Standards and Quality in Schools, Learning Communities and Pre-School Centres/Day Care of Children
Perth and Kinross Council · 16 September 2024
Back to Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee — 16 September 2024 and its agenda
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Perth and Kinross Council Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee 16 September 2024 STANDARDS AND QUALITY IN SCHOOLS, LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND PRE-SCHOOL CENTRES/DAY CARE OF CHILDREN Report by Strategic Lead – Education and Learning (Report No. 24/252) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 This report sets out the key findings following inspections of schools and nurseries by Education Scotland/His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) and of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings undertaken by the Care Inspectorate in the day care of children. Reporting is of inspections reported since the Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) Executive Sub- Committee of the Learning and Families Committee on 3 June 2024. 2. RECOMMENDATION 2.1 It is recommended that the Committee: • Considers and comments as appropriate on the contents of the report. 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background • Section 5: Recently Published Reports • Section 6: Performance Summary • Section 7: Conclusion • Appendices 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 Education Scotland/HMIE Inspections 4.1.1 As required for the National Improvement Framework, HMIE will report on and provide grades for the following quality indicators (QIs) as part of full model inspections: • QI 1.3 – leadership of change • QI 2.3 – learning, teaching and assessment • QI 3.1 – ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion; and • QI 3.2 – raising attainment and achievement Short model inspections focus on QIs 2.3 and 3.2.
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4.2 ELC Inspections 4.2.1 ELC settings are subject to inspections from the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland and can experience joint inspections where both scrutiny bodies evaluate the quality of the provision. Due to higher levels of scrutiny in the ELC sector, it has been agreed nationally that an ELC setting which has been inspected by the Care Inspectorate will not receive an inspection by Education Scotland within 18 months. 4.2.2 An updated quality framework for day care of children, childminding and school aged childcare, February 2022 was published by the Care Inspectorate in July 2021 and has been embedded in the inspection process since 1 June 2022. 4.2.3 The framework is framed around four key questions. Each of these include a number of QIs for actual inspection which are: • How good is our care, play and learning? • How good is our setting? • How good is our leadership? • How good is our staff team? The final key question is: What is our overall capacity for improvement? This requires a global judgement based on evidence and evaluations from all the other key areas but is not evaluated specifically. 4.2.4 Each QI is graded on a 6-point scale in which 1 = unsatisfactory, 2 = weak, 3 = adequate, 4 = good, 5 = very good and 6 = excellent, and the overall key question evaluation is based on the lowest QI rating if more than one is completed. Following the publication of Funding Follows the Child and the National Standard for Early Learning and Childcare Providers: Principles and Practice, all ELC settings must gain evaluations of good or better to be able to provide funded ELC in partnership with the local authority. 4.2.5 Recommendations and requirements may follow an inspection. • Recommendations: statements that set out actions the care service provider should take to improve or develop the quality of the service; and • Requirements: statements which set out what is required of the care service provider to comply with relevant legislation. 4.2.6 Care service providers must submit an action plan to the Care Inspectorate addressing any requirements and recommendations identified. Progress against the action plan is monitored by the Care Inspectorate through annual
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return and self-assessment forms submitted by the care service provider, and through subsequent inspection. 5. RECENTLY PUBLISHED REPORTS 5.1 Education Scotland/HMIE Inspections 5.1.1 There have been no Education Scotland/HMIE inspections published since the last Executive Sub-Committee of Learning and Families Committee on 3 June 2024. 5.2 Care Inspectorate Inspections - Day Care of Children 5.2.1 A total of 9 inspections of Day Care settings have been undertaken and published1 by the Care Inspectorate since the Executive Sub-Committee of Learning and Families Committee on 3 June 2024. 5.2.2 Of these reports, 1 required to be reported as an exception (where any grading has been awarded an evaluation of unsatisfactory, weak, or excellent). Thrive Childcare and Education Corner House was inspected in June 2024 and awarded 2 ‘weak’ quality gradings. The inspection report is included as Appendix 1. 5.2.3 ABC Day Nursery has had a follow up inspection since the last report where they were reported as an exception with 2 ‘weak’ and 2 ‘unsatisfactory’ quality gradings. The follow up inspection showed improvement with them receiving 4 ‘adequate’ quality gradings. The inspection report is available as Appendix 2. 5..4 For the 9 published inspections; of the 36 indicators inspected; 2 received ‘weak’, 6 received ‘adequate’, 13 received ‘good’ and 15 received ‘very good’. 5.3 Care Inspectorate Inspections – Kids Clubs 5.3.1 In addition to the 9 Day Care of Children inspections, 3 Kids Club inspections have been undertaken and published2 by the Care Inspectorate since the Executive Sub-Committee of Learning and Families Committee on 3 June 2024. 5.3.2 For these inspections; of the 12 indicators inspected; 1 received ‘adequate’, 8 received ‘good’ and 3 received ‘very good’. 5.4 Service Provider Updates 5.4.1 The decision by Perth UHI to close its nursery provision in June 2024 has impacted a number of parents/carers who use the setting. The PKC Early Years Team have provided support to all parents/carers who have been in contact and have assisted them with finding alternative childcare provision 1 As at 31 May 2024 2 As at 31 May 2024
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from August 2024. The 16 children who required alternative childcare have now been allocated a place within Local Authority or Funded Provider settings. 6. PERFORMANCE SUMMARY 6.1 Inspections: Day Care of Children 6.2.1 This section provides a summary of the performance of ELC settings in inspections carried out by the Care Inspectorate. A total of 12 Day Care services across Perth and Kinross have been inspected by the Care Inspectorate since the beginning of the financial year 2024/25. 6.2.2 Table 1: Number of Day Care of Children Evaluations Received in PKC 2024/25 to Date. QI Grading How good is our care, play and learning How good is our setting How good is our staff team How good is our leadership All QIs Excellent 0 0 0 0 0 Very Good 5 6 3 4 18 Good 5 4 6 6 21 Satisfactory 1 2 2 2 7 Weak 1 0 1 0 2 Unsatisfactory 0 0 0 0 0 Total 12 12 12 12 48 6.2.3 There is an expectation that ELC providers meet ‘good’ evaluations in all QIs. Therefore, where an ELC provider receives less than a ‘good’ evaluation, the Service Manager and Quality Improvement Officer for the ELC establishment works with the Headteacher/Manager/Leader to develop an action plan which will secure improvement in the areas of identified need. 7. CONCLUSION 7.1 Inspection reports provide further information on the standards and quality in PKC schools, nurseries and funded partners providing ELC. This report sets out the outcomes of Education Scotland and Care Inspectorate reports of schools and ELC settings inspected and published since 3 June 2024. The overall performance of schools and ELC settings in inspections is strong, and where necessary, action plans put in place provide evidence of continuous improvement. Author Name Designation Contact Details James Chiles Performance Officer FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk 01738 475000 Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Strategic Lead – Education and Learning 28 August 2024
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ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION Strategic Implications Yes/None Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement None Corporate Plan None 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 None External None Communication Communications Plan None 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: (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 Objective No. (i). Corporate Plan 1.2 This section sets out how the proposals relate to the achievement of the Council’s Corporate Plan 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 Objective No. (i).
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1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Vision, Values and Priorities in respect of the following key Priority area: • Best Start 2. Resource Implications Financial 2.1 N/A. Workforce 2.2 N/A. Asset Management (land, property, IT) 2.3 N/A. 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. 3.1.1 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 Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 places a duty on the Council to identify and assess the environmental consequences of its proposals. 3.2.1 The proposals have been considered under the Act; however, no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report. This is because the Committee are requested to note the contents of the report only and the Committee are not being requested to approve, adopt or agree to an action or to set the framework for future decisions. 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. Under the Climate Change
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(Scotland) Act 2009 the Council also has a duty relating to climate change and, in exercising its functions must act: • In the way best calculated to delivery of the Act’s emissions reduction targets. • In the way best calculated to deliver any statutory adaption programmes. • In a way that it considers most sustainable. 3.3.1 N/A. Legal and Governance 3.4 N/A. 3.5 N/A. Risk 3.6 N/A. 4. Consultation Internal 4.1 Service Managers within Education and Learning have been consulted in the preparation of this report. External 4.2 N/A. 5. Communication 5.1 N/A. 2. BACKGROUND PAPERS 2.1 No 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. 3. APPENDICES Appendix 1 – Thrive Childcare and Education Corner House Perth Appendix 2 – ABC Day Nursery Perth