A meeting of the EDUCATION, CULTURE AND SPORT COMMITTEE will take place in the COUNCIL CHAMBER, COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS, GLENURQUHART ROAD, INVERNESS on THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY, 2006 at 10.30 A.M.

A note of the business to be transacted at the meeting is appended.

Yours faithfully,

There is circulated Report No ECS1/06 dated 10 January 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on Revenue Expenditure on the Education, Culture and Sport Service for the period from 1 April to 30 November 2005 and the projected year end position.

In considering the contents of the report, Members are asked to note:-

1. the improvement in the projected deficit being reported;
2. the instructions regarding budget management which have been issued to all Education, Culture and Sport Budget Holders; and
3. that work in relation to producing robust year-end projections for individual schools is on-going.

There is circulated Report No ECS2/06 dated 11 January 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out expenditure on the Education, Culture and Sport Service for the period 1 April to 30 November 2005 as per the revised Capital Plan of 11 August 2005.

There is circulated Report No ECS3/06 dated 9 January 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out strategic priorities that will face the Service in 2006 and inviting Members to advise on how best they should be addressed.

There is circulated Report No ECS4/06 dated 9 January 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing Members with an overview of the progress which Highland schools have made in improving the Standards and Quality of Education over the three year period of the Service Plan 2002/05. It also includes the annual report on the National Priorities for Education for school session 2004/05 and identifies action points for the Service Plan. 2005 to 2008.

The Committee is asked to:-

1. note the Standards and Quality Report 2002/05;
2. agree the actions proposed to seek further improvement in key identified areas of the Report; and
3. agree copies are distributed to School Boards, schools and libraries and placed on the Council’s website for information.

There is circulated Report No ECS5/06 dated 6 January 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provides Members with details of developments in relation to vocational courses and training in schools and the role of Careers Scotland in supporting staff in schools and providing career guidance to pupils.

There is circulated Report No ECS6/06 dated 14 December 2005 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing background on the current arrangements for School Residence provision for pupils living in the communities of Kyleakin and Drumfearn to Calligarry in South Sleat served by the A851.

The Committee is invited to agree:-

1. that a non-statutory consultation be undertaken on removing School Residence eligibility from the community of Kyleakin and the communities from Drumfearn to Calligarry served by the A851; and
2. that, in order that locally based consultation can commence, consultation papers be drawn up in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee for the consideration of the Skye and Lochalsh Area Committee.

There is circulated Report No ECS7/06 dated 21 December 2005 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provides background on the current arrangements for Gaelic Medium and English Medium education provision for pupils living in the Sleat area of Skye and which recommends that, in terms of the Council’s agreed procedures, a statutory consultation be carried out on the establishment of a dedicated Gaelic school at Sleat Primary School with English Medium education for pupils from the current delineated area of Sleat Primary School being provided in the future in Broadford Primary School.

Members are asked to agree that:-

1. a statutory consultation be undertaken on designating Sleat Primary School as a dedicated Gaelic school;
2. a statutory consultation be undertaken on changing the designated area of Broadford Primary School to include those pupils wishing to access English Medium provision within the area currently served by Sleat Primary School; and
3. in order for locally based consultation to commence, consultation papers be drawn up for the consideration of the Skye and Lochalsh Area Committee, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee.

There is circulated Report No ECS8/06 dated 20 December 2005 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport detailing the outcome of the consultation process carried out in relation to proposals to change provision of education in Lady Lovat Primary School.

Members are asked to note that full copies of the responses referred to as Appendix 3 are circulated separately as Book A. (Paper copies of Appendix 3 may be obtained by emailing jane.maclennan@highland.gov.uk or telephoning 01463 702132)

The Committee is invited:-

1. note the outcome of the formal consultation process as detailed in the report;
2. note the recommendation of the Lochaber Area Committee; and
3. agree that all Gaelic Medium pupils transfer to Mallaig Primary School as set out in option B of the statutory consultation document.

There is circulated Report No ECS10/06 dated 9 January 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport outlining progress in implementing the Highland Archive Strategy. The report informs Members of the submission of a Stage 1 bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the hub Highland Archive Centre and seeks approval to the start of the procurement process for the design team and for the next steps identified.

The Committee is asked:-

1. note current progress towards the implantation of the Highland Archive Strategy;
2. note the submission to Heritage Lottery Fund of a Stage 1 application for the Highland Archive Centre; and
3. approve that the process to procure the design team should begin immediately.

There is circulated Report No ECS11/06 dated 9 January 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport advising Members on a Scottish Executive consultation paper "Parental Involvement – Head Teacher and Depute Head Teacher Appointments Procedures". It seeks comment on the draft response to the Scottish Executive with regard to the consultation and suggests that draft Highland proposals be prepared for discussion with parent bodies.

In commenting on the draft response to the consultation, the Committee is invited to agree:-

1. to authorise the Director of Education, Culture and Sport to submit the response to the Scottish Executive on behalf of the Highland Council; and
2. that draft proposals on a new Highland Scheme for the appointment of Head Teacher and Depute Head Teacher posts be prepared over the next few months and discussed with parent bodies in the Spring.

There is circulated Report No ECS12/06 dated 21 December 2005 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the background to the current arrangements for management of smaller primary schools with a pupil roll of less than 146.

The Committee is asked to:-

1. note the progress made with the Cluster Primary School Management Model;
2. agree that Highland Council adopt a policy of establishing Cluster Primary Schools as appropriate geographically and following consultation as set out in the report;
3. agree that the necessary steps be taken to formalise management arrangements in the current pilot schools; and
4. agree that discussion takes places with the teaching and non teaching unions and the Head of Personnel as appropriate in order to finalise detailed arrangements.

There is circulated Report No ECS13/06 dated 9 January 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport informing Members that the Highland Adult Literacy Partnership is required to submit a plan for 2006-2008. The report also seeks approval for the new plan and makes links with other literacy work within Education, Culture and Sport.

The Committee is asked:-

1. approve the Highland Adult Literacy and Numeracy Strategic Plan 2006-2008; and
2. note the progress towards a whole Service approach to literacy.

There is circulated Report No ECS14/06 dated 20 December 2005 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out a revised Action Plan from the Highland Community Learning and Development (CLD) Strategy Partnership.

There is circulated Report No ECS15/06 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport, concerning the request for a report made at the Committee’s meeting on 22 September 2005, providing information on schools providing swimming lessons and pupils who can swim by the end of Primary school. The report also recommends action that will ensure that almost all children in Highland start secondary school being able to swim.

The Committee is asked to agree that:-

1. further work is completed to examine the good practice example of intervention programmes with a view to rolling these out in other swimming programmes and that continued monitoring of primary swimming programmes takes place on an annual basis by the Active School Co-ordinators;
2. the Highland Council swimming syllabus is fully implemented in all primary swimming programmes; and
3. the very small number of schools which do not participate in the lessons investigate ways in which they can participate so that all children within the Council’s 184 schools are given the opportunity to receive swimming lessons.

There is circulated Report No ECS16/06 dated 10 January 2006 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport detailing discussions which had been held between Raddery School Limited and the Council, following the company’s decision to wind up, regarding a proposal to form a trust with the objective of promoting the education and care of children with special needs for an area of benefit extending to the whole of the Highlands. The report also draws attention to the process of renouncing the lease, the terms of the Raddery Trust and seeks agreement to the appointment of the Chairman of the Education, Culture and Sport to represent the Education, Culture and Sport Committee’s interests on the newly formed "Raddery Trust".

The Committee is asked to:-

1. note the contents of the report; and
2. approve the appointment of the Chairman of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee to represent the Education, Culture and Sport Committee’s interests on the newly formed "Raddery Trust".