ALLEGED OMISSIONS OR INACCURACIES

Page 151 of 396 This section of the 2010 Act also requires the Council to provide a statement on the action taken in respect of the inaccuracy or omission, or, if no action was taken, to state that fact and why.

11.2 In the course of the consultation exercise, there were no areas identified by respondents as being inaccurate or omitted from the Proposal Paper during the consultation period.

12. COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 9(1) OF THE SCHOOLS (CONSULTATION) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2010

(i) written representations received by the Authority (from any person) during the consultation period, (ii) oral representations made to it (by any person) at the public meeting, and (iii) Education Scotland’s report.

12.2 Following receipt of the Education Scotland report, two online representations and oral representations made at a public meeting held during the consultation period, officers reviewed the proposals.

12.4 Officers of the Education Authority have listened carefully to the points made at the public meeting and have considered equally carefully the Education Scotland report and the online representations.

The proposal was reviewed to consider whether any of the representations led to the Council to reconsider other options as being reasonable alternatives to the proposal to close Forteviot Primary School. None of the representations led officers to conclude that any of these options should be reconsidered as reasonable alternatives.

The Educational Benefits were reviewed in respect of the Education Scotland report and representations made.

There were no factors included in the Education Scotland report or representations made requiring any aspect of the Educational Benefits to be reconsidered.

Page 152 of 396 There were no aspects included in the representations made which provided a different conclusion in relation to the rural school factors.

Having reviewed the Education Scotland report and feedback from consultees, officers concluded that the basis of the original proposal continues to be the most appropriate response to the falling and unsustainable school roll of Forteviot Primary School.

It is considered that the proposal addresses the issue of the falling and unsustainable school roll and remains the best solution to ensure the children and parents of Forteviot Primary School will have access to an educational establishment which has a well planned and committed approach to taking forward improvement. There is more than enough capacity at Forgandenny Primary School to fully meet the needs of the Forteviot Primary School children without disrupting the learning of the Forgandenny Primary School children.

13. OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE REPRESENTATIONS TO SCOTTISH MINISTERS IN TERMS OF SECTION 15(4) OF THE SCHOOLS (CONSULTATION) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2010

The Scottish Ministers have an eight week period from the date of that final decision to decide if they will call-in the proposal.

Perth and Kinross Council’s Lifelong Learning Committee will take the decision on whether or not to implement this closure proposal at its meeting on 31 October 2018.

Page 153 of 396 If the decision is taken to implement the closure proposal, any representations to Scottish Ministers, therefore, in this context need to be with the Ministers within three weeks of this date. Therefore, any representations must be made to Scottish Ministers by 22 November 2018.

13.5 Anyone wishing to make representation to Scottish Ministers during the three week period referred to above should do so by email to [email protected] or in writing to:

School Infrastructure Unit The Scottish Government Area 2A (South) Victoria Quay EDINBURGH EH6 6QQ

14. LEGAL ISSUES

14.1 The Council has complied in full with the requirements of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 throughout this statutory consultation.

In terms of Socio Economic Impact, the assessment identified that there may be a small disadvantage for some parents who would have further to travel when attending meetings or events in school. However, the identified benefits significantly outweigh any disadvantage. It is also not considered to be a significant disadvantage as parents are already travelling to access all other services outside Forteviot village. In addition, a number of pupils from Forteviot catchment area were already attending Forgandenny Primary School as the result of successful placing requests prior to Forteviot Primary School being mothballed.

14.3 Under the terms of the Schools (Scotland) (Consultation) Act 2010, it is a legal requirement that the Council should not reach any formal decision without waiting until a period of three weeks starting on the day on which this Consultation Report is published in electronic and printed form has expired.

14.4 As it is the intention that this Consultation Report should be published, both electronically and in written form, if required, on 14 September 2018 until 5 October 2018, this meets the statutory requirement to publish this report for more than three weeks before consideration of the proposal by Lifelong Learning Committee.

Page 154 of 396 15. PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS

15.1 There are no staffing implications relating to the proposal. Appropriate arrangements were made for staff at Forteviot Primary School when the school was mothballed in October 2016 and these arrangements have been in place since then.

16. CONCLUSION

16.1 The Council now has 4 broad options to consider, namely:

16.2 In withdrawing the proposal, the Council would be failing to recognise or respond to there being no opposition from parents, staff and pupils towards the proposal and there is no support from statutory consultees, and the wider community, to keep the school open.

Education Scotland has identified that the proposal has many clear and well- founded educational benefits for young people. This includes the larger number and wider range of peers in Forgandenny Primary School. This allows children to access learning with groups of learners at all stages within a primary school and to develop their social and interpersonal skills in a broader range of appropriate contexts.

16.3 If the Council adopts the proposal, it is understood that the educational benefits set out in the Proposal Paper would materialise.

16.4 The key points that have been highlighted during the consultation period are as follows:

 The Council’s proposals have been generally supported by parents/carers, staff and the wider community.

 The report from Education Scotland acknowledges that the proposal has led to clear and well-founded educational benefits for pupils.

This includes the larger number and wider range of peers in Forgandenny Primary School, which allows children to access a learning environment where there are groups of learners at all stages of school, further allowing them to develop their social and interpersonal skills in a broader range of appropriate contexts.

Page 155 of 396  The Council, having had special regard to the rural school factors, does not consider that the proposal will adversely affect the sustainability of the community, or that there will be an adverse effect from the premises no longer being available for community use.

17. RECOMMENDATIONS

17.1 On the basis of the feedback received and taking account of the educational and social benefits of the proposal, it is concluded that the following proposal is the most suitable option and it is recommended that the Council:

 Approves that Education provision at Forteviot Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 28 June 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter;  The pupils of Forteviot Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at Forgandenny Primary School, from 1 July 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter; and  The delineated catchment area of Forgandenny Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Forteviot Primary School from 1 July 2019.

Sheena Devlin Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) 12 September 2018

Page 156 of 396 Appendix 1 Perth & Kinross Council Education and Children’s Services Statutory Consultation Public Meeting

Minute of meeting held on Thursday 26 April 2018

at 7.00pm Forgandenny Primary School

Present Sheena Devlin Executive Director of Education & Children’s Services Sharon Johnston Head of Education – Early Years & Primary Karen Robertson Service Manager - Business Services Carol Taylor Service Manager – Resource Management

In Attendance Councillor Caroline Shiers Convener, Lifelong Learning Committee, Perth and Kinross Council Lorna Hamilton – Minute Perth and Kinross Council

Five members of the public.

1. Welcome and Introductions

Sheena Devlin opened the meeting and welcomed the members of the public in attendance. Councillor Shiers introduced the panel members, Karen Robertson and Carol Taylor and the roles they had. Sharon Johnston joined the meeting later.

2. Format of meeting

Sheena Devlin explained the format the meeting would follow. She explained that she would stop at intervals during the presentation to take questions. For ease of reading, all questions and comments are detailed at section 5 and 6 respectively.

3. The proposal

Sheena Devlin explained the consultation proposal to the attendees:

The Council proposes that:  Education provision at Forteviot Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 28 June 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter;

 That the pupils of Forteviot Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at Forgandenny Primary School, from 1 July 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter; and

Page 157 of 396  That the delineated catchment area of Forgandenny Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Forteviot Primary School from 1 July 2019.

4. Presentations

Sheena Devlin and Karen Robertson gave presentations explaining the proposal in further detail.

Sheena Devlin explained the background to the school estate review and why schools were included as part of the review. She gave details of the pre- consultation that took place with members of the community and the current arrangements in both Forteviot and Forgandenny Primary Schools.

As part of the presentation, it was advised that there were no prospective Primary One pupils in the current Forteviot Primary catchment area. A short discussion then took place about numbers of Primary One pupils in the area.

Sheena Devlin continued with the presentation. The mothballing of the school attracted a lot of interest. She explained that some schools may need to continue to be used for educational purposes, however once a school was declared surplus by Education & Children’s Services, then the building was handed to colleagues in the Estates team, and they would do whatever was necessary.

Karen Robertson then expanded on the issue of travel. At the time of the mothballing of Forteviot Primary, there were nine pupils attending Forgandenny Primary as placing requests, with their parents responsible for transporting them to school.

These pupils then became entitled to school transport, if they were over two miles from Forgandenny Primary School, thereby reducing the additional traffic.

Sheena Devlin then went through the educational benefits and explained that these should not be read with the inference that education at Forteviot Primary was negative in any way. It was an articulation of the learning and teaching experience enjoyed by all pupils at Forgandenny Primary. Sometimes with single class schools, such as Forteviot, the pupils can miss out on working with others across all stages. For some Forteviot parents, the desire was for their children to learn with a larger mix of peers.

Sheena summarised the educational benefits and then handed over to Karen Robertson.

Karen Robertson presented on the statutory consultation process including the legal framework which ensures consistency across the country, consideration by Lifelong Learning Committee, the, statutory consultation period and representation from interested parties as the first part of the consultation process.

Page 158 of 396 Statutory consultees are:-

 The Parent Council  The parents of the pupils at the affected schools  The parents of children expected to attend an affected school within 2 years of the date of publication of this proposal document  The teaching and ancillary staff at the affected schools  The trade union representatives of the above staff  The Community Council  Relevant users of the affected schools  Elected Members of Perth and Kinross Council  The Constituency MSP and List MSPs covering the Constituency  The Constituency MP  Tayside Contracts  LiveActive Leisure  Education Scotland

There was also a public notice published, as well as the use of social media which would enable the wider community to comment.

She also explained how documentation is available publicly, where it can be found and the different methods available for people to submit their views, including the online form and the generic email account. Input from as many people as possible was encouraged.

Karen Robertson then went on to explain the next stages of the process which includes the involvement of Education Scotland, the preparation and publication of the consultation report and the decision made by the Lifelong Learning Committee.

Sheena Devlin then explained that there has been no decision made, as we cannot pre-empt any decisions or conditions being made by Education Scotland or the Scottish Government. Perth & Kinross Council has gone through the consultation process before, for other schools, and not been called in by the Government, but that cannot be taken for granted in this case.

Karen Robertson explained that there is another consultation ongoing in Perth & Kinross, as well as the Forteviot consultation.

Sheena Devlin then opened up the meeting to any further questions, comments or observations from the floor.

5. Questions

Q. Will that take it to three years that Forteviot will be part of Forgandenny catchment?

Page 159 of 396 A. Yes. Forteviot was mothballed in October 2016, so by the start of the new term in August 2019, that will be almost three years.

Q. We heard there were three Primary Ones from Forteviot Primary catchment coming in. We’ve worked out that there are eight Forgandenny catchment pupils and three from Forteviot. Isn’t that right?

A. Since the proposal paper was written, there has been one Primary One pupil from Forteviot catchment that is known to the Authority. There is no knowledge of any others as they have not been enrolled.

Q. What effect would the additional Forteviot catchment Primary Ones have on the current category two pupils at Forgandenny Primary?

A.Placing Requests have not yet been finalised, therefore parents who have applied will not have received a decision. As the pupils in the Forteviot Primary catchment area are within the temporarily zoned catchment for Forgandenny Primary, from October 2016, then they are not placing requests. Every parent making a placing request, for any school, is taking a risk that it may not be granted. The majority of pupils in the Forteviot Primary catchment attended Forgandenny Primary School prior to the school being mothballed, so there was no sudden influx of pupils after mothballing. Last year, all category 2 placing requests were allocated places in school but some category 3 placing requests were not.

Q. Is there a cap on the number of Primary Ones who can be accepted?

A. There is no cap, there is a degree of flexibility and numbers would depend on the composition of classes and the allocation of classroom space. Having 3 classrooms in school helps with this flexibility.

Q. What happens to pupils if there is no room at Forgandenny or Dunbarney Primaries?

A. There is a procedure for reserving places in schools, which can only be allocated to category 1 pupils living in the catchment area. In addition, there is sufficient capacity at Dunbarney Primary School.

Q. Is it true that there was a plan that if there were too many pupils at Forgandenny, the school would move to the Forteviot building?

A. That has never been considered. Forteviot Primary School is smaller than Forgandenny Primary School.

Q. There are 17 new houses planned for in the area, have these been accounted for?

A. There is a legal duty to educate the children in the area wherever possible, and with composite classes, there is the flexibility to accommodate pupils from within the catchment area.

Page 160 of 396 Q. Are there any plans to extend Forgandenny Primary School?

A. There are no plans to do so. Potential pupils from new builds are calculated at 0.27 pupils per house, so there is no requirement to consider a building extension. For information, an extension would cost at least £1/2m.

Q. Does the Planning Department check on school capacities before granting planning permission?

A. Yes. As well as developer contribution for larger developments, there are also regular meetings between staff in Education & Children’s Services and Planning, where these issues are discussed. The development at Oudenarde was a much larger scale which was why a new school was part of the plans.

Q. There is a new development planned for the area. Does the Local Development Plan (LDP) allow for this?

A. There are no plans to change the LDP, but Carol Taylor agreed she would look further into this.

Q. Isn’t Forteviot Primary School owned by Dupplin Estate?

A. No, the school building belongs to Perth & Kinross Council. The playing fields are leased from the estate, however the building is not.

Q. Why was a meeting like this not held last year?

A. We were not in a statutory consultation period last year. Mothballing of a school is a power delegated to the local authority and there was no requirement to consult at that point. However, now there is a formal proposal to close Forteviot Primary, this has to be consulted on.

Q. Why have only some people received letters inviting them?

A. As part of a statutory consultation, there are categories of people who are statutory consultees who have to be consulted with and those are the people who have been written to directly. The wider public who may not be statutory consultees are invited as part of the public notices and social media advertising so they can also participate.

Q. If there was an influx of 20 children, would Forteviot Primary be opened up again?

A. Not necessarily, it would depend where they lived, their stage in school and other factors.

Q. Are there other schools closing?

A. Yes, there are schools closing in other local authority areas, as well as proposals to close some other schools in Perth & Kinross.

Page 161 of 396

Q. Have prospective parents been contacted, and the wider community, other than by letter and using social media?

A. Yes, prospective parents that are known to Perth & Kinross Council have been contacted, as they are statutory consultees.

Q. The Community Council did not receive a letter, they should have?

A. A letter was sent to the Community Council as it is a statutory consultee. Post meeting note: The distribution of letters was checked following the public meeting and it was confirmed that the letter was emailed to Earn Community Council on 16 March 2018.

Q. What about teachers at Strathallan who may come to the school, can be prospective parents, but haven’t been offered a job yet? How would they be consulted with?

A. They would be treated in the same way as anyone else moving into the catchment area. Prospective parents who do not yet live in the catchment area can participate as part of the wider public at this stage.

Q. Can the statutory consultation list include Strathallan?

A. If there are parents there whose children attend Forgandenny Primary School, they would have received a letter as part of the statutory consultation. If not, they would be covered by the publicity used for the wider community. There is no requirement, or reason to include them as a statutory consultee.

Q. Is the road at the side of the school a Council road? Why is it never gritted?

A. Perth & Kinross Council categorises and prioritises all roads for gritting and ploughing purposes. It is likely that in terms of the road network across Perth & Kinross, the short lane would be a low priority.

Q. If there is an excess of new Primary One pupils, will the school be given an additional Classroom Assistant?

A. It would depend on the school roll, which dictates the numbers of teacher and primary school support staff. In addition to this, there are also Pupil Support Assistants who are allocated to schools depending on the educational needs of individual pupils.

Q. When will we know when placing requests have been allocated?

A. The relevant parents will be informed in writing by 30 April 2018.

Q. Has the whole boundary changed?

Page 162 of 396

A. No, there is no review of Forgandenny’s existing catchment area, other than the subsuming of the existing Forteviot catchment area. Boundaries with other schools are unaffected.

Q. What will happen to Forteviot Primary?

A. Education & Children’s Services would declare it surplus to educational requirements. There are options such as community asset transfer and sale on the open market.

Q. Could Forteviot be used for Oudenarde children?

A. This was addressed in the Proposal Paper and discounted as a viable option. There are currently 57 primary aged pupils living in Oudenarde, which would take both Forteviot and Forgandenny over capacity. It was noted that some households in the Oudenarde development rely on public transport, which would limit their involvement in the school community, due to the lack of transport between the communities.

Q. Are Oudenarde children being treated differently to others in adjacent communities?

A. When Bertha Park High School opens, Oudenarde, along with Dunbarney and Forgandenny, will feed to that secondary school.

6. Comments

 The catchment area will be huge.

 Perth & Kinross Council has moved the goal posts. Previously, parents would request Forgandenny Primary as placing requests as they were not being refused.

 Siblings are part of the school “family” and it would feel as if they were being pushed away if they did not get their placing requests granted.

 When we moved to the area, where we are building, when we applied for planning permission we were advised of the requirement for developer’s contribution.

 At the time, lots of the placing requests came from Dunbarney Primary rather than Forteviot Primary.

 These plans will affect the community, as they might have a detrimental effect on placing requests.

 So it could all backfire (after the explanation of the stages in the consultation process). 41

Page 163 of 396

 It takes such a long time to close a school.

 There will be an effect on the community if siblings don’t get into the school. We would be losing part of our school family. Siblings may be removed if the younger ones don’t get a place. This could also affect childminders in the area.

 It’s a shame if younger siblings of existing placing requests can’t get in.

 Forteviot would make a good nursery.

Sheena Devlin thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting.

Page 164 of 396 Appendix 2

Perth & Kinross Council

Education and Children’s Services

Forteviot Primary School

Summary of Consultation Responses

Page 165 of 396 The statutory consultation on the proposal to close Forteviot Primary School commenced on Monday 19 March 2018 and closed on Thursday 17 May 2018.

Details of the proposal document were issued to the list of consultees contained within the Proposal Paper. 151 letters were issued with a link to the proposal paper and details of where and how to obtain a paper copy. The Proposal Paper was also published on the Council website. Public Notice adverts were placed in the local press on 16 March 2018.

Two online responses were received. Both responses agreed with the Council’s proposal. Both responses were only partially completed and did not contain the respondents’ names, addresses or respondent groups.

RESPONDENT GROUP NUMBER OF RESPONSES

Unknown 2

Total 2

These 2 responses are thought to represent 2 separate individuals.

No written representations were received.

The Council held one public meeting to discuss the proposal. The meeting took place in Forgandenny Primary School on Thursday 26 April 2018. Five members of the public attended this meeting. The attendees consisted of 3 parents and 2 community members.

The following points summarise the verbal issues and comments raised at the meeting.

 Clarification was sought that by the time the proposal would be implemented, Forteviot would have been part of Forgandenny Primary School’s catchment area for 3 years and it was stated that it takes a long time to close a school.

 Clarification was sought regarding the number of P1 pupils due to start at Forgandenny PS in August 2018.

 Concern was raised regarding the impact additional Forteviot catchment pupils would have on the availability of spaces for younger siblings of placing requests attending Forgandenny PS. It was suggested that Perth & Kinross Council has moved the goal posts as parents would request Forgandenny Primary as placing requests as they were not being refused.

Page 166 of 396 It was noted that siblings are part of the school “family” and it would feel as if they were being pushed away if they did not get their placing requests granted. It was noted that previously lots of the placing requests came from Dunbarney Primary rather than Forteviot Primary and suggested these plans will affect the community, as they might have a detrimental effect on placing requests. It was stated that there will be an effect on the community if siblings don’t get into the school and they would be losing part of our school family. Siblings may be removed if the younger ones don’t get a place. This could also affect childminders in the area. It was also stated that it would be a shame if younger siblings of existing placing requests can’t get in.

 Clarification was sought on the maximum number of P1 pupils who can be accepted into P1 at Forgandenny PS and what would happen if there was no room at Forgandenny or Dunbarney Primary Schools.

 Clarification was sought on whether Forteviot Primary School was owned by Dupplin Estate and what would happen to the building if the proposal was implemented. It was suggested that Forteviot PS would make a good nursery.

 Clarification was sought why only some people in the village have received letters about the consultation, whether prospective parents and the Community Council had been written to and whether Strathallan School could be included as statutory consultees.

 Clarification was sought regarding whether Forgandenny PS would be allocated an additional classroom assistant if the number of P1 pupils increased.

 Clarification was sought on whether the whole catchment boundary was to change and it was stated that the proposed new catchment area will be huge.

 Clarification was sought on whether Forteviot PS could be used for children living in Oudenarde.

151 letters were issued inviting comments and participation in the consultation. Three parents are known to have participated in the consultation to make their views known. 45

Page 167 of 396 Appendix 3

Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

Forteviot Primary School

25 April 2018 Pupil consultation P1 – 3 Proposal - Education provision at Forteviot Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 28 June 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter; Why is the school closing? 18 pupils in class, once all understood the children were asked to put their name beside emoji’s.

10 8

Children were also given the opportunity to ask questions/share thoughts and these are summarised below:

What about Dunbarney?

Everyone understands

It was fun - us?

Would there be lots of children

Was it abandoned or a bad school

Is the school going to get knocked down

Page 168 of 396 Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

Forteviot Primary School

25 April 2018 Pupil consultation P4/5 Proposal - Education provision at Forteviot Primary School be permanently discontinued with effect from 28 June 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter; Why is the school closing? 7 of the class had a connection to Forteviot. 20 pupils, 5 did not understand went back over it and checked all children now understood. Once all understood the children were asked to put their name beside emoji’s.

4 8 8

Children were also given the opportunity to ask questions/share thoughts and these are summarised below:

Is it closed already?

What will it turn into

Knock it down and build a playpark

Turn it into a library

It could be a skatepark.

Page 169 of 396 Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 staff meeting 18 April 2018

Forteviot Primary School

This meeting was held to allow staff the opportunity to see the presentation that will be shared at the public meeting on 26 April 2018. Staff had the opportunity to ask questions throughout the presentation

Q.1 Concerned about roll and future increases. 14 coming in P1 A P1 intake information will not be confirmed by the schools team until 30 April.

Q.2 Future for siblings who have existing placing requests A Noted.

Q.3 Why not consulting P6 – 7? A Only those pupils directly affected by the proposal are being consulted. Current P6 and P7 will not be affected as they will have left primary school by the proposed implementation date of June 2019.

Page 170 of 396 Appendix 4

Report by Education Scotland addressing educational aspects of the proposal by Perth and Kinross Council to permanently discontinue education provision at Forteviot Primary School, with effect from 28 June 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter; and that the pupils of Forteviot Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at Forgandenny Primary School, from 1 July 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter; and that the delineated catchment area of Forgandenny Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Forteviot Primary School from 1 July 2019.

1. Introduction

1.1 This report from Education Scotland has been prepared by Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Education (HM Inspectors) in accordance with the terms of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and the amendments contained in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. The purpose of the report is to provide an independent and impartial consideration of Perth and Kinross Council’s proposal to permanently discontinue education provision at Forteviot Primary School, with effect from 28 June 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter; that the pupils of Forteviot Primary School catchment area permanently receive their education at Forgandenny Primary School, from 1 July 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter and that the delineated catchment area of Forgandenny Primary School be permanently extended to subsume the whole delineated catchment area of Forteviot Primary School from 1 July 2019. Section 2 of the report sets out brief details of the consultation process. Section 3 of the report sets out HM Inspectors’ consideration of the educational aspects of the proposal, including significant views expressed by consultees. Section 4 summarises HM Inspectors’ overall view of the proposal. Upon receipt of this report, the Act requires the council to consider it and then prepare its final consultation report. The council’s final consultation report should include a copy of this report and must contain an explanation of how, in finalising the proposal, it has reviewed the initial proposal, including a summary of points raised during the consultation process and the council’s response to them. The council has to publish its final consultation report three weeks before it takes its final decision. Where a council is proposing to close a school, it needs to follow all legislative obligations set out in the 2010 Act, including notifying Ministers within six working days of making its final decision and explaining to consultees the opportunity they have to make representations to Ministers.

1.2 HM Inspectors considered:

 the likely effects of the proposal for children of the schools affected; any other users; children likely to become pupils within two years of the date of publication of the proposal paper; and other children and young people in the council area;

 any other likely effects of the proposal;

Page 171 of 396  how the council intends to minimise or avoid any adverse effects that may arise from the proposal; and

 the educational benefits the council believes will result from implementation of the proposal, and the council’s reasons for coming to these beliefs.

1.3 In preparing this report, HM Inspectors undertook the following activities:

 consideration of all relevant documentation provided by the council in relation to the proposal, specifically the educational benefits statement and related consultation documents, written and oral submissions from parents and others; and

 visits to the sites of both Forteviot and Forgandenny Primary Schools, including discussion with relevant consultees.

1.4 As the proposal will lead to the closure of an accessible rural school, HM Inspectors also took account of the council’s consideration of any reasonable alternatives to closure of Forteviot Primary School, the likely effect on the local community and the likely effect of any different travelling arrangements of the proposed closure.

2. Consultation Process

2.1 Perth and Kinross Council undertook the consultation on its proposal(s) with reference to the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and the amendments in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

2.2 The consultation period began on 19 March 2018 continuing until 17 May 2018. A public meeting was held in Forgandenny Primary School on 26 April 2018. There were five members of the public in attendance, three parents and two members of the community. Letters were issued to the list of statutory consultees with a link to the proposal paper and details of where and how to obtain a paper copy. The proposal paper was also published on the council website. A specific email address was set up for representations and enquiries. This was in addition to the usual methods of submitting representations. An online response form was set up on the consultation webpage. Public notice adverts were placed in the local press on 16 March 2018. There were two online responses to the consultation and both were in favour of the proposal. No written representations were received.

2.3 Those who attended the public meeting sought further clarification about different aspects of the proposal, including in the main: school roll predictions; P1 intake; allocation of places; travel arrangements; future plans for Forgandenny and Forteviot Primary School buildings; and the Local Development Plan.

Page 172 of 396 3. Educational Aspects of Proposal

3.1 The council has presented a comprehensive account of the educational benefits of closing Forteviot Primary School. Since the mothballing of the school in October 2016, due to a falling and unsustainable school roll, children from the Forteviot catchment area and formerly on the school roll at Forteviot Primary School have been educated at Forgandenny Primary School. This has enabled Forteviot children to access learning with groups of learners at all stages within a primary school. It has supported a greater number of learning opportunities across and between classes. It has provided Forteviot children with the opportunity to benefit from peer support from a wider group of peers and to develop their social and interpersonal skills in a broader range of appropriate contexts. Transition to secondary school has been strengthened, supported by a wider group of peers and friendship groupings. There has been no noticeable detrimental impact on children’s education following their transfer to Forgandenny Primary School. As pupils of Forgandenny Primary School, children have benefited from established school partnerships such as those with Strathallan School. These provide access to digital learning and sports facilities, enhancing the curricular experience and supporting children’s achievement and health and wellbeing. Children have also been able to benefit from Forgandenny Primary School’s well-established involvement in both outdoor learning activities and sustainable education initiatives. Future roll predictions indicate that there is unlikely to be an increase in the pupil population within the Forteviot catchment over the next four years. Many parents had already exercised their right to placing requests for other schools prior to the mothballing, due to concerns about the falling roll and a reduction in opportunities for children to socialise with peers. In addition, the Forgandenny Primary School building has been rated more positively than the Forteviot building in relation to both suitability and condition and a closure decision would mean financial savings could be secured in line with the council’s drive for best value. The proposal further secures a long term sustainable school roll and future for the Forgandenny school community and the proposed enlarged catchment area. Overall, HM Inspectors consider that there are many clear and well-founded educational benefits to the proposal.

3.2 Children who met with HM Inspectors were positive about the proposal overall. Those travelling the 2.7 miles, or six minutes, on average, from the Forteviot catchment were anxious to know if transport would continue to be provided for them once their school was closed. They expressed a desire for consistency in the council’s approach, in that should Forteviot Primary School be closed then other schools with similarly small rolls should also be considered in the same way.

3.3 Staff who met with HM Inspectors believe that there has been no negative impact for Forteviot children resulting from the move to Forgandenny Primary School. They identify a number of advantages, including a more positive learning experience overall. They had some concerns, that with land in the catchment area now zoned for housing, the Forgandenny building and grounds would not have sufficient capacity in the future to cope with the increased demand from catchment families. They also recognised the potential impact on families, given that with an increased school roll, any future placing requests were less likely to be successful and therefore some siblings might not be able to be educated alongside their brother or sister.

Page 173 of 396 3.4 Parents who met with HM Inspectors expressed similar views to staff. While no concerns had been raised by their children, as parents, they did have a concern over what might happen to the existing school building at Forteviot and were keen that the rich potential of the setting was capitalised upon for the benefit of the community. Some parents highlighted that the site at Forgandenny was limited in size, with restricted space both indoors and out, compared with the Forteviot site, despite Forteviot only having two classrooms and that the space currently available might be further compromised in the future, if temporary accommodation or an extension was required to accommodate an increased number of pupils.

3.5 As the proposal will lead to the closure of an accessible rural school, HM Inspectors also took account of the council’s consideration of the factors to which it should have special regard. Prior to formulating the proposal, the council had given appropriate consideration to any reasonable alternative to closure and evaluated these accordingly as outlined in their options appraisal paper. In undertaking their options appraisal, the council gave well-balanced consideration to any potential impact of the closure on the local community, the environment and children, young people and other school users. A pre-consultation exercise was carried out with the community to help inform the options appraisal. Information on pupil numbers, house building and financial implications were also sought and presented as part of this exercise.

4. Summary

Perth and Kinross Council’s proposal to permanently discontinue education provision at Forteviot Primary School, making consequent changes to catchment areas, is of clear educational benefit. Since the mothballing of the school in October 2016, the Forteviot pupils have become well-integrated into Forgandenny Primary School, benefiting from being educated alongside a larger peer group at every stage. The children have adjusted well to the move and to the minimal additional travel involved and overall there has been no detrimental impact. Alternative options to closure have been very well-considered. With a declining and unsustainable school roll and facilities now requiring significant investment, potential savings can be secured as a result of the closure, minimising the impact of any cuts to education services and contributing to the council’s vision of best value. There are no significant objections to the proposal as it stands. In finalising the proposal, the council should reassure children and their families about future long term travel arrangements for children in the Forteviot catchment area. It should also continue to engage with the Forteviot community regarding any future plans for the Forteviot Primary School building.

HM Inspectors Education Scotland May 2018

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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

Lifelong Learning Committee

31 October 2018

Digital Strategy – Education and Children’s Services

Report by Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (Report No. 18/351)

PURPOSE OF REPORT The purpose of report is to inform the Lifelong Learning Committee regarding the Education and Children’s Services (ECS) strategy for the development of digital literacy, digital skills and the use of technology in learning and teaching within educational establishments in Perth & Kinross. The strategy includes:

 Clear objectives for all schools and establishments  Overarching aims to be achieved by 2021  Key actions for ECS, schools and early years settings

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 Life in the 21st century is increasingly digitised. The national and local current labour market information details an economic need for the development of digital skills in the future workforce and indicates that 90% of all jobs now contain a digital element. It is therefore vital that, alongside strengthening and cultivating the core skills of literacy, numeracy and health and well-being, there is also a clear focus on the development of digital literacy and digital skills in our children and young people in order to prepare them well for their future. To achieve this there is a need for relevant and appropriate learning experiences which provides opportunities for all young people to develop all of the skills they require.

1.2 This strategy is aligned with the National Improvement Framework Improvement Plan the National Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland and the PKC Raising Attainment Strategy. The development of digital skills also contributes to a key priority outlined in the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families (2017-2020).

1.3 As part of the rolling replacement programme within ECS, the school estate is well-equipped with desktop computers and software. A number of schools have purchased and are using iPads along with other technology to enhance digital learning and to develop digital literacy and skills. However, with the dramatic pace of change globally and the increase in demand for digital skills in the current and future job markets, it is essential that there is a systematic approach to providing appropriate digital learning experiences and skills across our schools and establishments.

Page 175 of 396 1.4 To inform future project and investment priorities, a survey of school curricular ICT was developed collaboratively to capture information about current users, use and usage; ambitions and barriers to improvement; and infrastructure needs and issues. The survey was wide-ranging and included internet connectivity for schools; internal Wi-Fi; audio visual provision and classroom computers.

1.5 A comprehensive programme of improvements is already underway to ensure the infrastructure in all schools is upgraded appropriately, in line with the survey results. It is anticipated that this work will be completed by 2020. Robust Wi-Fi sits at the heart of ECS planning around Glow and the development of virtual learning environments. Senior managers currently recognise Wi-Fi as schools’ highest priority for ICT improvement.

1.6 Investment in ICT infrastructure has an impact on the material fabric of schools: additional power and data points; new or re-located server cabinets; trunking; permanent installation of equipment and re-decoration on completion of structural work all require to be planned in conjunction with Housing & Environment Property colleagues. Discussion has been ongoing for some time to develop joint working arrangements for supporting a programme of school ICT infrastructure improvements.

1.7 There has been a considerable amount of success in the joint work done to date between education officers and the Corporate IT team to ensure best value from their combined resources eg the upgrading of bandwidth and Wi-Fi coverage.

1.8 In order to build capacity in digital skills in staff across the school estate, there has been an innovative approach taken to delivering training. ECS will appoint two graduate digital trainer posts. These post holders will deliver direct digital training and support to school staff. They will join the existing IT Digital Skills team of two and these four staff will then share combined remits across the Council, including work with schools, thus increasing the capacity to support digital development across the Council.

1.9 In order to support the development of the PKC Virtual Campus, it is important to ensure that our teaching workforce have relevant professional learning opportunities. These will support teachers to work in a virtual learning environment maximising these opportunities, where appropriate,for all. With this in mind, the strategy seeks to set out a model for professional development by appointing school based staff as digital leaders which will, in addition to the Digital Skills Team, enable this vision to be realised over time.

2. PROPOSALS

2.1 Our overarching aims articulate with the National Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland and link closely with the national approaches to developing creativity, employability and skills outlined in the Career Education Standard and The National Improvement Framework and are to:

Page 176 of 396 • Develop the skills and confidence of educators in the appropriate and effective use of digital technology to support learning and teaching; • Improve access to digital learning and technology for all learners; • Ensure that digital technology is a central consideration in all areas of curriculum and assessment delivery; • Drive and encourage innovation and investment in digital technology for learning and teaching for all learners; and

• Design and deliver an appropriate curriculum which genuinely equips children and young people for learning, life and work with relevant skills which lead to sustained positive school leaver destinations. 2.2 The strategy and action plan for implementation is attached as Appendix 1.

2.3 A detailed plan to improve infrastructure and modernise devices and presentation equipment has been prepared and will now be implemented following the Capital budget process in June 2018. The IT Service is ECS’s partner for delivering the IT Capital Programme for education and supporting ICT in schools.

3. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1 This strategy highlights the need to ensure learning and teaching includes relevant and appropriate levels of digital literacy and skills, alongside other core skills such as literacy, numeracy and health & wellbeing to provide children and young people with all of the skills they require for life.

3.2 The strategy concludes that there is a need to ensure the PKC ICT infrastructure is fit for this purpose, that young people have access to digital learning opportunities and that structured and training opportunities for staff are a priority so that they can deliver the development of these skills.

3.3 Given the ever-changing nature of the development of digital technology, ECS will remain flexible and open to regularly reviewing its strategic approaches to digital learning and teaching to ensure the service is meeting the needs of learners within a wider local, national and global context.

3.4 The actions noted in this report to implement the Digital Strategy, form part of the ECS Business Management and Improvement Plan for 2018-19. Regular updates on progress will be provided at this Committee and also at Scrutiny Committee.

3.5 It is recommended that the Committee:

(i) Notes the extensive consultation with stakeholders in the preparation of the strategy; and (ii) Approves the ECS Digital Strategy.

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Author(s) Name Designation Contact Details Eleanor Paul Quality Improvement Officer [email protected] (Secondary) 01738 475000

Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Executive Director 16 October 2018 (Education and Children’s Services)

Page 178 of 396 ANNEX

1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION

Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial Yes Workforce No Asset Management (land, property, IST) No Assessments Equality Impact Assessment No Strategic Environmental Assessment No Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) No Legal and Governance No Risk No Consultation Internal Yes External No Communication Communications Plan No

1. Strategic Implications

1.1 Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement

The Perth and Kinross Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement set out five priorities:

This report relates to Objective Nos (i, ii, iii and v)

This report relates to Objective Nos (i,ii,iii and v)

Page 179 of 396 1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Policy Framework in respect of the following key policy area:

 Learning: Realising Potential

2. Resource Implications

2.1 Financial

The costs of ongoing training of staff will be met from existing Education and Children’s Services budgets. The Council have already invested £250,000 towards improvements in this area which will be spent on improvements to Audio Visual Equipment, investment in improving infrastructure and two digital skills graduate posts.

Workforce

2.2 N/A

Asset Management (land, property, IT)

2.3 N/A

3. Assessments

The proposals have been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (EqIA) with the following outcome:

(i) Assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA

Strategic Environmental Assessment

3.2 The proposals have been considered under the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 and no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report.

Sustainability

3.3 N/A

Legal and Governance

3.4 N/A

Page 180 of 396 Risk

3.5 N/A

4. Consultation

4.1 Internal

 Digital Learning Reference Group (representation from Early Years, Primary and Secondary schools);  ECS ICT staff;  Joint Divisional Management Team ECS; and  PKC IT Team.

4.2 External

N/A

5. Communication

5.1 A video has previously been distributed to inform elected members and school staff about the strategy. Headteachers have been kept up to date via papers to the Local Management Group meetings and a copy of the strategy will be provided for reference to all Heads of Establishment. Schools will be expected to share relevant points with parents.

2. BACKGROUND PAPERS

The following background papers, as defined by Section 50D of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (and not containing confidential or exempt information) were relied on to a material extent in preparing the above report:

National Improvement Framework Improvement Plan National Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland PKC Raising Attainment Strategy. Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families (2017-2020) Career Education Standard http://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/14704/next-generation-broadband General Teaching Council for Scotland Standards for Registration Standard for Career-Long Professional Learning

3. APPENDICES

Appendix 1 – Education & Children’s Services Digital Strategy 2018 - 2021

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Page 182 of 396 8

Appendix 1

PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

Education and Children’s Services Digital Strategy 2-18 2018-2021

This Digital Strategy for Perth & Kinross outlines the vision and actions that will be 0 undertaken to embed digital literacy, learning, teaching and assessment practices in our Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Specialist Provision schools from 2018-2021. Page 183 of 396

Contents Introduction ...... 2 Purpose of the Strategy ...... 3 Overarching Aims ...... 3 Challenges and Opportunities in Perth and Kinross ...... 3 Measuring Success ...... 4 Key Principles ...... 4 Responsibilities ...... 5 Key next steps for schools and early years settings:...... 6 Ke et steps for PKC Educatio ad Childre’s Services: ...... 7 Appendices

Appedi 1 Actio Pla………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………8

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PKC Digital Strategy 2-18

Introduction This strategy outlines Perth and Kinross Council’s vision and approaches to be undertaken to embed digital literacy, skills, learning and assessment practices in our Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Specialist Provision schools from 2018-2020.

This strategy is aligned with the National Improvement Framework Improvement Plan the National Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy for Scotland and the PKC Raising Attainment Strategy. The development of digital skills also contributes to a key priority outlined in the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families (2017-2020):

"Our children, young people and their families will be meaningfully engaged with learning and combined with high quality learning experiences, all children and young people will extend their potential."

Our Vision

Our vision in Perth and Kinross is to effectively and appropriately use digital technology to enhance learning and teaching, to equip our children and young people with vital digital literacy skills, alongside literacy and numeracy skills, which will lead to improved educational outcomes and prepare them fully for life beyond school. We are committed to improving outcomes for all learners.

We recognise that children and young people are growing up in a world where technology is an intrinsic part of life and as such it is vital that we embed the use of technology in our approaches to learning and teaching and enable children and young people to acquire the relevant skills to ensure they are digitally skilled and digitally literate and equipped for life after school.

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Purpose of the Strategy The purpose of this strategy is to set out clear direction for the development of digital literacy and the use of technology in learning and teaching approaches within educational establishments in Perth & Kinross. It includes:

 Clear objectives for all schools and establishments  Overarching aims to be achieved by 2021  Key actions for ECS, schools and early years settings

We will use the following key improvement themes from the PKC Raising Attainment Strategy, to drive forward the development of the use of technology and digital literacy:

 Leadership at all levels  Excellence in learning and teaching  Effective interventions  Engaging with families and communities

Overarching Aims Our overarching aims articulate with the National Digital Learning & Teaching Strategy for Scotland and link closely with the national approaches to Developing creativity, employability and skills outlined in the Career Education Standard and The National Improvement Framework and are to:

• Develop the skills and confidence of educators in the appropriate and effective use of digital technology to support learning and teaching; • Improve access to digital learning and technology for all learners; • Ensure that digital technology is a central consideration in all areas of curriculum and assessment delivery; • Drive and encourage innovation and investment in digital technology for learning and teaching for all learners, including the use of technology to engage with families and the wider community; and

Challenges and Opportunities in Perth and Kinross There are many examples of good practice taking place already in our schools and early years settings which exemplify our overarching aims.

Some examples include:

 The widespread use of the app SeeSaw in primary schools to journal learning activities and communicate these to parents;  Schools who have attained and registered for the Digital Schools award;  The work some LMGs in developing a Digital Learning & Teaching Strategy;  The use of iPads to support learning in early years settings;  The use of Sway and filmmaking to communicate and promote parental engagement and communication with school and wider communities;  The use of Office 365 and Google classroom to create paperless class work and a visual learning environment; and  Schools that have been proactive in the development of coding clubs and activities.

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The above demonstrates there are pockets of good practice and innovation already taking place across Perth & Kinross schools and establishments however there are many challenges for establishments and the local authority in relation to keeping up with the relentless pace of change in the field of digital technology. Probably the biggest challenge currently is ensuring the infrastructure supporting digital learning is fit for purpose. In the context of a largely rural school estate, the general broadband provision and Wi-Fi coverage in some of our more remote areas, which is the responsibility of the Scottish Government, is yet to be equal to the standard of our urban areas. More information about this can be found here: http://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/14704/next-generation-broadband

There is also challenge in providing relevant professional learning for all staff, the majority of whom are less practiced in digital skills than the young people they are teaching. In the development of the new school, Bertha Park High School, there is an opportunity to shape and determine the future vision for digital learning across Perth & Kinross.

Measuring Success Over time, and by 2021, we will be able to demonstrate:

 An increased number of staff who have undertaken career-long professional learning in digital learning and teaching approaches;  A reported increase in confidence of educators in effective and appropriate use of technology and digital learning and teaching;  Reported fitness of purpose of the ICT infrastructure resulting in an improved quality of digital learning;  Aspects of the curriculum relating to the use of digital technology are relevant, ambitious and forward looking;  Approaches to assessment that make effective use of digital technology for all learners;  Digital technology being used effectively to enhance and deliver learning & teaching across all curriculum areas and in Secondary, through use of the Virtual Campus; and  An increased number of young people leading digital learning and teaching.

(Baseline data will be taken from the 2018 ICT survey and improvements measured annually until 2021).

Key Principles The following key principles for effective learning and teaching in developing digital literacy and the use of technology skills underpin the aspirations of Perth and Kinross Council:

 Frequent opportunities for learners to engage with technology in a wide range of contexts, mediums and platforms for relevant purposes;  The use of relevant, real-life and enjoyable contexts which build upon learner’s own experiences and skills, including opportunities to lead digital learning;  Collaborative working and independent thinking and learning;  Making meaningful links for learners across different curriculum areas;  Building on the principles of Assessment for Learning;  The development of problem-solving skills and approaches;  Appropriate and effective investment in ICT; and  Full utilisation of available resources such as GLOW.

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Responsibilities It is the responsibility of all educators to ensure that children and young people achieve relevant experiences and outcomes in technologies to realise the overarching aims set out in this strategy.

Schools and Early Years Settings will:

 Encourage staff to share innovative and effective practice both face-to-face and through digital platforms;  Ensure that students and newly qualified staff are sufficiently supported in the appropriate and effective use of digital technology;  Look for opportunities to use digital technology to engage with parents and carers and supporting them to understand the benefits of digital technology in education;  Ensure that appropriate career-long professional learning opportunities are offered to a range of staff;  Ensure learners are involved in sharing their digital experiences and skills and that they are given opportunities to comment on the use of digital technologies to deliver learning and teaching;  Work with the local authority to obtain appropriate digital solutions which support and enhance learning and teaching;  Ensure all learners including those with additional support needs are able to access appropriate digital technology for learning and teaching;  Ensure that all learners become resilient and digitally intelligent users of technology and can stay safe, maintain personal security and successfully manage their online identity;  Ensure that the use of digital technology is a central consideration in the planning and delivery of any learning and teaching across the curriculum;  Provide a range of opportunities for learners to develop their digital skills across the curriculum;  Work to identify opportunities to enhance assessment using digital technologies;  Ensure that the use of digital technology within their establishment aligns closely with evolving self-assessment and improvement guidance such as ‘How Good is Our School? 4’;  Actively seek to identify existing expertise within the staff complement and ensure that their knowledge is capitalised upon;  Develop a young digital leaders role for learners appropriate to the setting;  Ensure that cyber resilience and internet safety is central to all digital technology use in the establishment;  Involve parent councils and parent/carer groups in discussions around the use of digital technology to help realise anytime/anywhere learning;  Take full advantage of all of the resources available in GLOW and promote the use of GLOW for all staff and pupils; and  Ensure compliance with data protection legislation in all use of digital tools and applications.

PKC Education and Children’s Services will:

 Provide staff with access to a range of career-long professional learning opportunities that will allow them to make the most effective use of digital technology to enrich learning and teaching and develop the digital skills of their learners;  Actively share experiences, information and opportunities that will support the professional development of all teaching staff;  Invest in a sustainable digital infrastructure, including the procurement of appropriate digital devices and supporting resources;  Ensure that digital technology is a key consideration in local authority investment programmes pertaining to improvements in the education estate;

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• Facilitate dialogue between local authority IT and Education and Children’s Services to ensure that education establishments receive appropriate and effective digital access and that the future needs of learners are proactively and regularly considered; • Support education establishments in delivering digital access and virtual learning platforms where appropriate, to all learners; • Actively participate as a local authority in Education Scotland’s ‘Digital Leaders Group’ and look to share knowledge and collaborate across local authority boundaries and within the regional collaborative; • Provide regular training for education establishment digital leaders and GLOW administrators; • Ensure that all learners and educators within the local authority area can access relevant digital tools and services by supporting the use of GLOW; and • Provide support and guidance to schools to ensure compliance with data protection legislation.

Key next steps for schools and early years settings: Schools and early years settings should review the standards, expectations and responsibilities set out within this strategy and evaluate current provision.

It is expected that all schools and early years settings will:

 Consider digital literacy and pedagogies as a priority across all curricular areas in the next three years;  Consider pedagogical approaches to the use of digital learning and the use of ICT through a focus on effective learning and teaching and inclusive practice in all classrooms and playrooms;  Nominate an individual to take strategic responsibility for the development of digital learning and teaching and the administration of GLOW within the establishment;  Work towards increases outlined in the measuring success’ section of this strategy;  Develop the role of Pupil Digital Leaders in each establishment to provide peer support and to act as ambassadors for digital skills;  Ensure all staff, in all sectors, can access a range of professional learning opportunities to ensure they fulfil their role in teaching digital literacy and the appropriate use of digital technology to enhance learning and teaching across the curriculum. In particular the offer to secondary staff to offer virtual learning; and  Ensure the use of all third party digital applications complies with data protection legislation.

Participation in the Digital Schools Award programme may enhance and support schools’ developments in these areas.

Key next steps for PKC Education and Children’s Services: Digital Leads and Champions

Whilst it is recognised that all staff in all schools and early years settings are leaders of learning, ECS will continue to work with the Digital Learning Reference Group and the Virtual Campus Development Group to deliver and further develop our PKC approaches in implementing this strategy. It is envisaged that each establishment will nominate a strategic lead for ICT and digital learning but that there will also be a number of digital champions developed. This is a professional learning group of innovators in this field who will receive additional training with a view to them supporting colleagues to build capacity in digital skills across the system and to further develop the PKC Virtual Campus.

A professional learning programme has already begun and will be developed further in session 2018-19 to ensure delivery of relevant professional learning across the authority.

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Virtual Campus

The PKC Virtual Campus is an online, ‘anytime, anywhere’ learning platform. Pupils access resources in a virtual classroom, communicate with the teacher and submit work using a learning platform on GLOW. Increasingly teachers are looking to develop their skills in storing and distributing learning resources digitally in this way. GLOW provides all teacher and pupils with a significant amount of free storage and access to a huge range of resources which can support this style of learning and teaching.

The PKC Virtual Campus Development Team has been set up to support the delivery of virtual learning across Perth & Kinross Secondary schools. This consists of 2 Faculty Principal Teachers, a secondary Quality Improvement Officer and the Digital Literacy and Digital Skills Officer from the Education Scotland team. The team has put together a support package of training for staff and pupils involved and will provide training across schools for pupils and staff during 2018/19 in virtual learning platforms. This development aims to address areas of inequity of access for young people across Perth and Kinross for whom there are barriers to them studying their chosen subjects or for whom attending school is proving difficult. It is planned that this will be rolled out gradually as more staff become trained and skilled and when learning from the pilots has been considered.

In developing the virtual campus, ECS will seek to work with partners who are already delivering online learning to young people. This will include the virtual learning environments which support eSgiol, SCHOLAR and Perth College UHI.

Bertha Park High School

In the development of the curriculum plan and pedagogical approaches in Bertha Park High School there has been a great deal of research and consideration undertaken regarding approaches to the use of digital learning and ICT. The opportunity to build a school ‘from the ground up’ affords the exciting opportunity to take a ground-breaking approach to the use of ICT from the outset, without the constraints of the leadership of change both in terms of infrastructure and hardware but also in relation to pedagogy, workflow, staff skills and training. It is part of this vision that staff recruited will take up post on the understanding that digital literacy and learning will be a core function of the educational experience at the school and that digital learning and skills will be a key accelerator of the attainment at the school.

Action plan for improvement

In order to achieve the overarching aims of the strategy by 2021, an action plan for improvement has been created (see Appendix 1).

Monitoring and review of the Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy:

The monitoring and review of the Digital Learning and Teaching Strategy will be undertaken via the following:

 Annual ICT schools survey;  Digital Learning and Teaching Reference Group;  Term visits in secondary schools; and  Via the ELAV process.

The Digital Learning Reference group will meet at least 4 times per year to monitor progress of the action plan for improvement.

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Digital Learning & Teaching Action Plan

Overarching Aim 1: Develop the skills and confidence of educators in the appropriate and effective use of digital technology to support learning and teaching Actions Timescale and Resources By Who Develop a program of Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL) opportunities Digital Learning and Digital literacy • Use a blend of twilight, whole and half day training, Inset Ongoing through to 2021 team officers (Education Scotland) and LMG training and in-class support during school day Training facilities/school lets XMA staff, PKC Digital Skills team, • Further development of digital leaders in school and Advice and Support from partners from Digital QIO community of teachers sharing practice XMA, Education Scotland, Apple, Google, • CLPL focus on iPad, GLOW (including both Office 365 and G Microsoft Suite) and Seesaw • Endorse and promote online CLPL from partners such as Apple, Microsoft and Google and increase numbers of staff with online accreditations • Establish Apple Regional Training Centre Champions (RTC) to deliver iPad CLPL • Maintain multi-channel approach to support professional Digital Champions learning eg website, twitter, Yammer groups, communities of practice and share digital practice via PKC Education QIO Digital and PKC Digital Skills Team twitter and blog September 2018 • Appoint Digital Graduates trainees to provide support and training to teaching staff across Perth & Kinross October 2018 Head of Secondary & Inclusion/QIO • Plan and deliver a support plan and training for the Digital migration to GLOW for all school staff August 2020 QIO Digital, IT Service Manager, Digital Skills Team 8

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Overarching Aim 2: Improve access to digital technology for all learners

Actions Timescale and Resources By who Collaborate with Corporate IT to establish infrastructure Jun 2018 – December 2020 improvement plan including: Corporate IT resources IT Service Manager  Broadband width

 Upgrading of server provision

 Wireless Access Points December 2018  Move to cloud based storage and solutions

Relevant IT information and briefing papers see appendix

Add human resource capacity to existing IT team to enable the infrastructure to be delivered on time Head of Secondary & Inclusion

The hardware estate Schools DSM 2018-2021  Modernise devices across schools XMA as procurement partner Heads of establishments Create AV equipment replacement programme   New school provision  Promote accessibility features of technologies in schools  Review procurement options for schools Digital Skills Team Heads of Establishments/QIO Digital

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Overarching Aim 3: Ensure that digital technology is a central consideration in all areas of curriculum and assessment delivery

Actions Timescale and Resources By Who

 Implement revised Technologies advice including Computing Ongoing through to 2021 Schools Science and Digital Literacy through CLPL  Utilise broad range of devices in CLPL school visits eg drone, robots, cameras such as Parrot minidrone, Dash robot, Blu By 2021 Digital Skills Team Bot, 360° camera, Sphero drone and other types of device  Work with SQA to roll out digital assessment (including standardised testing such as SNSA)  Identify how digital technologies can be used in all curricular From October 2018 Schools areas

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• Overarching Aim 4: Drive and encourage innovation and investment in digital technology for learning and teaching for all learners including the use of technology to engage with families and the wider community

Actions Timescale and Resources By who  All schools and establishments evaluate current digital Schools By 2019 provision and impact and links to HGIOS 4 and GTC

registration to inform their own required actions Ongoing through to 2021 School applications for Digital Schools Awards  QIO Digital  Maintain the Digital Learning Reference Group to inform and June 2018

inspire decision making and policy development and support

implementation of the strategy QIO Digital  Support schools in establishing Digital Leaders program for June 2019

pupils XMA Education Scotland Digital Learning  Advise on IT provision for new school and plan for training September 2018 Team, PKC IT team, QIO Digital, HT

BPHS

 PKC ad schools’ developet of consistent digital policies 360° Safe self-evaluation toolkit Schools, QIO Digital that support learning and teaching e.g. Acceptable Use Digital School Scotland Self-evaluation

Policy toolkit

 Ensure GDPR compliance Compliance Team, School Staff  Participate in Digital Leaders national body and share inter- Compliance Training for school staff QIO digital authority knowledge

School staff, Digital Skills Team, QIO  Support schools and establishments to consider and Ongoing to 2021 use of tools such as Digital promote the use of digital technology in parental website, twitter, Seesaw

engagement and family learning

 Provide schools and establishments with Digital Engagement September 2018 MIS GDPR/DPIA project officer Guidance

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Overarching Aim 5: Design and deliver an appropriate curriculum which genuinely equips children and young people for learning, life and work with relevant skills which lead to sustained positive school leaver destinations

Actions Timescale and Resources All schools and establishments  Promote STEM, the Digital Skills industry and Computing Ongoing from October 2018

Science for all genders

 Explore and utilise the Young Scot 5Rights framework which

seeks to protect young people and make the internet and

digital world a better and more empowering place for them

 Explore and utilise the World Economic Forum Digital

Intelligence and other resources

 Ensure staff are delivering entitlements, experiences and

outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence

 Ensure staff are fulfilling their responsibilities in relation to

The GTCS Standards

 Implement the Career Education Standard

 As per the Perth & Kinross Skills Framework (2015) ensure

young people develop, profile and understand their digital

skills and abilities

Implement the key actions in local and national policy 

 Working in collaboration with the Developing Young

Workforce Board and employer partners ensure children and

young people have regular opportunities to engage with

digital industry professionals appropriate to age and stage

 Ensure staff are aware of the local land national labour

market information relating to digital post school

destinations

 Deliver a Virtual Campus pilot in the Senior Phase 2018/19  Roll out the Virtual Campus model, widening choice and QIO Digital, Digital Skills Team, Virtual 2019-2021 accessibility Campus Development Group

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Page 196 of 396 9

PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

Lifelong Learning Committee 31 October 2018

Scrutiny Committee 28 November 2018

Raising Attainment Strategy Update 2018

Report by Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (Report No. 18/352)

PURPOSE OF REPORT This report provides a 2018 progress update on the Raising Attainment Strategy 2016-2019. It also presents information on a range of measures designed to both improve performance and monitor progress of improvements. Progress and performance highlights are provided in the Executive Summary.

1. BACKGROUND / MAIN ISSUES

1.1. In March 2017, Scottish Government published statutory guidance detailing new education authority duties. Education authorities are to demonstrate how they have delivered against the strategic priorities of the National Improvement Framework (NIF) for Scottish Education. Specifically, education authorities are required to publish annual plans and reports setting out the steps they have taken in pursuance of the NIF with particular reference to reducing inequalities of outcome experienced by pupils as a result of socio- economic disadvantage. This report fullfills this obligation to report annually on progress.

1.2. In addition, further guidance issued in April 2018 requested that this reporting include information on the use and impact of Pupil Equity Funding within the education authority, which is allocated directly to schools, and is targeted at closing the poverty-related attainment gap.

2. RAISING ATTAINMENT STRATEGY

2.1. The Raising Attainment Strategy was agreed by the Lifelong Learning Committee on 2 November 2016 (Report No. 16/348 refers). Supporting the strategy was an implementation plan organised around the four NIF priorities:

 Improvement in attainment particularly in literacy and numeracy;  Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged;  Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing; and  Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people.

Page 197 of 396 2.2 This report provides information on progress towards each of these priorities. The Executive Summary highlights areas of improved and improving performance. It also indicates areas where greater improvement is required.

2.3 The Pupil Equity Fund is a national initiative to provide additional funding directly to schools. The aim of this funding is to close the deprivation related attainment gap. From the national fund of £120 million, a total of £1.6 million was allocated to schools in Perth & Kinross.

This report provides information on the use of that funding within schools, and starts to describe the impact it is having on outcomes for children and young people.

3. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1. The report outlines the ongoing activity and progress across Education and Children’s Services to achieve the priorities of the National Improvement Framework for Education, as well as progress of the Council’s Raising Attainment Strategy 2016-2019.

3.2. It is recommended that the Lifelong Learning Committee considers the contents of this report.

3.3. It is recommended that the Scrutiny Committee scrutinises and comments as appropriate on this report.

Author(s) Name Designation Contact Details Rodger Hill Head of Education [email protected] (Secondary and Inclusion) 01738 475000 Paul Davison Corporate Research and Information Manager

Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Executive Director (Education 16 October 2018 and Children’s Services)

Page 198 of 396 ANNEX

1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION

Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial None Workforce None Asset Management (land, property, IST) None Assessments Equality Impact Assessment None Strategic Environmental Assessment None Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) None Legal and Governance None Risk None Consultation Internal Yes External None Communication Communications Plan None

1. Strategic Implications

Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement

1.1 This report relates to objective (ii) of the Perth and Kinross Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement; Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens.

Corporate Plan

1.2 This report relates to objective (ii) of the Perth and Kinross Council Corporate Plan; Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens.

1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Policy Framework in respect of the key policy area: Change and Improvement.

2. Resource Implications

Financial

2.1 N/A.

Page 199 of 396 Workforce

2.2 N/A.

Asset Management (land, property, IT)

2.3 N/A.

3. Assessments

Equality Impact Assessment

3.1 This report has been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (EqIA) with the following outcome:

(i) Assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA

Strategic Environmental Assessment

3.2 This report has been considered under the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005. No further action is required as it does not qualify as a PPS as defined by the Act and is therefore exempt.

Sustainability

3.3 Under the provisions of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 the Council has to discharge its duties in a way which contributes to the achievement of sustainable development. In terms of the Climate Change Act, the Council has a general duty to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and the community, environmental and economic impacts of its actions.

The information contained within this report has been considered under the Act. However, no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report.

Legal and Governance

3.4 N/A.

Risk

3.5 N/A.

4. Consultation

Internal

4.1 The report is developed in collaboration with Heads of Service, Managers and staff across ECS.

Page 200 of 396 External

4.2 N/A.

5. Communication

5.1 N/A.

2. BACKGROUND PAPERS

No background papers, as defined by Section 50D of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (other than any containing confidential or exempt information) were relied on to any material extent in preparing the above report.

3. APPENDICES

Appendix 1 : Education and Children’s Services Raising Attainment Strategy Update 2018

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Page 202 of 396 9

Appendix 1 Education and Children’s Services

Raising Attainment Strategy Update 2018

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Executive Summary

This report provides an update for the academic session 2017-18 on the progress of the Perth & Kinross Raising Attainment Strategy, agreed by the Lifelong Learning Committee on 2 November 2016 (Report 16/348) as well as the supporting implementation plan. It meets the requirement set out by the Scottish Government on reporting progress on the priorities set out in the National Improvement Framework (NIF) for education and also those of the Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) in tackling the poverty related attainment gap.

The report is structured around the four key priorities of the NIF and also the main improvement themes set out in the Couils oigial stateg. Updates ae poided o the atios plaed ad udetake thoughout / as well as the direction of next steps. There has been extensive progress in one year across the large number of activity and improvement areas, but being extended programmes of work many will continue to develop further to meet the objectives of National Improvement Framework.

 Work in early years settings on their development, communication and early literacy prepares children for school.  Schools are increasingly developing new ways of delivering family learning opportunities, and wider parenting programmes are increasing their support to families with younger and older children.  Extensive work around literacy and numeracy at all levels reinforces the importance that this holds. Effective tracking and monitoring of progress in attainment and also wellbeing is widespread. Digital technologies are increasingly used to enhance teaching and learning.  Leadership programmes are developing the appropriate insight, skills and behaviours for current and future education leaders, and all staff increasingly understands the socio-economic contexts of their schools.  Evidence-based and data-driven improvement activity is widespread and continually expanding. Interventions to address the poverty-related gap are well-planned and increasingly well-evaluated to show impact. Effective planning for school improvement and implementing PEF draws upon increasingly sophisticated data resources.  Many staff have both skills and confidence to address emotional wellbeing issues raised by children and young people as quickly as possible. Improvement projects to build resilience and coping skills in young people are under way.  Secondary schools continue to develop their curricular options with a view to increasing vocational opportunities while maintaining a broad academic offer. The range and number of foundation apprenticeships is increasing.  There is an increase in employer engagement with schools, employer visits, employer contribution to the curriculum, workplace visits and the number of work experience opportunities have increased.

A range of performance information is presented, describing progress in the principal and supporting measures established in the strategy. As previously reported these explore both excellence – raising overall performance for all and equity – narrowing the poverty-related gaps in outcomes. Key points highlighted are:

 Small improvements are beginning to be seen in proportions of pre-school children meeting expected development milestones. Additionally there are initial indications of a narrowing of the gap across deprivation categories.  Attainment across literacy and numeracy at P1, P4, P7 and S3 continues to increase steadily, based on teacher judgements of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) levels. There are also early indications of closing the attainment gap at all stages. Writing and numeracy levels are generally lower than for reading and listening/talking, especially for P4 and P7, and the poverty-related gaps more persistent, highlighting continuing priorities for the literacy and numeracy strategies that have been established across the authority.  For school leavers, literacy and numeracy qualifications achieved are generally increasing across both SCQF levels 4 and 5. However, more recently this increase has fallen behind the virtual comparator (VC) especially at level 5, indicating continued focus is required. For those S4 and S5 leavers without Highers, 70% achieved a vocational qualification.

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 Senior phase attainment for leavers continues to be good, with an overall upward trend. However poverty- related gaps evident in all areas of attainment and leaver destinations remain. It may be that narrowing of gaps in these areas will be seen over a longer time period, once the effects of improvements and interventions ealie i oug peoples lies (including PEF) become evident for school leavers.  There are indications that educational outcomes for looked after children are also improving.

Looking at supporting performance measures:

 Exclusions from school continue to reduce. Overall attendance in secondary is steady and primary attendance has fallen slightly over recent years in line with national trends related to unauthorised parental holidays.  Most primary schools (95%) have received training in Bounce Back, a programme to promote resilience levels of children.  Around 600 staff (the majority in schools) have now completed training delivered by CAMHS to increase their skills and confidence to address emotional wellbeing issues raised by children and young people as quickly as possible before they develop and require specialist intervention.  Participation in Active Schools activities is steadily increasing and in primary the participation gap has largely been eliminated.

It may be helpful to consider this report alongside the Education and Childes “eies Annual Performance Report for 2017/18 which considers the full breadth of services provided in the area, including those supporting children and families in a range of ways which may not relate to directly to school-based attainment and achievement but certainly act to support children and young people to achieve their fullest potential.

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Contents

Introduction 1

NIF Priorities

Priority 1: Improvement in attainment particularly in literacy and numeracy 2

Priority 2: Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged 9

Priority 3: Ipoeet i hilde ad oug peoples health ad elleig 18

Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations Priority 4: 22 for all young people

PKC Improvement Themes

Leadership at all levels 26

Excellence in learning and teaching 26

Effective interventions 26

Engaging with families and communities 28

Use of evidence and data 28

Conclusion 29

Appendix : Supporting data 30

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Introduction

The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 (as amended by the Education (Scotland) Act 2016) requires education authorities to prepare an annual report describing: a) Actions taken to reduce inequalities of educational outcome experienced by pupils as a result of socio- economic, or other, disadvantage. b) How the authority has due regard for the views of stakeholders, such as pupils, parents and families when making strategic decisions c) Actions taken to achieve the strategic priorities of the National Improvement Framework d) The educational benefits for pupils resulting from these actions

This report is a response to that requirement, reporting on the academic session 2017-18, and provides an update on the progress of the Perth & Kinross Raising Attainment Strategy, agreed by the Lifelong Learning Committee on 2 November 2016 (Report 16/348) as well as the supporting implementation plan.

Pupil Equity Funding is additional funding allocated directly to schools as part of the Scottish Government's Scottish Attainment Challenge programme, and is targeted at closing the poverty-related attainment gap. In Perth and Kinross, 76 schools shared £1.6M of Scottish Government funding in 2017-18. Authorities are required to report to the Scottish Government summarising the outcomes and performance as a result of the funding.

The report outlines progress towards each of the priorities identified in the National Improvement Framework (NIF) and provides updates on the main actions outlined in the Raising Attainment Implementation Plan against each of these priorities:

 Improvement in attainment particularly in literacy and numeracy  Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged  Ipoeet i hilde ad oug peoples health ad elleig  Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people

The report also outlines progress under each of the key drivers of improvement identified in the NIF:

 School leadership  Teacher professionalism  Parental engagement  Assessment of children's progress  School improvement  Performance information

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NIF Priority 1 : Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy

All teachers are required to assess and record the progress made by each pupil in every class in Reading, Writing, Listening and Talking and Numeracy. Teacher professional judgement in Perth and Kinross has been supported by the use of the National Benchmarks in Literacy and Numeracy, to ensure that teachers have a shared understanding of expected standards of children at different stages. A focus for this academic session has been to ensure that the benchmarks are understood and used in all schools to help all teachers make informed judgements about progress in learning across the whole curriculum.

This information is monitored at class, school, local management group and authority-wide level as required. The data gathered from these teacher judgements from June 2016 to June 2018, along with figures from previous years, shows a generally improving trend in literacy and numeracy. However, there continues to be no room for complacency as the P4 data shows that improvement has not been as steady as in other stages, although the latest year shows improvement. The improvement in numeracy, in all schools, has not been as strong over the last three years and is an area of focus.

The Perth and Kinross tracking spreadsheets and the Attainment Suite are supporting all primary schools in their attainment discussions. Pupil attainment is also a feature of school improvement visits. To support achievement of a level and full engagement with the Benchmarks, schools are challenged to engage with moderation of their judgements. This will continue to be a focus for our work with schools this year.

Phase 2 of Closing the Communication Gap was rolled out to an additional 13 schools in April 2018. The programme deelops patitioes skills to suppot hildes laguage ad ouiatio deelopet ad eal eadig skills. Parents are also inoled i the pogae to shae ith the ifoatio o as to suppot hildes language and communication skills at home. Data gathered from phase 1 has shown an increase in practitioner awareness of their own language levels and style when talking and listening to children, an increase in practitioner awareness of consciously introducing new vocabulary in daily spoken activities and all practitioners said that the programme has changed their practice. Almost all parents said they are more aware of was to deelop hildes language development at home as a result of the programme.

Eduatio ad Childes “eies (ECS) extended the time allocated to literacy and numeracy development in our probationer induction programme to ensure a heightened and more targeted focus on improving literacy and numeracy skills. Evaluations indicated that both primary and secondary probationary teachers now have a greater knowledge of the key opportunities and challenges in raising attainment and closing the gap in literacy and numeracy, are motivated to improve the quality of literacy and vocabulary-rich environments and understand the expectations for all teachers in PKC to deliver excellence and equity.

Strategies for literacy, numeracy (and health and wellbeing) have been developed and distributed widely. The existence and purpose of the National Numeracy Hub continues to be shared widely across Perth and Kinross through a range of communication methods. Schools and individual practitioners are using the Hub for career-long professional learning to suit their school/individual contexts.

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The National Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative Stretch Aim by 2020 is that at least 85% of Children within each SIMD quintile will have reached all of their developmental milestones at time of their 27-30 month and 4-5 year child health reviews. Until the latter review is fully established, Perth and Kinross Council collects development milestone information of all pre-school children using its own approach. Eal iteetio i the hildes deelopet is likel to hae log-term benefits across many measurable outcomes. Both measures shown here indicate gradual improvement and there are indications that the gradient (gap) across deprivation categories is reducing.

Figure 1 : Development milestones at 27-30 Months and prior to starting school (P1)

Proportion of children where at least one milestone is Due to a change in reporting to new domains, a large not met at 27-30 month review number of assessments were incomplete across Scotland in 2016/17. This will impact on the headline figure of no concerns that is usually reported. Therefore figures of % that hae a oe i a doai ae sho instead and these indicate an improving trend for Perth and Kinross (ie reducing number).

Source: NHS ISD. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 1

Proportion of P1 children meeting all developmental milestones prior to starting school There is a gradual improvement (increase) seen in pre- school developmental milestones being met and also indications of a closing of the gap across deprivation categories. Boys remain more likely to not meet developmental milestones. Emotional development, and speech and language are the development areas most commonly not met. Source: NHS ISD/ PKC Schools. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 2

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Prior to 2018, teacher judgements of pupil progress within and across CfE levels were based upon judgments of okig ithi a leel. Teacher judgements gathered at the end of P1, P4, P7 were done so without national benchmarks to provide clarity on the national expected standards aoud eal, fist ad seod leels; PKC idiatos to ifo judgeet of leels ee deeloped as a means to support teachers. The 2018 collection is the first one subsequent to publication and use of national benchmarks. Along with a focus on the guidance regarding ahieeet of a leel the ak a e aselie fo osideatio of futue pefoae, hih is loe than that previously reported locally and nationally. A new collection method using tracking and monitoring spreadsheets was used which included a greater detail of recording pupil progress. Peious eas figues ae adjusted i lie ith this. Collection approaches in S3 are unchanged.

Steady progress in levels achieved is shown across all stages and areas. However, writing and numeracy levels are generally lower than for reading and listening and talking, especially for P4 and P7, highlighting priorities for the literacy and numeracy strategies that have been established.

Figure 2 : Proportion of pupils achieving expected levels (CfE) of literacy and numeracy at P1, P4, P7 and S3

Source: PKC Schools. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 3

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Looking at attainment throughout the Senior Phase (S4-S6 of secondary), the Scottish Government benchmarking tool, Insight, assists schools and authorities support the key principles and purpose of Curriculum for Excellence, drawing together a range of attainment data for analysis. Insight includes the Virtual Comparator (VC) feature, which takes the key characteristics of each Perth and Kinross pupil that influence attainment and matches them to the average of 10 similar pupils from across Scotland. This benchmark is an effective way to help understand the authority strengths and areas for improvement.

In this section the attainment of school leavers is considered, this being the national approach to benchmarking performance and attainment achieved across S4, S5 and S6. However, for completeness, more traditional measures of the breadth and depth of attainment achieved by individual year groups are included in the Appendix (Table 9). This year, there was an unchanged result for National 5 awards achieved in S4, whereas S5 had a strong performance and S6 results were slightly lower than three very strong years previously.

Reflecting improvements seen in CfE levels, the literacy and numeracy qualifications achieved by school leavers is generally increasing across both SCQF1 levels 4 and 5. However, more recently this increase has fallen behind the virtual comparator (VC) especially at level 5, indicating continued focus is required.

Figure 3 : Proportion of school leavers achieving literacy and numeracy at SCQF levels 4 and 5 Literacy Numeracy

Source: Insight. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 5

1 Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework 5

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Isight uses taiff poits to opile latest ad est attaiet fo idiiduals i a a that eogises all tpes of achievements and awards from a range of providers. Using average total tariff points is a way to produce overall summary measures of attainment.

Overall the average tariff points have remained Figure 4 : Average Total Tariff Score of school leavers, relatively steady, with a peak in 2015 where results grouped by achievement level were particularly strong. The average is also consistently higher than the authoits irtual Comparator, other than the most recent results in the Lowest Achieving 20% group, highlighting the continued focus needed.

Source: Insight. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 7

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Actions for 17/18 Progress/Evidence Next Steps Literacy and Numeracy Teacher professional judgement in Perth and A continued focus for 18/19. benchmarks in use from August Kinross has been supported by the use of the 2017. Teachers, schools and National Benchmarks in Literacy and LMGs moderate to support Numeracy. Judgements have been based on teacher professional judgement achievement of a level and there continues to in achieving a level. be varying levels of teacher confidence. To support achievement of a level and full engagement with the Benchmarks, schools are challenged to engage with moderation of their judgements. Launch 3-18 Literacy Strategy in All ELC (Early Learning and The PKC Literacy Strategy provides clear November 2018 and develop and Childcare) settings supported direction for all to ensure that our learners launch 3-18 Numeracy Strategy to embed approaches to experience the highest quality of literacy for Raising Attainment. early learning and teaching at all stages from the ehae hildes communication and literacy early years to adulthood. Educational skills. Psychology input has supported the gathering

of sound research to determine effective Implement year 1 of literacy universal and targeted approaches to raising and numeracy strategies, attainment. Impact is being measured including establishing steering though the ipoeet i oug hildes group to oversee emergent literacy skills, the number of implementation and measure learners attaining appropriate Curriculum for impact. Excellence Levels in P1, P4, P7 and S3 and the percentage of pupils attaining National Good practice in literacy and Qualifications. The strategy was launched in numeracy continues to be August 2018. A similar process has been shared at Authority, Local undertaken with the PKC Numeracy Strategy. Management Group, School and Curriculum Improvement Network level.

Continue to develop and support Literacy and numeracy coordinators in schools Literacy and numeracy remains the role of literacy and numeracy support practitioners to develop their a priority for the PKC coordinators and share good understanding of relevance to curricular Curriculum Improvement practice and ideas to improve areas. Networks and DHT (Depute learning and teaching across all Headteacher) School schools. Improvement and DHT Support groups. Establish literacy and numeracy strategy steering groups to oversee implementation of strategy and measure impact.

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Actions for 17/18 Progress/Evidence Next Steps

Continue the use of the Primary Successful CLPL (career long professional There is a continued One Literacy Assessment and learning) sessions for Primary 1 teacher s on expectation that schools in PKC Action Resource (POLAAR) in all the POLAAR resource have been well will use POLAAR to reduce Primary schools to identify and attended. barriers to literacy for assess children who are most at individual or small groups of risk of developing later pupils. difficulties with reading and writing.

Implement the Digital Learning Three schools have achieved the Digital Identify and provide digital Strategy to enhance learning and Schools Award and a further 15 are registered professional learning. teaching in literacy and or are in the process of achieving award. Review and identify further numeracy. infrastructure needs Implement the Digital Virtual Campus across a number of centres and settings.

Support the introduction of The successful implementation of Year 1 of Review Scottish National Scottish National Standardised SNSA, with very high levels of engagement Standardised Assessment Assessments (SNSAs) in 2017-18. and usage. policy and procedures with Headteacher focus group and implement.

All schools use SNSA analysis to Initial use of the interim information provided As SNSA evidence becomes support planned interventions in by SNSA has informed teahes pofessioal fully standardised and more literacy and numeracy. judgements. robust, increase understanding and its use in planning.

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NIF Priority 2 : Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged

The targeted use of the Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) was a main area of development in 2017/18.

Whilst decision-making on PEF is devolved to shools, Eduatio ad Childes “eies poides lea guidae to schools to assist in ensuring its use supports both national and local priorities. It was structured as:  Identify gaps, using the full range of data and information resources made available centrally;  Decide on appropriate interventions, drawing on appropriate evidence and guidance;  Measuring impact, particularly for identified target groups.

Supported by Educational Psychologists, schools have been encouraged to engage with action research approaches to ensure evidence of the impact of any interventions was able to be identified and measured. This way of working provided an opportunity for schools to identify their own unique challenges and solutions. Schools established a baseline of current performance in a particular area, eg reading for understanding; identified the appropriate interventions based on evidence of impact; planned and implemented the necessary improvements and then monitored and assessed the impact the changes were having on attainment. Staff continue to plan and implement atio eseah seletig ad aalsig appopiate data, ad the takig its ipat o pupils eduatioal experiences.

Key to ensuring that the interventions used in PEF (and others) had the maximum impact, analysis support was provided to schools by the Research and Performance Team centrally and the data resources of the Attainment Suite were further developed (and continue to be).

Evaluation

After one academic year of planning for the use of PEF, individual school evaluations of progress are at the early stages. The following examples aim to highlight some of the impact which is already evident. Looking ahead to session 2018/19, schools are having an even greater focus on analysing their available data to further target a range of gaps for pupils.

In many schools, additional staffing is providing a more effective way of identifying young people who require targeted support. It is also providing more training and capacity within teams to deliver activities and interventions which support young people in their achievement and their health and wellbeing.

 Secondary schools have enhanced analysis that displays how young people from all backgrounds achieve in comparison to their virtual comparator. Schools have increased the tracking of pupils and are identifying, for example, those at risk of leaving with no qualifications and intervening early.

 In secondary schools, interventions and support, by extended pupil support teams have resulted in improvements such as the recognition of achievements. Young people report improved experiences in areas such as personal support and this has also been achieved through the extended support teams. This includes, for example, enhanced and improved communication with parents and has led to greater capacity to prioritise and deal with individual concerns.

 Staff surveys conducted in some secondary settings show that they have a clear understanding of the social, cultural and economic context of their schools including the demographics surrounding the poverty related attainment gap, how to measure it and also PEF. Most staff who respond to surveys state they use ifoatio ad data effetiel to idetif ad edue ieualities i hilde ad oug peoples 9

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outcomes. There is evidence from departmental reviews and equity tracking conversations that practitioners use this information to plan support for learning in class leading to improved outcomes for learners. PEF Innovation funds that have been established are allowing individuals, groups and departments to be innovative and seek funding to address local inequalities and close the poverty related attainment gap, including participatory budgeting (Local Action Partnership) initiatives. Staff report increased confidence ith stategies to suppot oug peoples elleig.

 Pupils report increasing satisfaction with interventions that are targeted and universal, for example, experiencing silent reading time in class each week. This prioritisation of reading time shows impact which is reflected in the high levels of success in progress in relation to the literacy benchmarks. The introduction of new approaches and resources to delivery in literacy and numeracy have been well received by young people, staff and parents and already are having a beneficial impact.

 In many primary schools staff have been able to work closely to deliver high quality small group support to those learners who have been identified through the data available to the school. Funding has been used to support training, additional resources and staffing. Where there has been a focus on closing the gap in reading accuracy and comprehension for some pupils there has been measurable success with particular interventions which have been supported by Educational Psychology Service. Some recorded evidence of progress record an average gain of 3 years in reading age for a targeted group of pupils. In another example, there has been an average increase of 6 years 5 months in reading accuracy. As a result of another reading intervention, current evidence shows that identified pupils demonstrated an increase in spelling scores and reading accuracy.

 Individual schools are tracking and monitoring the progress of targeted children and are noting progress in literacy and numeracy and areas of emotional wellbeing.

As schools move into the second year of planning for and evaluating the use of Pupil Equity Fund, there will be a greater amount of evidence available. To support the collection of this evidence, baseline measures have been established and the evaluation of the impact of PEF will become more measurable over time through these as well as the main outcome measures reported here. To support its analysis, the authority is well-placed to guide and assist schools to do this most efficiently and effectively.

During the year, the Couils iteal audit seie aied out a eie to eaie the arrangements put in place to ensure that schools understand, and can demonstrate consideration of, appropriate utilisation of Pupil Equity Funding in line with national guidance. It concluded that the internal controls in place were strong.

Actions for 17/18 Progress/Evidence Next Steps Provide ongoing support Using all resources available, The School Improvement Framework has been to schools in implementing including PEF where appropriate, refreshed to take account of the learning from the evidence-based all schools use data to analyse first year of PEF. School Improvement Plans approaches to close the where the most significant otai a oe detailed aalsis of a shools gap including use of Pupil educational gaps are and attainment gaps and the actions and evidence- Equity Funding prioritise support, challenge and based interventions that have been identified. PEF . intervention by selecting the spend is also clearly identified in the School appropriate evidence based Improvement Plan. interventions that targets those gaps.

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Actions for 17/18 Progress/Evidence Next Steps

Building on the success of the The School Improvement Framework has been Within the Framework, Closing the Gap programme refreshed to take account of the learning from the develop improved (CTG), all schools identify the first year of the PEF. School Improvement Plans guidance and support to baseline data to develop otai a oe detailed aalsis of a shools schools to make best of appropriate interventions. attainment gap and the actions and evidence- use of improving data and based interventions that have been identified. PEF analytical resources to spend is also clearly identified in the School identify gaps and evaluate Improvement Plan. the impact of interventions. It is clear from the plans analysed by officers that there is an improved understanding and consistency across schools in identifying gaps and planning for appropriate interventions. All schools and centres will Supported by Educational Psychologists, schools in Provide ongoing support engage in action research the Closing the Gap programme have used action to schools in implementing approaches or use improvement research approaches to ensure evidence of the evidence-based science models to improve the impact of any interventions was able to identified approaches to close the evidence of impact of and measured. This provided an opportunity for gap including use of PEF. interventions. schools to identify their own unique challenges and

solutions. Schools established a baseline of current performance in a particular area, identified the Support Action Research, appropriate interventions based on evidence of Model for Improvement impact, planned and implemented the necessary and use of data. improvements and then monitored and assessed the impact the changes were having on attainment. There continues to be a focus on Self-Regulation in Action using action research in primary schools. ECS staff Practitioners were supported to develop oug peoples self-regulation skills. Evaluations have shown that this led to improvements in attainment and achievement, especially for those from more deprived backgrounds. Implement the Inclusion Using the recommendations of Significant work undertaken, supported by expert Review to deliver the Inclusion Services Review, working groups, on understanding predictable equitable and excellent implementation plans are needs of learners across schools, as well the education which meets developed for 2018-19. exceptional variance that cannot be readily the needs of all learners. established/predicted.

All schools will review the impact Significant work undertaken over the last year by Provide ongoing support of planned interventions to schools to identify gaps and review the impact of to schools in implementing reduce the attainment gap for interventions. Further work is required to ensure evidence-based pupils in ACORN 5/SIMD 1 and 2 that a consistent set of measures are used to approaches to close the and share successful strategies measure baseline and progress. A directory of gap including use of PEF. and programmes. strategies used has been collated and shared with Support Action Research, schools. Model for Improvement and use of data.

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Excellence and Equity

In order to identify if the actions taken to improve our priorities have been effective, measures are aligned to the stategs to oeall ojeties.

1. Excellence – we strive to improve performance across the board. In simple terms we aim to increase the oied aeage of all idiiduals ad raise the line.

2. Equity – we strive to reduce the gaps between those disadvantaged in different ways because of their circumstances. In simple terms we aim to flatten the line across groups of different advantage/deprivation.

These principles are shown simply below but progress will likely be a complex combination of these two factors. In showing progress, we aim to draw upon a broad range of evidence rather than relying on single, narrow measures. Changes are likely to be seen reliably over several years and year-by-year comparison should be done with care. In this report, at authority level, the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) is used to understand the effects of poverty. However, for the majority of schools, SIMD is considered weak for differentiating pupil background or statistical analysis, and the ACORN classification is used preferentially.

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Broad General Education (P1 – S3) There is a similar gap at each stage, when viewed across SIMD Quintiles (in Figure 5) with all curricular areas combined, and for pre-school developmental milestones (not shown). Initial indications show the gap narrowed in all cases last year, with the gradient of the inequality line flattening as shown in Figure 5. This is also confirmed when using alternative measures of deprivation such as ACORN2. There are indications that the gap in writing is harder to close for all ages as well as numeracy for older pupils. Further years of data will be needed to confirm these as established trends.

Figure 5 : Proportion of pupils achieving expected levels (CfE) by SIMD Quintile

Source: PKC Schools. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 4

2 ACORN is a small-area classification used in P&K alongside or in place of SIMD to understand communities and households. 13

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Senior Phase (S4 – S6) Consideration of attainment in Literacy and Numeracy for school leavers across SIMD quintiles clearly shows the attainment gap, particularly at SCQF level 5. There are indications of slight improvements (closing the gap) for both level 5 literacy and numeracy (Figure 6).

Figure 6 : Proportion of school leavers achieving literacy and numeracy at levels 4 and 5 by SIMD Quintile Literacy Numeracy

Source: Insight. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 6 The average total tariff score of school leavers also shows a clear attainment gap. Pupils from lower deciles tend to leave school earlier and this has a strong influence on number of tariff points accrued. This gap is relatively unchanged between 2015/16 and 2016/17, although the overall average has reduced from 958 in 2015/16 to 926 in 2016/17. In comparison to the Virtual Comparator, PKC is generally higher although the overall trend is similar.

Figure 7 : Average Total Tariff Score of school leavers by SIMD Quintile

Source: Insight. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 8

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Staying on Rates S4 to S5

Attainment in the senior phase is strongly related to the Figure 8 : Proportion of S4 pupils staying on to S5 by stage of leaving school. Overall, 85% of S4 pupils from SIMD Quintile 2016/17 stayed on to S5 the following year, which is down slightly from 86% the previous year. There is a clear pattern when viewed across SIMD quintiles, with pupils from more deprived areas being less likely to stay on. As with most measures, a longer time series of information is required to consider trends.

Source: ECS/ SEEMiS Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 10

Action Use available data to monitor the attainment, attendance and levels of exclusion of identified groups of children in ACORN 4 & 5 or SIMD 1-3 and vulnerable group i.e. LAC, at key stages.

Looked After Children/ Vulnerable Groups

Care should be taken when interpreting measures for Looked After Children due to the small numbers involved. Typically less than 20 young people fall into the looked after School Leavers cohort and for this reason, 3 years results have been combined to create rolling averages which allow for a slightly clearer viewer of trends.

The trends in attainment of Looked After children are generally in line with the virtual comparator, which is the attainment of the general pupil population from a similar SIMD background, gender and stage of leaving school, although Level 4 literacy is consistently lower

Figure 9 : Proportion of Looked After Children achieving literacy and numeracy at levels 4 and 5 Literacy Numeracy

Source: Insight. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 11

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Figure 10 : Average total tariff points for Looked After As with Literacy and Numeracy above, the trend in the school leavers attainment of Looked After Children is in line with the Virtual Comparator, although it is consistently lower.

Considering gypsy travellers as a specific group potentially experience vulnerability, analysis of 6 years of leavers data indicated that the majority left school at S4 or early in S5 and this will have a significant impact on attainment. However positive initial leaver destinations was relatively high at 79% and around 60% achieved literacy and numeracy qualifications at or above SCQF level 3.

Source: Insight. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 12

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Actions for 17/18 (continued) Progress/Evidence Next Steps

Develop a clearer understanding All schools have available data tools to help them Continue to work with of the additional costs associated understand participation in a range of activities, and schools in order to with participation in school. to udestad a gaps that a e eidet. reduce the cost of the school day for all young people.

All schools and centres have a The development of an Accessibility Strategy has Implement and review clear understanding of their been completed along with an audit toolkit for Accessibility Strategy duties and responsibilities schools. Schools will audit their provision using the detailed i PKCs Aessiilit toolkit. Strategy and audit current practice to identify areas for improvement.

Review and develop the Parental Strategy updated to take into account of national Identify and complete Involvement Strategy. developments. The final Strategy to be completed in key actions from November 2018. Almost all schools involve and Parenting Strategy inform parents in advance of key learning planned specific to 0-5 age group. for their children and parents have regular opportunities to see and comment on evidence of their childs leaig. Alost out of schools have a parental involvement strategy in place. In almost all schools, parents are involved in setting and supporting areas for improvement in the School Improvement Plan. Strategy will be Develop and implement a ECS Educational Leadership and Management publicised across all leadership and management Strategy developed with stakeholders. Clearly sets schools and centres and strategy. out the expectations of leaders within ECS and the it will be used as the professional learning opportunities available to basis for a Tayside develop capacity. approach to educational leadership.

Implement a middle leades leadeship of change and improvement programme working with a range of external partners.

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NIF Priority 3 : Improvement in children and young peoples health and welleing

Children and young people have contributed to a Staff at Navigate have been working closely with Child consultation on their health and wellbeing priorities and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in which has informed the Perth and Kinross ECS Health developing awareness not only of mental health and Wellbeing Strategy. concerns, but that of developmental trauma, which links in with the recent work around Adverse In 2017/18 558 young people received support from Childhood Experiences. Services for Young People focusing on reducing youth offending and addressing levels of vulnerability and Work supported jointly by the Educational Psychology harmful risk taking behaviours. This has ranged from Service (EPS) and CAMHS has taken place over the 1:1 individual support, thematic group work and course of this session with Secondary Schools to support to foster and kinship placements. Many of the review good practice in the area of mental health. young people receiving support were able to stay Four Schools have gone on to carry out practitioner within their own communities, re-engage with enquiry projects to review needs and interventions education, identify improvements with their specific to their school. In one Secondary School the behaviour, receive achievements or move onto more Educational Psychologist has linked with key staff to positive outcomes. futhe deelop a pogae to suppot ea The Strengthening Families Programme has engaged esilie ad edue aieties aoud ea performance. This has involved a combination of with 30 families including 35 young people and 45 universal curricular input along with targeted group parents/carers to improve their resilience by work. enhancing family communication, their awareness and skills to manage or reduce peer pressure and risk Most primary schools (95%) have now been trained by taking behaviour, and to improve future thinking and the EPS in Bounce Back (BB), a programme to health and wellbeing. promote resilience levels of children. As well as ongoing initial training, EPS support schools to review The Emotional Wellbeing Collaborative has provided the fidelity and effectiveness of their implementation opportunities for professionals from across the of BB. Training and support has also continued to Community Planning Partnership to come together embed Restorative Approaches across the authority. and work collectively to improve the emotional wellbeing of children and young people.

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Actions for 17/18 Progress/Evidence Next Steps

Support the implementation of The Health and Wellbeing Strategy was launched to Establish the Health and a Health and Wellbeing strategy schools in June 2018. The views of children and young Wellbeing Strategy which provides: curricular people were pivotal in determining the scope of the monitoring group and direction for schools; clarity strategy. They told us what would best help them Health and Wellbeing about workforce development keep mentally, physically and emotionally well. Network priorities; and guidance on Prepare for national assessing progress in health developments in and wellbeing for children and 2019/20 which will fill young people the gap of comprehensive data on (self-assessed) health and wellbeing of young people.

Restorative Approaches (RA) is RA Champions have been trained and supported over A continued high profile embedded in the practice of all the last two years. As part of initial probationary for RA. A conference is schools in supporting A teacher training in Perth and Kinross, RA sessions have planned for Spring 2019, Positive Approach to been included in the programme in both August 2017 to share good practice Preventing and Managing and August 2018. There has been close working with across Perth and Kinross School Exclusions (Scottish Community Link Workers and Community Learning schools and emphasise Government 2017). and Development staff to ensure common the expectation of RA as approaches. a fundamental part of our relationships and The approach taken to implementing and sustaining wellbeing strategy across RA within Perth and Kinross has been identified as an schools. example of good practice nationally.

Further develop the Perth and The improvement projects developed have included Continue to develop the Kinross Improving Emotional the use of the Wellbeing Web Tool to improve use of Emotional Wellbeing Wellbeing Collaborative to data to inform school planning, raised awareness of Collaborative with a build resilience and coping skills Adverse Childhood Experiences through roll out of a focus on Resilience of in young people. (11-15 year series of screenings of the Resilience film to over 1000 children and young olds) staff members, and completion of a Wellbeing survey people, parents and staff by Blairgowrie High School to inform development of

health and wellbeing actions in the coming year. Establish a range of Staff at Navigate have been working closely with Child training for staff to and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in enhance their skills and developing awareness not only of mental health confidence in leading concerns, but that of developmental trauma, which improvement projects links in with the recent work around Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Staff training and curricular Around 600 staff (the majority in schools) working In partnership with materials to promote positive with children and young people in Perth and Kinross Employee Support and mental health and resilience in have now completed training delivered by CAMHS to OD services pilot support secondary school pupils are increase their skills and confidence to address for the workforce to reviewed and piloted. emotional wellbeing issues raised by children and actively enhance their young people as quickly as possible before they own wellbeing. develop and require specialist intervention.

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Actions for 17/18 Progress/Evidence Next Steps

Continue to implement, A wide range of activity exemplified by the following: Development of monitor and evaluate the improvement projects  The Start Active, Stay Active project is a impact of the range of targeted meeting the objectives of partnership between Live Active Leisure and Perth multi-agency projects the Health and Wellbeing and Kinross Council, also involving NHS Tayside and evidenced/designed to improve Strategy. third sector partners. It integrates four intervention Health and wellbeing programmes that enable a pathway of active living outcomes. from early years in the family setting. It supports Promotion of events and hilde to eoe shool ead ad eouage learning opportunities the engagement of inactive primary school age for young people children in sport and physical activity out of school throughout Perth and hours. Kinross.  Four Schools have carried out practitioner enquiry projects to review needs and interventions specific to their school.  Most primary schools (95%) have now been trained by the EPS in Bounce Back, a programme to promote resilience levels of children.  Delivery of the Cook-It programme this year has focused on supporting the parents of children in their early years to improve their cooking skills and understand the benefits to their children of having a healthy diet.  To ensure pupils receive the correct amount and quality of PE, almost all Local Management Groups have established a Physical Education, Physical Activity & Sport (PEPAS) group - specialists, teachers, Active Schools and clubs work collaboratively to facilitate links, organise events, improving P7 to S1 transition, and building consistency between schools and professional learning opportunities.  Sixteen schools were successful in obtaining funding to support health and wellbeing from NHS Tayside. Projects included developments in outdoor learning, food and nutrition, mountain biking, play and other developments linked to the Health and Wellbeing curriculum.

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The number of P1 children classed as at risk of obesity – Figure 11 : Proportion of P1 pupils at risk of obesity those within the top 5% of the UK reference range for their age - has remained relatively unchanged in recent years at just less than 1 in 10, similar to the Scottish average. There was a significant increase in 2016/17 and work is underway with NHS Tayside to understand the factors that may be influencing this change. Early indications for 2017/18 suggest that the increase was short-term and figures are likely to return to previous levels.

Source: NHS Information Services. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 13

Figure 12 : Uptake of School Meals The uptake of School Meals in Perth & Kinross is generally increasing, although it has fallen slightly in the P4-P7 stages. Nationally there is a general downward trend, with a slight rise in P4-P7 uptake.

Source: Scottish Government Healthy Living Survey/ Census. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 14

Participation in Active Schools activities in both primary Figure 13 : Active Schools Participation and secondary (organised by Live Active Leisure Active School Co-ordinators) has increased steadily since formal monitoring commenced in 2014/15. This has been achieved by a steady closing of the participation gap related to poverty, especially in primary where it has largely been eliminated.

Source: Live Active Leisure/ECS. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 15

Figure 14 : Primary and Secondary Attendance The number of exclusions from school continues to reduce in both primary and secondary. Overall attendance in secondary is steady although primary attendance has fallen slightly over recent years and is related to unauthorised holidays/ trips away. As can be seen in the SIMD chart, the main contributors to this small drop in the last year are the more deprived SIMD quintiles 1 and 2. This is confirmed by ACORN data showing a 1 percentage point reduction in both primary and secondary ACORN 5 (most deprived) attendance.

Source: Scottish Government Healthy Living Survey/ Census. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 :Table 16 and Table 17

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NIF Priority 4 : Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people

After the publication of The Wood Report i Peth & Kioss Couil ee at the uttig edge of eploailit and enterprise policy. At that time PKC developed an Enterprise and Employability Policy for secondary schools followed swiftly by the PKC Skills Framework and the PKC Wider Achievement Standard. These policy documents acknowledged the importance of wider achievement beyond the classroom and emphasised the importance of skills development for learning, life and work in relation to Building the Curriculum 4.

In alignment with the Scottish Government 15-24 Learner Journey Review, the young people of Perth & Kinross should be equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to reach their full potential in both their careers and their wider lives. In order to achieve this there needs to be a coherent progression pathway for skills development, employer engagement and employability skills right through from nursery to destinations post-school. Consideration of this needs to be an integral part of shools isio ad alues, thei curriculum planning and learning and teaching, to equip our young people for their lives beyond school.

Actions for 17/18 Progress/Evidence Next Steps Schools continued to develop their Expand the offer of vocational and Publish and implement 3-18 DYW curricular options at the Senior academic courses to be offered to Strategy. Phase with a view to increasing senior phase pupils including further vocational opportunities while Working with the DYW Regional development of Foundation maintaining high expectations for Team, develop further approaches to Apprenticeships and an increase in attainment and achievement. The employer engagement, partnerships quantity and quality of work Perth City Campus continues to and involvement. placement and work experience provide a wide range of options for opportunities, continued support of Build on the work of the pilot work in the Perth city schools. Work is modern apprenticeship the virtual campus to roll out virtual ongoing to widen this offer through opportunities and continued support learning opportunities the use of a virtual campus which for programmes such as Career will serve and support all secondary Ready. schools across Perth and Kinross. The DYW Regional Board is fully Work with the DYW Board Team to Career Education Strategy Group 3-18 established working in partnership further encourage and support formed to develop a coherent with local employers, PKC and SDS. schools and local employers to work strategic approach to delivering the There is an increased employer in partnership and to increase career education standard through a focus on engagement with schools, numbers of employers delivering in focus on skills development and modern apprenticeships and work school, pupils going to work collaboration with partners and experience opportunities and an experience, pupils undertaking employers. increase in the number and quality foundation apprenticeships, of partnership arrangements with Increase the number of schools vocational courses and moving to our schools. accessing support from the Modern Apprenticeships. The Resolutions programme has programme. improved outcomes for those at risk of eteig the NEET goup.

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Actions for 17/18 Progress/Evidence Next Steps Schools maintain a large number of Co-ordinate and enable collaboration Further development of employer employer partnerships across the between schools and local employers partnerships, including a greater full breadth of size and sectors and strengthen the school/employer understanding of the depth and present in the P&K economy and partnerships in all secondary schools. nature of engagement. Sharing good reflecting labour market practice across schools. information.

Review and develop the range and The Career Ready programme, Further work is required, with the quality of work experience and work supported by PKC, is a high quality support of the DYW Board, to placement opportunities for local mentoring and work placement increase the involvement of young people. programme for targeted young employers in working with all schools people. Secondary schools are and also to improve the range and increasing numbers of flexible, quality of work experience ongoing work experience placements available for our Senior placements. Phase pupils. Publish and implement DYW Strategy.

Action Continue to engage with young people currently not in positive destinations to support them to develop positive pathways into employment, training, or employment - particularly focus on young people who are looked after, with disabilities, and those from more disadvantaged backgrounds or areas.

Positive Destinations for Young People Information on the destinations of school leavers is collected by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and provides information on the outcomes for young people recorded initially in October, approximately three months after leaving school, supplemented by a follow-up survey in March the following year. School leavers who are engaged in higher education, further education, training, voluntary work, employment or activity agreements are classified as haig a positie destiatio. Othe destinations include school leavers who are unemployed and not seeking employment or training, unemployed and seeking employment or training, and individuals where their initial destination is not known. The proportion of young people entering positive destination on leaving school has been generally improving, and is also largely maintained in the follow-up survey. There is a clear gap when viewed across SIMD quintiles, with a similar profile for Initial and Follow-up destinations. Figure 15 : Proportion of school leavers in positive initial and follow-Up destinations: Time Series and latest year by SIMD quintiles

Source: Insight Senior Phase Benchmarking Tool; SDS. .Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 18 and Table 19 23

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Figure 16 : Proportion of Looked After school leavers in positive Initial destinations (3 year combined average) Looked After children who leave school enter positive destinations at a lower rate than the overall cohort of school leavers, though this is broadly in line with the Virtual Comparator. The small numbers of Looked After school leavers mean that caution should be used when looking at these figures.

Source: Insight Senior Phase Benchmarking Tool; Skills Development Scotland. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 20

Figure 17 : Proportion of young people (aged 16-19) in education, training or employment To supplement the school leaver information, SDS also reports the Annual Participation Measure. This measure reports on participation in education, training or employment for all 16-19 year olds from across the population rather than focussing specifically on school leavers. The measure shows a gradual improvement in the proportion of young people in education, training or employment over the last four years. The participation figures are several percentage points above the Scottish average.

Source: Skills Development Scotland. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 : Table 21

School Leavers: Highers and vocational qualifications Many school leavers achieve few or no Higher level qualifications, which are key to continuing to Higher Education and or employment. Vocational qualifications will have greater importance for these cohorts of leavers. In 2016/17 there were a total of 608 total school leavers from S4 and S5 (compared to 556 in 2015/16). Of these, 74% left school without a SCQF Level 6 (Higher) qualification, the same proportion as the previous year. In 2016/17, 70% of those leaving without a Higher achieved some form of vocational qualification at any level. This is a slight reduction on 73% of previous year (recalculated to take account of different qualifications). The poverty-related gradient remains persistent in this measure. Source: Insight Analytical Dataset/ ECS. Data tables are provided in Appendix 1 :Table 22

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Actions for 17/18 (continued) Progress/Evidence Next Steps

Review the Enterprise and All schools are working to adopt the Career Education Strategy Group to Employability policy including the Career Education Standard. develop a coherent plan for DYW, use of the Careers Education Career Education, Skills, Wider Standard in all schools. Achievement and Profiling 3-18 in partnership with partner providers, SDS, Perth College and the DYW Board.

Continue to extend approaches to Schools DYW group formed to advise Revise the strategy for DYW, Career developing Skills for Learning, Life schools on skills progression from Education, Skills and Profiling 3-18 in and Work in early years and primary early years to secondary. partnership with partner providers, schools. SDS, Perth College and the DYW Board. Support the use of Education Scotland and Skills Development Scotland resources to implement the strategy 3-18.

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Leadership at all levels National Driver : School Leadership

In partnership with the University of Highlands and collaboratively on school improvement priorities. Islands, 13 staff have attended the ECS Future Leaders Across the year, Headteachers have visited other and Managers Programme and successfully achieved schools and shared approaches. Planned days for their “CQF leel ualifiatio i first line Headteachers have supported these priorities. The management. In addition, 24 Principal teachers from days have been supported by Quality Improvement Primary and Secondary schools have completed the Officers, Education Officers and Education Scotland new Middle Leaders Programme to enhance their officers. Staff members from across the authority leadership of change and improvement. have also shared approaches in their schools which have been successful in developing these priorities. Feedback from these events has been positive in Across the authority, forty-eight Headteachers supporting school improvement and sharing local and engaged in Headteacher Improvement Partnerships national guidance. (HIP groups), formed of three Headteachers who identified shared areas of improvement, working Excellence in learning and teaching National Driver : Teacher Professionalism Input has been successfully delivered to probationer Throughout session 2017/18, 14 teachers have teachers with feedback stating that the session was undertaken the role of Quality Assurance and Moderation Support Officers (QAMSOs). They have e useful as e ill e ale to use it i lass to engaged in national quality assurance and moderation ehae ou assesset. of literacy and numeracy, with an aim to supporting effective assessment and moderation across Perth and Kinross. Effective interventions National Drivers : School Iproveet, Assesset of Childre’s Progress

The School Improvement Framework provides robust In almost all schools, parents are involved in setting criteria for PKC Education Services to know their and supporting areas for improvement in the School schools well. All schools are using the Framework to Improvement Plan. Almost all staff are engaged and support improvement planning. consulted in preparing improvement priorities based on data analysis, self-evaluation and collaborative All shools adhee to Peth ad Kiosss “hool working. Improvement Framework, updated for 2018-19. As part of this Framework, schools are required to There are programmes of Extended Learning and prepare and submit school improvement plans and Achievement Visits (ELAVs) and Learning and standard and quality reports. Within these reports, Achievement visits (LAVs) which involve teams of school evaluate their progress against these key officers and peers carrying out detailed scrutiny indicators. All schools are visited by their Quality within our schools. The ELAV programme helps to Improvement Officers on a termly basis to discuss provide a deeper look at progress in our schools and progress in the school improvement plan and to outcomes from the reviews are reported to the moderate quality indicator evaluations. Lifelong Learning Executive Sub Committee. This process provides an appropriate level of scrutiny by elected members.

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The Perth and Kinross tracking spreadsheets and the In 2018/19 the SEEMIS Progress and Achievement Attainment Suite are supporting all schools in their Tracking module will be tested and piloted with the attainment discussions. Pupil attainment is also a intention to roll out to all schools for session 2019/20. feature of school improvement visits.

Engaging with families and communities National Driver : Parental Engagement

All schools continue to report that they are engaged PKC has reviewed the Parental Involvement Strategy in family learning activities, and this was a focus for a to take into account the changes which impact on this local authority led Headteacher Improvement strategy nationally, including the National Partnerships (HIP) sessions where practitioners shared Improvement Framework and the Scottish their practice. Almost all schools have identified Government response to the NPF review. The final family learning or parental engagement as a priority in Strategy document will be completed in November their School Improvement Plans. 2018. Perth and Kinross Council is now running Incredible Targeted use of other parenting and family learning, Years Parenting Programmes to scale (approximately such as the Peep Learning Together Programme, have 20 groups per year), and have an increasing number of parents engaged in other programmes such as improved levels of social & emotional development Strengthening Families. and early literacy and numeracy skills for children. An increased number of staff from a range of early Schools are increasingly developing new way of learning and childcare settings completed training to delivering family learning opportunities with families, and are using PEF to support it. As an example, two deliver the Peep Learning Together Programme. schools appointed an intergenerational officer. Early Pause Prompt Praise, an evidence-based intervention evaluations of this project are extremely positive with to close the attainment gap, has been further impact on outcomes for learners. Sharing our developed by Letham Primary School in partnership Learning events have an increasing impact on with the Educational Psychology Service, and learning through effective partnership activities with extended to other schools as a parental engagement parents and families. programme around literacy.

Use of evidence and data National Driver : Performance Information

The recent Joint Inspection of Services for children The authoits Attaiet “uite of shaed, and young people in Perth and Kinross, required interactive data tools which are under constant intensive self-evaluation (the quality of which was improvement, development and expansion, recognised by the inspectors) across the Service and encourage investigation and interrogation of data by a the benefits of this will be built on, with an wide range of practitioners and benchmarking of expectation of further systematic self-evaluation performance to help drive improvement. Data literacy across all areas. sessions are included within leadership and other development programmes to improve confidence and The inspection highlighted the use of performance understanding of the tools that are available, and information across the service as a key strength, support is given to establishments for effectively otig the sophisticated and intelligent use of data to gathering and analysing their own data. inform and support decision making, service planning and delivery and management of performance. 28

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Conclusion

This report describes the considerable progress across achieved across Perth and Kinross schools in academic year 2017/18 in raising attainment for all and tackling the poverty-related attainment gap. The very wide range of ongoing or expanding activities indicates the many contributing factors, and indeed partners, that influence educational outcomes in some way.

The result of these actions will be seen in performance measures over coming years, but already the progress seen in the many performance measures is encouraging. Attainment overall shows a generally improving trend and almost all school leavers achieve positive destinations. There are indications that the poverty-related gap is being closed for younger children before they start school and early in primary. As they grow and develop this effect should be seen more strongly in later years, where poverty-related gaps uetl eai stuo. To achieve sustained change in the deep-rooted societal issues that lie behind the poverty-related attainment gap, long term sustained action will be required and the results of this be measured over a similar period.

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Appendix: Supporting data

Development Milestones of Pre-school Children Table 1: 27-30 Month Child Health Review: Proportion of Children with a concern in any domain 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Perth and Kinross 20% 19% 19% 19%

SIMD Quintile 1 (most 2 3 4 5 (least deprived) deprived) 2016/17 25% 19% 19% 18% 16%

Note: A change in collection methods in 2016/17 required a shift from proportion with no reported concern, as previously reported, to the figures above and therefore only one year of SIMD quintiles figures are shown. Table 2: Pre-school Development Milestones: Proportion of P1 meeting all milestones 2016 2017 2018 Perth and Kinross 79.4% 81.2% 81.4%

SIMD Quintile Gradient 1 2 3 4 5 2018 81% 82% 83% 80% 86 % 0.02 2017 77% 65% 82% 84% 85% 0.04 2016 61% 70% 84% 82% 83% 0.05

Broad General Education (P1 – S3) Table 3: Proportion of pupils achieving expected levels (CfE) of literacy and numeracy at P1, P4, P7, S3 Stage Area 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 Reading - - - - - 70% 71% 76% P1 – Writing - - - - - 68% 68% 72% Early Listening & Talking Level - - - - - 77% 74% 81% Maths & Numeracy - - - - - 73% 72% 80%

Reading 56% 59% 67% 68% 72% 72% 69% 76% P4 – Writing 45% 49% 56% 55% 64% 62% 61% 68% First Listening & Talking Level 53% 60% 68% 69% 76% 78% 75% 83% Maths & Numeracy 47% 54% 60% 62% 65% 65% 65% 73%

Reading 52 % 52% 60% 63% 68% 69% 71% 78% P7 – Writing 41% 44% 52% 52% 58% 61% 63% 69% Second Listening & Talking Level 52% 55% 62% 67% 70% 73% 77% 83% Maths & Numeracy 50% 46% 52% 55% 59% 63% 65% 70%

Reading - - 66% 69% 73% 76% 76% 79% S3 – Writing - - 63% 67% 72% 73% 74% 76% Third Listening & Talking Level - - 66% 71% 77% 77% 79% 81% Maths & Numeracy - - 69% 75% 77% 79% 75% 81% 30

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Table 4: Proportion of pupils in each SIMD quintile achieving expected levels at P1, P4, P7, S3 SIMD Quintile 2017/18 Gradient 1 2 3 4 5 P1 64% 66% 77% 81% 83% 0.05 P4 62% 64% 75% 77% 82% 0.05 P7 57% 65% 77% 76% 82% 0.05 S3 69% 68% 77% 82% 85% 0.05 2016/17 P1 50% 59% 73% 79% 78 % 0.07 P4 39% 58% 64% 73% 75% 0.08 P7 53% 53% 68% 73% 75% 0.06 S3 61% 66% 74% 80% 84% 0.06

Senior Phase (S4 – S6) Table 5: Proportion of school leavers achieving literacy and numeracy at SCQF levels 4 and 5 Literacy 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Perth & Kinross 92% 92% 90% 93% 91% 92% Level 4 Virtual Comparator 90% 91% 93% 94% 94% 95% Perth & Kinross 67% 67% 73% 78% 75% 77% Level 5 Virtual Comparator 66% 66% 71% 77% 79% 81% Numeracy 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Perth & Kinross 81% 80% 82% 87% 87% 88% Level 4 Virtual Comparator 77% 77% 84% 89% 90% 91% PKC 55% 55% 58% 63% 65% 62% Level 5 Virtual Comparator 56% 56% 61% 65% 67% 69%

Table 6: Proportion of school leavers by SIMD Quintile achieving literacy and numeracy at SCQF levels 4 and 5 (Latest year: 2016/17) SIMD Quintile 2016/17 Gradient 1 2 3 4 5 Level 4 75% 92% 91% 94% 96% 0.04 Literacy Level 5 51% 67% 74% 80% 87% 0.08 Level 4 67% 86% 89% 89% 93% 0.04 Numeracy Level 5 41% 45% 58% 65% 75% 0.09 2015/16 Level 4 88% 84% 90% 93% 93% 0.02 Literacy Level 5 46% 59% 70% 81% 85% 0.10 Level 4 73% 80% 83% 91% 92% 0.05 Numeracy Level 5 38% 47% 62% 70% 76% 0.10

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Table 7: Average total tariff scores of school leavers, grouped by achievement level. 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Lowest Achieving 20% 150 158 216 167 159 Perth & Middle 60% 813 877 928 897 868 Kinross Highest Achieving 20% 1877 1888 1940 1931 1865 Lowest Achieving 20% 139 170 179 168 171 Virtual Middle 60% 762 851 882 833 843 Comparator Highest Achieving 20% 1812 1845 1864 1827 1848

Table 8: Average total tariff scores of school leavers by SIMD Quintile. SIMD Quintile Gradient 1 2 3 4 5 2012/13 565 604 751 989 1101 157 2013/14 538 702 866 989 1137 145 Perth & 2014/15 557 788 964 1037 1168 136 Kinross 2015/16 558 678 889 1040 1143 153 2016/17 490 653 917 971 1133 150 2012/13 482 563 699 947 1057 163 2013/14 481 719 826 957 1143 151 Virtual 2014/15 506 727 869 999 1139 148 Comparator 2015/16 517 637 803 962 1124 156 2016/17 505 645 820 969 1166 166

Table 9: Attainment Breadth and Depth Legay Measures (all based on relevant S4 roll)

Proportion achieving 5 or more awards at Proportion achieving 1, 3, 5 or more awards at SCQF Level 6 SCQF Level 5 in S4 (Higher) in S5

Proportion achieving 1, 3, 5 or more awards at SCQF Level 6 (Higher), and 1 more award at SCQF Level 7 (Advanced Higher) in S6

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Staying On Rates

Table 10: Proportion of S4 pupils staying on to S5 by SIMD Quintile SIMD Quintile Gradient 1 2 3 4 5 S4 (2015/16) – S5 (2016/17) 77% 77% 81% 90% 94% 0.05 S4 (2016/17) – S5 (2017/18) 73% 77% 84% 86% 91% 0.04

Looked After Children

Table 11: Proportion of Looked After school leavers attaining Literacy and Numeracy as SCQF Level 4. (3 year avg.) Looked After at the time of the Pupil Census 2012-2014 2013-2015 2014-2016 2015-2017 PKC 57% 60% 62% 67% Literacy Virtual Comparator 72% 77% 76% 78% PKC 34% 53% 56% 63% Numeracy Virtual Comparator 45% 52% 57% 63%

Table 12: Average total tariff points of Looked After school leavers (3 year avg.) Looked After at the time of the Pupil Census 2012-2014 2013-2015 2014-2016 2015-2017 Lowest Achieving 20% 891 1065 786 868 Perth & Kinross Middle 60% 123 172 186 210 Highest Achieving 20% 8 21 21 34 Lowest Achieving 20% 890 1107 986 996 Virtual Middle 60% 219 253 241 285 Comparator Highest Achieving 20% 29 44 47 56 Health & Wellbeing

Table 13: Proportion of P1 pupils classed as at risk of obesity 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Perth & Kinross 8% 9% 8% 10% 10% 13% Scotland 10% 9% 10% 10% 10% 11%

Table 14: Uptake of School Meals Measure Area 2016 2017 2018 Perth & Kinross 81% 83% 83% P1 – P3 Free School Meals Scotland 82% 81% 80% Perth & Kinross 55% 58% 54% P4 – P7 School Meals Scotland 54% 52% 54% Perth & Kinross 58% 61% 61% S1 – S6 School Meals Scotland 46% 44% 44%

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Table 15: Active Schools Participation 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 Primary 40% 45% 49% 52% Secondary 39% 41% 43% 44%

SIMD Quintile

1 2 3 4 5 Primary 2017/18 48% 43% 53% 54% 52% Primary 2014/15 31% 32% 37% 46% 39% Secondary 2017/18 29% 35% 42% 47% 50% Secondary 2014/15 25% 29% 39% 40% 44%

Attendance and Exclusion

Table 16: Overall attendance in primary and secondary schools. 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 Primary 95.3% 95.7% 95.4% 95.3% 95.2% 94.8% Secondary 92.4% 92.5% 91.9% 91.5% 91.1% 91.1%

Table 17: Exclusion rate in primary and secondary schools (exclusion incidents per 1000 pupils) 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 Primary 16 10 10 11 9 6 Secondary 46 52 51 48 46 45 Positive Destinations

Table 18: Proportion of school leavers with positive initial and follow-up destinations Measure 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Initial destination 92% 94% 92% 95% 94% Follow-up destination 93% 95% 94% 94% 94%

Table 19: Proportion of school leavers with positive initial and follow-up destinations by SIMD quintile SIMD Quintile 2016/17 Gradient 1 2 3 4 5 Initial 85% 92% 94% 95% 98% 0.02 Follow-up 86% 89% 94% 95% 97% 0.03

Table 20: Proportion of Looked After school leavers with positive initial destinations Looked After at the time of the Pupil Census 2012-2014 2013-2015 2014-2016 2015-2017 Looked after school leavers 77% 77% 88% 82% Virtual Comparator 83% 85% 84% 85%

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Table 21: Proportion of young people (aged 16-19) in education, training or employment Measure 2015 2016 2017 2018 Participating 90.6% 92.8% 93.1% 94.0% Not Participating 4.4% 2.7% 2.5% 3.1% Unconfirmed Status 5.0% 4.4% 4.4% 2.9%

Table 22: Proportion of S4/S5 Leavers without Highers who achieve a vocational qualification (at any level) 2015/16 2016/17 Number of S4 and S5 Leavers 556 608 % of leavers without Highers who achieve a vocational qualification 73% 70%

Table 23: Claimant Count of Universal Credit or Job Seekers Allowance, aged 16-24. 3 month rolling average Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2014 450 462 468 462 428 395 380 382 367 335 300 287 2015 285 297 305 292 268 252 248 250 243 233 212 200 2016 210 235 253 250 240 233 238 253 253 248 232 227 2017 225 237 258 277 282 278 277 278 273 262 248 238 2018 233 240 258 270 270 253

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Page 242 of 396 10

PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

Lifelong Learning Committee

31 October 2018

Pupil Equity Fund Spend 2017-18

Report by Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (Report No. 18/353)

PURPOSE OF REPORT

The Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) is additional money allocated directly to schools and targeted at closing the poverty related attainment gap. The Scottish Government committed to this funding as part of the Scottish Attainment Challenge programme from 2017-18. PEF forms part of the £750M Attainment Scotland Fund which will be invested over the current Parliamentary term. Individual school allocations for 2017- 18 was announced in February 2017.

This report provides details of the use of the PEF allocation across all eligible schools up to 30 June 2018.

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 PEF is being provided as part of the £750M Attainment Scotland Fund which will be invested over the current Parliamentary term.

1.2. PEF is allocated directly to schools and targeted at closing the poverty related attainment gap. In 2017-18, £120 million was distributed to schools across Scotland. Perth and Kinross Council was allocated £1.6M as part of PEF distribution.

1.3 The funding is allocated on the basis of £1200 for each child in P1-S3 eligible and registered for free school meals. As all children in P1-P3 are in receipt of free school meals, an estimate was calculated for this cohort using national eligibility criteria. 8 schools in Perth and Kinross (of which 2 are currently mothballed) did not meet the eligibility criteria for this funding in 2017-18.

1.4 Although the funding is allocated to schools on the basis of free school meal eligibility, headteachers have the discretion to make decisions about which children and young people would benefit most from any particular intervention, whilst keeping a clear focus on delivering equity.

1.5 Headteachers have full access to the funds and use them to focus on activities and interventions that lead to improvements in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Each school has a School Improvement Plan which indicates the spend on PEF priorities.

Page 243 of 396 2. PROGRESS

2.1 Education and Children’s Services (ECS) prepared local guidance (Appendix 1) which has now been updated for session 2018-19, to complement the Scottish Government guidance.

2.2 Planning for the funding is a partnership between Scottish Government, local authorities and schools, with headteachers leading the planning process. Perth and Kinross Councils share of the PEF in 2017-18 is £1.6M. Individual school allocations are highlighted in Appendix 2.

2.3 PEF briefing sessions were held as part of the Headteacher Development Day programme. Several council services supported the delivery of the additional planning and implementation of resources caused by PEF namely, HR, Finance, Procurement, Payroll, Quality Improvement, Educational Psychology Service and the Corporate Research and Information Team.

2.4 As with other school improvement planning, planning for PEF was expected to be based on clear self-evaluation, highlighting in this case, the poverty-related attainment gap and which interventions were to be used to address it using available data.

2.5 When developing plans, headteachers were encouraged to work in partnership with each other, Council and wider partners and agencies, and to ensure that their existing statutory responsibilities to improve outcomes were fulfilled. Where appropriate, consultation with parents should form part of the planning process.

2.6 The School Improvement Planning Framework was updated to ensure that it reflected the requirement to include PEF. The Framework supports schools in their analysis of the data and allows them to clearly identify their PEF spend.

2.7 The following areas of particular focus have been considered in planning for the use of PEF:

 Rationale for identifying targeted attainment groups  Baseline data – ensuring the use of common key measures  Identifying appropriate interventions  Identifying impact  Ensuring effective monitoring from the school and the centre  Reporting on progress

2.8 In the school session 2017-18 (up to 30 June 2018), £1.35M out of the PEF allocation of £1.6M had been spent by schools. There has been a carry forward of £250K into session 2018-19. The actual overall spend is shown in Appendix 3.

2.9 Many schools opted to provide additional staffing to meet certain outcomes such as family learning, equity and raising attainment. Despite significant planing and support, several interventions have not been implemented as

Page 244 of 396 planned. Where schools had identified additional staff there have been some recruitment issues with, in some cases, a shortage of appropriate staff to support developments.

2.10 Guidance has been issued by the Scottish Government regarding the ability to carry forward any unused PEF into the next financial and academic year.

3. MONITORING

3.1 Reporting on the success of interventions will be through the Standards and Quality/School Improvement Planning Process. There is an understanding that the measures of impact are unlikely to be fully reliable until interventions are given time to fully embed, and that this may take longer than one school session.

3.2 In order to measure impact at a school level, a range of measures are considered. The Raising Atttainment Group will standardise a set of measures to, more easily, allow for comparisons on progress to be made across the local authority.

3.3 Quality Improvement Officers will continue to monitor the use of the PEF allocation to schools through regular term visits and the review of school improvement plans.

3.4 As part of Scottish Government requirements relating to the use of the PEF, local authorities are required to report on the impact of the Fund through the regular annual report on progress with the National Improvement Framework.

3.5 There continues to be the anomally that PEF goes directly to headteachers but the local authority is required to monitor and evaluate its use.

4. EVALUATION OF IMPACT

4.1 After one academic year of planning for the use of PEF, individual school evaluations of progress are at the early stages. The following examples aim to highlight some of the impact which is already evident. Looking ahead to session 2018-19, schools are having an even greater focus on analysing their data to further target a range of gaps which still exist for some pupils.

4.2 In many schools, additional staffing is providing a more effective way of identifying young people who require targeted support. It is also providing more training and capacity within teams to deliver activities and interventions which support young people in their achievement and their health and wellbeing.

4.3 Secondary schools have enhanced analysis that displays how young people from all backgrounds achieve in comparison to their virtual comparator. Schools have increased the tracking of pupils and are identifying, for example, those at risk of leaving with no qualifications and intervening early.

Page 245 of 396 4.4 Young people report improved experiences in areas such as personal support and this has been achieved through the extended support teams. This includes, for example, enhanced and improved communication with parents and has led to greater capacity to prioritise and deal with individual concerns.

4.5 Staff surveys conducted in some secondary’s show that they have a clear understanding of the social, cultural and economic context of their schools including the demographics surrounding poverty related attainment gaps, how to identify them and also how to best target the use of PEF. Innovation funds that have been established are allowing individuals, groups and departments to be innovative and seek funding to address local inequalities and close poverty related attainment gaps.

4.6 In many primary schools, staff have been able to deliver high quality small group support to those learners who have been identified through the data available to the school. Funding has been used to support training, additional resources and staffing. Where there has been a focus on closing the gap in reading accuracy and comprehension for some pupils, there has been measurable success with particular interventions which have been supported by Educational Psychology Service. Some recorded evidence of progress record an average gain of 3 years in reading age for a targeted group of pupils. In another example, there has been an average increase of 6 years 5 months in reading accuracy. As a result of another reading intervention, current evidence shows that identified pupils demonstrated an increase in spelling scores and reading accuracy.

4.7 Individual schools are tracking and monitoring the progress of targeted children and are noting progress in literacy and numeracy and areas of health and wellbeing.

4.8 As schools move into the second year of planning for and evaluating the use of PEF, more evidence of its impact will become available. To support the collection of this evidence, baseline measures have been established and the evaluation of the impact of PEF will become more measurable over time. To support its analysis, centrally based officers are well-placed to guide and assist schools to do this most efficiently and effectively.

4.9 During the year, the Council’s internal Audit Team carried out a review to examine the arrangements put in place to ensure that Schools understand, and can demonstrate consideration of, appropriate utilisation of Pupil Equity Funding in line with National guidance. It concluded that the internal controls in place were strong in all areas.

5. CONCLUSION

5.1 The Pupil Equity Fund has provided additional financial support to schools to close the poverty related attainment gap. Schools are monitored on their use of the Fund and supported in their use of targeted interventions.

Page 246 of 396 5.2 It is recommended that the Lifelong Learning Committee:

(i) Notes the Perth and Kinross PEF guidance; (ii) Notes the Perth and Kinross school allocations and spend for 2017-18; (iii) Notes the Pupil Equity Fund 2017-18 Report; and (iv) Requests that the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) provide a further report in November 2019 to the Lifelong Learning Committee detailing PEF spend during 2018-19.

Author(s) Name Designation Contact Details Rodger Hill Head of Education: [email protected] Secondary and Inclusion 01738 475000

Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Executive Director 16 October 2018 (Education and Children Services)

Page 247 of 396 ANNEX

1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION

1. Strategic Implications

Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement

1.1 The Perth and Kinross Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement set out five priorities:

This report relates to Objectives No (i) Giving every child the best start in life and (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens.

Corporate Plan

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This report relates to Objectives No (i) Giving every child the best start in life and (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens.

1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Policy Framework in respect of the following key policy area:

 Inclusion and Equality

2. Resource Implications

Financial

2.1 The Pupil Equity Fund is a direct grant from Scottish Government to Perth and Kinross Council who manage the allocations on behalf of eligible schools. As this is additional grant funding it does not consititute part of the core allocation to ECS. In the school session 2017-18 (up to 30 June 2018), £1.35M out of the PEF allocation of £1.6M had been spent by schools. There has been a carry forward of £250K into financial and academic session 2018-19.

Workforce

2.2 N/A

Asset Management (land, property, IT)

2.3 N/A

3. Assessments

The proposals have been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (EqIA) with the following outcome:

(i) Assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA

Strategic Environmental Assessment

3.2 The proposals have been considered under the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 and no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report.

Sustainability

3.3 N/A

Page 249 of 396 Legal and Governance

3.4 N/A

Risk

3.5 N/A

4. Consultation

Internal

4.1 The Raising Attainment Group comprises of:

 Head of Education (Secondary and Inclusion)  Educational Psychologist  Quality Improvement Officers  Primary and Secondary Headteachers

External

4.2 In addition to 4.1 an Attainment Advisor representative from Education Scotland sits on the group.

5. Communication

5.1 Communications have taken the form of:  Briefing at Headteacher meetings and Development Days  Learning and Achievement visits to schools

3. APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Perth and Kinross Council Pupil Equity Fund – Local Guidance April 2018 Appendix 2 - Perth and Kinross Council Pupil Equity Fund Allocation 2017-18 Appendix 3 - Pupil Equity Fund Spend to 30 June 2018

Page 250 of 396 10

Report Appendix 1

Perth and Kinross Council Pupil Equity Fund – Local Guidance April 2018

Introduction

The aim of the Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) is to close the poverty related attainment gap by interrupting the cycle of deprivation and by impacting positively on young people’s progress and attainment.

PEF is a national initiative to provide additional funding allocated directly to schools by the Scottish Government. Across Perth and Kinross Council (PKC), PEF of £1.66m has been allocated for financial year 2018-19. It is expected that similar amounts will be allocated to schools in PKC for the lifetime of this parliament (4 years funding in total). This local guidance should be read in conjunction with the PEF – National Operational Guidance 2018. The use of this funding should complement and add to the school’s approaches to raising attainment.

Local Priorities

Within PKC, the Raising Attainment Strategy aims to improve outcomes in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing for all learners, and to improve positive and sustained destinations for school leavers. The five key improvement themes support the use of the PEF, namely:

 Leadership at all levels;  Excellence in learning and teaching;  Effective interventions;  Engaging with families and communities; and  Use of evidence and data.

Planning using the School Improvement Framework

The PKC School Improvement Framework (SIF) including the School Improvement Plan (SIP) was been refreshed to take account of the PEF. There are further slight amendments for 2018-19. The document sets out the ‘golden thread’ of National, Tayside and PKC priorities which schools and Local Management Groups (LMG) should consider when preparing their plan. Schools are encouraged to use the recommended format to support improvement planning. An effective improvement plan will consist of a small number of well- considered priorities, expressed as measurable and achievable outcomes for learners. We would encourage schools and LMGs to think strategically when developing improvement plans. The SIF should be read in conjunction with Education Scotland’s Advice on School Improvement Planning 2018-19.

Schools must have plans in place at the outset to evaluate the impact of PEF. These plans should outline clear outcomes to be achieved and how progress towards these, and the impact on closing the poverty related attainment gap, will be measured. If, as a result of this ongoing monitoring, the plans are not achieving the results intended, these plans should be amended. (National Operational Guidance 2018).

Fully completed SIPs should be returned to ECS by 22 June 2018. Local authority advice and guidance links are shown in Appendix 1.

Page 251 of 396 Identifying Your Gaps

A key principle of PEF is to ensure that the gaps for your school or LMG are clearly identified. National guidance advocates forming an in-depth understanding of the specific challenges and needs in the local context. The ECS Research and Performance Team will continue to supply a range of data to support the identification of the gaps. Appendix 2 details the range of data available to support decision-making. To ensure appropriate understanding of this data and a robust child centred analysis of need, ECS are advocating the use of Action Research. Sessions have and will be led by the Educational Psychology Service (EPS), in partnership with the Research and Performance Team, which will support the SIP process. A key principle is that interventions have to be targeted at children and young people who are most disadvantaged, otherwise gaps will remain. To aid this thinking, the key indicators that should be considered are:

 Attendance;  Attainment;  Achievement;  Exclusions;  Participation Rates; and  Parental Engagement.

It is important to agree and define what the gaps look like in your school context and share this with the LMG and your Quality Improvement Officer (QIO). It is also important to discuss with your Parent Council.

Deciding on Appropriate Interventions

There are a number of key principles to consider before deciding on the further interventions you will use:

 Review thoroughly the use of PEF during 2017-18;  Consider what story your data will tell over the next three years;  Focus relentlessly on the quality of learning and teaching;  Work with partners within and beyond the school;  Consult with staff, parents and young people as appropriate;  Build capacity into the system;  Sustainability – consider how the interventions can be embedded; and  Keep to a few targeted interventions – this will ensure that everyone can tell the story.

You will have a carefully considered, clear rationale before deciding on the interventions you wish to use to support your chosen approach. Appendix 3 details some of the approaches taken during 2017-18 and gives information about the Closing the Gap programme 2016-17 which used a range of interventions, some of which are shown below.

 Active literacy;  Hi 5;  Oral language;  Parental engagement;  Pause, Prompt, Praise;  Self-regulation; and  Wave 3.

Page 252 of 396 EPS will continue to offer action research to support schools to target PEF funding most effectively, and professional learning opportunities related to specific evidence-based interventions, including the self-regulation programme. Interventions supported by EPS have associated costs attached to them for future participation. You should also consider which current school strategies are helping most to raise the attainment of disadvantaged young people and whether these can these be extended. Once you have decided upon an intervention it is important to measure impact.

You may be undertaking small tests of change in line with improvement methodology practice. If these are proving effective extend them across larger groups or across the school. Decisions schools make about the most appropriate interventions and approaches should be based on effective self-evaluation and improvement planning, including robust measures of impact and progress. Aim for a range of activities both within and beyond the classroom and consider how in the longer term these approaches will be sustained.

The National Improvement Hub – Interventions for Equity provides a wealth of information and approaches using 12 evidence-based interventions that schools have been using nationally. The Education Endowment Foundation toolkit also provides information on effectiveness and further supporting information which will be of interest to schools and LMGs.

Measuring Impact

It will be important to have a clear understanding of your baseline position prior to the start of the intervention. You will then be in a position to collect and analyse comparative data over the period of the intervention. Support will be available for this through the Action Research and Model for Improvement sessions. In developing proposals, schools should consider the feasibility of their plans and take into account the time taken to implement interventions. Impact should be considered in terms of the desired outcomes for young people and how progress towards these will be measured over time.

Reporting on Progress through your Standards and Quality Report

Schools must provide an annual standards and quality report, as a record of progress with their annual improvement plan, and defining the local and NIF priorities for the coming year as per the Perth and Kinross SQR Guidance for 2017/18. The annual report should ensure that:

 Progress towards NIF drivers and local priorities is communicated clearly and briefly;  Evaluation of the impact of the school’s actions to improve excellence and equity, and achieve positive outcomes for all children and young people is clear;  Strategies which have been successful in engaging children and young people, staff, parents and the wider community are highlighted;  Evaluations for the following QIs are provided: 1.3 Leadership of Change; 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment; 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equity and inclusion, 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement; any other relevant QIs linked to improvement work; and  An overall evaluation of the school’s capacity for continuous improvement is stated.

Consider the use of evaluative statements when reporting back which are based on HGIOS?4 indicators, particularly:

 QI 2.1 – Leadership of Change;  QI 3.1 – Ensuring Wellbeing, Equality and Inclusion; and

Page 253 of 396  QI 3.2 – Raising Attainment and Achievement.

Collaborative Working

Consideration should be given to working in partnership with other schools to share practice and jointly build capacity. Other partnerships should also be considered such as third sector partners to support family learning or health and well-being. We would encourage all LMGs to work together on issues that are common across the group.

Allocated Funding

The funding will be allocated to eligible schools for the financial year 2018-19. Arrangements have been agreed with Scottish Government that unspent funds can be carried over until the end of that current school session. Only in exceptional circumstances can they be carried forward to the new session. The funding budget will be managed centrally and will be available to schools through a dedicated budget code for each school. Where schools work collaboratively with other schools, costs should be split proportionally (pro-rata based on FME). Funding may cover staff costs, for teaching and support posts, logistics, resources or services. PKC Recruitment Polices and Procurement Policies should be referred and adhered to. The funding cannot be used for capital expenditure. We would only support the purchase of digital equipment if the direct and lasting impact on the outcomes for the targeted group(s) can be established at the outset. National digital procurement frameworks would be required to be used should this be how you plan to spend any of your PEF allocation.

Schools must take account of the statutory responsibilities of PKC to deliver educational improvement, secure Best Value and their role as employer. Appendix 4 provides more detail on the procedures to be followed.

Consideration should be given to planning with Navigate and All-stars to support identified young people as these two centres are not eligible for direct funding.

Central Support

ECS will continue to provide support and guidance to schools in the use of the PEF. Schools and LMGs should be mindful of the additional support from central services i.e. data analysis, HR, recruitment, Finance etc. that administration of PEF will require. There is no additional capacity and all such support will have to be met from existing resources.

Most centrally run interventions will incur costs for training and resources. This is also likely to be the case for interventions that involve associated professional colleagues.

Employment / HR Issues

Given the ongoing shortage of GTCS qualified teaching staff, we would ask schools to consider carefully whether employing additional teachers or Early Childhood Practitioners (ECP) will have the sustainable impact that is required. Employing an additional teacher or ECP in your school could leave another school short in their core complement and will have an adverse effect on learning.

Schools may wish to consider other support staff to assist with interventions. Please see below a table showing indicative staff costs for a range of support staff. Schools or LMGs considering this approach should discuss it with their QIO, HR and Finance in the first instance. Any contracts issued will be for an agreed fixed term period. Job profiles and job

Page 254 of 396 descriptions will be prepared jointly with HR and will be subject to job evaluation / job sizing where appropriate. Exemplars are included in Appendix 5.

2018/19 Staff Costs Hrs per Full Year Term Time Per Per Post Title wk Working only Week Per Day Hour *36 hrs *7.2 *52.14 wks/yr *39 wks/yr pwk hrs/day Support Assistant – GE3 36 £24,086 £21,424 £459.00 £91.80 £12.75

Admin Assistant (Secondary) 36 £27,273 £24,274 £563.76 £112.75 £15.66 TAS 4

Admin Assistant (Secondary) 36 £30,813 £27,440 £633.96 £126.79 £17.61 TAS 5

ECP - TAS5 36 £30,813 £27,440 £633.96 £126.79 £17.61

Parent Support Worker TAS 6 36 £34,733 £30,946 £712.08 £142.42 £19.78

Finance Officer TAS 7 36 £39,285 £35,017 £802.08 £160.42 £22.28

Family Support Worker TAS 7 36 £39,285 £35,017 £802.08 £160.42 £22.28

Community Link Worker – PR8 36 £44,292 £39,495 £901.44 £180.29 £25.04

Notes 1. The salary costs include oncosts such as National Insurance Contributions and Superannuation payments.

2. The annual salary costs for Term time only working use an estimated FTE of 0.8944 which is equivalent of 39 weeks term time plus holiday pay.

3. Costings are based on salaries payable at the top spinal column point assuming a 3% payrise in 18-19 TBC.

4. The hourly rate includes a 8.3% increase to account for Holiday Payments due for additional hours worked/supply.

Fixed Term Contracts

Headteachers need to consider the following matters when issuing fixed term contracts:

 A continuous succession of fixed term contracts will usually lead to an employee gaining continuous service from one contract to another if they have been employed in a number of different posts or the same post.  Continuous service affects entitlements to annual leave, sick leave, redundancy pay and the right to claim unfair dismissal. A break in continuous service will arise when an employee has a gap between contracts/service which must, as a minimum, specifically include a seven day period commencing on a Sunday and including the following Saturday. Further information on continuous service breaks can be found in the service dates guidance.  Headteachers should be fully familiar with the Main Legislation & Employment Rights Associated with Fixed Term Contracts that are associated with creating, recruiting for, extending and terminating a fixed term post. The implications of these should be fully considered prior to any action being taken.  After 2 years continuous employment, a search for suitable alternative employment will be conducted during the contractual notice period of a fixed term contract. Where there is no substantive post, a redundancy payment maybe payable. The costs associated with this will fall on the employing school.

Page 255 of 396  After 4 years employees can request to make this permanent. This is not a right however Headteachers will need to justify why it can’t be made permanent.  Headteachers should consider the following key activities when considering terminating a fixed term contract How To - Terminate a Fixed Term Contract

Conservation for Promoted Post Holders with Temporary Teaching Appointments

Where a Teacher has occupied a promoted post, on a temporary basis, for two or more consecutive school years and that temporary appointment ceases, then the teacher shall receive a three-year period of cash conservation (as defined in the SNCT handbook). Headteachers should be aware of this as the cost would fall to the school.

Appendices

Appendix 1 Central Support Appendix 2 Data Analysis Appendix 3 PEF 207-18 and Closing the Gap 2016-2017 Appendix 4 Finance Appendix 5 Job Profile Exemplars

Page 256 of 396 Appendix 1 – Central Support

National Advice and Support

Within PKC, we have access to advice and support from:

 Ken McAra Area Lead Officer, Education Scotland  Ron Cowie Attainment Advisor, Education Scotland  Kieron McQuade Improvement Advisor, Scottish Government

Each has a role in supporting strategic planning and implementation of PEF, and can provide specific advice and guidance on improvement planning, interventions and measuring impact. ECS will be the central point of contact for this advice and support.

Local Advice and Support

1. The School Improvement team has a key role to:

 Provide local guidance and support on planning and implementation;  Broker connections and collaborations across schools, LMGs and beyond;  Evaluate, monitor and report on evidence of impact.

Key contact - Quality Improvement Officer

2. Educational Psychology Service can provide support and guidance on planning action research and supporting interventions.

Key contact – Susie Turner, Principal Educational Psychologist ([email protected])

3. The Business Support team can provide advice and guidance on areas related to recruitment and finance.

Finance – Please contact your school’s Finance Officer

Key contact (HR / Recruitment) – Suzanne McLeod, Senior HR Officer ([email protected])

4. The Corporate Research and Information Team can provide assistance in analysing the data for your school or LMG. As stated, there is no additional capacity and all such support will have to be met from existing resources.

Key contact - Paul Davison, Corporate Research and Information Manager ([email protected])

Further Information, Support and Guidance

It is intended that further specific information and guidance will be delivered as required.

Page 257 of 396 Appendix 2 – Data Analysis

Attainment Suite (note: updates are made continually – refer to contents page which is updated. SNSA data may also be of use)

Nursery / Primary Resources (Profile and Attainment)  Nursery and Primary Pupil Profilers  School comparators tool – find closest match  CfE Historical Performance over time  CfE P4 and P7 Cohort Progress  CfE 2015, 2016 and 2017 by ACORN/ SIMD  CfE ACORN Gradient Comparison  CfE grouped by LMG 2016 and 2017  Pre-school development milestones not met  Senior Phase Leaver Attainment and Destinations by P7 primary (within secondary and participation)  Participation Profilers – supplied to individual schools on request

Secondary Resources (Profile and Attainment)  Secondary Pupil Profiler  CfE S3 2015, 2016 & 2017 overall and by ACORN/ SIMD  Insight reports (SAAP)  2016, 2017 S4 and S5 literacy and numeracy, and tariff points by ACORN / SIMD  2015, 2016 &2017 leavers literacy and numeracy/ tariff points by ACORN/ SIMD  Leavers with no Highers - Vocational Qualifications  Participation Profilers – supplied to individual schools on request

Participation  Active Schools Participation 2014 to date  Instrumental Music Participation Dec 2016 and Feb 2018  S4/S5/S6 Staying on Rates 2015/16/17  2015, 2016 & 2017 leavers initial and follow up destinations by ACORN/ SIMD (including P7 primary school and secondary)

Attendance, Absence and Exclusion  Secondary Attendance Profiler 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 (term 1&2)  Primary Attendance Profiler 2015/16 and 2016/17  Attendance Time Series 2007 to date by term  Exclusions Profiler 2011-2017

Health and Wellbeing  LMG Health Traffic Light  School Meals Uptake Feb 2016, 2017 and 2018  P1 Obesity by area 2015/16 and 2016/17

Other Resources  Children Young People and Families Partnership: Thematic Reporting o Health and Child Development o Improving Life Chances of vulnerable children and young people o Quality of Life o Contextual Inequalities Education Outcomes Information

Page 258 of 396 Appendix 3 – PEF 2017-18 and Closing the Gap 2016-2017

PEF 2017-18

Spending on resources has been mainly to target aspects of literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Wave 3, Write to the top, High 5, numeracy resources, reading resources have been purchased. Additional support staff and teaching staff hours have been paid for to support the interventions with small groups and individuals. This has been most successful when additional hours haven given to internal part time staff. In many schools there has been a focus on self-regulation with access to Educational Psychology service using and Action research approach. Money has been spent on additional EPS staff and supply cover (where available to release for staff training. Perth High School LMG collectively commissioned work on Growth Mindset. Many schools have purchased additional IT resources to support literacy, numeracy and parental engagement. Money has supported the purchase of resources and relevant training for staff. Parental engagement has been mainly supported by the use of seesaw.

Spending on staffing in primary schools has mainly been on support staff or additional teaching hours. Some funding has been used to create additional management time in primary schools but only in a few cases. In Secondary schools additional PT posts have been created in some schools to allow for a focus on identified groups. Two schools collaborated (Auchterarder and Perth Grammar) to employ an Intergenerational worker.

Closing the Gap 2016-17

School Main themes of intervention plan Letham Primary School Parental involvement in literacy Community library Crieff Primary School Oral language development Self-regulation Parental involvement in oral language/literacy/language of self- regulation Inchview Primary Literacy interventions Nursery-P2 School Peer tutoring action research Family engagement in literacy Rattray Primary School Oral language Parental engagement Balhousie Primary Oral language development School Family engagement EAL North Muirton Primary Literacy strategies School Family learning Blairgowrie High SRA School Alyth Primary School Self-regulation training St Stephen’s Primary EAL – family leaning School St Dominic’s Primary Literacy, implementation of SRA resources and development of School WAVE3 Tulloch Primary School WAVE3 & Hi 5 Praise Prompt Praise St John’s Primary Early years vocabulary acquisition, supporting and developing School family learning Coupar Angus Primary Early years literacy development, Word Aware , Prompt, Praise

Page 259 of 396 School approach with Educational Psychology Goodlyburn Primary Vocabulary learning programme – Early years School All Closing The Gap Parental engagement Schools

Page 260 of 396 Appendix 4 – Finance

Guidance  All funds must be administered in line with ECS Financial Policies and Procedures.  PECOS must be used for all purchases.  The budget code will be 1-20-8185- School code.  The Headteacher will be the Budget Holder.  Authorised Signatories, PECOS workbooks and Integra ESeries permissions have been updated.

Monitoring  Confirmation of schools allocation will be sent out in April 2018.  Finance Officers will meet with Budget Managers to discuss spending plans.  Each school will be issued with a commitment package similar to the DSM workbook. Further guidance will be issued at that time.  Monitoring statements will be available on Integra ESeries.  Updated commitment packages should be sent to the school’s Finance Officer on a monthly basis.  Unspent funds at the end of the financial year will be carried forward to be spent by the end of the summer term.  In exceptional circumstances, some carry forward may be allowed to the new school session. Please discuss with your QIO in the first instance.

PEF Funded Staff  New post numbers will be set up for all staff funded from PEF to distinguish them from DSM staff.  All staff will be hired on a supply or fixed term contract basis. As the level of funding is only confirmed for 2018/19, contracts should only be issued up to the end of the summer term 2019. Headteachers are advised to hire on a year by year basis as funding may vary year to year. Headteachers are responsible for ensuring all relevant procedures are carried out timeously in relation to ending fixed term contracts.  All sickness absence cover for PEF funded staff will require to be funded from PEF funding held by the school or their DSM budget. There is no central budget to cover costs of supply for absences.  Any requirement to provide RCCT for a member of teaching staff funded by PEF would have to be covered from PEF funding.

Please contact your Finance Officer for further information.

Page 261 of 396 Appendix 5 – Job Profile Exemplars

Job Title Pupil Support Assistant - Basic Service Education & Children’s Services Grade & Salary GE3 Location tbc Reports to Head Teacher or Principal Teacher

Job Purpose To support children with Additional Support Needs to access the curriculum.

Main Accountabilities

 Support pupils in class or group settings on a 1:1 basis to access a relevant curriculum.  Assist pupils with intimate care routines when required.  Undertake moving and handling relevant to pupil’s needs where required.  Supervise pupils in the playground, at out of school events or activities (within the school day) and moving around the school.  Support positive behaviour management programmes and contribute to personal learning plans.  Accompany pupils to social events, transition settings and independent living activities.  Contribute with preparation of materials.  Assist pupils with their ICT programmes.  Ensure awareness of school procedures for Child Protection, risk management, equalities and confidentiality.  Develop awareness of quality assurance and self evaluation processes.

Job Specific Requirements There is an expectation that shortlisted applicants will meet the requirements below.

Knowledge & Experience  You must have experience in either paid or voluntary work with children with ASN.  You must have core skills in reading and writing.  You must have an understanding of school settings.  You must be a good listener.  Ideally you will be able to contribute creative ideas.  You must be able to support transition arrangements.  You must be willing to undertake intimate care programmes.  Ideally you will hold SSCC registration (If applying for an Early Years post).  Ideally you will have experience of ICT.  Ideally you will have moving and handling training.  Ideally you will have an understanding of Additional Support Needs.  If required you will have the ability to take initiative.  If required you will accompany children in transport.  Ideally you will have an awareness of risk assessment and child protection procedures and equalities duties.  Ideally you will have experience in the de-escalation of behaviour incidents. Customer Care  You must be sensitive to the individual needs of pupils.  You must respect the confidentiality of pupils and staff. Health & Safety

Page 262 of 396  You must be able to cope with the demands of the job and attend on a regular basis. Equality & Dignity at Work  You must be able to treat pupils, colleagues, parents and the community in accordance with the Council’s policies on equalities and dignity at work. Communications  You must be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.  You must be able to communicate and collaborate effectively with colleagues and pupils. Flexibility  Ideally you will be willing to be involved in school community life and whole school events/projects. Achievement of Results  You must show a readiness to participate in self evaluation and Employee Review and Development (ERD) processes. Quality  Your work should demonstrate a high quality of support. Team Working  You must demonstrate effective participation in a team situation. Decision Making & Problem Solving  You must be able to work both under own initiative and as a member of a team

Page 263 of 396 Job Title Pupil Support Assistant (Enhanced) Service Education & Children’s Services Grade TAS4 Location tbc Reports to Principal Teacher or Depute Head Teacher

Job Purpose To support children with ASN to access the curriculum.

Main Accountabilities  Take responsibility for aspects of support for pupils in class and/or group settings e.g. reading and scribing, symbol timetable.  Take forward individual programmes e.g. physio exercises, motor skills and mobility training.  Carry out intimate care routines, assist colleagues to become familiar with routines; moving and handling including CALM intervention.  Assist pupils with eating and drinking routines.  Supervise pupils in the playground, at out of school events or activities (within the school day) and moving around the school.  Take forward aspects of positive behaviour management programmes, individual education plans and child support plan targets.  Accompany pupils to social events, transition settings and independent living activities.  Prepare materials for individual pupils e.g. Boardmaker, TEACCH materials.  Progress and develop pupils’ ICT programmes e.g. Clicker, switch technology, TTRS, Sensory programmes.  Ensure awareness of school procedures for Child Protection, risk management, equalities and confidentiality.  Contribute to quality assurance and self-evaluation processes.

Job Specific Requirements There is an expectation that shortlisted applicants will meet the requirements below.

Knowledge & Experience  You must have experience of working with children and young people with ASNs.  Ideally you would hold a Professional Development Award in Support for Learning., SVQ qualifications and SSCC registration.  You must contribute to IEPs and evaluation, recording and reporting.  You must support transition.  You must organise materials.  You will support children and young people and have a willingness to undertake intimate care programmes.  You will undertake training relating to specific medical conditions – eating and drinking, epilepsy.  You will have the ability to prepare specific materials e.g. Boardmaker.  You must have an awareness of assessment routines.  You must have a good working knowledge of ICT, augmentative communication.  Ideally you will have experience in managing small groups under supervision in a range of settings and the ability to work in a 1:1 or small group setting under supervision.  Ideally you will have a working knowledge of risk assessment, child protection procedures and equalities duties.  Ideally you will be able to accompany children in transport and assist with the de-

Page 264 of 396 escalation of behaviour incidents. Customer Care  You must be sensitive to the individual needs of pupils.  You must respect the confidentiality of pupils and staff. Health & Safety  You must be able to cope with the demands of the job and attend on a regular basis. Equality & Dignity at Work  You must be able to treat pupils, colleagues, parents and the community in accordance with the Council’s policies on equalities and dignity at work. Communications  You must be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.  You must be able to communicate and collaborate effectively with colleagues and pupils.  You must work successfully with a range of professionals e.g. therapists. Flexibility  Ideally you will be willing to be involved in school community life and whole school events/projects. Achievement of Results  You must show a readiness to participate in self evaluation and Employee Review and Development (ERD) processes.  Ideally you will be willing to extend your skills into more specialist areas. Quality  Your input to the individual child, parents and school will be of a high standard.  You will contribute to self evaluation processes. Team Working  You must demonstrate effective participation in a team situation. Decision Making & Problem Solving  You must be able to work both under own initiative and as a member of a team

Page 265 of 396 Job Title Administrative Assistant (Business & Operational Support) Service Education & Children’s Services Grade & Salary TAS4 Location tbc Reports to Administrative Assistant, Business & Operational Support Responsible for 5 x GE2 Clerical Assistants

Job Purpose Ensure comprehensive admin support is provided to a variety of managers within E&CS and be responsible for the administration arrangements in relation to the Work Experience Programme, Glow and Curriculum Improvement Networks

Main Accountabilities  To have an overview of clerical procedures within the section to ensure procedures are effective and being carried out appropriately.  To assist with the management of staff including support and supervision and ERD.  To ensure compliance with all procedures and policies across all areas including health and safety.  To be responsible for the co-ordination of the Work Experience Programme for secondary schools in Perth & Kinross.  Managing the Work Experience database (Workit)  Liaising with employers to request/provide up to date risk assessments and to discuss placements  Liaising with guidance teachers/nominated personnel in secondary schools to ensure Work Experience programme runs smoothly  Liaising with other councils and Workit database provider to share information from Workit database  Attend occasional meetings with school co-ordinators and employers to discuss work experience issues and take minutes when appropriate  Liaise with the officer responsible for Work Experience  To provide effective support and administration functions in relation to the use of Glow and other Virtual Learning Developments.  Undertaking Accounts and Service Manager responsibilities for all non-school based Glow users, including management of Glow accounts and passwords  Assist with the production of training materials, delivery of training sessions, development of Glow courses for pupils and the use of the web based training programme SCHOLAR  Maintain a number of Perth & Kinross Council Glow sites and liaise with IT staff on Glow account provisioning and queries  Assist in the provision of first line support/advice and effective call management  Assist in effective asset management, including the maintenance of asset registers, stock control and disposal of obsolete ICT equipment  To be responsible for the arrangements for Curriculum Improvement Networks.  Booking of venue and catering  Co-ordination of arrangements in relation to delegate numbers, room requirements and layouts  Photocopying of materials  Ordering and distribution of resources within budgetary constraints  Liaising with Network Panels and issuing supporting paperwork  To liaise as appropriate with parents, staff and other agencies

 To ensure admin/clerical quality assurance standards are maintained.  To delegate duties in accordance with the needs of the Section.  To maintain accurate financial records and to monitor budgets as required.

Page 266 of 396  To assist in the provision of statistical information as required.

Job Specific Requirements There is an expectation that short listed candidates will meet all the requirements stated in the job profile.

Knowledge & Experience  Experience of working in a similar capacity  Experience of supervising staff  Previous experience of working in an office environment  Experienced in dealing with the general public and members of staff  Experience of using Microsoft Office Suite  Excellent IT skills  Excellent written skills  Excellent organisational skills with the ability to pay attention to detail  Able to work to a high standard of accuracy  Ability to delegate and prioritise workloads and that of others  Ability to work under pressure and manage tasks within prescribed timescales  Ability to work on own initiative  Good management skills and leadership qualities  Experience of monitoring budgets  Willingness to participate in further training and development  Experience of working in local government in an administrative capacity  A general knowledge of Education & Children’s Services Customer Care  Must have a customer focused approach and attitude  Ability to deal with parents, managers and external partners Health & Safety  Must be able to cope with the demands of the post and attend on a regular basis Equality & Dignity at Work  The ability to treat colleagues and members of the public in accordance with the Council’s policies on equalities and dignity at work Communications  Ability to deal with confidential information sensitively and effectively  Good interpersonal skills is essential  Must have excellent telephone manner and verbal communication skills  The ability to develop presentation skills is desirable Flexibility  Must be able to multi-task and work in a demanding environment  Flexible attitude and adaptable approach to work Achievement of Results  Excellent organisational skills with the ability to pay attention to detail  Able to work to a high standard of accuracy  Identify modern ways of working/efficiencies and work collaboratively with the line manager Quality  Able to monitor and evaluate own standards of work  Motivate team to better performance Team Working  Must be committed to team working and have the ability to work well with others Decision Making & Problem Solving  Should be willing to offer potential solutions to problems and share ideas with

Page 267 of 396 colleagues  Ability to coach others to problem solve Any Additional Requirements  Should be committed to professional development of self

OTHER DUTIES The postholder may be required to perform duties other than those given in the job description for the post. The particular duties and responsibilities attached to posts may vary from time to time depending on the requirements of the Service without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibilities entailed.

Page 268 of 396 Job Title Payment Support Assistant Service Education & Children’s Services Grade & Salary GE3 Location tbc Reports to Administration Assistant (Payments)

Job Purpose To assist in providing financial and clerical support to the Finance Support Team.

Main Accountabilities

 Using Finance/IT systems, undertake duties relating to Procurement and payment to third parties.  Adhere to the Education & Children’s Services Financial Policies & Procedures.  Responsible for invoice registration and/or invoice payment on behalf of local authority schools together with the processing of sales ledger invoices using the Council’s finance system (Integra) to assist collection of income due to Education & Children’s Services from other services, Local Authorities and external agencies.  Check and process petty cash claims on behalf of all Education & Children’s Services establishments.  Process sundry payments and requests for new suppliers, delivering appropriate paperwork to Chief Executives.  Liaise closely with internal and external suppliers to establish payment status of invoices.  Process invoices for Music Tuition fees maintaining accurate database/manual records for pupils.  Monitor School Fund payments to ensure prompt payment by the schools.  Assist with the administration of Education Maintenance Allowance payments.  Assist with the administration of the Perth & Kinross Educational Trust.  Process payments in respect of Foster Carers.  Assist with the production of regular monthly budget/expenditure monitoring statements for budget holders.  Commitment to achieving performance indicators and other financial targets and deadlines.  Provide clerical support to the Finance Support Management Team.  Undertake word processing, photocopying, filing, faxing and other general office duties.  Assist in the distribution of incoming and outgoing mail.  Undertake other ad hoc activities, which may be financial in nature.

Job Specific Requirements There is an expectation that shortlisted candidates will meet all the requirements stated in the job profile.

Knowledge & Experience  Experience of working in a financial environment  Ability to work accurately with figures

Page 269 of 396  It would be desirable to have a strong working knowledge Microsoft Office, in particular Excel  It would be desirable to have experience of processing purchase/sales invoices and journals Customer Care  You must have the ability to deal with suppliers, customers, colleagues and other professionals effectively Health & Safety  You must be able to cope with the demands of the job and attend on a regular basis  You must ensure Health & Safety procedures are adhered to within your team environment Equality & Dignity at Work  You must respect colleagues, staff and members of the public in accordance with Council’s polices on equalities and dignity at work Communications  You must be an excellent communicator with the ability to deal effectively with people on all levels Flexibility  You must have a flexible approach in working arrangements  You must be willing to work beyond office hours but still within the Council’s flexi time policy at busy times such as year end Achievement of Results  Ability to meet deadlines Quality  You must demonstrate a high level of accuracy and attention to detail  You must monitor and evaluate work standards Team Working  Ability to work in a team environment and support other team members when required Decision Making & Problem Solving  You must have the ability to work on your own initiative without close supervision  Ability to prioritise workload  You should have an ability to present solutions to problems you identify in performing your duties Any Additional Requirements  Education to Higher Grade or equivalent  Must be willing to participate in ongoing training and development

Page 270 of 396 Job Title Early Childhood Practitioner Service Education & Children’s Services Grade & Salary TAS 5 Location tbc Reports to Headteacher/Teacher

Job Purpose To work as a member of a team, with young children (0-8) and to contribute to the delivery of an integrated approach to children’s development in the early years within a safe and inclusive environment.

Main Accountabilities

Care and welfare:  Undertake all tasks in full compliance with Perth & Kinross Council child protection guidance  Assist within a team to ensure the health and safety of children in a range of settings in compliance with health and safety guidelines  Care for children who are unwell and respond to children’s requirements for first aid with appropriate personnel and follow the policy and guidelines of the setting  Support children with additional support needs  Ensure that safety standards and emergency procedures are maintained e.g. familiarisation with fire drill and evacuation procedures  Supervise and assist children with personal care tasks including toileting, dressing and feeding, following the guidelines of the establishment  Support children and their families as appropriate Curricular activities:  Contribute to the planning, delivery and evaluation of a range of learning experiences  Contribute to observation, tracking, recording, assessment and reporting in compliance with the policy of the establishment  Complete written reports and records with support and guidance, in consultation with teaching staff and report to a range of agencies as appropriate  Ensure through a collaborative approach that materials and resources match children’s interests and needs  Contribute to the creation and maintenance of a stimulating quality environment in order to motivate young children in their learning  Provide opportunities to participate in quality adult/child interaction to promote children’s development including the acquisition of literacy and maths skills Working in teams:  Support the work of the setting by contributing to a welcoming and positive ethos  Work within, contribute to, and on occasion lead teams -e.g. leading discussion, key worker etc  Work effectively with other professionals in a delivery of integrated services for children and families  When requested and agreed participate and contribute positively to meetings, including parents meetings and staff meetings  Be a positive role model  To assist in the support of students on placement, training or on work experience and volunteers e.g. parent helpers  Contribute to the early years team by sharing good practice and supporting new initiatives by joint recognition of the skills of others  Act in a supervisory capacity for short periods of time (not to include RCCT or supply cover)

Page 271 of 396 Continuous development:  Participate in professional development and review processes  Participate in negotiated training to support professional and personal development and the delivery of an early years improvement plan

Job Specific Requirements There is an expectation that shortlisted applicants will meet the requirements below

Knowledge & Experience  You must have SNNEB, NNEB, SVQ3, SCQF7, HNC in Childcare and Education or SVQ 3 Social Services (Children and Young People) or equivalent.  You must have, or be eligible for, registration with the Scottish Social Services Council.  You must have evidence of an understanding of child development.  You must have evidence of an understanding of the principles of working within early education.  You must have an awareness of the range of professionals involved in the care and education of young children.  You must have effective organisational and management skills.  You must be able to recognise and understand the vital role of the adult in supporting young children’s learning.  You must have the ability to support with curriculum developments.  Ideally you will have experience of working within early education.  Ideally you will have knowledge of Council policies and procedures.  Ideally you will have experience of being involved in curriculum development.  Ideally you will have experience of working in a variety of early years settings.  Ideally you will have knowledge of Curriculum for Excellence and Pre Birth to Three  Ideally you will have evidence of implementing/ supporting change e.g. through staff development opportunities.  Ideally you will have additional qualifications to support work i.e. child protection, first aid etc. Customer Care  You must be sensitive to the needs of young children and their families.  You must be able to demonstrate a caring and considerate attitude to children, parents and other staff  You must be able to demonstrate tolerance, patience and flexibility in working with young children, their families and other staff. Health & Safety  You must be able to cope with the demands of the post and attend on a regular basis.  You must have the ability to promote the health and safety of children and others and comply with all relevant Health and Safety legislation. Equality & Dignity at Work  You must be able to treat pupils, colleagues, parents and the community in accordance with the Council’s policies on equalities and dignity at work.  You must be able to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to the implementation of equal opportunities. Communications  You must have evidence of effective oral and written communication skills.  Ideally you will have experience of speaking to groups of adults. Flexibility  You must have evidence of a flexible approach to working with other staff in a

Page 272 of 396 variety of settings. Quality  You must have the ability to monitor and evaluate children’s learning.  Ideally you will have evidence of participation in staff development to support working practice. Team Working  You must be able to recognise the importance of working with parents as partners in their children’s education.  You must be willing to develop school/community links.  You must be willing to develop transitional links with a variety of settings.  Ideally you will have experience of working as a member of a team.  Ideally you will have experience of working with a variety of agencies and other professionals.  Ideally you will have experience of working in partnership with parents. Decision Making & Problem Solving  Ideally you will have the ability to use initiative and work on own when appropriate. Any Additional Requirements  Ideally you will have evidence of ongoing professional development.

Page 273 of 396 Job Title Community Link Worker Service Education and Children’s Services Grade & Salary PR8 Location tbc Reports to Depute Headteacher

Job Purpose To work with parents/carers and young people to enhance educational attainment and achievement, by encouraging good communication between school, home and the wider community.

To provide advice and practical support for children, young people, parents/carers through child and family centred practice in order to promote positive learning experiences for children, young people and their families. To help our young people to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors

To offer support to individual pupils and families as appropriate

Main Accountabilities

Provide opportunities for children with complex additional support needs to participate in group activities related to raising achievement  Participate in appropriate staff development  Use and develop appropriate materials for group work  Develop and deliver programmes related to achievement, using Youth Achievement or other relevant Award systems.  Respond to children’s issues through relevant group work  Evaluate work in the context of the LEAP planning tool  Record work through the designated information management system

Provide opportunities for parents to participate in group activities related to Family Learning and parenting  Participate in appropriate staff development  Use and develop appropriate materials from group work  Link with the Parenting Strategy local sub-groups  Evaluate work in the context of the LEAP planning tool  Record work through the designated information management system

Develop opportunities to engage with young people with complex additional support needs and their parents in order to support links between home, school and community  Engage with colleagues in the locality to develop and deliver programmes that extend engagement of Fairview pupils within a community context including holiday activities.  Develop and deliver programmes related to children and young people with complex additional support needs.  Ensure the effective integration, planning and delivery of Community Link Worker aims

Job Requirements Dimensions and Limits of Authority  Report directly to the Head Teacher (Support)  Work closely with the Practice Co-ordinator (Cultural & Community Services) regarding evaluating and monitoring

Page 274 of 396  Manage an operational budget to an agreed Community Link Worker Annual Improvement Plan  Co-ordinate and develop individual, group and development work related to children, young people and parents  Contribute to the development, implementation and monitoring of the Community Link Worker Improvement Plan  Ensure appropriate planning and evaluation tool (LEAP) is used for all projects  Record evidence of impact of all projects  Attend staff development and training as appropriate

Page 275 of 396 Job Specific Specification

Community Link Worker There is an expectation that short listed candidates will meet all the requirements stated below.

Knowledge & Experience . You must have a recognised degree, post graduate qualification, diploma, or recognised equivalent. . You must have experience of using a Community Learning and Development approach when working with children, young people and their family . Ideally you will have knowledge of working with children and young people with severe and complex additional support needs. . Ideally you will have awareness of equalities & ASN legislation. . Ideally you will have understanding of assessment of children and family’s needs. . You must have experience in engaging, developing and delivering community based activities for young people (organising groups, delivering learning programmes, initiating projects). . You must have experience of delivering accredited learning programmes for groups of young people and individuals e.g. Dynamic Youth, Youth Achievement Awards or equivalent. . You must be able to evidence work with various agencies or partners. . Ideally you should have knowledge of current health and safety, protection of vulnerable groups, equalities procedures. . Ideally you will have experience of delivering youth led learning programme in line with curriculum for excellence. Customer Care . You must have good communication and listening skills to develop appropriate relationships with young people, families, carers, colleagues, external agencies. . You must be able to relate and engage with young people and families, including young people with severe and complex ASN. the vulnerable and hard to reach, to offer guidance and support their learning . You should ideally have experience of working in partnership and across agencies Health & Safety . You must have an understanding of health and safety legislation in relation to working with adults, families and partners in the community . You must be able to comply with all practice guidelines operated by Perth and Kinross Council. . You must be able to attend work on a regular basis and cope with the demands of the job. Equality & Dignity at Work . You must be able to operate in a flexible and responsive environment . You must have experience of using a person-centred approach to learning . You must operate within Perth and Kinross Council’s policies on equality and dignity at work. . Evidence practices that values & promote equality and diversity Communications . You must have the ability to engage with children, young people, families & community members, in a range of settings . You must be able to engage, communicate effectively and negotiate with colleagues/ partners/stakeholders as appropriate . You must be able to lead and resolve issues with your team(s) of staff and/or

Page 276 of 396 volunteers . You must be able to use ICT effectively in your work . You should ideally have excellent report writing skills . You will ideally have knowledge of Augmentative and Alternative communication. Flexibility . You must have a flexible approach and be able to work at various times, locations and situations i.e. out of hours and at weekends . You must be self-motivated and able to use your initiative . You should be able to cope with team working and operate in independent work situations. . Ideally you will clearly demonstrate a flexible approach to working Achievement of Results . You must have good organisational and time management skills . You must be able to plan, monitor and evaluate your work . You must be able to report on and update records of work, good practice and produce relevant management information as required . You must have experience of managing resources and/or small budgets . Ideally you will have experience of project management . Ideally you will have experience of fundraising . Ideally you will have experience of delivering training/staff development opportunities Quality . You must be able to submit relevant statistical and monitoring information to agreed timescales . Ideally you will have working knowledge of the LEAP framework and/or other planning and evaluation tools . You must demonstrate commitment to continuing professional development Team Working . You must have experience of working within multidisciplinary teams and in various settings . You must be able to offer professional practice support to colleagues . You must have experience of supervising and line managing volunteers . Excellent interpersonal skills. . Ability to motivate others. . Ability to trust and devolve responsibility and resources to partners/colleagues. Decision Making & Problem Solving . You must be able to prioritise your work load and work independently . You must be able to work with attention to detail and deadlines . You must be able to deal confidently with difficult challenges. Any Additional Requirements . Due to the geographic remit of the post you should be able to travel to, attend and transport any required resources to various venues/settings safely. . Enhanced Disclosure will be required (Protection of Vulnerable Groups registration post February 2011) and understanding of the relevant legislation. . You must have a current driving licence. . Ideally you should have access to a vehicle.

Page 277 of 396

Page 278 of 396 Report Appendix 2 10

School Stage Allocation School Stage Allocation Abernethy Primary School Primary£ 6,000 Logiealmond Primary School Primary£ - Abernyte Primary School Primary£ - Logierait Primary School Primary£ 2,400 Aberuthven Primary School Primary£ 3,600 Longforgan Primary School Primary£ 3,600 Alyth Primary School Primary£ 33,600 Luncarty Primary School Primary£ 15,600 Arngask Primary School Primary£ 2,400 Madderty Primary School Primary£ 1,200 Auchtergaven Primary School Primary£ 9,600 Meigle Primary School Primary£ 9,600 Balbeggie Primary School Primary£ 3,600 Methven Primary School Primary£ 22,800 Balhousie Primary School Primary£ 30,000 Milnathort Primary School Primary£ 15,600 Blackford Primary School Primary£ 4,800 Moncreiffe Primary School Primary£ 16,800 Blair Atholl Primary School Primary£ 1,200 Murthly Primary School Primary£ 1,200 Blairingone Primary School Primary£ - Muthill Primary School Primary£ 9,600 Braco Primary School Primary£ 1,200 Newhill Primary School Primary£ 33,600 Breadalbane Academy Primary£ 25,200 North Muirton Primary School Primary£ 61,200 Burrelton Primary School Primary£ 3,600 Oakbank Primary School Primary£ 8,400 Cleish Primary School Primary£ - Our Lady's RC Primary School Primary£ 43,200 Collace Primary School Primary£ 3,600 Pitcairn Primary School Primary£ 4,800 Comrie Primary School Primary£ 2,400 Pitlochry High School Primary£ 13,200 Coupar Angus Primary School Primary£ 61,200 Portmoak Primary School Primary£ 6,000 Craigie Primary School Primary£ 19,200 Rattray Primary School Primary£ 50,400 Crieff Primary School Primary£ 56,400 Robert Douglas Memorial Primary School Primary£ 27,600 Dunbarney Primary School Primary£ 16,800 Royal School Of Dunkeld Primary School Primary£ 7,200 Dunning Primary School Primary£ 3,600 Ruthvenfield Primary School Primary£ 1,200 Errol Primary School Primary£ 9,600 St Dominic's RC Primary School Primary£ 6,000 Forgandenny Primary School Primary£ 2,400 St John's RC Academy Primary£ 74,400 Forteviot Primary School Primary£ - St Madoes Primary School Primary£ 3,600 Fossoway Primary School Primary£ - St Ninian's Episcopal Primary School Primary£ 13,200 Glendelvine Primary School Primary£ 2,400 St Stephen's RC Primary School Primary£ 14,400 Glenlyon Primary School Primary£ - Stanley Primary School Primary£ 7,200 Goodlyburn Primary School Primary£ 100,800 The Community School of Auchterarder Primary£ 24,000 Grandtully Primary School Primary£ 2,400 Tulloch Primary School Primary£ 66,000 Greenloaning Primary School Primary£ - Viewlands Primary School Primary£ 18,000 Guildtown Primary School Primary£ 1,200 Blairgowrie High School Secondary£ 54,000 Inch View Primary and Nursery School Primary£ 99,600 Breadalbane Academy Secondary£ 12,000 Inchture Primary School Primary£ 12,000 Crieff High School Secondary£ 24,000 Invergowrie Primary School Primary£ 15,600 Kinross High School Secondary£ 31,200 Kenmore Primary School Primary£ 1,200 Perth Academy Secondary£ 49,200 Kettins Primary School Primary£ 3,600 Perth Grammar School Secondary£ 72,000 Kinloch Rannoch Primary School Primary£ 3,600 Perth High School Secondary£ 46,800 Kinnoull Primary School Primary£ 10,800 Pitlochry High School Secondary£ 4,800 Kinross Primary School Primary£ 34,800 St John's RC Academy Secondary£ 45,600 Kirkmichael Primary School Primary£ 1,200 The Community School of Auchterarder Secondary£ 8,400 Letham Primary School Primary£ 81,600 Fairview School Special£ 7,200

Total£ 1,608,000

Page 279 of 396

Page 280 of 396 Report Appendix 3 10

Actual & Committed Expenditure as Staff Costs at 30/6/18 (£) Training/Courses-Single Status 9,465 Training/Courses-Teachers 46,258 Single Status 284,278 General Single Status-Supply 47,328 Teacher-Permanent 4,532 Teacher-Fixed Term 236,667 General Teacher-Supply 69,015 Total Staff Costs 697,543

Repairs & Maint 2,444

Supplies & Services Equipment-Purchase 75,437 Equipment-Maintenance 206 General Training 2,733 Furniture-Purchase 16,284 Courier & Delivery Services 412 Venue Hire 200 Text & Library Books 127,884 Education Materials 187,951 Clothing & Footwear 2,962 Stationery 8,454 IT Consumables 859 IT Printers & Peripherals 1,792 PC/Laptop Hardware 139,805 PC/Laptop Software 10,323 IT Audio Visual 7,743 IT Training 1,004 IT Consultants Fees 595 Internet Services 1,568 IT Tools & Implements 1,490 IT System Licensing & Support 13,238 Licences/Subscriptions 44,451 Recreational Facilities 3,855 Total Supplies & Sevices 649,246

Transport Costs Transport-School Activities 659 Transport-Hire 1,687 Travel & Subs - Teachers 5 Travel - Client 5 Travel - Others 25 Car Allowances - Teachers 49 Travel & Subs - Single Status 36 Total Transport Costs 2,466

Gross Expenditure 1,351,699

Income-Miscellaneous 0 Total Income 0

Net Expenditure 1,351,699

Page 281 of 396

Page 282 of 396 11

PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

Lifelong Learning Committee

31 October 2018

Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative (TRIC) Progress and TRIC Plan (Phase 2) 2018 Reports

Report by Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (Report No. 18/354)

PURPOSE OF REPORT

This report provides a year one update on the progress made by the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative (TRIC) in taking forward the first joint Integrated Children’s Services Plan – The Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families 2017-20. This summary report of progress, which is required to be submitted to the Scottish Government, outlines key areas where improvements have been made in the past year. In addition, the Phase Two Plan for the education focused aspects of our collaborative work is also included for comment.

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 The production of The Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families 2017-20 (The Tayside Plan) was an important statement of aspiration and ambition for all children, young people and their families across all communities in the Tayside area. This joint Integrated Children’s Services Plan (ICSP) works within the GIRFEC policy framework, aiming to improve inter-related and inter-dependent outcomes in health, wellbeing and educational attainment. The plan identified five main priority areas for our collaborative work:

1. Pre-birth and Early Learning; 2. Learning and Attainment; 3. Health and Well-Being; 4. Looked After Children, Care Leavers and Young Carers; and 5. Safeguarding and Child Protection.

1.2 On 4 October 2017, a report on the establishment of the TRIC was presented to Perth and Kinross Council (Report No. 17/319 refers) with the recommendation that a progress report be provided in October 2018.

1.3 A report on the progress that has been made during 2017-18 on the delivery of the Tayside Plan has been produced (Appendix 1) and has been submitted as a draft to the Scottish Government.

1.4 In addition to the joint ICSP, there was a requirement to produce a separate plan which would outline in more detail the work being progressed relating to

Page 283 of 396 our second priority, Learning and Attainment. In January 2018, the TRIC Plan was published for Phase One. Following phase one review and evaluation, the plan for Phase Two of our collaborative work has been produced (Appendix 2) and submitted to Education Scotland and the Scottish Government as required. It contains within it specific requests of the Scottish Government for a share of the recently made available funding to support the work of the six Regional Improvement Collaboratives across Scotland.

2. PROGRESS

2.1 Significant progress has been made on all five priorities identified in the ICSP, from the formation of five corresponding working groups (reflecting the priorities) to focus on key actions. Over the year, each priority group (PG) has developed and started implementing their action plans. Their achievements are summarised as follows:

PG 1: Pre-Birth & Early Years  UNICEF Baby Friendly Gold Community Award via collaboration between maternal and infant nutrition team, family nurses and health visitors;  Work streams developed for Best Start Programme;  Agreed Infant feeding assistant in hospital;  Milestones achieved for Universal Health Visiting pathway;  Exploratory phase for the Getting it right pre-birth and into the first year of life in Perth and Kinross completed and a transformation zone selected Family Nursing Partnership extended;  Training and Improvement programmes by Allied Health Professional (AHP) staff undertaken;  Early literacy support projects being undertaken in 3 local authority areas;  Consultation took place to support Tayside Parenting Strategy; and  Expansion plan delivered for 1140 hours Early Learning & Childcare.

PG 2: Learning & Attainment  Four work streams progressed: - Learning and teaching with a focus on feedback; - Numeracy; - School Leadership; and - School Improvement.  A further two workstreams established: - Cirriculum leadership; and - Building capacity for effective use of research and evidence.  Sharing of good practice linked to Pupil Equity Fund use;  Focused input on applying effective education interventions in context;  Identified schools working collaboratively on numeracy improvement;  Identified schools working collaboratively on developing effective feedback;

Page 284 of 396  Identified schools piloting the targeted approaches being developed to support whole school improvement through better self-evaluation; and all schools receiving more general support in this area;  Induction programme for new Headteachers established; and  Targeted leadership support programme for specific school teams.

PG 3: Health & Well-Being  Two consultation cycles completed on draft Tayside Parenting Strategy;  Agreed approach for national Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People (PPYP) strategy implementation;  Securing joint leads and workshop event planning for Tayside mental health strategy development;  Pan-Tayside engagement event to promote and support development of the child healthy weight strategy;  Securing Tayside Alcohol & Drug Partnership (ADP) Lead Officer to lead the Tayside substance use prevention framework development ; and  Efforts to align Children & Young people strategy developments with three Tayside Health and Social Care Partnership developments.

PG 4: Looked After Children, Care Leavers & Young Carers  Development of Corporate Parenting Plans across three local authorities;  Options appraisals carried out across 3 local authorities in relation to Looked After Children Child Plans;  Developing single strategy for engagement and participation of Looked After Children and Care Leavers;  Increase in numbers of known young carers and support provided as a result of Young Carer strategy developed in each authority;  Development of shared strategies relating to accessibility, speech/language therapy and mediation; and  Sharing of approach to risk assessment of young people who have offended.

PG 5: Safeguarding & Child Protection  Development of new guidance for Inter-agency Referral Discussions and Joint Paediatric Medical Examinations informed by multi-agency staff;  Agreement that NHS Tayside consultant Paediatrician will contribute to an Initial Referral Discussion (IRD) Action Group;  Shared learning across Tayside to support frontline practitioners to address neglect;  Exploring opportunities to involve local young people in working alongside Abertay University on cyber safety;  Exploring best practice in the participation and engagement of children and young people in child protection processes; and  Reviewed and updated guidance on the use of chronologies.

Page 285 of 396 Other groups where progress has been made include:  Commissioning Group: reviewing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for common areas of provision: links have been made with PG 4 to review advocacy provision;  Performance Group: data analysts from 3 local authorities and NHS Tayside providing robust data and performance information; and  Strategic and Director’s Groups: who oversee the delivery of the collaborative’s work as a whole.

Trends from the core data set include:  Early learning and child care: increase across Tayside for 3 and 4 year olds;  Evidence of the poverty related gap beginning to close for some groups of young people;  Improvements in children’s BMI, dental health and emergency admissions to hospital for unintentional injuries; and  High levels of performance maintained for family based placements.

3. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1 All priority groups have outlined their next steps and agree on 4 common themes:  Leadership;  Workforce development;  Shared services; and  Shared approaches.

3.2 As a result of a review of phase one, further work streams have been added to the TLAG to be developed in the year ahead: Curriculum Leadership and research and evidence based improvement.

3.3 It is recommended that the Committee:

(i) Notes and comments on the progress made in the past year;and (ii) Instructs the Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) to bring a progress report back to the Lifelong Learning Committee in November 2019.

Author(s) Name Designation Contact Details Morven Graham Project Officer TRIC [email protected] 01738 475000

Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Executive Director 16 October 2018 (Education and Children’s Services)

Page 286 of 396

Page 287 of 396 ANNEX

1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION

Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial N/A Workforce N/A Asset Management (land, property, IST) N/A Assessments Equality Impact Assessment N/A Strategic Environmental Assessment N/A Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) N/A Legal and Governance N/A Risk N/A Consultation Internal Yes External N/A Communication Communications Plan N/A

1. Strategic Implications

Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement

1.1 This section sets out how the proposals relate to the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement in terms of the following priorities:

This report relates to all of the objectives.

Corporate Plan

1.2 This section sets out how the proposals relate to the achievement of the Council’s Corporate Plan Objectives.

The Perth and Kinross Community Plan 2013-2023 and Perth and Kinross Council Corporate Plan 2013/2018 set out five strategic objectives: (i) Giving every child the best start in life; (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens;

Page 288 of 396 (iii) Promoting a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy; (iv) Supporting people to lead independent, healthy and active lives; and (v) Creating a safe and sustainable place for future generations.

This report relates to all of the objectives.

1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Policy Framework in respect of the following key policy area:

 Integrated Working

2. Resource Implications

Financial

2.1 N/A

Workforce

2.2 N/A

Asset Management (land, property, IT)

2.3 N/A

3. Assessments

The proposals have been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (EqIA) with the following outcome:

(i) Assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA

3.2 The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 places a duty on the Council to identify and assess the environmental consequences of its proposals.

No further action is required as it does not qualify as a PPS as defined by the Act and is therefore exempt.

Page 289 of 396 the Council has a general duty to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and the community, environmental and economic impacts of its actions.

N/A

Legal and Governance

3.4 N/A

Risk

3.5 N/A

4. Consultation

Internal

4.1 The Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) has been consulted in the preparation of this report.

External

4.2 N/A

5. Communication

5.1 N/A

3. APPENDICES

Appendix 1 – Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families One Year Report 2017 – 2018

Appendix 2 – The Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative Plan (Phase 2) 2018

Page 290 of 396 11

Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families

One Year Report 2017 – 2018

Page 291 of 396 Foreword

I am pleased to present the first Annual Review of the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families 2017-20. In developing the plan just 12 months ago, all partners across Tayside set ambitious goals for our children, young people and families. We have worked within the Getting it Right f or Every Child policy framework towards improving inter-related and inter-dependent outcomes in health, wellbeing and educational attainment. We have focused on 5 shared priorities which ev idence indicated would assist children, young people and families most both across the region and within each local authority area. We were particularly keen to focus on prevention; the involvement of communities in developing our approaches; and to reduce inequalities.

This update shows that, only one year into the implementation of the plan, we are making clear progress in either establishing the foundations on which transformative and sustainable improvements can be achieved or they are already driving improvements across a range of indicators. I believe this has been achieved through effective leadership involving a partnership focused on early identification of need, evidence based practice, cultural change and necessary resource shift across geographical boundaries and within and between organisations.

In this context, the update also highlights the key challenges partners have faced and will continue to face in trying to implement our plan across the region and in a climate of fiscal constraint. Equally, it shows some areas of the plan where we have not achieved comparable or sufficient improvements and which therefore require a particular focus to help drive improvements at faster pace. In doing so, we will continue to work together to learn from and adapt to information on our design and delivery of services, especially in relation to the views of our local communities. We are determined to ensure that, in another 12 months, we can again show how we are further towards achieving our vision that ‘our children and young people will have the best start in life and Tayside is the best place in Scotland to grow up’.

Margo Williamson, Chief Executive of Angus Council and Chair of Tayside Children’s Services Collaborative Strategic Executive Group

Page 292 of 396 1. Introduction

The Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families is led by the Councils of Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross with NHS Tayside. The plan was developed within a framework of policy, legislation, evidence based practice and analyses of local needs. It builds the collective capacity and resilience of services, shares expertise and makes the best use of resources to accelerate progress towards improving outcomes in health, wellbeing and attainment. The plan was created in partnership with our Community Planning Partnerships, Health and Social Care Partnerships, Police Scotland and the Third Sector. The plan is the first of its kind to reach across both geographic and organisational boundaries and focuses on 5 shared priorities:

In developing the plan, partners committed to a range of key principles, including the development of a culture of collaboration and a holistic focus on the family and whole child whether services are delivered at home, in school or in the wider community. We recognised that our collaboration would take a range of forms from the development of shared systems, processes and learning, through to local community engagement and participation, shared commissioning arrangements and even the full integration of some services. Either way, we were determined to 3

Page 293 of 396 ensure that we adopted a genuinely whole system approach which mobilised resources towards the same priorities and outcomes. Some key drivers included:

• Christie Report on the Future Design and Delivery of Public Services • Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 • Scottish Attainment Challenge • Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 • Framework for Maternity Care • Improving Maternal and Infant Nutrition: A Framework for Action • Child Protection Improvement Programme

2. Tayside Collaborative Model

The Tayside Collaborative is led by a high level Strategic Group consisting of the Chief Executives of the 3 Local Authorities and NHS Tayside, a Chief Executive from the Third Sector, a Heath and Social Care Partnership Chief Officer, Chief Superintendent from Tayside Division of Police Scotland, Senior Fire Officer from Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative Lead Director. The group provides collective leadership and is supported by a Directors Group consisting of the 3 Local Authority Executive Directors for Children and Families Serv ices, Director of Operations of NHS Tayside, Director of Public Health within NHS Tayside and a Detective Chief Inspector from Tayside Division, Police Scotland. Reporting to the Directors Group are five Priority Groups which reflect the five areas of priority outlined in the Tayside Plan, along with Commissioning and Performance Groups.

Strategic Group Directors Group Priority, Commissioning and Performance Groups

Each Priority Group is led by a Senior Manager from either a Local Authority or NHS Tayside and has an identified Senior Sponsor from the Directors Group to provide constructive support and challenge to the work. The groups include relevant representatives from across the region depending on the priority focus and members are also responsible for informing and communicating developments at a

Page 294 of 396 local level within and between partner organisations. Locally, some partnership governance arrangements have also been retained to both ensure there is a strong connection between regional and local developments and to maintain a continued focus on local structures and priorities. An organisational chart is attached as Appendix 2.

In respect of the Commissioning and Performance Groups, the former was established to develop collaborative commissioning related to the priorities identified in the Tayside Plan. The latter was established to ensure shared approaches to gathering and reporting on key performance indicators and work on the establishment of new indicators. This group is a virtual network of representatives from each of the authority areas, each of whom are also members of the Tayside Population Health Intelligence Network (Children’s TayPHIN) to ensure collaboration with NHS Tayside and other partnerships.

3. Progress towards achieving our priorities

The 5 priorities outlined in the plan were informed by a strategic assessment of need and are accompanied by both individual vision statements for each priority area and a set of high level intentions designed to set the parameters of specific action plans to improve outcomes. This has required significant and ongoing collaboration within and between each of the groups to ensure actions remain relevant to our priorities, that they are complimentary in relation to cross-cutting themes and to avoid duplication. In the last 12 months, all 5 Priority Groups have developed and started to implement action plans as outlined below.

Page 295 of 396 Priority 1 – Our children will have the best start in life, they will be cared for and supported to learn in nurturing environments.

What we will do to ensure children get the best start in life in Tayside:

• Provide targeted multi-agency support to families to ensure children aged 0-5 years reach their developmental milestones

• Deliver a new Health Visiting Pathway and expand the Family Nurse Partnership Programme

• Realign resources to improve the availability and impact of early intervention services, including for children who have a disability or complex needs

• Deliver on the 5 ambitions of Ready to Act, the National Allied Health Professional (AHP) transformational plan

• Develop and implement an evidence-based Tayside parenting strategy in partnership with Health and Social Care and other appropriate partnerships

• Develop and deliver high quality, flexible early learning and childcare provision

• Develop ways to support speech, language and communication capacity, including inclusive communication with children, young people and parents

What we have achieved in year 1

The work of Pre-Birth and Early Years group is informed by relevant national programmes such as Best Start - Maternity and Neonatal Care, Universal Pathway for Health Visiting, Ready to Act – Allied health Professionals and the Expansion of 1140 hours of Early Learning and Child care to reflect the targets required over the next 3- 5 years on the path to full implementation. Over the past year, the group has refined and focussed on the key areas for development within large scale transformation projects and there is now a clearer, shared focus on what actions need to be taken

Page 296 of 396 to improve outcomes across Tayside. With each of the main action areas, the following key achievements have been noted:

• Collaboration between maternal and infant nutrition team, family nurses and health visitors on increasing both initiation and continuation of breastfeeding has been assessed and awarded the UNICEF Baby Friendly Gold Community Award • Four work streams have been developed to take forward implementation of the Best Start - Maternity and Neonatal Transformation Programme • Infant feeding assistant has been agreed to support women in hospital • The universal health visiting pathway was implemented in May 2017 and the milestones to increase and sustain the workforce has been achieved • Work in Perth and Kinross supported by CELCIS focused on addressing neglect and enhancing wellbeing in pregnancy and into the first year of life has identified a transformation zone in South/West Perth and Kinross. There is an intention to scale the learning. • Extension of the Family Nurse Partnership to first time mothers aged 20-24 who meet the eligibility criteria has been taken up by almost 100 women

• A comprehensive range of training and improvement programmes has been undertaken by AHP staff, to build capacity, change thinking and practice and support the use of improvement methodology. A package of training and support for early years practitioners across all agencies has also been developed to support evidence based key messages on early language development with parents and carers. • A number of specific projects to support early literacy is being undertaken in all three local authority areas in collaboration with nurseries. • Comprehensive consultation has taken place to support the development of a Tayside Parenting Strategy.

The Tayside group of Early Years teams successfully delivered their expansion plan for the delivery of 1140 hours of Early Learning and Childcare to the Scottish Government and received confirmation of funding for implementation of the programme by 2020. Whilst there are different models of delivery suited to the demographic and geographical needs of each area, the ELCC work stream is

Page 297 of 396 focussed on providing a consistent approach across Tayside, and is collaborating on four key areas: quality assurance, workforce expansion and development, partnerships including childminders and policy development.

Next Steps

Greater collaboration and consistent approaches of service delivery and practice has been achieved in year 1 and this will continue to be a focus of future work.

We will develop further a consistent collation of data to support improvement, and the capacity of agencies and practitioners to use improvement methodology to demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions. This is being addressed through joint working with a data team and with the Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative adv isor.

Recruitment of trained staff is a challenge for maternity services, health visiting and early years education services due to the expansion of national programmes. Workforce expansion and development programmes are in place across all areas, including Allied health Professionals who are developing new and better ways of working to ensure that they can meet the demands of an increasing need for their services.

We have identified further actions to support our work over the next year. We will;

• Build relationship based practice across the early years workforce by embedding the Solihull approach across NHS, education, children and families and third sector partners. • Focus on a greater level of support for maternal health within maternity services • Develop a Test of Change in the impact of a Welfare worker on the outcomes for women within the FNP programme in Perth and Kinross • Reduce the number of women requiring to be engaged in the Unborn baby protocol

Page 298 of 396 • Implement the plan in the Perth and Kinross transformation zone to build relationship based practice and community resilience to better support pregnant women and their families • Test model of maternity Hub in a locality area of Dundee • Collate data on the impact of the implementation of the Universal pathway for Health Visiting on children and families to support improved outcomes • Continue to deliver “Ready to Act“ transformation programme • Consider how to collaborate on improving early language skills in children aged 0-3, particularly those at risk of not meeting their developmental milestones • Implement the expansion plans for the delivery of 1140 hours of ELCC across Tayside, and deepen collaboration on high quality service delivery

• Work with Education Scotland and Care Inspectorate to further develop leadership skills and capacity in self -evaluation as it relates to the ELC National Standard and Care Standards • Assess the extent to which the expansion from 600 hours to 1140 hours has improved outcomes for children particularly those at risk of disadvantage between 2 and 5, and their parents ability to work, train or study. • Further develop performance measures and data across all areas of activity to support evidence based practice, and to support improvement activity.

Priority 2 - Our children, young people and their families will be meaningfully engaged with learning and combined with high quality learning experiences, all children and young people will extend their potential.

What we will do to ensure children and young people succeed: • Ensure children who are at risk of not achieving their potential are provided with the extra support they need

• Provide parents, carers and young people with opportunities to be active partners through supported learning and consultation on improvement plans

• I mplement initiatives for post-school training, apprenticeships and further and higher education to improve pathways to employment

Page 299 of 396 • Promote collaborative working across schools and their communities to support robust self-evaluation, and improved quality of provisions

• Support young people to make informed choices and exercise greater control as they transition to adulthood

• Ensure close partnership working is designed to close inequality gaps, address complex needs and share good practice that already exists

What we have achieved in year 1

Over the first year of the plan, the group has focused on building the foundations for effective collaboration to improve learning experiences and educational outcomes across Tayside. In January 2018, the requirement to develop a Regional I mprov ement Collaborative (RIC) Plan focused on closing the attainment gap and raising achievement for all also provided an opportunity to refine the approach. The group identified four work streams that would benefit from collaboration. These work streams were drawn from an analysis of school improvement plans and agreed within a wider leadership forum of educational leaders. The four work streams are:

1. Learning and teaching with an initial focus on feedback 2. Numeracy 3. Leadership 4. School improvement

On the basis of ongoing evaluation, including an analysis of school improvement plans from across the region, two more workstreams have been identified on the topic of curriculum leadership and building capacity in the effective use of research and evidence. Further collaborative work is also been explored in the areas of literacy and developing the young workforce. Some key developments between local authority areas have also involved:

• Sharing information about the effective use of Pupil Equity Funding including extended input to school leaders about evidence based educational interventions

Page 300 of 396 • Developing joint approaches towards engagement and participation, including opportunities for carers and children to be active partners through supported learning and consultation on school improvement plans • Angus and Dundee are working together to further implement an innovative approach to the senior phase called Future Skills College (FSC) along with Dundee and Angus College. • A consistent approach to school leadership development is being rolled out. This includes an effective induction programme for new head teachers and comprehensive school leadership support within and across schools. • A small number of schools will receive intensive cross-authority support in order to support the leadership of improvement and a universal approach to improving school collaboration through a strengths directory • Consideration of increased multi-agency self-evaluation using new inspection information when that becomes available. This builds on the collaborative approaches to improvement already trialled across the collaborative. • Informed by Priority Group 3, the development of curriculum materials on the topic of substance misuse is in process. This will add to our successful collaborative resource on sexual health, relationships and parenthood. • An established network of professionals to review and plan multiagency supports for children and young people with complex needs and close inequality gaps.

Next Steps

As well as evaluating year one of the Tayside Plan, Priority Group 2 have also prepared phase 2 of the TRI C. The number of workstreams have grown having taken account of school improvement planning for session 2018/19 and an ongoing consideration of national requirements. Individual workstream plans have been developed by a cross section of practitioners from across the region with the facilitation of a lead officer. As each workstream has developed a detailed action plan, the scope and extent of project reach has been assessed. The school improvement theme for example includes both a universal school offer as well as targeted support for identified schools as does the numeracy sub-theme.

Page 301 of 396 The feedback project is a deeper piece of work starting off with six schools from across the region and developed in partnership with an external provider and the GTCS. The leadership theme will impact on middle leaders and new Head Teachers from August 2018. Existing collaboration is already very successful in the area of modern languages 1 & 2 and collaborative work on literacy is emerging. The focus is therefore now on implementation and evaluation in order to assess whether interventions should be rolled out.

Each work stream has specified their interventions and associated performance measures. Overall education performance measures are outlined in the Performance Information of year one (Appendix 2). This will have a continued focus in year 2 of the plan and support has been accessed from Education Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Improvement Advisor. Performance leads from each local authority and the NHS are working in partnership to develop a collaborative baseline of data than can be used year on year to assess progress.

Continued focus on communicating the work of the collaborative will be supported by the establishment of a website to enhance the face to face and written updates as well as extend the reach of key messages. The priority group will also plan and assess focused interventions for looked after young people in response to the provision of national resource.

All aspects of the work of priority group 2 is built upon collaboration. The very good working practices that had been developed through shared work on school improvement has contributed to the fast progress of work between January and June 2018. It is anticipated that the pace of this work will increase as consideration is given to additional areas of collaboration and ensuring the impact of those already in train. It is likely that our focus will evolve into the development of shared services or lead authorities for specific functions.

Priority 3 - Our children and young people will be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. What we will do to promote good physical, mental and emotional health for

Page 302 of 396 children: • Develop and implement a Tayside multi-agency framework to prevent and address early initiation into substance misuse

• Develop and implement a Tayside Mental Health Strategy for children and young people to ensure a focus on prevention, early identification and support

• Implement the Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People Strategy (PPYP) alongside work to reduce teenage pregnancy and support to young parents

• Develop a Tayside strategy to improve Child Healthy Weight • Develop and implement, in partnership, an evidence based Tayside parenting strategy

What we have achieved in year 1

In the past 12 months, a well functioning Tayside Health & Wellbeing Priority Group (HWPG) has been established and the group has an engaged and committed membership from across the 3 Local Authorities, the Third Sector and NHS Tayside. Achievements towards delivering on the HWPG actions include:

• Production of a draft Tayside Parenting strategy which has recently completed consultation processes with practitioners and families • An agreed Tayside partnership approach to implementing the national PPYP strategy • Securing joint leads from NHS Tayside and a Local Authority to drive the Tayside mental health strategy and a planning workshop with stakeholders • Planning of a pan-Tayside child healthy weight event for practitioners, leaders and community members to co-produce a child healthy weight strategy • Securing Tayside’s joint Alcohol & Drug Partnership (ADP) Lead Officer as lead for the Substance Use Prevention framework Task & Finish group • Direct involvement and support from the Scottish Government (CYPIC) national improvement adviser to all 5 areas for action for the Tayside HWPG

Page 303 of 396 • Relationships developing with the 3 Tayside Health and Social Care Partnerships to ensure policy developments are aligned

Moving forward, the Tayside HWPG will continue to lead and support the work of the multi-agency Task & Finish Groups and key individual leads, in order to achieve strategy development and implementation within the identified timescales. In addition, members will be reviewing existing outcomes measures within the Tayside Plan, commencing with a dental health measure and identifying relevant refined and/or additional measures. This work will be undertaken in conjunction with Tayside Plan Performance Group members.

The HWPG will also be developing links and working with the Tayside Plan Commissioning Group members to both inform and be informed on future commissioning activity related to the new health and wellbeing strategies being developed.

Priority 4 - Our children and young people who experience particular inequalities and disadvantage will achieve health, wellbeing and educational outcomes comparable with all other children and young people. • I nformed by the work of Fairness Commissions, work together to reduce the impact of poverty on our children, young people and families.

• Develop and implement a Corporate Parenting Strategy which pro-actively and systematically addresses the needs of Looked After Children and Care Leavers

• Ensure Looked After Children and Care Leavers are fully involved in decisions about their care and influence service delivery • Ensure Young Carers are identified, provided with support, and assisted to manage appropriate caring responsibilities

• Ensure children and young people with complex and enduring needs experience high quality care and support and are included within their local communities

• Ensure children and young people with complex and enduring needs receive

Page 304 of 396 timely, effective support in their transition into adulthood

• Ensure that children and young people who have offended receive appropriate child-centred support which reduces the risk of re-offending

What we have achieved in year 1

Corporate Parenting

In the last 12 months, partners in the 3 Local Authority areas have developed Corporate Parenting Plans designed to promote the 8 outcomes for Looked After Children and Care Leavers outlined in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. In addition to improving health and wellbeing outcomes, plans include a focus on required improvements in school attendance, exclusions, attainment and positive destinations. Building on this, partners have also informed the provision of additional Scottish Government funding to build capacity for looked after and care experienced children and are presently collaborating to target this at areas of greatest need.

In order to improve permanence planning processes, a joint family placement quality assurance post was established between Angus and Dundee. Building on this, all 3 local authority areas jointly carried out an options appraisal on approaches towards developing and reviewing effective Child’s Plan’s for all Looked After Children, the outcome of which will be progressed over the next 12 months.

Partners are also developing a single strategy for engagement and participation with Looked After Children and Care Leavers. The parameters of the strategy have been agreed and will include the shared development of approaches which reflect the age, stage of development and interests of individual and/or groups of children and young people. Crucially, the strategy will involve mechanisms to ensure that their views are systematically obtained and routinely inform both day-to-day practice and the longer-term design, delivery and development of services.

Page 305 of 396 Young Carers

Each Local Authority area has now developed a Carers Strategy which outlines processes to improve the identification, assessment and support of Young Carers. This is already starting to lead to increases in the numbers of known Young Carers and the provision of support which ranges from advice and guidance to more intensive packages where this is required. Going forward, partners have committed to the development of a shared performance framework and a shared approach towards short-breaks.

Complex and Enduring Needs

In the last 12 months, partners have coordinated the development of a number of shared strategies relating to accessibility, speech and language therapy and mediation. This work has had a particular focus on improving the inclusion of children and young people and over the next 12 months will be supported by associated training and workforce development. Going forward, partners have also committed to the development of a single autism strategy.

Young People Who Have Offended

Partners work in this area has initially focused on the development of shared approaches towards risk assessment through the use of agreed assessment tools and joint workforce development. This includes both generic risk assessments and assessments of those young people who have been identified as being at risk of causing significant harm. Going forward, partners have committed to a consistent approach towards Early and Effective Identification and Diversion from Prosecution processes and responding to specific crime trends or associated issues, such as internet crime and substance misuse.

Next Steps

Collectively, these actions are contributing towards some reductions in inequalities in these priority groups. There have been marked improvements in the number of school exclusions across all 3 Local Authority areas. However, as our performance framework illustrates, partners still need to be persistent in focussing on improving 16

Page 306 of 396 attainment levels and positive destinations of care experienced children and young people in particular. Over the next 12 months, our priorities will therefore involve:

• Targeted use of additional funding for Looked After Children and Care Leavers • Implementation, monitoring and review of an agreed approach towards the quality assurance of looked after and care experienced children and young people’s plans • The development and implementation of a shared engagement and participation strategy • The development of a shared approach towards short-breaks and a performance framework relating to Young Carers • A shared focus on the inclusion of children and young people with complex and enduring needs and an autism strategy • Consistent approaches towards risk assessments, prevention/early intervention and priority crimes for young people who have offended

Priority 5 - Our children and young people will be safe and protected from harm at home, school and in the community. What we will do to keep children safe: • Continue to build a confident, competent and supported workforce in order to protect children and young people from abuse, exploitation and neglect

• Continue to promote highly effective practices in the sharing of information in order to protect and safeguard children, young people and vulnerable adults

• In partnership with the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELCIS), strengthen our approaches to tackling and mitigating the effects of childhood neglect

• Improve children and young people’s capacity for personal safety and the avoidance of abuse and exploitation, including from their use of the internet

• Develop a shared Tayside communication strategy in support of consistent messages to promote the protection and welfare of children and young people

Page 307 of 396 • Involve children, young people, parents and wider families in decision-making and planning processes that affect them

What we have achieved in year 1

Priority 5 - Our children and young people will be safe and protected from abuse at home, school and in the community

Building on a history of collaboration by the three Child Protection Committees to share practice and pool resources for workforce development, Priority Group 5 has identified opportunities to add further value by focusing on a number of common key areas which already featured within Child Protection Committee improv ement plans. Initially, this has involved focusing on incremental improvements to achieve consistent high quality practices across the collaborative. It is envisaged that this will prov ide a more solid foundation for larger scale change and move towards greater sharing of resources and integrated models of delivery over the life-time of the plan. A delivery plan is supported by Action Groups with representation sufficient to implement improvement across agencies forming the collaborative and a clear remit to achieve step change in key areas which are notoriously complex and problematic both locally and nationally. Taking time to connect through regular meetings and developing shared understandings of similarities or variations is building stronger partnership working. The groups also monitor progress systematically and are working to identify barriers to achieving best practice and stimulate collaborative solutions.

What we have achieved

A standardised approach to key child protection processes across Tayside, in particular Inter-Agency Referral Discussions (IRDs) and Medical Examinations to improve practice consistency and to provide better outcomes for children and young people.

A new suite of guidance in relation to key child protection processes including Initial Referral Discussions and building chronologies will be in place by the end of December 2018. The group has recognised that this requires more than the

Page 308 of 396 production of written guidance and that this needs to be accompanied by culture and practice change alongside joint quality assurance arrangements. Multi-agency staff groups across Tayside are informing the new guidance, practice direction and associated workforce development.

A Consultant Paediatrician from NHS Tayside will contribute to an Initial Referral Discussion (IRD) Action Group. They will lead on the revision of a Tayside Protocol for conducting Joint Paediatric Forensic Medical Examinations ensuring that the planned improvements for IRDs and all new guidance will dovetail and ensure robust decision-making for medical assessment/examination.

In November 2018, a practitioner learning event ‘Connect with Neglect’ will be held. Raised awareness and understanding on tackling neglect and enhancing wellbeing will be achieved by sharing learning in relation to the work in each local authority to address neglect and enhance wellbeing. This will include work in partnership with CELCIS as part of the Child Protection Improvement Programme in Dundee and Perth and Kinross and a partnership approach towards the implementation of a Graded Care Profile in Angus.

The group has also collated learning from Initial and Significant Case Reviews carried out by each of the three CPCs over the last 3 years and will work over the next year to disseminate learning to first line managers across all relevant services.

We have prioritised opportunities to involve local children and young people in developing cyber security; personal safety; and CSE aw areness, and the group is currently exploring the potential to work with experts and undergraduate students in psychology and online gaming at Abertay University. An initial mapping and scoping exercise about current programmes aimed at keeping children safe online has been carried out by 3rd sector colleagues and extends to FE colleges.

The group is committed to develop and implement best practice for the involvement and participation of children, young people and families in key child protection processes and in the work of the CPCs. A mapping of existing processes and researching practice by Chairs of Child Protection Case Conferences has 19

Page 309 of 396 started and on completion the group will identify a few key areas for implementation across Tayside and explore the potential for joint commissioning of services.

The 3 CPCs jointly responded to a Scottish Government/CELCIS/Care Inspectorate consultation on a shared national dataset. This will build on local datasets and inform the development of new performance measures over the next 12 months. It will also provide a meaningful framework to demonstrate progress and which is aligned with the new Care Inspectorate framework for children in need of care and protection published in July 2018.

A Tayside Chronology Action Group includes education and social work representatives across all three local authorities and is on target to produce revised guidance by October 2018. Once approved by respective CPCs, this will be implemented thereafter via a Tayside-wide multi-agency workforce learning development plan.

A Tayside Child Protection Learning and Development Group Work Plan 2018 – 2020 was published in June 2018 and includes Tayside Inter-Agency Learning and Development for IRDs, Chronologies and the Shared Learning Event: Connect with Neglect. Regular Joint Meetings planned for Tayside Child Protection Lead Officers and Learning and Development Officers will ensure the plan is resourced and implemented.

Next Steps

There will be a review of the priority group 5 delivery plan before the end of 2018 and a focus on ensuring that the work is moving towards greater sharing of resources and integrated models of delivery.

The Priority Group has agreed to prioritise the development of first line managers across relevant services over the next year of the plan. This is to support a competent and confident workforce with staff who are able to manage complex

Page 310 of 396 professional judgements and to promote the necessary cultural conditions across all services for the protection of children and young people at risk.

Commissioning Group

The work of this group is involving reviewing existing Service Level Agreements for common areas of provision, identifying future need and engaging with established working groups supporting the Tayside Plan. In the last 12 months, this has started with a rev iew of adv ocacy provision for which the group is linking with Priority Group 4.

Performance Group

This group is made up of Data Analysts from across the 3 Local Authorities and NHS Tayside, who already work together on data and performance information for a range of other Local Authority and Health Board plans. The group meets regularly with Priority Group chairs to facilitate a robust and consistent data and performance focus within the individual Priority Groups. Data analyst group members will work with individual Priority Groups to review and refine outcome measure for year 2 of the plan.

What does our Performance Information tell us?

In developing the Tayside Plan, we recognised the importance of ensuring we have shared and robust performance indicators. We therefore developed an initial performance framework which we believed would provide some indication of progress or barriers to progress in each priority area. Going forwards, we are continuing to work together to further develop and refine the framework, including in respect of qualitative measures. We want to ensure that the framework promotes a better understanding of the impact of our services and informs what we do more of or less of or differently. For this year, our core data set highlights the following trends:

Page 311 of 396  An increase in the uptake of early learning and child care for vulnerable 2 year olds and 3 and 4 year olds across the area  I mprovements in learning and attainment with data showing that there are areas where we have maintained our position and areas of improvement  Some positive improvements in some areas for children’s BMI, dental health and emergency admissions to hospital from unintentional injuries;  Maintaining high levels of performance for children placed in family based placements.

In general, trends in relation to outcomes for Looked After Children are improving but they are also subject to annual fluctuations and are still not comparable with their peers across a range of indicators. We recognise that they need to both accelerate and be sustained and this will continue to be one of our key priorities over the next 12 months. The current data set will be influenced by the work taking place nationally on a core data set for child protection committees and a core data set for Looked After Children. We will incorporate this into our work and include other measures as each of the priority groups mature.

4. Conclusions and Next steps

In the first year of the Tayside Plan, partners have created an infrastructure to support the transformative changes needed to deliver on our Tayside commitments. Our assessment is that each of the groups are now in a clear position with strong and effective leadership and guidance to driv e forward our work. National developments relating to the Regional Improvement Collaborative have served to strengthen significantly the work and direction of Priority Group 2. Building on this, the next steps described by each of our Priority Groups outlines how, over the next 12 months, our work will be shaped around 4 common themes:

Leadership – continuing to promote a whole systems model of collaborative leadership crossing geographical and organisational boundaries, including in relation to schools. The approach will involve a shared holistic focus on improving inter-dependent health, wellbeing and attainment outcomes for children and young people.

Page 312 of 396 Workforce development – committing to children’s services and local communities as one system and taking opportunities to share how we ensure our workforce are ready and prepared to identify, support and where necessary protect our children and young people.

Shared services – assessing areas to identify where sharing resources across 2-3 community planning areas will promote best value and contribute towards improving outcomes for children and young people. This will also apply to commissioned services.

Shared approaches – taking shared approaches to our work including shared policy and practice, engagement and participation and self-evaluation to make best use of our resources, involve communities in developments and promote consistently high levels of practice across Tayside.

The review of advocacy services being jointly progressed by Priority Group 4 and the Commissioning Group will have a particular focus on children’s rights. It will be accompanied by the development of a shared engagement and participation strategy which promotes different methods of involvement dependent upon age, stage and individual needs. We will also work with partners involved in our Fairness Commissions to develop or refine actions designed to specifically address child poverty across the region. We recognise that, although demographically varied, high levels of urban and rural poverty are experienced in each local authority area.

The foundations for continued collaboration and improved outcomes across the region in accordance with the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child policy framework and other legislative and policy drivers have been strengthened. Over the second year of the plan, as key areas of work being progressed by the Priority Groups comes to fruition, we should see further improvements in the key performance indicators outlined in our performance framework. We will also further develop and refine the framework to improve our understanding of the impact of services and help illustrate both progress and barriers more effectively.

Page 313 of 396

Appendix 1 – Performance Framework.

Please note that whilst the previous year’s figures are generally shown for comparison, a longer time series of information is required to establish any trends in performance/outcomes.

1. Our children will have the best start in life, they will be cared for and supported to learn in nurturing environments

Indicator Latest year (previous year/ baseline) Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross Increase the % of children reaching all of their Not reported as this year as seen a change in a developmental milestones at the time of their 27- recording a new domain – figures are not 30 months Child Health Review to at least 85% comparable. Alternative indicator used below Reduce the % of children with at least one 21% 22% 19% developmental concern recorded at 27-30 (21%) (21%) (19%) months Child Health Review Increase the % of children with no speech, 80% 81% 82% language and communication concerns identified (82%) (82%) (83%) at 27-30 months Child Health Review Increase the % of 2 year olds children who have 10% 22% 10% accessed early learning and childcare provision Maintain the % of 3 and 4 year old children who 87% 93% 97% have accessed early learning and childcare (91%) (99%) (93%) provision

2. Our children, young people and their families will be meaningfully engaged with learning and combined with high quality learning experiences all children and young people will fulfil their potential

Indicator Latest year (previous year/ baseline) Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross Increase the % of local residents satisfied with 76% 67% 83% schools (76%) (65%) (85%)

Increase the % of secondary school pupils 60% 54% 63% achieving 5 plus awards at SCQF level 5 or (58%) (52%) (62%) higher Increase the % of secondary school pupils 32% 26% 36% achieving 5 plus awards at SCQF level 6 or (32%) (27% (36%) higher Increase the % of se condary school pupils 46% 37% 31% from SIMD Q1 achieving 5 plus awards at (39%) (37%) (32%) SCQF level 5 or higher Increase the % of secondary school pupils 18% 11% 10% from SIMD Q1 achieving 5 plus awards at (18%) (13%) (8%) SCQF level 6 or higher Increase the % of school leavers achieving 90% 86% 86% literacy and numeracy at SCQF level 4 or (91%) (86%) (84%) above Increase the % of school leavers achieving 72% 59% 60%

Page 314 of 396 Indicator Latest year (previous year/ baseline) Angus Dundee Perth & Kinross literacy and numeracy at SCQF level 5 or (66%) (54%) (62%) above Increase the % of pupils entering positive 94% 94% 95% destinations after leaving school (94%) (94%) (92%) 673 542 558 Average total tariff SIMD Quintile 1 (602) (529) (523) 615 713 657 Average total tariff SIMD Quintile 2 (646) (689) (746) 877 859 1028 Average total tariff SIMD Quintile 3 (760) (869) (850) 813 939 951 Average total tariff SIMD Quintile 4 (914) (916) (1023) 1008 1103 1124 Average total tariff SIMD Quintile 5 (982) (1086) (1135) Increase the % of pupils who stay on from S4 83% (80%) 76% (76%) 85% (86%) to S5 Increase the % of pupils who stay on from S4 51% (52%) 59% (59%) 55% (60%) to S6

3. Our children and young people are physically, mentally and emotionally healthy

Indicator: Latest year (previous year/ Angus Dundee Perth & baseline) Kinross Increase the % of children with a BMI in a 84% 85% 79% healthy weight (clinical) category at P1 (86%) (83%) (84%) review Reduce the rate per 1,000 of teenagers 31 52 24 conceiving (under 20 years) (29) (51) (30) Increase the % of P7 pupils with no obvious 81% 74% 83% dental disease (67%) (65%) (74%) Reduce the number of households with children or pregnant women in temporary 0.9 (1.9) 9.1 (8.5) 3.1 (6.7) accommodation, per 10,000 households Reduce the number of children in temporary 7 (14) 67 (53) 18 (34) accommodation per 10,000

4. Our children and young people who experience particular inequalities and disadvantage will achieve health, wellbeing and educational outcomes comparable to all other children and young people

Indicator: Latest year (previous year/ Angus Dundee Perth & baseline) Kinross Increase the % of children and young people 92% (91%) 89% (90%) 92% (94%) placed in family based placements Reduce the % of openings lost to exclusions during academic year for looked after 0.25% (0.21%) 0.23% (0.39%) 0.21% (0.34%) children Increase the % of looked after children in 79% (70%) 84% (85%) 82% (83%) positive destinations post school 25

Page 315 of 396 Increase the % of looked after school leavers gaining Literacy & numeracy at SCQF level 4 46% (44%) 40% (58%) 71% (48%) or better 5. Our children and young people are safe and protected from harm at home, school and in the community

Indicator: Latest year (previous year/ Angus Dundee Perth & baseline) Kinross Emergency admissions from Unintentional 145 (154) 213 (229) 140 (202) Injuries for children aged 0-15

Page 316 of 396 Appendix 2 – Tayside Children’s Services Collaborative Infrastructure

Page 317 of 396 Appendix 3 – Priority Group (PG) Membership

PG1 – Pre Birth and Early Years (0-5)

Head of Education: Early Years and Primary, Perth and Kinross Council (Chair) Chief Midwife, NHS Tayside Consultation Neonatologist, NHS Tayside Lead Nurse Early Years, NHS Tayside Lead Nurse/Service Manager Children and Young People, NHS Tayside Allied Health Professional Lead, NHS Tayside TSI representative, Dundee TSI Education Manager Early Years, Dundee City Council Education Officer, Angus Council CELCIS project officers, Perth and Kinross Children and Families and NHS Tayside.

PG2 – Learning and Attainment

Chief Education Officer, Angus Council Chief Education Officer, Dundee Head of Service: Early Years and Primary, Perth and Kinross Council Head of Serv ice, Secondary Education, Perth and Kinross Council SLSO Angus Education Officer, Dundee 2 x Quality Improvement Officer Perth and Kinross Council RLO Education Scotland

PG3 – Health & Wellbeing

NHS Tayside Programme Lead Children & Families - CHAIR Service Manager Perth & Kinross Third Sector Interface Education Officer Dundee City Council (DCC) Senior Manager (SWD) DCC Serv ice Manager, Evidence 2 Success, Perth & Kinross Council (PKC) Quality Improvement Officer PKC

Page 318 of 396 Service Manager ASN/Educational Psychology Angus Council (AC) Lead Officer Tayside ADPs (AC) NHS Tayside Clinical Services Manager (Paediatrics/CAMHS) NHS Tayside Child Health O.T. Service Manager (AHPs) NHS Tayside Interim Service Manager Children & Families (Angus) NHS Tayside Public Health Dept. - Consultant in PH medicine/Portfolio Lead Children & Young People NHS Tayside Public Health Dept. - Executive Lead Sexual Health & BBV NHS Tayside Public Health Dept. – Dietetic Consultant PH nutrition NHS Tayside Clinical Lead CAMHS NHS Tayside Consultant Clinical Psychologist (CAMHS) NHS Tayside Community Paediatrician

PG4 – Inequalities

Service Manager, Children and Families Strategy and Performance, Dundee City Council – Chair Senior Manager, Residential Services, Dundee City Council Education Manager, Dundee City Council Senior Manager, Children and Families, Perth and Kinross Council Service Leader, Children, Families and Justice Service, Angus Council Service Manager, Angus, Third Sector Interface Service Manager, Carers Centre, Dundee Locality Reporter Manager, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration Detective Chief Inspector, Tayside Division, Police Scotland Senior Manager, NHS Tayside Community Paediatrician, NHS Tayside

PG5 – Child Protection

Depute Director, Education and Children’s Services / CSWO (Chair) Detective Chief Inspector, Police Scotland (Sponsor)

Page 319 of 396 Detective Inspector, Police Scotland Assistant Director, Barnardo’s Scotland Lead Nurse Child Protection, NHS Tayside Consultant Paediatrician, NHS Tayside Third Sector Strategic Officer for Children's Services, Voluntary Action Angus Independent Chair, Angus Child Protection Committee Independent Chair, Dundee Child Protection Committee Independent Chair, Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee Team Leader, Protecting People Partnership (Dundee) Lead Officer, Angus Child Protection and Adult Protection Committees Child Protection Inter-Agency Coordinator, Perth and Kinross

Strategic Commissioning group

The group has representatives from each of the 3 local authorities, Third Sector Interface and NHS Tayside.

Page 320 of 396 11

Page 321 of 396

Executive Summary 3

Achievements to Date 4

CHAPTER ONE – Introduction 6

CHAPTER TWO – The Strategic Framework 8

CHAPTER THREE - Governance Arrangements & Delivery Mechanisms 11

CHAPTER FOUR – Progress Report & Next Steps for Priorities 1, 3, 4 & 5 15

CHAPTER FIVE – Evaluation of TRIC Phase One Plan 25

CHAPTER SIX – Analysis of Tayside Schools’ Improvement Priorities 29

CHAPTER SEVEN – Priority 2: Learning & Attainment, Progress & Next Steps 30

CHAPTER EIGHT – Workforce Plan to Support Delivery 51

APPENDICES 62

Phase one of the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative Plan was published in January 2018 with the support of the Strategic Group and the political leaders in each area. Phase two of this plan builds upon the success of phase one and will continue to evolve according to further analysis of data, plans, staff views and the views of partners and any further agreed guidance or legislation.

Page 322 of 396

Overview

 The Tayside Children’s Services Collaborative is led by the Councils of Angus, Dundee City, and Perth & Kinross, with NHS Tayside. We work closely with our Community Planning Partnerships, engaging with the third sector, Police Scotland and other key partners.

 Whilst across Tayside we are making progress in our respective areas, evidence continues to suggest that there is more we can do. This desire to drive that improvement led to the development of our Tayside Collaborative.

 The clear focus of our Collaborative is to secure improved outcomes for all of Tayside’s children and young people. It also reflects a commitment to the national approach, ‘Getting it Right for Every Child’, (GIRFEC), addressing the ‘whole system’ to improve outcomes and tackle inequality.

 A more formal ‘Strategic Framework for Collaboration’ has been established to create a clear process for this work and to ensure it retains a focus on tackling areas that will have the most impact on outcomes. As part of this, the Collaborative will:

 Build the collective capacity and resilience of services.  Strengthen the approach to sharing expertise and providing challenge.  Reduce duplication of effort and ensure the best use of available resources.

 The work of the Collaborative is very much driven by evidence (national and local), and by the needs of communities across Tayside.

 At the heart of the work of the Collaborative is the shared Integrated Children’s Services Plan (ICSP), the first of its kind which reaches across local authority boundaries and which was developed with our Health Board partners in NHS Tayside. The ICSP, itself developed in collaboration, illustrates the shared commitment and agreed priorities for strengthening families and improving the longterm life chances of all Tayside’s children and young people.

 We recognise that the accountability for improvement remains with the local authorities as part of the regional collaborative and our duties to secure better outcomes for our poorest and most vulnerable children remain our focus. To add value best to what we do, we will use our collected and extended evidence to challenge ourselves and each other while maintaining local flexibility on planning and quality assurance.

Page 323 of 396 Achievements to Date

The Collaborative has agreed a shared vision for securing better outcomes for children, as follows:

‘Our children and young people will have the best start in life and Tayside will be the best place in Scotland to grow up.’

This vision is supported by the development of a more formal ‘Strategic Framework for Collaboration’ in order to focus efforts and support prioritisation. This is an ambitious agenda so it was important to be clear at the outset what the Collaborative wanted to achieve and to reach a shared agreement as to how they wanted to work together.

As part of this framework, a number of guiding principles have been agreed. These define the approach and illustrate what is important to the Collaborative and how we work together. The establishment of principles also provided a clear mechanism to embed improved outcomes for children as the key driver for collaboration at the outset. These guiding principles match with those agreed nationally in the report of the Joint Steering Group.

As mentioned earlier, at the heart of this framework is the first ever Taysidewide Integrated Children’s Services Plan (ICSP). It is the priorities identified within this Plan that are driving collaborative efforts. This plan was developed in Spring 2017 and reviewed in 2018.

These shared priorities focus on areas where, collectively, the Collaborative can have the most impact on the lives and longerterm life chances of Tayside’s children. The five sets of priorities can be summarised under the following broad headings:

1. Pre-birth and Early Years 2. Learning and Attainment 3. Health and Well-Being 4. Looked After Children, Care Leavers and Young Carers 5. Safeguarding and Child Protection

The framework also includes a set of delivery mechanisms which have been designed to deliver on the priorities of the Collaborative. Five priority groups have been established, each with its own action plan.

Five lead officials supported by strategic sponsors have been driving forward collaboration in these priority areas with pace of progress enhanced since the publication of the phase one of the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative (TRIC) Plan in January 2018.

The second set of priorities around ‘learning and attainment’ include a key priority to secure improvement in the education system. We are clear about the need to secure improvement in education outcomes, recognising the need to address attainment and inequality. Increased involvement of practitioners. Four workstreams within priority group 2 – the Tayside Learning and Attainment Group (TLAG) were

Page 324 of 396 originally identified in this area following collective selfevaluation and practitioners at all levels are now engaged in these areas. Two further areas of priority have been agreed as part of the review of progress of phase one of the plan.

New governance arrangements have also been developed to support the framework, including a new Strategic Group to oversee the delivery of the Collaborative. These governance arrangements are proving effective in supporting and challenging collaboration within and across priority areas.

All the work of the Collaborative is driven by achieving improvement on the five priorities of the ICSP.

The Collaborative recognise the scale of ambition and that this is complex and challenging work, but we are clear that it is essential if we are to secure change.

Flexibility and innovation are crucial to the Collaborative and there is recognition of the need to change ways of working in order to deliver on these commitments. This will mean that each core organisation of the Collaborative will need to support their people to work differently and to create not only the capacity within teams, but to foster a ‘culture of collaboration’. Work is underway to plan an event for all members of priority groups to further enhance understanding of effective collaboration. Priority group leads meet regularly to share progress and evaluate the impact of the ICSP.

Communication of key messages has been essential to the progress of the collaboration so far with face to face updates to key stakeholders being enhanced by news bulletins and the development of a website. Two Tayside events for school leaders have been held to share practice and enhance understanding of planning contextual implementation of evidencebased practice.

The recent appointment of a TRIC officer will further enhance and support the work of the priority groups and ensure effective methodologies for planning, monitoring and communication.

Inevitably, this work will highlight the need for difficult decisions to be made at different stages throughout the process. It will be important to consider how decisions are made and our approach to dispute resolution. The governance structure provides the framework within any such disputes would be resolved, seeking always to find a solution at the earliest opportunity.

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The Background to Collaboration in Tayside

Phase one of the TRIC summarised public sector reform, the evolving national context and the influence of these on developing effective crossorganisation collaboration in Tayside. This context continues to provide the foundations for regional collaboration involving Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross Councils, NHS Tayside and our partners. Close working continues with our Community Planning Partnerships, engaging with the third sector, Police Scotland and other key partners.

We are building on a history of working together in partnership. Whilst we were all making progress in our respective areas, evidence suggested there was more we could do. There was therefore a shared ambition from all partners to do more. There was also a clear desire that this collaboration should be different from the previous regional structure that had operated in Tayside and also that it should go beyond ad hoc partnership work.

Our strong desire to drive improvement and to accelerate progress led to the development of the Children’s Services Collaborative, with a shared ambition to transform services to secure better outcomes for children, young people and their families.

In practice, our collaboration to date has ranged from:

 Informal networks and alliances where colleagues decide to work together to share practice and ideas on specific issues;  Working in partnership to deliver specific projects or initiatives.

In addition we are beginning to explore the possibility of models which can result in the full integration of services.

Our approach to collaboration continues to be rooted in our analysis of research and as such includes the following features:

 Clear focus on outcomes.  Clearly articulated shared purpose.  Transparency, trust and honesty.  Commitment to and capacity for peer review.  Commitment to continuously improving practice and systems over the long term.  A plan to move from collaboration to coresponsibility or a position of shared professional accountability.  Engagement in the wider context and ‘communities of interest’.  Driven by scrutiny and support from others, on a local, regional and national level.

Our phase one plan illustrated our steps to regional collaboration which were built on our experience and shared ambition. It summarised the key decisions and stages of developing collaboration in Tayside. This started with defining our vision and highlighted the principles and the range of ways in which we would develop our collaboration. Between January and September 2018 we have delivered on our

Page 326 of 396 intention to develop increased collaborative practice whilst ensuring that we maintain focus and accountability. Our phase two plan takes stock of this progress and outlines our further agreed improvement activity.

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A Step by Step Delivery of the Model

Our approach continues as it started, with a focus on Intergrated Children’s Services Planning ensuring a holistic and partnership approach to improving outcomes for children and their families. The overarching Strategic Framework for the Collaborative is shown in the following diagram.

Shared Strategic •The Starter Vision, Approach Paper & Principles

•First Integrated Shared Strategic Children’s Priorities Services Plan for Tayside

•Cross-authority and Key Enablers organisational mechanisms

Shared •Workstreams Transformational based on ICSP Programmes priorities

Improved Outcomes for Children

Page 328 of 396 Our Five Priorities

By considering all of the evidence available to us about the various matters affecting our children, young people and families, each of which can have a marked impact on their lives and their longerterm life chances, we agreed five priorities.

These priorities are underpinned by key policies, such as Getting It Right For Every Child and the consistent implementation of the Named Person and providing the right help at the right time; Curriculum for Excellence and Developing the Young Workforce.

We believe that addressing these priorities will help realise our shared vision for children, young people and families and make Tayside the best place in Scotland to grow up.

Our five priorities have informed a range of actions, some of which involve a continued focus on using existing services to achieve better outcomes in the short to medium term.

Other actions are more longterm, in that they initially involve the development of clear and consistent multiagency strategies within which better decisions about the type and range of services to be delivered can be made.

All the work of the Collaborative is driven by achieving improvement on these five broad priorities of the ICSP and the success of the Collaborative will be evaluated against the impact on those priority outcomes. The challenge will therefore be to ensure that all initiatives within the Collaborative directly deliver for or influence those priorities leading to improved outcomes.

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Key Enablers

In terms of taking the work on these priorities forward, there are a number of ‘key enablers’ that support teams to make progress. For example: Political leadership

Collaborative leadership & organisational challenge

Cross-authority working:

• Strategic/ Joint Commissioning • Shared Service Standards • Capital Investment (including estate and asset review eg in the context of ELCC initially) • Evaluation & Continuous Improvement • Learning & Workforce Development (e.g. shared recruitment and virtual training hub, shared performance standards) • Shared Engagement & Participation • Data Analysis, Shared Systems and Common Approaches (e.g. assessment processes) • IT/ Digital Development • Shared position/ voice on national issues and a ‘test bed’ for ideas

Political leadership for this type of work is essential. Having considered practice, many involved in developing collaboration have cited an inability to secure and maintain support of leaders as being a significant factor in the demise of some collaborative working between authorities. Tayside has seen strong support from its political Leaders and Children Services’ Convenors.

Collaborative leadership and organisational change have also been highlighted as a priority by Tayside. This was clearly set out in our ‘Starter Paper’ where it referred to a commitment to a ‘collaborative culture and behaviour’, based on trust, fairness, openness, noblame, honesty and transparency. It also stressed the need to be willing to change and adapt to new ways of working in order to achieve the collective position. Work is underway to consider how to support teams to create a ‘culture of collaboration’ and ensuring that this permeates through all levels within each organisation.

Crossauthority working will provide a strong platform for the transformational programmes that need to operate at service level. This work will remove any barriers and agree approaches and criteria so that the teams working on the ICSP priorities are able to make good progress.

Further detail on the actual delivery mechanisms for both the ICSP priorities and the ‘Key Enablers’ is given in the following chapter.

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This chapter sets out those mechanisms within the context of our Collaborative governance arrangements, as shown in the following diagram:

Page 332 of 396 Further detail on the purpose and role of each group within those new governance arrangements follows.

Strategic Group

Purpose

 To hold the vision of the Collaborative.  To lead the ambition to succeed at scale.  To facilitate the context for committed collaborative operations.  To ensure the success of the priorities in the Tayside Integrated Children’s Service Plan (ICSP).

Reporting

The Strategic Group will receive reports on the Collaborative from the Directors’ Group. This will cover progress across the five ICSP Priority Groups and the Reform Delivery Groups, (supported by the Performance SubGroup).

All the Community Planning Partnerships will continue to be accountable for the delivery of the ICSP at a local level and so each authority will need to continue to ensure effective dialogue with that wider network at a local level.

Membership

Core Members: Chief Executives of Angus, Dundee, Perth & Kinross, NHS Tayside, Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and the Third Sector. The Integrated Joint Boards and the Chief Social Work Officers are also represented in this group.

Directors’ Group

Purpose

 To provide clarity and direction to the teams delivering on the Collaborative, ensuring a shared focus on improved outcomes for Tayside’s children; this group will work both as a collective leadership team, as well as assigned individual ‘Senior Sponsor’ roles for each ICSP priority.  To review and agree proposals from the ICSP Priority Groups and the Reform Delivery Groups regarding prioritisation and delivery, ensuring that the agreement of all partners has been secured.  To share key developments in their own areas of responsibility and consider opportunities for collaborative working where this will drive improvement on outcomes.  To support and challenge each other on all key decisions that impact on delivery and outcomes for children in Tayside.  To ensure effective engagement with wider collaborative work within and across the Councils, the NHS and other key partners.  To evaluate the overall performance and effectiveness of the Collaborative in driving improvement.

Page 333 of 396 Reporting

This group reports to the Strategic Group. It receives reports from the ICSP Priority Groups and from the Reform Delivery Groups, supported by the Performance Sub Group. It is also be supported by the Communications Groups (as required).

Membership

This group comprises the relevant Director with responsibility for Children’s Services from each Local Authority and from NHS Tayside. The Regional ALO from Education Scotland and Regional link from the Care Inspectorate are members of this group. The group can also include a representative for the Chief Social Work Officers if required.

Communications Group

This group has been established (with a representative from each Council and from NHS Tayside), and an initial plan has been developed. Its remit includes both internal and external communications including the development of a shared website and it makes the link to wider ‘change programmes’ and organisational development work.

It works closely with the ICSP Priority Groups and is available to support the Directors’ Group and the Strategic Group as required. Each representative is linked to the Senior Sponsor within their respective organisation.

Performance and Data Analysis Sub-Group

This group reports to the Directors’ Group and provides coordination and programming support to the ICSP Priority Groups and the Delivery Reform Groups. Membership includes representatives from each organisation and work is driven by the specific needs of the groups, in addition to national developments relevant to the regional level.

ICSP Priority Groups

ICSP Priority Groups: (to operate for the ‘life’ of Plan)

 Group 1: Pre-Birth and Early Years  Group 2: Learning and Attainment  Group 3: Health and Well-Being  Group 4: Looked After Children, Care Leavers and Young Carers  Group 5: Safeguarding and Child Protection

Purpose

 To identify and develop priorities for collaboration.  To be driven by the strategic vision, ICSP priorities and required outcomes.  To do so in a way that enables progress to be collectively tracked.

Page 334 of 396 Reporting

 Each group has an assigned a ‘Senior Sponsor’ to confirm the vision and provide ongoing challenge and support to the group.  Each group will have an identified ‘lead official’ who is responsible for the work of that group, on behalf of all four organisations of the Collaborative. Lead officials meet regularly to ensure that plans are coherent.  The work of each group is reported to the Directors’ Group via the Senior Sponsor and the lead official. They will also be supported by the Performance SubGroup who will take on a coordination support role.  Each group will draw on the work of the Delivery Reform Groups as required (see later section).

Reform Delivery Groups

Purpose

These groups will be timelimited as they are focused on developing the mechanisms which will support collaboration, rather than directly delivering collaboration.

Reporting

As with the ICSP Priority Groups, they will report directly to the Directors’ Group, with support by the Performance SubGroup who will take on a monitoring and co ordination support role.

Key Activities

The nature of each group will vary considerably in the nature of the task and their timing. One early priority was identified:

 Strategic/ Joint Commissioning Group (building on existing group activity).

Page 335 of 396 Priority 1 – Our children will have the best start in life, they will be cared for and supported to learn in nurturing environments

What we will do to ensure children get the best start in life in Tayside:

 Provide targeted multi agency support to families to ensure children aged 05 years reach their developmental milestones  Deliver a new Health Visiting Pathway and expand the Family Nurse Partnership Programme  Deliver on the 5 ambitions of Ready to Act, the National Allied Health Professional (AHP) transformational plan  Develop and implement an evidencebased Tayside parenting strategy in partnership with Health and Social Care and other appropriate partnerships  Develop and deliver high quality, flexible early learning and childcare provision

What we have achieved:

The PreBirth and Early Years group has met every six weeks, and has worked with a number of sub groups to develop detailed action plans to take forward the following strategic priorities:

 Implement Best Start – Maternity and Neonatal Care  Implement the Universal Pathway for Health Visiting across Tayside  Expand the Family Nurse Partnership Programme to mothers who meet an extended eligibility criteria  Implement Joint work with CELCIS, PKC and NHS in Addressing neglect and enhancing wellbeing, prebirth and into the first year of life  Implement “Ready to Act”  Develop and Tayside Parenting Strategy ( overseen by Priority Group 3)  Develop and deliver high quality, flexible early learning and childcare provision.

It is recognised that within the prebirth and early years group there are four national transformation programmes:

 Best Start Maternity and Neonatal Care  Universal Pathway for Health Visiting  Ready to Act – Allied health Professionals  Expansion of 1140 hours of Early Learning and Childcare

All of these programmes are nationally driven, and have targets to meet over the next 3 to 5 years before they will be fully implemented. The focus for our first year has been to work towards implementation, and look for areas which support collaborative working practice. It is recognised that there is significant changes for the workforce and for communities in terms of culture, systems and practice, and the requirement to grow the workforce to meet the demand.

Page 336 of 396 There are also two locally driven transformation projects:

 Extension of the Family Nurse Partnership to first time mothers aged 2024 who meet the eligibility criteria  CELCIS, PKC and NHS joint working on addressing neglect and enhancing wellbeing prebirth and in the first year of life.

Over the past year, the group have refined and focussed on the key areas for development within large scale transformation projects, and there is now a clearer, shared focus on what actions need to be taken to improve outcomes across Tayside. With each of the main action areas, the following key achievements have been noted:

 Collaboration between maternal and infant nutrition team, family nurses and health visitors on increasing both initiation and continuation of breastfeeding has been assessed and awarded the UNICEF Baby Friendly Gold Community Award.  Four workstreams have been developed to take forward implementation of the Best Start Programme.  Collaboration with University of Dundee Angus RCM Award – women’s feedback in relationship care.  Infant feeding assistant has been agreed to support women in hospital.  Perinatal Mental Health Midwife has been recruited to support this area of need.  The universal health visiting pathway was implemented in May 2017, and the milestones to increase and sustain the workforce has been achieved  The CELCIS project has completed the scoping phase and has identified a transformation zone in South/West Perth and Kinross  Family Nurse Partnership has been extended to almost 100 women who met the criteria  A comprehensive range of training and improvement programmes have been undertaken by AHP staff, to build capacity, change thinking and practice and support the use of improvement methodology. A package of training and support for early years practitioners across all agencies has also been developed to support evidence based key messages on early language development with parents and carers.  A number of specific projects to support early literacy is being undertaken in all three local authority areas in collaboration with nurseries.  Comprehensive consultation has taken place to support the development of a Tayside Parenting Strategy.  The Tayside group of Early Years teams successfully delivered their expansion plan for the delivery of 1140 hours of Early Learning and Childcare to the Scottish Government and received confirmation of funding for implementation of the programme by 2020.

Whilst there are different models of delivery suited to the demographic and geographical needs of each area, the ELCC workstream is focussed on providing a consistent approach across Tayside, and are collaborating on four key areas:

 Quality Assurance  Workforce expansion and development  Partnerships including childminders  Policy Development

Page 337 of 396 In summary, greater collaboration and consistent approaches of service delivery and practice has been achieved in year one, and this will continue to be a focus of next year.

Our performance data is illustrated below:

Note that whilst the previous year’s figures are generally shown for comparison, a longer time series of information is required to establish any trends in performance/ outcomes.

Indicator Latest year (previous year/ baseline) Angus Dundee Perth & Improvement Kinross direction 1 Children reaching all of their developmental Not reported as this year as seen a ↑ milestones at the time of their 27-30 months Child change in a recording a new domain – Health Review to at least 85% figures are not comparable. Alternative indicator used below % of children with at least one developmental 21% 22% 19% concern recorded at 27-30 months Child Health ↓ (21%) (21%) (19%) Review Speech, language and communication – 80% 81% 82% % of children with no concerns identified at 27-30 ↑ (82%) (82%) (83%) months Child Health Review % of 2 year olds children who have accessed 22% 10% ↑ early learning and childcare provision % of 3 and 4 year old children who have 93% 97% ↑ accessed early learning and childcare provision

Next Steps:

 Build relationship based practice across the early years workforce by embedding the Solihull approach in NHS, education, children and families and third sector partners.  Focus on a greater level of support for maternal health within maternity services  Develop a Test of Change in the impact of a Welfare worker on the outcomes for women within the FNP programme in Perth and Kinross  Reduce the number of women requiring to be engaged in the Unborn baby protocol  Implement the plan for the CELCIS project to build relationship based practice and community resilience to better support pregnant women and their families  Test model of maternity Hub in Lochee  Collate data on the impact of the implementation of the Universal pathway for Health Visiting on children and families to support improved outcomes  Continue to deliver “ Ready to Act “ transformation programme  Consider how to collaborate on improving early language skills in children aged 03, particularly those at risk of not meeting their developmental milestones  Implement the expansion plans for the delivery of 1140 hours of ELCC across Tayside, and deepen collaboration on high quality service delivery  Work with Education Scotland and Care Inspectorate to further develop leadership skills and capacity in self evaluation as it relates to the ELC National Standard and Care Standards

Page 338 of 396  Assess the extent to which the expansion from 600 hours to 1140 hours has improved outcomes for children particularly those at risk of disadvantage between 2 and 5, and their parents’ ability to work, train or study.  Further develop performance measures and data across all areas of activity to support evidence based practice, and to support improvement activity.

Barriers to Progress:

A consistent barrier across all agencies has been the collation of data to support improvement, and the capacity of agencies and practitioners to use improvement methodology to demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions. This is being addressed through joint working with the data team, and with the CYPIC advisor.

Priority 3 - Our children and young people will be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy

What we will do to promote good physical, mental and emotional health for children:

 Develop and implement a Tayside multiagency framework to prevent and address early initiation into substance misuse  Develop and implement a Tayside Mental Health Strategy for children and young people to ensure a focus on prevention, early identification and support  Implement the Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People Strategy (PPYP) alongside work to reduce teenage pregnancy and support to young parents  Develop a Tayside strategy to improve Child Healthy Weight  Develop and implement, in partnership, an evidence based Tayside parenting strategy

What we have achieved:

In the past 12 months, a wellfunctioning Tayside Health & Wellbeing Priority Group (HWPG) has been established, which meets on a bimonthly basis to drive forward, support and monitor progress towards achieving the above 5 actions and which has an engaged and committed membership from across the 3 Local Authorities, the Third Sector and NHS Tayside.

The Tayside HWPG has initiated and supported the establishment of multiagency Task & Finish Groups, each led by a HWPG member, for 3 of the above 5 actions. A further action is being progressed by a recently established multiagency Short Life Working Group and the remaining area for action, in its exploration phase, is currently being led by an NHS Tayside consultant.

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Achievements towards delivering on the HWPG actions include:

 Production of a draft Tayside Parenting strategy which has recently completed consultation processes with practitioners and families  An agreed Tayside partnership approach to implementing the national PPYP strategy, with a clear lead for this work and key agency/service reps accountable for the necessary actions; to build on the progress already commenced in this area in Tayside  Securing joint leads, from NHS Tayside and a Local Authority to drive the work required to progress a Tayside mental health strategy, and the successful delivery of a planning workshop with a wide range of key stakeholders to produce a driver diagram for the progress of this work  Planning of a panTayside child healthy weight event for practitioners, leaders and community members; to inform, shape and lead to the coproduction of a Tayside child healthy weight strategy  Successfully securing Tayside’s joint Alcohol & Drug Partnership (ADP) Lead Officer as lead for the Substance Use Prevention framework Task & Finish group

Additional achievements worth noting include:

 The direct involvement and support from the Scottish Government (CYPIC) national improvement adviser to all 5 areas for action for the Tayside HWPG  Early connections made and relationships developed with the three Tayside Health & Social Care Partnerships (HSCP) to ensure policy developments are aligned and to enable improve transitions for children, young people and families  Effective support and open communication with the identified ‘Senior Sponsor’ for the Tayside HWPG; the Director of Operations, NHS Tayside

Our performance data is illustrated below:

Indicator: Latest year (previous year/ baseline) Angus Dundee Perth & Improvement Kinross direction % of children with a BMI in a healthy weight 84% 85% 79% ↑ (clinical) category at P1 review (86%) (83%) (84%) rate per 1,000 of teenagers conceiving (under 20 31 52 24 ↓ years) (29) (51) (30) % of P7 pupils with no obvious dental disease 81% 74% 83% ↑ (67%) (65%) (74%) Households with children or pregnant women in temporary accommodation, per 10,000 0.9 (1.9) 9.1 (8.5) 3.1 (6.7) ↓ households Number of children in temporary 7 (14) 67 (53) 18 (34) ↓ accommodation per 10,000

Early barriers in the Tayside HWPG’s formation and activity, related to mental health strategy leads and identification and involvement of key partners have been overcome. The challenges faced by HWPG and Task & Finish Group members in relation to capacity and time are acknowledged, however, a focus on both investing now for greater future gain and on the opportunity to align mutually reinforcing new strategies to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for children is evidently helping to balance the challenge.

Page 340 of 396 Next Steps:

Moving forward, the Tayside HWPG will continue to lead and support the work of the, multiagency Task and Finish Groups and key individual leads, in order to achieve strategy development and implementation within the identified timescales. In addition, HWPG members will be reviewing existing outcomes measures within the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People & Families 20172020, commencing with dental health measure in August 2018, and identifying relevant refined and/or additional measures. This work will be undertaken in conjunction with Tayside Plan Data Group members.

The HWPG will also be developing links and working with the Tayside Plan Commissioning Group members to inform, and be informed on, future commissioning activity related to the new health & wellbeing strategies being developed and, in time, implemented.

What we will do to support children and young people experiencing disadvantage:

 Informed by the work of Fairness Commissions, work together to reduce the impact of poverty on our children, young people and families.  Develop and implement a Corporate Parenting Strategy which proactively and systematically addresses the needs of Looked After Children and Care Leavers  Ensure Looked After Children and Care Leavers are fully involved in decisions about their care and influence service delivery  Ensure Young Carers are identified, provided with support, and assisted to manage appropriate caring responsibilities  Ensure children and young people with complex and enduring needs experience high quality care and support and are included within their local communities  Ensure children and young people with complex and enduring needs receive timely, effective support in their transition into adulthood  Ensure that children and young people who have offended receive appropriate childcentred support which reduces the risk of reoffending

Our performance data is illustrated below:

Indicator: Latest year (previous year/ baseline) Angus Dundee Perth & Improvement Kinross direction % of children and young people placed in family 92% (91%) 89% (90%) 92% (94%) ↑ based placements % of openings lost to exclusions during 0.23% 0.21% ↓ academic year for looked after children (0.39%) (0.34%) % of looked after children in positive destinations 79% (70%) 84% (85%) 82% (83%) ↑ post school % of looked after school leavers gaining Literacy 46% (44%) 40% (58%) 71% (48%) ↑ & numeracy at SCQF level 4 or better

Page 341 of 396 Corporate Parenting- In the last 12 months, partners in the 3 Local Authority areas have developed Corporate Parenting Plans designed to promote the 8 outcomes for Looked After Children and Care Leavers outlined in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. In addition to general health and wellbeing, this includes a focus on required improvements in school attendance, exclusions, attainment and positive destinations. Building on this, partners have also informed the provision of additional Scottish Government funding to build capacity for care experienced children and are presently collaborating to target this at areas of greatest need.

In order to improve permanence planning processes, a joint family placement quality assurance post was established between Angus and Dundee. Building on this, all 3 local authority areas jointly carried out an options appraisal on approaches towards developing and reviewing effective Child’s Plan’s for all Looked After Children. Options being considered include the development of a single regional service or the development of a consistent approach across the area, the outcome of which will progressed over the next 12 months.

Partners are also developing a single strategy for engagement and participation with Looked After Children and Care Leavers. The parameters of the strategy have been agreed and will include the shared development of approaches which reflect the age, stage of development and interests of individual and/or groups of children and young people. Crucially, the strategy will involve mechanisms to ensure that their views are systematically obtained and routinely inform both daytoday practice and the longerterm design, delivery and development of services.

Young Carers - Each Local Authority area has now developed a Carers Strategy which outline processes to improve the identification, assessment and support of Young Carers. This is already starting to lead to increases in the numbers of known Young Carers and the provision of support which ranges from advice and guidance to more intensive packages where this is required. Going forwards, partners have committed to the development of a shared performance framework and a shared approach towards shortbreaks.

Complex and Enduring Needs - In the last 12 months, partners have coordinated the development of a number of shared strategies relating to accessibility, speech and language therapy and mediation. This work has had a particular focus on improving the inclusion of children and young people and over the next 12 months will be supported by associated training and workforce development. Going forwards, partners have also committed to the development of a single autism strategy.

Young People Who Have Offended - Partners work in this area has initially focused on the development of shared approaches towards risk assessment through the regional use of the same tool and joint workforce development. This includes both generic risk assessments and assessments of those young people who have been identified as being at risk of causing significant harm. Going forwards, partners have committed to a consistent approach towards Early and Effective Identification and Diversion from Prosecution processes and responding to specific crime trends or associated issues, such as internet crime and substance misuse.

Page 342 of 396 Next Steps:

Collectively, these actions appear to be contributing towards some reductions in inequalities in these priority groups. There have been marked improvements in the number of school exclusions across all three Local Authority areas. However, as our performance framework illustrates, partners still need to consistently focus on improving attainment levels and positive destinations of care experienced children and young people in particular. Over the next 12 months, our priorities will therefore involve:

 Targeted use of additional funding for Looked After Children and Care Leavers  Implementation, monitoring and review of an agreed approach towards the quality assurance of care experienced children and young people’s plans  The development and implementation of a shared engagement and participation strategy  The development of a shared approach towards shortbreaks and a performance framework relating to Young Carers  A shared focus on the inclusion of children and young people with complex and enduring needs and an autism strategy  Consistent approaches towards risk assessments, prevention/early intervention and priority crimes for young people who have offended

Priority 5 - Our children and young people will be safe and protected from abuse at home, school and in the community

What we will do to keep children safe:

 Our approach to protecting children and young people will be integrated and focused on early intervention, immediate action and effective intervention to remove and reduce the risk of significant harm

Multiagency partnershipworking to protect children and young people predates the creation of the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families 20172020. This can be demonstrated by longstanding commitment by the three Child Protection Committees (CPCs) to sharing practice and to pooling resources e.g. for workforce development. Network meetings including Tayside CPC Lead Officers; Learning and Development Officers; and the Central and North East Child Protection Committees Consortium had already provided opportunities for joint working.

Priority group 5 was established in September 2017 and quickly identified opportunities to add further value by prioritising a collaborative approach to a number of common key areas which already featured within CPC improvement plans. The initial focus of priority group 5 is to ensure incremental improvements to result in consistent high quality child protection practices across the collaborative. It is envisaged that this will provide a more solid foundation for larger scale change and moving towards greater sharing of resources and integrated models of delivery over the life time of the plan. A delivery plan is supported by Action Groups with representation sufficient to implement improvement across agencies forming the collaborative and a clear remit to achieve step change in key areas

Page 343 of 396 which are notoriously complex and problematic both locally and nationally. Taking time to connect through regular meetings and developing shared understandings of similarities or variations is building stronger partnership working. Monitoring progress systematically is identifying barriers and inhibitors to achieving best practice and stimulating collaborative solutions. What we have achieved:

 The group has an assigned Senior Sponsor to confirm the vision and provide ongoing challenge and support to the group. (DCI Graham Binnie)  The group has an identified Lead Officer who is responsible for the work of that group, on behalf of all four organisations of the Collaborative. (Jacquie Pepper)  The work of each group is reported to the Directors’ Group via the Senior Sponsor and the Lead Officer.  The Chairs of the Child Protection Committees are responsible for ensuring that the work of the group is reported to each of the three Child Protection Committees and Chief Officers Groups in order that they are informed and able to comment, inform and influence.  Good progress is being made and we are on target for new suite of guidance by end of December 2018. The group has recognised that this is more than the production of written guidance and that there needs to by culture and practice change. Multiagency staff groups across Tayside are informing the new guidance, practice direction and associated workforce development.  A Consultant Paediatrician from NHS Tayside has joined the group and will also contribute to the IRD Action Group. They will lead on the revision of the Tayside Protocol for conducting Joint Paediatric Forensic Medical Examinations ensuring that the planned improvements for IRDs and all new guidance will dovetail and ensure robust decisionmaking for medical assessment/examination.  Recognition that Dundee and Perth and Kinross are taking forward improvements aimed at meeting unmet need; addressing neglect and enhancing wellbeing in partnership with CELCIS. Recognition that Angus is taking forward work on tackling Neglect and the Graded Care Profile. There is a desire to share learning from each across the Tayside.  The Tayside Child Protection Learning and Development Group is arranging a Taysidewide Shared Learning Event aimed at 200 Operational Managers and Practitioners on 16 November 2018. Event will be funded from the Tayside Joint Child Protection Learning & Development Budget and planned in partnership with CELCIS and the Improvement Leads in Dundee and Perth and Kinross. Entitled “Connect with Neglect” the event will make connections between research and practice.  Exploring opportunities to involve local children and young people in developing cyber security; personal safety; CSE awareness and explore the potential to work with experts at Abertay University. Initial mapping and scoping exercise about current programmes aimed at keeping children safe online carried out by 3rd sector reps across all three local authority areas and being extended to FE colleges.  Considering a target vulnerable group – (Children a learning disability; children not in school; or younger children. Making links with CPC Child Sexual Exploitation Work Plans. Exploring research and development opportunities with Abertay and potential for shared funding of a Graduate / Post Graduate Student being explored. Action Group membership to be revised to reflect the expertise required.

Page 344 of 396  Mapping of existing processes across the three CPC areas underway to be followed by researching practice by Chairs of Child Protection Case Conferences. Once Complete group will identify a few key areas for implementation across Tayside. Potential for joint commissioning of advocacy services will now be explored.  Scottish Government/CELCIS/Care Inspectorate consulted with CPCs on a Shared Dataset nationally. The three Tayside CPCs have contributed to the development of a North and Central CPC Consortium to produce a shared dataset. Tayside CPCs have preexisting CPC Datasets which have been collated and will use this along with new Care Inspectorate Inspection Model for CP and LAAC. Meaningful qualitative key performance measures in keeping with the Tayside Plan will be agreed September 2018.  Tayside Chronology Action Group established with a remit to review the existing Tayside Chronology Guidance and Template and to make the necessary changes to ensure consistency and promote quality assurance. Membership includes education and social work representatives across all three local authorities. On target to produce revised guidance by October 2018 and implemented thereafter via a Taysidewide multiagency workforce learning development plan.  Updating guidance for Chief Officers Groups  Draft updated national guidance shared and considered at the Child Protection Leadership Event in April 2018 – Angus, Dundee and P & K Chief Officers, CPC Chairs and CSWOs took part in workshop and explored implications. PG5 Lead Officer and CPC Chairs will plan an event involving all Chief Officers and CPC members across Tayside to take forward joint agreement about guidance for COGs and CPCs.  ICRs and SCRs – Sharing learning across Tayside  PG5 has agreed a First Paper – Analysis of Child Protection Initial and Significant Case Reviews undertaken across Tayside from January 2016 and comparison to national trends. Proposal to share at a Tayside Child/Public Protection event involving Chief Officers Groups and CPCs.  Tayside Workforce Development Plan for child protection across Tayside  Tayside Child Protection Learning and Development Group Work Plan 2018 – 2020 published June 2018 and includes Tayside InterAgency Learning and Development for IRDs, Chronologies and the Shared Learning Event: Connect with Neglect. Regular Joint Meetings planned for Tayside Child Protection Lead Officers and Learning and Development Officer to ensure plan is resourced and implemented.

Our performance data is illustrated below:

Indicator: Latest year (previous year/ baseline) Angus Dundee Perth & Improvement Kinross direction Emergency admissions from Unintentional 145 (154) 213 (229) 140 (202) ↓ Injuries for children aged 0-15

Next Steps:

Page 345 of 396 The following table summarises the feedback provided on phase one of the TRIC plan and the action taken by the Collaborative to inform the development of phase two.

Recommendations and areas Actions for consideration

More detail required on The original four workstreams agreed by the TLAG planned delivery have individual action plans:

 Learning and teaching (feedback)  Numeracy  School Improvement  School Leadership

These have been developed by a cross section of practitioners from across the region with the facilitation of a lead officer. Schools have been identified and/or volunteered to participate. Staff from these schools have the shaped the associated intervention within each workstream plan. These plans are set out in chapter seven of this report along with plans for an additional two workstreams developed in response to collective selfevaluation leading to the creation of the phase two plan:  Curriculum leadership  Building capacity in the effective use of research & evidence

The original themes set out above were drawn Detail how evidencebase from each authority’s selfevaluation which is built informed planning and how this upon the needs analysis of individual schools. is linked to school and authority Collaborative work on the topic of school improvement planning improvement had already taken place before the inception of the TRIC which formed a good foundation for informing future direction. Consultation them took place with the TRIC wider leadership forum to help shape the then emerging themes. Phase 2 of the plan has been informed by this evaluation for session 2018/19 and two additional workstreams have been developed. A review of common school improvement themes from across Tayside schools has taken place. Sophistication around analysis of shared data is developing and being refined.

Page 346 of 396 As each workstream has developed a detailed Consider broadening range action plan, the scope and extent of project and reach of priorities reach has been assessed. The school improvement theme for example includes both a universal school offer as well as targeted support for identified schools as does the numeracy sub theme. The feedback project is a deeper piece of work focussed initially with six schools from across the region and developed in partnership with an external provider and GTCS. The leadership theme will impact on middle leaders and new Head Teachers from August 2018. In short, the scope of each workstream is tailored to the planned impact of the work. Existing collaboration (before the inception of the TRIC) is already very successful in the area of modern languages 1 & 2. Each workstream has specified their interventions Specify educational strategies, and associated performance measures. This will performance measures and have a continued focus in phase two of the plan interventions. and support has been accessed from Education Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Improvement Advisor. Performance leads from each local authority and the NHS are working in partnership to develop a collaborative baseline of data that can be used year on year to assess progress.

A day event for school leaders with the Education Endowment Foundation has further supported the effective identification of interventions at school level. A wider leadership forum has helped inform Consider involvement of developing plans. Staff groups in individual stakeholders schools are engaged in individual project themes. The Regional Lead has provided updates to school leaders and we have developed a newsletter to share updates. A shared website resource is under development. Priority group four of the ICSP has the lead focus Consider stronger focus on for developing collaborative interventions to specific groups of children e.g. support vulnerable groups, highlighted in chapter looked after children four. Priority group leads meet regularly to ensure cohesion between the work of all five priority areas. The TRIC put together a specific proposal to support the achievement of LAC which was presented to the SG. Unfortunately this was not successful for being assigned resource.

Page 347 of 396 Progress since January has been significant. All Increase pace of work four TRIC workstreams are established, planned and making progress. This was commented on positively by our Education Scotland lead at our last meeting of session 2017/18. The commitment from staff, particularly workstream leads is commendable and they have risen to the challenge of leading this work in addition to their core duties. The TLAG meets every 6 weeks. Monitoring the Ensure TLAG group monitors progress of the 4 workstreams is a standing item workstream progress on the agenda. The TLAG offers support, challenge and advice. The group is working well and differences of opinion are expressed and used to develop our collaborative expertise. An action log of decisions is maintained and used as a reference point for the monitoring of progress. Workstream leads are enthusiastic and positive ambassadors for the further development of collaborative working in their lead area. All aspects of the work of the TLAG are built upon Ensure development of collaboration. The very good working practices collaboration that had been developed through shared work on school improvement has contributed to the fast progress of work between January and June 2018. The priority group leads have considered how to further develop effective collaboration and a session is in the process of being developed for all priority group members to consider how we can take our collaboration to the next level. A workforce plan has been developed and can Consider resourcing be found in chapter eight of this report. requirements

Development of Phase One Plans: Key developments in moving from Phase one to Phase two, including taking account of national guidance

We have a detailed analysis of all available evidence on educational performance within our region and have increased confidence in selecting which aspects of performance relate specifically to our actual and proposed interventions. Our TRIC work sits under the umbrella of our ICSP and therefore draws on data and information from other key sources, particularly health. Schools are accessing support by being approached or volunteering. In time the development of universal offers of support will be highlighted to all schools. The Regional Lead has spoken to all school leaders across the region about our progress and plans. A group is being established under the leadership of our regional Education Scotland lead to support continuous improvement in curriculum development and our interventions are underpinned by a clearly understood approach to improvement supported by our Scottish Government Improvement Advisor.

Page 348 of 396 Our collective work is shaped by the improvement planning of our schools and their wellestablished processes for selfevaluation which includes gathering other peoples’ views has been drawn into phase 2 planning. Further work is required to outline clearly how key partners such as parents, communities, the third sector and young people have contributed to the development of the plan. A sixth priority two workstream focused on building expertise in research and evidence has been identified as essential to developing schools as learning organisations and enhancing collaborative professionalism throughout our system.

Page 349 of 396 Though effective selfevaluation for continuous improvement, schools across Tayside have identified the following most common improvement themes:

Angus:

 Evidence based approaches to improve learning and teaching  Family engagement  Improving attainment in writing

Dundee:

 Continue to raise attainment and close the poverty related gaps in literacy and numeracy  Specific focus on developing numeracy with CLPL programmes focusing on conceptual understanding of number  Improve outcomes for LAC attainment, attendance, exclusions

Perth and Kinross:

 Literacy  Numeracy  Learning and Teaching

The majority of these improvement priorities will be supported through the implementation of existing ICSP and TRIC plans. Literacy leads from the region are currently collaborating to identify whether any regional activity in this area can enhance individual local authority working.

Page 350 of 396 Over the first year of the ICSP plan, priority group 2 has focused on building the foundations for effective collaboration across Tayside to improve learning experiences and educational outcomes. An opportunity for refining these approaches came in January 2018 with the requirement to develop a Tayside regional improvement collaborative (TRIC) plan focused on closing the attainment gap and raising achievement for all. The group responded to this challenge by identifying four workstreams that would benefit from collaboration. These workstreams were drawn from an analysis of school improvement plans and agreed within a wider leadership forum of educational leaders. The four workstreams are:

1. Learning and teaching with an initial focus on feedback 2. Numeracy 3. Leadership 4. School improvement

Comprehensive planning has taken place, schools and colleagues to participate in each workstream have been established and collaborative work is proceeding at pace. On the basis of ongoing evaluation and an analysis of school improvement plans from across the region two further workstreams have been identified:

5. Curriculum Leadership 6. Building capacity for effective use of research and evidence

Actions plans for each of these workstreams can be found later in this chapter.

Through the school improvement theme and learning and teaching focus on feedback and numeracy work is underway to ensure children who are at risk of not achieving their potential are provided with the extra support they need. Sharing about the effective use of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) has taken place in the context of extended input to school leaders about effective educational interventions, tailoring approaches to individual contexts and measuring impact. Each local authority has analysed and shared year one use of PEF.

Outcomes have been shared about interesting pieces of work in relation to engagement and participation which provide parents, carers and young people with opportunities to be active partners through supported learning and consultation on improvement plans.

Page 351 of 396 Our performance data is illustrated below:

Indicator Latest year (previous year/ baseline) Angus Dundee Perth & Improvement Kinross direction % of local residents satisfied with schools 76% 67% 83% ↑ (76%) (65%) (85%) % of secondary school pupils achieving 5 plus 60% 54% 63% ↑ awards at SCQF level 5 or higher (58%) (52%) (62%) % of secondary school pupils achieving 5 plus 32% 26% 36% ↑ awards at SCQF level 6 or higher (32%) (27%) (36%) % of secondary school pupils from SIMD Q1 46% 37% 31% ↑ achieving 5 plus awards at SCQF level 5 or higher (39%) (37%) (32%) % of secondary school pupils from SIMD Q1 18% 11% 10% ↑ achieving 5 plus awards at SCQF level 6 or higher (18%) (13%) (8%) % of school leavers achieving literacy and 90% 86% 86% ↑ numeracy at SCQF level 4 or above (91%) (86%) (84%) % of school leavers achieving literacy and 72% 59% 60% ↑ numeracy at SCQF level 5 or above (66%) (54%) (62%) % of pupils entering positive destinations after 94% 94% 95% ↑ leaving school (94%) (94%) (92%) 673 542 558 ↑ Average total tariff SIMD Quintile 1 (602) (529) (523) 615 713 657 ↑ Average total tariff SIMD Quintile 2 (646) (689) (746) 877 859 1028 ↑ Average total tariff SIMD Quintile 3 (760) (869) (850) 813 939 951 ↑ Average total tariff SIMD Quintile 4 (914) (916) (1023) 1008 1103 1124 ↑ Average total tariff SIMD Quintile 5 (982) (1086) (1135) % of pupils who stay on from S4 to S5 83% (80%) 76% (76%) 85% (86%) ↑ % of pupils who stay on from S4 to S6 51% (52%) 59% (59%) 55% (60%) ↑

Further analysis of postschool data identified relative strengths across the Tay collaborative in the implementation of initiatives for postschool training, apprenticeships and further and higher education to improve pathways to employment. Sharing of practice has taken place and Angus and Dundee are working together to further implement an innovative approach to the senior phase called Future Skills College (FSC) along with Dundee and Angus College. The Future Skills College opened on 5 June 2017 with 28 students and is employment led, with students recruited exclusively on the basis of actual vacancies identified by local employers for apprenticeships or trainees. The initial offering is for places in plumbing, electrical and for early years education and childcare. Beyond securing sustained positive destinations in employment for young people FSC will raise the status of the apprenticeship pathway among young people, as well as their parents and teachers. Further analysis is planned in relation to participation measures to identify any necessity for further joint working in this area.

In order to promote collaborative working across schools and their communities to support robust selfevaluation, and improved quality of provision, a consistent approach to school leadership development is being rolled out. This includes an effective induction programme for new head teachers and comprehensive school leadership support within and across schools. It is anticipated that priority group 2 will consider increased multiagency selfevaluation using new inspection information when that becomes available. The school improvement theme is building on the collaborative approaches to improvement already trialled across

Page 352 of 396 the collaborative. A small number of schools will receive intensive crossauthority support in order to support the leadership of improvement and a universal approach to improving school collaboration through the creation of a strengths directory is underway.

The focus on supporting young people to make informed choices and exercise greater control as they transition to adulthood is being directed by priority group 3 and the development of curriculum materials on the topic of substance misuse is in process. These will join our already successful collaborative resource on sexual health, relationships and parenthood.

An established network of professionals across Tayside review and plan multiagency supports for youngsters with complex needs ensuring a close partnership working is designed to close inequality gaps, address complex needs and share good practice that already exists.

Next Steps:

Individual workstream plans have been developed by a cross section of practitioners from across the region with the facilitation of a lead officer. As each workstream has developed a detailed action plan, the scope and extent of project reach has been assessed. The school improvement theme for example includes both a universal school offer as well as targeted support for identified schools as does the numeracy subtheme. The feedback project is a deeper piece of work starting off with 6 schools from across the region and developed in partnership with an external provider and the GTCS. The leadership theme will impact on middle leaders and new Head Teachers from August 2018. In short, the scope of each workstream is tailored to the planned impact of the work. The focus is now on implementation and evaluation in order to assess whether the intervention should be rolled out.

Each workstream has specified their interventions and associated performance measures. This will have a continued focus in year two of the plan and support has been accessed from Education Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Improvement Advisor. Performance leads from each local authority and the NHS are working in partnership to develop a collaborative baseline of data than can be used year on year to assess progress.

All aspects of the work of priority group two, the TLAG is built upon collaboration. The very good working practices that had been developed through shared work on school improvement has contributed to the fast progress of work between January and June 2018. It is anticipated that the pace of this work will increase as consideration is given to additional areas of collaboration and ensuring the impact of those already in train. Each workstream has developed an action plan as follows:

Page 353 of 396 TLAG Learning and Teaching (Feedback) Group Plan Improvement Outcome: Developing effective Feedback to learners.

Establish a culture of collaboration, innovation and exploration

Workstream Lead: Michelle Lewis

NIF Priority (highlight those that apply): NIF Driver(s): HGIOS4 QI(s): (highlight those that apply) (highlight those that apply) Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy;  School leadership  1.1 Self Evaluation for selfimprovement Closing the attainment gap between the  Teacher professionalism  1.2 Leadership for learning most and least disadvantaged children;  Parental engagement  1.3 Leadership of change Improvement in children and young  Assessment of children’s  1.4 Leadership and management of staff people’s health and wellbeing; and progress  1.5 Management of resources to promote equity Improvement in employability skills and  School improvement  2.1 Safeguarding and child protection sustained positive school leaver  Performance information  2.2 Curriculum destinations for all young people.  2.3 Learning teaching and assessment  2.4 Personalised support  2.5 Family learning  2.6 Transitions  2.7 Partnership  3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion  3.2 Raising attainment and achievement/Securing children’s progress  3.3 Increasing creativity and employability/ Developing creativity and skills for life and learning

Page 354 of 396 Key Outcome What impact will you measure? How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale Selfevaluations Level of reflection and capacity Collation and analysis Selfevaluations disseminated, Particpants in By end of to establish for improvement of selfevaluations carried out and data programme Sept 2018 baseline for from leaders, teachers collated. ML improvement LM and learners GD Key Outcome What impact will you measure? How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale Agreed Appropriate identification, Professional dialogue Each participant after SPhilp End Sept evidencebased rationale and measurement with schools, external discussion with experts submit (Osiris) 2018 project proposals tool to support proposal experts. proposal for small test of PWatson (ES) change Key Outcome What impact will you measure? How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale Small tests of Improvement in feedback to Improvement Each participant will CSimpson End of Nov change in learners. Increased methodology (PDSA) undertake small test of (GTCS) 2018 improving engagement in learning. Or Practitioner Enquiry change on proposed area of KMcQuaid feedback with (Scot Gov) group improvement and feedback targeted JMcLean group/cohort to sectoral discussion group (ES) (faceto –face and/or on the TRIC Microsoft Teams site). Key Outcome What impact will you measure? How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale Sharing of Challenges/successes of each Collective Teacher A ‘Marketplace’ event to ML End of learning across small test of change. belief scale provide all participants the LM February the TRIC to build Increase in professional Evaluations from opportunity to share their final GD 2019 capacity and to SPhilp collaboration and level of participants project findings with potentially (Osiris) Revisiting initial self colleagues. upscale the collective efficacy across PWatson project next each participating group and evaluation proformas (ES)CSimpson session the TRIC. (GTCS)

Page 355 of 396

TLAG Numeracy Group Plan Improvement Outcome:

Develop a shared understanding of what constitutes “effective learning and teaching approaches that promote positive attitudes and develop high expectations, confidence and resilience in maths” (Making Maths Count: Recommendation 4, Scottish Government, 2016)

Establish a culture of collaboration, innovation and exploration

Workstream Lead: Carol Lyon

NIF Priority (highlight those that apply): NIF Driver(s): HGIOS4 QI(s): (highlight those that apply) (highlight those that apply) Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy;  School leadership  1.1 Self Evaluation for selfimprovement Closing the attainment gap between the  Teacher professionalism  1.2 Leadership for learning most and least disadvantaged children;  Parental engagement  1.3 Leadership of change Improvement in children and young  Assessment of children’s  1.4 Leadership and management of staff people’s health and wellbeing; and progress  1.5 Management of resources to promote equity Improvement in employability skills and  School improvement  2.1 Safeguarding and child protection sustained positive school leaver  Performance information  2.2 Curriculum destinations for all young people.  2.3 Learning teaching and assessment  2.4 Personalised support  2.5 Family learning  2.6 Transitions  2.7 Partnership  3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion  3.2 Raising attainment and achievement/securing children’s progress  3.3 Increasing creativity and employability/ Developing creativity and skills for life and learning

Page 356 of 396 Key Outcome What impact will you How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale measure?

Numeracy Leads in  Confidence in ‘How good is our Initial engagement event for HTs All 11.6.18 targeted schools leadership of change Numeracy?’ audit tool and Numeracy Leads from understand the among head teachers based on HGIOS 1.3 and targeted schools: pedagogic principles, informed by MMC, and numeracy leads in underpinning effective Recommendation 4 - Collegiate conversation: CL lead targeted schools learning and teaching in Making Maths Count  Professional actions of numeracy and Recommendation 4 mathematics, and can Numeracy Leads in PW lead - Selfevaluation for self prioritise an area for targeted schools improvement improvement based on context. Second engagement for HTs and Numeracy Leads from targeted All 28.8.18 schools:

- Prioritising and generating Kieran areas for improvement McQuaid

- Forming an enquiry question Melanie Rice & Marek Rzepecki Recall session 1 for HTs and Numeracy Leads from targeted schools: HTs and - Progress to date / Numeracy Leads 4.12.18 successes and challenges

Page 357 of 396

Recall session 2 for HTs and Numeracy Leads from targeted schools: HTs and Numeracy - Evaluating impact of Leads 19.3.19 interventions

Sharing of case studies across TRIC at Tay Numeracy and Mathematics Conference

All May 2019

Key Outcome What impact will you How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale measure? Classroom practitioners Level of confidence and Pre and post Selfnominating practitioners Teachers Sep 2018 have an enhanced skills in using the questionnaires (GLOW across TRIC to trial online awareness of how ‘Learning, Teaching and Forms) Professional Development mathematical Assessment Cycle’ to Tutorials 14 understanding develops, plan and deliver Focus groups Numeracy Sep 18 the potential barriers to developmentally Pulling of National Hub Champion June 19 progress and how these appropriate and suitably Champion funds to develop from each can be addressed. challenging learning further content for the online PLC authority experiences for all pupils (Tay Numeracy Hub) (one year’s progress for All On going one year’s input) Promote Tay Numeracy Hub across the TRIC Jan – June

Page 358 of 396 19 Universal offers (twilight sessions for interested practitioners): Teachers

- Making the most of the Tay Numeracy Hub Ed Psychs - Getting started with practitioner enquiry

K McQuaid - Tests of change Numeracy - Understanding progression Champions

All October 18 Explore new work stream focused – June 19 on transition: AC lead

TH lead - Preschool/P1 - P7/S1transition

Page 359 of 396 TLAG School Improvement Group Plan Improvement Outcome: Develop the capacity within schools and clusters to improve learning by supporting the development of schools as learning organisations within the context of children’s services.

Establish a culture of collaboration, innovation and exploration. Workstream Lead: Kim Ramsay NIF Priority: NIF Driver(s): HGIOS4 QI(s): Improvement in attainment, particularly in  School leadership  1.1 Self Evaluation for selfimprovement literacy and numeracy;  Teacher professionalism  1.2 Leadership for learning Closing the attainment gap between the  Parental engagement  1.3 Leadership of change most and least disadvantaged children;  Assessment of children’s  1.4 Leadership and management of staff Improvement in children and young progress  1.5 Management of resources to promote equity people’s health and wellbeing; and  School improvement  2.1 Safeguarding and child protection Improvement in employability skills and  Performance information  2.2 Curriculum sustained positive school leaver  2.3 Learning teaching and assessment destinations for all young people.  2.4 Personalised support  2.5 Family learning  2.6 Transitions  2.7 Partnership  3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion  3.2 Raising attainment and achievement/Securing children’s progress  3.3 Increasing creativity and employability/ Developing creativity and skills for life and learning Key Outcome What impact will you measure? How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale Collaborative  increase in the number of SIP  Term 1 visits – sharing  send email out to all schools DW May 18 Directory Action Plans evidencing links SIP and action plans requiring they identify 2 areas School with other schools  Survey of they are willing to share with improvement  increase in headteachers / engagement in other schools and 2 areas they activity will be enhanced by school staff visiting schools collaborative work would like to see increased across RIC across RIC  collate data into a directory Data Team August 18

Page 360 of 396 collaboration  increase in schools able to  Analysis of self  Create guidance to support between all identify effective practice evaluations submitted collaboration KR Sept 18 headteachers across RIC  share the directory with all HTs across the LAs October 18  increase in improvement across RIC, along with regional improvement activity guidance collaborative.  create and send out survey KR June 19 Key Outcome What impact will you measure? How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale Shared Self-  Increase in the accuracy of  Analysis of self  each LA to identify 3 Nursery JH, KcM, 31 Aug 18 evaluations evaluations in identifying evaluations submitted (LA or Partner Provider), 3 DW, KR Selfevaluation strengths and improvement  Improvement in Primary and 3 Secondary self approaches will needs quality of evaluative evaluation documents of a be enhanced writing high standard to share and evaluations  Increase in the quality of will more evaluative writing  LAs to share with HTs on a KR 15 Sept 18 accurately  Consistency in the standard of central system reflect the selfevaluation documents  Education Scotland to create PW 15 Sept 18 strengths and submitted features of effective practice improvement in selfevaluation writing needs of schools guidance by moderation and sharing of SE  Create and share guidance in KR 15 Sept 18 documents. supporting the use of these documents

Key Outcome What impact will you measure? How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale Collaborative  increase in sharing of expertise  evaluations from  each LA to identify 2 schools LAs Aug 18 School Visits  increased skills in quality schools and HTs for session 1819 High standards assurance and selfevaluation supporting visits on  identified schools to have LAs Aug 18

Page 361 of 396 and  increase in moderation of impact discussion with LA and agree expectations will standards and expectations  selfevaluations to take part be shared and  increase in knowledge and skills evidencing impact  A team of appropriate HTs or LAs Sept 18 developed in leading change and  from discussions within central officers to be identified through to take part increased improvement in schools and between LAs after participation in  moderation and validation of taking part in visits reciprocal visits local authority quality across the RIC. assurance approaches

Key Outcome What impact will you measure? How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale The School at the  SMTs will be more confident  Selfevaluations,  all LAs to identify 1 school they LAs May 18 Centre and skilled in accurately evidencing impact of are working with already School evaluating the work of the SIP  KR to create format for data improvement KR By 18.05.18 school and planning  SIP collection activity and improvement priorities to  survey and feedback  LAs to evidence data leadership of LAs 07.06.18 change will be support this from SMTs collected in choosing this enhanced by  school improvement activity  Term 1 meetings school headteachers, will be led more effectively for  NIF data  schools to be offered senior impact collaborative support LAs August 18 management  increase in schools achieving  HT to meet with collaborative teams and LAs Sept 18 an overall grade as Good or to discuss request for support school staff receiving the above when inspected by  framework for support to be support and local authority, Education created KR Aug 18 challenge of a Scotland and/or when carrying  TLAG SIP group to identify team of out selfassessments partners and curriculum TLAG SIG Sept 18 identified  improved outcomes for young experts to work with each partners. people school

Professional  Increase in standards for  Selfevaluation  Collate collaborative directory KR Aug 18

Page 362 of 396 Learning identified areas summaries of key areas of strength and Opportunities  Increase in school’s own strengths development School staff, evaluation of their work – from  Selfevaluation  Identify shared areas of including KR Sept 18 satisfactory to good and very evaluations of development teachers, will be good identified areas Identify 2 areas for more aware of  national  Increase in collaboration  Evidence from school Collaborative support TLAG SIG Sept 18 expectations, Improvement visits  Identify schools across guidance and  Survey of collaborative with strengths in TLAG SIG Sept 18 resources. They engagement in areas will have collaborative work  Organise and run events for 2 increased across RIC areas, sharing national knowledge of TLAG SIG Sept 18 – what effective  Evaluations from guidance, resources and and RIC Feb 19 practice looks events effective practice across officers like and collaborative increased links for collaboration.

Page 363 of 396 TLAG Leadership Group Plan Improvement Outcome: Develop a shared leadership strategy to improve leadership and management of schools.

Establish a culture of collaboration, innovation and exploration

Workstream Lead: Donald McLeod (previously Bernadette Scott) NIF Priority: NIF Driver(s): HGIOS4 QI(s): Improvement in attainment, particularly  School leadership  1.1 Self Evaluation for selfimprovement in literacy and numeracy;  Teacher professionalism  1.2 Leadership for learning Closing the attainment gap between the  Parental engagement  1.3 Leadership of change most and least disadvantaged children;  Assessment of children’s  1.4 Leadership and management of staff Improvement in children and young progress  1.5 Management of resources to promote equity people’s health and wellbeing; and  School improvement  2.1 Safeguarding and child protection Improvement in employability skills and  Performance information  2.2 Curriculum sustained positive school leaver  2.3 Learning teaching and assessment destinations for all young people.  2.4 Personalised support  2.5 Family learning  2.6 Transitions  2.7 Partnership  3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion  3.2 Raising attainment and achievement/Securing children’s progress  3.3 Increasing creativity and employability/ Developing creativity and skills for life and learning Key Outcome What impact will you How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale measure? Headteacher  Participant confidence in  Quality assurance of TRIC By June leadership will leadership of change school – HGIOS4  Share information across leadership 2019 improve through  Professional learning and Leadership of change 1.3 collaborative regarding group participation in a collegiate working Quality Indicators the leadership offer in leadership SCEL _ Lesley, each LA development and  Professional actions of  GTCs coaching wheel Annette and

Page 364 of 396 induction programme headteachers baseline  Review and refresh LDIP Alison as part of the  Participant feedback programme in the light of collaborative.  HT PRD above LA officers as relevant  School self evaluation  Align to GTCs leadership

and management Leadership standards and  Plan programme across Development collaborative consultant –  Programme in place for JM August 2018 ADES Staff  Work in partnership with college appropriate partners including SCEL  Continue to co construct the programme based on feedback and reflections from first cohort. Key Outcome What impact will you How will you measure it? Actions Personnel Timescale measure? Middle leader’s  Participant confidence in  Quality assurance of  2 school in each LA will TRIC By April leadership of change leadership of change school – HGIOS4 work with SCEL leadership 2019 (to improve  Professional learning and Leadership of change 1.3 collaborative middle group curriculum, learning collegiate working Quality Indicators leaders programme and teaching and SCEL – Lesley, 10 x Middle leaders from pedagogy) will be  Professional actions of  GTCs middle leaders  Louise and enhanced by support middle leaders coaching wheel baseline each LA across the TRIC Yvonne?? and challenge  Participant feedback will participate in a through use of SCEL  HT PRD bespoke professional LA officers as framework and  School self evaluation learning opportunity relevant identified partners. linked to improvement

Page 365 of 396 science and learning and Leadership teaching. and  Share information across Development consultant collaborative regarding

the leadership offer in Attainment each LA Advisor  Align to GTCs leadership and management standards  Plan programme across collaborative  Programme in place for April 2019 Review each LA Leadership and Development Strategy to ensure on TRIC Leadership and Development Strategy encompasses work described above. Formalise one strategy across the Collaborative.

Page 366 of 396 TLAG Curriculum Leadership Group Plan Improvement Outcome: Strengthen approaches to evaluating, designing and developing the curriculum .

Establish a culture of collaboration, innovation and exploration.

Workstream Lead: Patricia Watson, Education Scotland Regional Adviser

NIF Priority (highlight those that apply): NIF Driver(s): HGIOS4 QI(s): (highlight those that apply) (highlight those that apply) Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy;  School leadership  1.1 Self Evaluation for selfimprovement Closing the attainment gap between  Teacher professionalism  1.2 Leadership for learning the most and least disadvantaged  Parental engagement  1.3 Leadership of change children;  Assessment of children’s  1.4 Leadership and management of staff Improvement in children and young progress  1.5 Management of resources to promote equity people’s health and wellbeing; and  School improvement  2.1 Safeguarding and child protection Improvement in employability skills and  Performance information  2.2 Curriculum sustained positive school leaver  2.3 Learning teaching and assessment destinations for all young people.  2.4 Personalised support  2.5 Family learning  2.6 Transitions  2.7 Partnership  3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion  3.2 Raising attainment and achievement/Securing children’s progress  3.3 Increasing creativity and employability/ Developing creativity and skills for life and learning Key Outcome What impact will you How will you measure Actions Personnel Timescale measure? it? To coconstruct Engagement of senior leaders Levels of Establish programme Patricia Watson, By Sept and deliver a across the RIC working in commitment development team and ES RAdv. 2018 collaborative partnership with Education programme of meetings

Page 367 of 396 programme to Scotland to coconstruct a Collaborative Kim Ramsay, QIO support schools highquality programme working Develop curriculum P & K By Jan 2019 across the RIC to focused on curriculum design, programme and plan improve their development and self Annette Beason, Quality of delivery model. curriculum evaluation. ES (SCEL) By June programme – 2019 feedback from Implement delivery model Programme participants. Short development and longer term team: impact through questionnaire and  Senior follow up 1:1 school dicussions. leaders from across Key Outcome What impact will you How will you measure Actions Timescale measure? it? the TayRIC To ensure high The perceived and actual Pre and post Ensure evaluation of (2 March quality self impact of engagement in programme curriculum planning is secondary 2019. evaluation in this CLPL opportunity. questionnaire embedded within the and 1 relation to the Post programme. primary programme curriculum. from each Impact on participant self Analysis of evaluation reported confidence levels participant self LA) by June pre and post programme evaluation Develop and utilise pre and 2019. delivery in relation to self approaches pre and post programme  Other ES evaluation and curriculum post engagement in evaluation tools and Follow up colleagues design and development. the programme. schedule. impact as evaluation

appropriate by Dec Impact on improvement in Analysis of results in relation eg. 2019. approaches to self Evaluation of to impact. 1 x SEO Curriculum evaluation of curriculum. curriculum planning Team for session 201819

Page 368 of 396 Impact on improvements to and session 2019 curriculum plans for session 2020. 1 x DYW team 201920 1 x CLD team

1 x Digital Learning Key Outcome What impact will you How will you measure Actions and Teaching Timescale measure? it? team For senior and Impact of participation in Pre and post Ensure evaluation of By March middle leaders to the programme engagement curriculum planning is 2019 have a development group and in questionnaire. embedded within the deepened the programme on programme. understanding of Evaluation of longer the principles of perceived levels of curriculum knowledge and term improvements in design and understanding. selfevaluation and Develop and utilise pre and By June development. curriculum post programme 2019 Impact on approaches to development. evaluation tools and selfevaluation and schedule.

curriculum planning.

Analysis of results in relation By Dec to impact. 2019

Page 369 of 396 TLAG Building Capacity in the Effective use of Research and Evidence Group

Improvement Outcome: Develop the critical skills required by leaders and practitioners to support the establishment of a culture of collaboration, innovation and exploration by recognising that a selfimproving system has learning at its heart with empowered children, staff and partners.

*This workstream action plan is currently under development

Workstream Lead: *TBC

NIF Priority (highlight those that apply): NIF Driver(s): HGIOS4 QI(s): (highlight those that apply) (highlight those that apply) Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy;  School leadership  1.1 Self Evaluation for selfimprovement Closing the attainment gap between  Teacher professionalism  1.2 Leadership for learning the most and least disadvantaged  Parental engagement  1.3 Leadership of change children;  Assessment of children’s  1.4 Leadership and management of staff Improvement in children and young progress  1.5 Management of resources to promote equity people’s health and wellbeing; and  School improvement  2.1 Safeguarding and child protection Improvement in employability skills and  Performance information  2.2 Curriculum sustained positive school leaver  2.3 Learning teaching and assessment destinations for all young people.  2.4 Personalised support  2.5 Family learning  2.6 Transitions  2.7 Partnership  3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion  3.2 Raising attainment and achievement/Securing children’s progress  3.3 Increasing creativity and employability/ Developing creativity and skills for life and learning

Page 370 of 396 Key Outcome What impact will you How will you measure Actions Personnel Timescale measure? it? To develop *This workstream action plan is capacity within currently under development schools and clusters to improve learning by supporting the development of schools as learning organisations within the context of children’s services. Key Outcome What impact will you How will you measure Actions Timescale measure? it? To act as a *This workstream action plan is catalyst to currently under development develop organisational practices and cultures within Tayside to help professionals collaborate for improvement.

Page 371 of 396 The scale of the Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative may be (relatively) small in geography but it is ambitious in respect of what it seeks to achieve. The TRIC is committed to working across organisational boundaries, in flexible ways, seeking always to bring about improvement in outcomes for children, young people and their families.

The table below summarises the core team who will help lead and support the ambition of the TRIC to become a reality. Additional resource is being sought from the Scottish Government to develop this team beyond its current composition of the RIC Lead and the Regional Advisor from Education Scotland.

Role FTE Regional Improvement Lead PKC * Regional Advisor (Education Scotland) 1.0 FTE (ES) Project Officer 1.0 FTE (SG) Admin Officer 1.0 FTE (SG) Website & HUB development and Comms Strategy 1.0FTE MA (SG) Resource to provide additional capacity for leadership of The Equivalent to Learning and Attainment Group’s work streams. £68K

*It is not possible to define an FTE allocation for the dual role Executive Director of Education and Children’s Services and TRIC Lead.

These posts are essential given the scale of activity taking place across the TRIC and support planning, governance and leadership of all aspects of the work of our Regional Improvement Collaborative.

In addition to this small core team, there are a number of Priority Groups who are responsible for planning and implementing the agreed actions and tasks which were identified in the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and their Families. These groups are lead and populated by colleagues who work in other substantive roles in a local authority, NHST, Police Scotland and various 3 rd Sector Organisations. Their salaries are paid for by their employing organisation.

Each work stream has been developing the working arrangements as set out in our Phase 1 Plan. It is not possible to provide a clear demarcation in terms of FTE for each of these colleagues in relation to their TRIC specific activity. However, no resource is being asked to fund the group leads of their core membership.

We are however, seeking resources to support each Priority Group with operational costs and also administrative tasks. In addition to this, each Priority Group has been asked to identify what additional resource they would require to assist in achieving their stated outcomes. Information relating to these additional “asks” is outlined in the following sections. The operational budget is a small, nominal amount of money that will provide each of the Priority Groups with the resource required to fund a range of things such as:

 Covering the costs of any meetings or training sessions etc.  Covering the costs of any stationery, printing, design etc.

Page 372 of 396 Work stream Delivery

The tables below provide the following information;

 Work stream Sponsor (providing strategic oversight, support and challenge)  Work stream Lead (leading the specific work stream across the TRIC)  Work stream Participants (colleagues identified from constituent local authorities/partners)  Additional Resources Required (additional resources required to support future delivery, including Education Scotland resources)

Pre-birth and Early Years

Work stream Sponsor Work stream Lead Work stream Participants Paul Clancy Sharon Johnston  Head of Education: Early Years and Primary, PKC (Chair)  Chief Midwife (NHS Tayside)  Consultation Neonatologist (NHS Tayside)  Lead Nurse Early Years (NHS Tayside)  Lead Nurse/Service Manager Children and Young People (NHS Tayside)  Allied Health Professional Lead (NHS Tayside)  TSI representative (Dundee TSI)  Education Manager Early Years (Dundee)  Education Officer (Angus)  CELCIS project officers (Perth and Kinross Children and Families and NHS Tayside)

Additional Resources  Welfare Rights Officer (see Appendix 1) Required  Operational budget  Care Inspectorate Support for expansion of ELC – TBC  Roll out of The Solihull Approach to 70 early years classes and centres over 2 years and training of staff across NHS, education and children’ services and 3 rd sector (see Appendix 2)

Anticipated Impact It is recognised that within the prebirth and early years group, there are four national transformation programmes;

. Implementation of Best Start – Maternity and Neonatal Care . Implementation of the Universal Pathway for Health Visiting . Implementation of Ready to Act – Allied health Professionals . Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare

All of these programmes are nationally driven, and all have targets to meet over a number of years before they will be completed. The focus at this time is to implement the transformation, recognising that there is significant change in terms of culture, systems and practice and the requirement to grow the workforce to meet the demand.

There are also two locally driven transformation projects:

Page 373 of 396 . Extension of the Family Nurse Partnership to first time mothers aged 20 24 who meet the eligibility criteria . CELCIS project on addressing neglect and enhancing wellbeing in Perth and Kinross . The embedding of the Solihull approach to working with children and families across the multiagency workforce in Tayside, including health professionals, education and children’s services and third sector partners.

Both of these projects are in the early stages of development, and will be further embedded in the coming three years. The Welfare Rights Officer (noted below) will work to support the FNP team, as well as working across other parenting groups. They will work directly with families to help maximise their income in a range of ways.

Finally, there is a shared development of a Tayside Parenting Strategy, which will deliver a shared approach to working with parents and families across Tayside, and has close links with other workstreams within this priority group.

Performance Monitoring and Use of Data for Improvement The next step for the group is to increase the intelligent use of the available data to inform our actions and possible future interventions. It is important that we can intervene at the earliest opportunity to make a positive difference to the outcomes for children and families, and so this will be a key focus for next year.

The use of the stretch aims will be a key area for attention, and making use of this data from the universal pathway programme will support a truly multiagency, integrated approach to delivering the right help at the right time.

Page 374 of 396 The Learning and Attainment Group: Numeracy

Work stream Sponsor Work stream Lead Work stream Participants Pauline Stephen Carol Lyon  Karen Frain, Headteacher, Primary (Angus)  Audrey Cox, DHT, Primary (Dundee)  Eddie McArthur, PT Maths, Secondary (Dundee)  QIO, (PKC – appointment pending)  Andy McAdam, PT Maths, Secondary (PKC)  Tara Harper, Lecturer, ITE (Dundee University)  Nanette Brotherhood, Development Officer (Education Scotland)

Additional Resources Required  Operational budget  Education Scotland support from Numeracy Team – TBC  Education Scotland support from Digital L & T Team – TBC

Anticipated Impact Develop a shared understanding of what constitutes “effective learning and teaching approaches that promote positive attitudes and develop high expectations, confidence and resilience in maths” (Making Maths Count: Recommendation 4, Scottish Government, 2016). Establish a culture of collaboration, innovation and exploration. Please see workstream plan for measurement details.

Page 375 of 396 The Learning and Attainment Group: Learning and Teaching

Work stream Sponsor Work stream Lead Work stream Participants Pauline Stephen Michelle Lewis  Kas Mohammed, Headteacher, Secondary (Angus)  Karen Tough, Headteacher, Primary (Angus)  Lesley Elder, Headteacher, Secondary (Dundee)  John Neesson, Headteacher, Primary (Dundee)  Johnny Lothian, Headteacher, Secondary (PKC)  Lynn Lambert, Headteacher, Primary (PKC)

Additional Resources In addition to the planned work designed to improve the quality of Required learning and teaching in our classrooms we envisage a subgroup of this work stream being established to provide expert, professional support to develop capacity of teachers to use research and data more judiciously to support their work (this will be fully articulated in workstream 6 action plan). This subgroup would consist of 0.5FTE each of a QIO, and EPS and a data analyst. The approximate resource required for this, with oncosts would be £80K. In addition to this we envisage that we will require:  Support from ES RALO to build system capacity for quality self evaluation. (TBC)  Support from SG Improvement Officer to embed the model for improvement. (TBC)  Support from the GTCS to develop the research skills and capacity of practioners. (TBC)  OSIRIS – external facilitator to build capacity using evidence based approaches to improve feedback.  Operational budget  Support from Education Scotland in relation to evaluation of this work stream enabling a model for improvement to be identified and then rolled out elsewhere across the RIC– SCEL support required to provide bespoke input on leadership at this level.

Anticipated Impact Developing effective Feedback to learners. Establish a culture of collaboration, innovation and exploration. Please see workstream plan for measurement details.

Page 376 of 396

The Learning and Attainment Group: Leadership

Work stream Sponsor Workstream Lead Work stream Participants Pauline Stephen Bernadette Martin  Rodger Hill, Head of Secondary & Inclusion Scott (PKC)  Paula Morrison, Headteacher, Primary (PKC)  Vicky Gardiner, Headteacher, Virtual School (Angus)  Kim Walker (Angus)  Pam Nesbitt, Education Manager (Dundee)  Tracy Stewart, QIO (Dundee) Additional Resources Required  Operational budget  ES and SCEL System Leadership Programme (7 participants)  ES RALO – building capacity of curriculum (subject) middle leaders in secondary supply cover (3 x 8 PTs for 2 days each)  Advanced Leadership Practice – Professor Andy Hargreaves  Support from the NIF Team – TBC

Anticipated Impact Develop a shared leadership strategy to improve leadership and management of schools Establish a culture of collaboration, innovation and exploration. Please see workstream plan for measurement details.

Learning and Attainment Group – School Improvement

Work stream Sponsor Work stream Lead Work stream Participants Pauline Stephen Kim Ramsay  Danny Webster, Service Manger (Dundee)  Jim Hammond, Service Manager (Angus)  Kelly McIntosh, Service Manager (Angus)  Lorraine Will, Primary HT (Angus)  Johnny Lothian, Secondary HT (PKC)  Barry Millar, Secondary HT (Dundee)

Additional Resources Required  Operational budget  Reciprocal School Improvement Teams – 6 schools involved in 4 visits per academic year backfill and travel.

Anticipated Impact Develop the capacity within schools and clusters to improve learning by supporting the development of schools as learning organisations within the context of children’s services. Establish a culture of collaboration, innovation and exploration. Please see workstream plan for measurement details.

Page 377 of 396

Learning and Attainment Group – Curriculum

Work stream Sponsor Work stream Lead Work stream Participants Pauline Stephen Patricia Watson, ES Kim Ramsay, QIO P & K Regional Adviser Annette Beason, ES (SCEL) Programme development team:  Senior school leaders from across the TayRIC (2 secondary and 1 primary from each LA)  Other ES colleagues as appropriate eg. 1 x SEO Curriculum Team 1 x DYW team 1 x CLD team 1 x Digital Learning and Teaching team Additional Resources Required Operational budget supply cover (3 x 8 staff members for 2 days each)

Anticipated Impact This workstream aims to strengthen approaches to evaluating, designing and developing the curriculum. This will be achieved through collaborative work to coconstruct and deliver a programme to support schools across the RIC to improve their curriculum. The programme will be aimed at middle leaders in primary and secondary schools across the RIC. The intended outcome is for senior and middle leaders to have a deepened understanding of the principles of curriculum design and development and for this to impact positively on their approaches to self evaluation and curriculum planning.

Health and Well-being

Work stream Sponsor Work stream Lead Work stream Participants Lorna Wiggin Elaine Cruickshank  Service Manager PKC Third Sector Interface  Education Officer (Dundee)  Senior Manager (SWD) (Dundee)  Service Manager, Evidence 2 Success (PKC)  Quality Improvement Officer (PKC)  Service Manager ASN/Educational Psychology (Angus)  Lead Officer Tayside ADPs (Angus)  NHS Tayside Clinical Services Manager (Paediatrics/CAMHS)  NHS Tayside Child Health O.T. Service Manager (AHPs)  NHS Tayside Interim Service Manager Children & Families (Angus)  NHS Tayside Public Health Dept. Consultant in PH medicine/Portfolio Lead Children &

Page 378 of 396 Young People  NHS Tayside Public Health Dept. Executive Lead Sexual Health & BBV  NHS Tayside Public Health Dept. – Dietetic Consultant PH nutrition  NHS Tayside Clinical Lead CAMHS  NHS Tayside Consultant Clinical Psychologist (CAMHS) • NHS Tayside Community Paediatrician Additional Resources  Operational budget Required  Tayside Parenting Coordinator – development officer for 23 months to support implementation of the Tayside Parenting Strategy

Anticipated Impact The focus of the group’s work is the development of four new Tayside multiagency strategies in relation to: • Mental health • Parenting • Substance use prevention • Child healthy weight as well as a fifth area of work; implementation of the national Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People strategy. In order to achieve the above, individual Leads have been identified and Task & Finish Groups have been established for each area of work. Progress for each of the areas is at different stages, with the Parenting strategy development most advanced.

Looked After Children, Care Leavers & Young Carers

Work stream Sponsor Work stream Lead Work stream Participants Mark Armstrong Glyn Lloyd  Senior Manager, Residential Services (Dundee)  Education Manager (Dundee)  Senior Manager, Children and Families (PKC)  Service Leader, Children, Families and Justice Service (Angus)  Service Manager, Third Sector Interface (Angus)  Service Manager, Carers Centre, Dundee  Locality Reporter Manager, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration  Chief Inspector, Police Scotland  Senior Manager, NHS Tayside

Additional Resources  Operational budget Required  SAC funding for LAC will be used to develop effective supports for preschool, primary, secondary and special young people in line with our Corporate Parenting Strategy  SAC funding for LAC will be used to extend advocacy and children’s rights for our most vulnerable young people

Page 379 of 396 Anticipated Impact The main areas of focus for future work are the development of a regional engagement and participation strategy for Looked After Children and Care Leavers; the development of a regional performance framework and a consistent approach to shortbreaks for Young Carers; shared risk assessment pathways and preventative approaches for young offenders; a regional approach towards advocacy; and inclusion strategies for children with additional and complex support needs.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Work stream Sponsor Work stream Lead Work stream Participants Graham Binnie Jacquie Pepper  Ray Birnie, Detective Inspector (Police Scotland)  Peter Nield, Assistant Director (Barnardo’s)  Jayne Smith, Lead Nurse Child Protection, NHS Tayside  Katherine Lawlor, Consultant Paediatrician, NHS Tayside  Arlene Dickson, Third Sector Strategic Officer for Children's Services, Voluntary Action (Angus)  Niki McNamee, Team Leader, Protecting People Partnership (Angus)  Andrew Beckett, Lead Officer (Dundee)  Ross Drummond, Child Protection Inter Agency Coordinator (PKC)  Bill Atkinson, Independent Chair (PKC)  Norma Ritchie, Independent Chair (Dundee)  Christine Knight, Independent Chair (Angus)

Additional Resources  Operational budget Required  Resource for additional requirements of independent child protection chairs.

Anticipated Impact Our approach to protecting children and young people will be integrated and focused on early intervention, immediate action and effective intervention to remove and reduce the risk of significant harm.

The work of Chief Officers and Child Protection Committees is crucial to securing a culture where the care and protection of children and young people is at the heart of everyone’s job.

By mobilising the whole workforce and promoting strong universal values of doing everything possible to enhance the lives of children and young people is not just about having effective processes to protect children it is also about making sure that children and young people:

• have the knowledge and skills they need to keep themselves safe at home, school and in the community • learn to adopt healthy lifestyles and making positive life choices

Page 380 of 396 • are kept safe as a result of services acting quickly and working effectively together when they may be at risk • go on to be supported well through targeted interventions and universal services when they are the subject of concerns • benefit from holistic plans which include access to early literacy programmes; positive planned transitions and support, encouragement and opportunities to develop and learn new life skills • benefit from evidencebased nurturing approaches which have a positive impact on their wellbeing and readiness to learn • who are no longer able to remain at home are thriving as a result of positive placements which support their educational achievement and attainment • benefit from a wide range of leisure, recreational and extracurricular activities • benefit from trusting relationships with staff and carers and are developing a positive sense of selfworth and identity • encouraged to develop their sense of responsibility and selfefficacy.

We know that children within our child protection system are also most likely to suffer inequalities related to health and experience the consequences of poverty. By making sure Getting it Right for Every Child approaches are central to planning for individual children and young people when they are at risk of or have experienced neglect, abuse, exploitation and significant harm has a direct positive impact on the outcomes for individual children and likelihood that the negative impact on their ability to learn and achieve or experience interruptions to their learning is minimised.

Performance and Data

Work stream Sponsor Work stream Lead Work stream Participants Sheena Devlin Paul Davidson  Senior Information Analyst Officer (Dundee) Service Manager  Manager, Quality Improvement & (PKC) Performance (Angus)

Additional Resources Required  Funding for a Graduate Trainee to support performance reporting and data analysis across all 5 workstreams Anticipated Impact [Describe the purpose and anticipated impact of the additional resource requested, including expected outcomes and how these will be measured.]

Page 381 of 396 Appendix 1

Regional Improvement Collaborative Resourcing Pre-birth and early years welfare project Perth and Kinross

This project will increase the uptake of available welfare benefits of families with children in the early years of their life that might be experiencing poverty or be likely to experience poverty in the future in Perth and Kinross including a focus on rural Perthshire areas. Evidence demonstrates that the highest rate of economic return comes from the earliest investments in childrens lives. Evidence indicates that poverty increases the likelihood of poor health and wellbeing outcomes for children. This begins in pregnancy with the healthy development of the fetus affected by poor diet, stress and anxiety, housing conditions and fuel poverty.

The project would seek to strengthen relationships and referral pathways between health and social care professionals involved in prebirth and the early years of a child’s life. Including midwives, family nurses, health visitors, mental health practitioners and social care early year’s staff with the Council’s Welfare Rights Team, in order to provide a universal, holistic service targeting areas in Perth & Kinross which have been identified as an increased child poverty area.

The Perth & Kinross Welfare Rights office recognises that many women do not receive their full entitlement of benefits while pregnant or when their baby is born. For example, nationally, at least 25% of women do not access Healthy Start vouchers. The vouchers are worth £899 to support children from the birth to the age of four.

Projects in Leith, Scotland have been successful in providing welfare rights information to families experiencing poverty with a net average result of between £4,500£5,000 increase in actual benefits for families per annum.

Example from previous projects locally:

Maternity Welfare Project In conjunction with the Improvement Service, the Family Nurse Partnership and Perth Midwifery Services worked in partnership to ensure that pregnant women had access to welfare services at the earliest opportunity via seamless referral from Health to the Welfare Rights Team. Referrals were offered on a universal basis with no requirement for health practitioners to identify need, this approach was taken to reduce stigma. A test of change demonstrated that all women were offered the referral and all women took up the offer. Feedback from health practitioners was positive and for midwives specifically discussing the referral to the Welfare Rights Team made the completion of the Maternity Interview more meaningful with regard to the section dedicated to the need for advice on finances, benefits or housing issues. All women referred to the Welfare Rights Team were given comprehensive welfare benefit checks and any other holistic advice in relations to their finances that was required/appropriate. The project team recognised the potential for contact with the target group through other partner agencies, but agreed initially to test the model with health staff that had direct contact with mothers before and

Page 382 of 396 after the baby’s birth. This project has been successful and the model is reciprocal however it is felt being able to have a wider reach to other professionals working with families would increase sustainability and also benefit more children and families in the area.

Kinship Care referral process A seamless process between the Kinship Care Team and the Welfare Rights Team whereby impartial and individualised support and advice can be accessed where we have consent from the kinship carer. This applies to all kinship carers; approved and informal. This process has been in place for almost three years is successful and is felt it is reciprocal in delivery to families. The Welfare Rights Team regularly identify people who are Kinship Carers and who are not aware of their entitlements. Similarly the Kinship Care Team seamlessly refer Kinship Carers to the Welfare Rights Team in order to access advice and assistance re entitlements. Referrals are around 60 families per year.

Collaborative approach

This project will seek to identify the target group within the stated areas through engagement with local health and social care staff.

The learning from this project will inform the development of a pathway for pregnant women in Perth & Kinross regarding Welfare Rights support with the intention of extending this pathway for all pregnant women in Tayside.

If this approach is successful there could be opportunities to spread the methodology to other key professionals within the Tayside collaborative.

Linking up and expanding existing processes in welfare and health and children’s social care will lead to improved outcomes

The biggest challenge for the welfare rights team is identifying families at risk of poverty at an early point in their life. Working in a more collaborative approach with all professionals will aim to reduce the amount of families in poverty crisis with an early intervention approach to the model of care will reduce the amount of children living in severe poverty. Linking up services involved with families via a voluntary referral pathway should increase the number of families with young children accessing appropriate welfare benefits in Perth.

The range of entitlements and benefits available to pregnant women are not always obvious, with the potential impact that women are not made aware of what they could be entitled to. Information needs to be available that outlines the clear range of welfare benefits and entitlements available, in an easy to use format that also details a simple process for access. Professional awareness of range and access may increase outcomes.

Shared understanding of the value of other professional’s contributions at different points of the maternity pathway will lead to improved outcomes.

Welfare rights staff have briefed health professionals in the past, however due to the

Page 383 of 396 pressures of service and although welfare benefits has recorded an initial increase in uptake following a briefing, the numbers of referrals drops in the weeks/months that follow. Developing opportunities for shared learning, practice development, information sharing and frequent reminders of the value of other professional’s contributions will result in a sustained awareness and value of other professional’s contributions, thereby improving outcomes for the client group.

Funding requested:

1 x Welfare Rights Officer: £35,253

This would be a dedicated member of staff to liaise with families and services with children in the pregnancy period and early years. This member of staff would also be a key link personnel to develop professional understanding of the welfare system and service.

As referrals increase this funding would have to be reviewed alongside capacity. The impact on childrens service health and social care professionals would also have to be monitored closely in regards to workforce capacity.

Page 384 of 396 Appendix 2

Application for funding to support implementation of the Solihull Approach model across the workforce for children, young people and parents in Tayside

The Aim Taking a ‘whole systems’ approach, the Tayside Collaborative will initiate a training programme upskilling practitioners in services for children and young people (public, 3rd and private sectors), to use the Solihull Approach to enhance the impact of their interventions with parents. This will support the commitment in the Tayside Children, Young People and Families Plan to ‘provide targeted multiagency support to families’ and will be a key action in the Tayside Parenting Strategy, directly contributing to delivering on one of its improvement priorities: Families have access to effective services that are delivered by a skilled and confident workforce that value the role of parents.

Developing the collective workforce and establishing a common language and way of working This initiative will enable transformational workforce development that will further increase preventative approaches and support staff to have a common language. The Solihull Approach provides staff with a practical way of working with and supporting families; empowering them to reduce challenges and behaviours that can impact on their child’s opportunity to access and gain optimal outcomes from their early learning and childcare entitlement. It brings together a range of good practice approaches that help practitioners to address emotional problems in a different way, aiding child development and encouraging positive behaviours in parents and children, whilst building greater confidence in their own skills and practice. Training and implementation of the model will be supported by a series of Tests of Change to ensure that optimum impact is achieved in each setting.

The Solihull Approach The Solihull Approach theoretical model is developed from three cornerstone concepts: containment, reciprocity and behaviour management; providing the practitioner with a way of working and thinking about their work. The practitioner provides containment and reciprocity to the parent, restoring the parent’s ability to think, thus enabling the parent to provide containment and reciprocity to the child to help the child cope with their own emotions and anxieties. Unaddressed these emotions and anxieties for either parent or child may form barriers to child accessing their childcare entitlement. The Foundation level training enables practitioners to use the Solihull Approach to inform how they intervene with a family in the course of their mainstream work; it does not train them to deliver a specific programme. Therefore it is enhancing the effectiveness of what they do not adding to their workload or changing their remit.

Page 385 of 396 Commitment for services A recent survey of managers identified widespread support for implementation, identifying the potential to provide a consistent approach for families and a shared language and aims for staff as particular benefits.

Funding requested A training coordinator will be appointed for 23 months to establish a programme of foundation training and ‘training the trainers’ courses, and a ‘bank’ of trainers from local partner organisations. This activity will deliver a group of 300+ trained staff using the Solihull Approach in practice in year 1, a further 400+ trained staff in year 2 and a bank of 60 additional trainers from across the sector committed to delivering 2 courses per year in subsequent years. The coordinator will also support implementation of the model in workplace settings through the creation of a Network that will help practitioners to embed the Sollihull Approach in their practice. A small budget will also be required to pay for training venues and training/maintenance resources. 23 month Training Coordinator Post (PR8 £44,292 per year) £92,111 Solihull Approach online manuals for teams £8,280 Training venues £5,000 Total funding applied for £105,391

Sustainability The implementation model supports sustainability by establishing an optimal number of trained staff in key locations in years 1 and 2, embedding the model as the ‘way of working’. Year 1 A programme of training and ‘training the trainers’ courses delivered and a bank of additional trainers established. Network established to support implementation in practice. Year 2 Programme of training expanded through use of newly trained trainers and further ‘training the trainers’ courses delivered. Network becomes selfsustaining in respect of supporting implementation. Subsequent years – network also assumes responsibility for programme of training and support.

Evaluation of Impact A number of quantitative measures will be used to evaluate the impact of this investment, including:  Number of training courses delivered;  Number of practitioners trained  Number of different teams and organisations with trained staff;  Number of practitioners actively using the Solihull Approach in their work 6 months after the training. In addition some qualitative information will be gathered to inform the evaluation at the end of years 1 and 2; this will include:  Feedback on the impact of the training on practitioners knowledge and

Page 386 of 396 practice;  Feedback from parents who have been supported by a practitioner using the Sollihull Approach;  Feedback from Managers on the impact on staff.

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Page 388 of 396 12

PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL

Lifelong Learning Committee

31 October 2018

Restorative Approaches – Evaluation Report

Report by Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) (Report No. 18/355)

PURPOSE OF REPORT

The Executive Director (Education and Children’s Services) submitted a report (Report No.16/228 refers) advising of the Restorative Approaches (RA) that were being implemented across Perth and Kinross schools as part of the strategy of promoting positive behaviour in schools and offering alternatives to school exclusion.

This report provides an update on RA and its effects on schools at the end of academic year 2017/18.

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 Education and Children’s Services brought a report to Lifelong Learning Committee (Report No.16/228 refers) detailing the RA being used and planned in schools and centres. An evaluation report was requested by the Lifelong Learning Committee at the end of 2017-18.

1.2 Perth and Kinross Council are committed to RA, a strategy which focuses attention on the quality of relationships between all members of the school community and the establishment of a school culture where positive relationships, mutual respect and the promotion of wellbeing are central.

1.3 Effective RA will ensure that pupils, staff and parents are part of a fair process, while helping all involved to understand the impact of their behaviour on others.

1.4 Within Perth and Kinross, RA is integral to effective implementation of the Perth and Kinross Anti-Bullying Strategy and has a significant influence as an alternative to exclusion.

2. PROGRESS

2.1 Training and Support

2.1.1 As part of initial probationary teacher training in Perth and Kinross, RA sessions have been included in the programme in 2017 and 2018.

Page 389 of 396 2.1.2 RA Champions have been trained and supported over the last two years. This support has been provided in-house by RA Consultants, therefore ensuring sustainability of the training strategy. Further recall sessions have focused on peer support for champions as well as more in-depth training in order to equip them to cascade to others. Due to the turnover of staff, further Champions training has been arranged for 2018-19 to ensure that schools have access to this resource, and the capacity to continue to develop RA within their schools.

2.1.3 RA should be a universal approach in schools. To this end, training materials regarding adaptations for children and young people have been developed and shared through training sessions. Training in restorative circles has also been offered, having been piloted in one particular school in response to a specific need. Based on the impact on the ethos and atmosphere in that school, other practitioners are being supported to implement circles as an extension to their RA.

2.1.4 There has been close working with Community Link Workers and Community Learning and Development staff to ensure common approaches to this area, with champions training provided and a representative on the programme board and consultant team. Facilities management staff, school crossing patrollers and partner provider Early Years managers have also been trained in RA.

2.1.5 As an example of how schools are embedding RA, The Community School of Auchterarder has focused on restorative peer mediation with a view to evaluating their practice in 2018-19 before sharing their experience more widely across the local authority. RA has been a feature of their training for their Intergenerational Volunteers.

2.1.6 Over 2017-18 there was development and the use of specific training material for use by staff for children and young people with additional support needs.

2.1.7 In schools where there is good practice in RA they will be asked to help support others. Restorative consultants will receive advanced training in RA from an external expert, in order to support their capacity to continue to lead developments within the authority. This development is being supported by the PKC Acorn Fund. PKC Education Services will continue to consider the ongoing support required for RA Champions.

2.2 Parental Engagement

2.2.1 It remains an ongoing priority to ensure that parents are fully appraised of and engaged with RA. A new parents’ leaflet has been distributed to all schools and centres and is available on the Perth and Kinross Council website. Each school will adopt and customise the RA leaflet and make it available to all parents via their own website.

2.2.2 Schools have been encouraged to revisit their behaviour management policies with a view to replacing them with policies which focus on positive

Page 390 of 396 relationships. A number of schools now work with these policies which are based on RA and respectful relationships.

2.2.3 There have been update presentations to the Parent Council Chairs Network regarding the use of RA. A number of schools have held information sessions for parents.

2.3 Communication

2.3.1 RA underpins a range of other strategies including the Inclusion Policy, the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Accessibility Strategy, all of which take account of Equality legislation. The redrafted Exclusions Policy promotes the use of RA, in line with the national guidance contained in Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2.

2.3.2 The expectation that RA should be used consistently in all schools and centres has been revisited and reinforced through Headteacher meetings. There has been the continued use of RA materials and resources. Community Learning and Development are key partners in developing and ensuring a whole system approach to RA.

2.3.3 Practitioners have been using Glow to share good restorative practice and materials. The Respect Me campaign has ensured that schools record and action issues in a timely manner.

2.3.4 There needs to be a continued high profile for RA, using Headteacher/ DHT & PT/school inset meetings and bulletins to reinforce this approach. A conference is planned for spring 2019, to share good practice across Perth and Kinross schools and emphasise the expectation of RA as a fundamental part of our health and wellbeing strategy across schools.

3. EVALUATION OF IMPACT

3.1 The approach taken to implementing and sustaining RA within Perth and Kinross has been identified as an example of good practice nationally by Education Scotland and the University of Edinburgh, and some of our schools have been visited to see practice in action as a result.

3.2 The RA audit carried out in 2017 and 2018 confirmed a varied picture across schools in terms of stage of implementation, as would be expected given different starting points. However, a majority of schools rated themselves within the advanced stages of implementation (stages 6-8 of an 8 stage model), keeping the pressure on and maintaining gains. Secondary schools tended to be more confident about their implementation, with 60% rating themselves at stage 7 or above, compared to 41% of primary schools.

3.3 There has been an increase in schools having RA within their relationships policies (from 59% in 16-17 to 88% in 17-18) and high agreement that RA has led to improvements both among children and young people and between children and staff (16-17 – 94%; 17-18 – 96%). RA continues to be a school

Page 391 of 396 improvement priority for 37% of schools, with others viewing it as part of their ‘maintenance agenda.’

3.4 Qualitative comments from champions and consultants indicate that RA is having an impact on ethos and relationships in schools, as well as on the skills and confidence of young people to resolve issues independently.

3.5 It should be noted that although RA can have a direct impact on the quantitive data above it is not the only factor. There has been a continued improvement in many areas of attainment and a reduction in exclusion incidents, over the last three years.

4. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

4.1 Children and young people should feel safe, happy, respected and included in schools and all staff should be proactive in promoting positive behaviour. RA provides a proven way forward for schools in promoting harmonious relationships and which can lead to the successful resolution of conflict and harm.

4.2 It is recommended that the Committee:

(i) Notes the RA update report within schools in Perth and Kinross Council.

Author(s) Name Designation Contact Details Head of Education: [email protected] Rodger Hill Secondary and Inclusion 01738 475000

Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Executive Director 16 October 2018 (Education and Children Services)

Page 392 of 396 ANNEX

1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION

Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial Yes Workforce No Asset Management (land, property, IST) No Assessments Equality Impact Assessment Yes Strategic Environmental Assessment No Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) No Legal and Governance No Risk No Consultation Internal Yes External Yes Communication Communications Plan Yes

1. Strategic Implications

Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement

1.1 The Perth and Kinross Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement set out five priorities:

This report relates to Objective No (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens.

Corporate Plan

Page 393 of 396

This report relates to Objective No (ii) Developing educated, responsible and informed citizens.

1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Policy Framework in respect of the following key policy area:

 Inclusion and Equality

2. Resource Implications

Financial

2.1 The costs of ongoing training of staff will be met from existing Education and Children’s Services budgets.

Workforce

2.2 N/A

Asset Management (land, property, IT)

2.3 N/A

3. Assessments

The proposals have been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (EqIA) with the following outcome:

(i) Assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA

Strategic Environmental Assessment

3.2 The proposals have been considered under the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 and no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report.

Sustainability

3.3 N/A

Legal and Governance

3.4 N/A

Page 394 of 396 Risk

3.5 N/A

4. Consultation

Internal

4.1 RA Project Board was established comprising of:  Head of Education (Secondary and Inclusion);  Educational Psychologist;  Quality Improvement Officers;  Primary Headteachers and Secondary Depute Headteachers; and  Community Link Workers.

Teaching and support staff representatives have been consulted.

External

4.2 In addition to 4.1 a representative from Education Scotland is part of the RA Project Board.

5. Communication

5.1 Communications have taken the form of:  Electronic survey;  Briefing at staff meetings;  Conference for Headteachers and others;  Headteacher Development days; and  Learning and Achievement visits to schools.

2. BACKGROUND PAPERS te: The University of Edinburgh has received international recognition for its successful commitment to Restorative Approaches in education. The Scottish research (Kane et al. 2007), representing the most comprehensive study to date internationally, found that the use of Restorative Approaches contributed to significant improvement in key areas of school discipline and staff and pupil relationships.

 Restorative Approaches in Education – Moray House School of Education Election Briefings

 Restorative Practices in Three Scottish Councils – Final Report of the Evaluation of the first two years of the Pilot Projects 2004 – 2006

Page 395 of 396  The American Psychological Association research into inefficacy of punitive methods – Are Zero Tolerancer Policies Effective in the Schools?

3. APPENDICES N/A

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