Summary Report on Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland Inspections
Perth and Kinross Council · 24 April 2024
Back to Scrutiny and Performance Committee — 24 April 2024 and its agenda
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Perth And Kinross Council Scrutiny And Performance Committee - 24 April 2024 Executive Sub-Committee of The Learning And Families Committee - 3 June 2024 SUMMARY REPORT ON CARE INSPECTORATE AND EDUCATION SCOTLAND INSPECTIONS Report by Strategic Lead - Education and Learning (Report No. 24/126) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 This report provides an overview of the performance of Education and Children’s services inspected and reported over the past year by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland, since the previous report of this type in 2023, and sets out the Service’s approach to implementing improvement actions arising out of inspection. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that the Scrutiny & Performance Committee: • Scrutinises and comments as appropriate on the contents of the report. It is recommended that the Executive Sub-Committee of the Learning and Families Committee: • Scrutinises 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: Summary of Inspections • Section 6: Conclusion • Appendices 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 Care Inspectorate 4.1.1 Regulated care services in Scotland are inspected by the Care Inspectorate using a range of quality frameworks, each with key questions and quality indicators. Services are measured against the National Health and Social Care Standards.
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4.1.2 Where inspected, each key question and contributing quality indicator is graded on a six-point scale in which 1 = unsatisfactory, 2 = weak, 3 = adequate, 4 = good, 5 = very good and 6 = excellent. 4.1.3 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 was used in test inspections, without published grades, before full implementation. This framework is now in place for inspections carried out since 1 June 2022. 4.1.4 The framework is framed around four key questions. Each of these include a number of quality indicators 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. 4.1.5 The Care Inspectorate conducts unannounced inspections for all regulated services as the main inspection method unless there are practical reasons that this is not appropriate. There are longer intervals between inspections for better performing services and a greater focus on risk-based inspections for poorly performing and high-risk services such as those which provide 24- hour residential care. 4.1.6 Following an inspection, the Care Inspectorate publishes a report that may set out a series of: • 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. 4.1.7 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 return and self-assessment forms submitted by the care service provider and through subsequent inspection. 4.2 Education Scotland 4.2.1 Education Scotland inspects and reports on the quality of education in Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings, primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, community learning and development services, colleges, and residential educational provision.
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4.2.2. Inspections resumed post COVID-19 pandemic in September 2022 across all local authorities, selecting early years settings and schools for inspection on a proportionate basis as previously, using a sampling approach. 4.2.3 For ELC inspections, the How good is our early learning and childcare (HGIOELC) framework is used. For school inspections, a selection of the How good is our school (HGIOS4) quality indicators are evaluated on a six- point scale. 4.2.4 A short letter is provided to report the inspection, highlighting strengths and aspects for development, and includes a table indicating the quality indicator evaluations against the six-point scale. The inspection evidence gathered during the inspection is published online as a document called the Summarised Inspection Findings. 4.3 Analysis of Inspection Outcomes 4.3.1 There are a number of factors which can make the analysis of the inspection gradings complex over long reporting periods. These factors include: • Improvements and changes to the inspection models and quality frameworks such that it is not possible to make direct comparisons across years; • The number of inspections carried out within the local authority area varies from year to year; and • The selection of quality indicators and themes can vary from inspection to inspection. 5. SUMMARY OF INSPECTIONS 5.1 Services Providing Day Care for Children 5.1.1 This section presents an overview of the performance of services providing day care for children inspected over the past year where Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) is the registered provider, and for services registered as funded partners; this includes childminders with funded childcare places. The Care Inspectorate Inspection Reports are reported to the Executive Sub- Committee of the Learning and Families Committee by exception, where any grading has been awarded an evaluation of unsatisfactory, weak, or excellent. In the past year, one service has been reported for receiving excellent gradings. One service was graded as unsatisfactory or weak. 5.1.2 All 28 inspections of services providing day care for children in 2023/24 were unannounced. 5.1.3 To date, in 2023/24, 88% of grades awarded were good or better, similar to the previous year and above national and comparator benchmarks. The
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proportion of excellent and very good grades awarded is at 50%, a similar figure to the 52% in the previous year. 5.1.4 Appendix A (Summary of performance, services providing day care of children inspected by the Care Inspectorate) provides further details and interpretation of the overall figures as well as comparator and national benchmarks. The current inspection position of all settings indicates a positive picture relative to national and comparator benchmarks, across all Quality Themes. 5.1.5 Overall, every theme shows consistently high performance and improvement over the previous year, with only Quality of Leadership and Management showing a slight decrease compared to last year. 5.1.6 It is common for only certain key questions to be assessed during an inspection. When looking at individual indicators, care must be used in interpretation as some may be evaluated less frequently than others and therefore subject to greater change from year to year. 5.1.7 Education and Learning continue to monitor, support, and challenge all centres through a planned programme of improvement visits. 5.2 Support and Residential Care Services Fostering Service 5.2.1 There were no fostering service inspections carried out by the care inspectorate in the year 2023/24. Adoption Service 5.2.2 There were no adoption service inspections carried out by the care inspectorate in the year 2023/24. Adult Placement Service 5.2.3 There were no adult placement service inspections carried out by the care inspectorate in the year 2023/24. 5.3 ELC Settings and Schools – Education Scotland Inspections 5.3.1 This section presents an overview of the performance of PKC ELC settings, including partner providers, and schools inspected by Education Scotland and reported to the Executive Sub-Committee of Learning and Families Committee. 5.3.2 A combined summary of achievement (2016/17 to date) as well as performance against comparator local authorities and Scotland as a whole, is shown in Appendix B (Overview and Comparison of Education Scotland Inspections 2016/17 - 2023/24 by Performance Indicator. PKC consistently
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outperforms both the comparator group of local authorities and the Scotland average across both the primary school and ELC sectors. Performance for secondary inspections is generally lower than both our comparator authorities and the Scotland average. Only four secondary school inspections have been carried out since 2016/17, these are Perth High School (Nov 2018), Perth Grammar School (Nov 2019), Pitlochry High School (April 2023) and Perth Academy (Nov 2023). 5.3.3 Areas for improvement identified during an inspection are addressed through a School Action Plan. Progress against the plan is monitored and a report is prepared for parents/carers within one year of the inspection report being published. 5.3.4 Broad themes for improvement are considered across all inspections and feed into the overall Education Quality Improvement Framework. They influence the development of the annual Education Improvement Plan and the Raising Attainment Strategy. 5.3.5 Inspection reports are scrutinised by members of the Executive Sub- Committee of the Learning and Families Committee. 6. CONCLUSION 6.1 The analysis of the gradings and reports by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland provide positive confirmation that the standards and quality in our services remain high and set a clear agenda for continuous improvement. Author Name Designation Contact Details James Chiles Performance Officer ECSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk 01738 475000 Approved Name Designation Date Sheena Devlin Strategic Lead – Education and Learning 15 April 2024
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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 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) and (ii). 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;
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(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) and (ii). 1.3 The report also links to the Education & Children’s Services Vision, Values and Priorities in respect of the following key Priority areas: • Best Start • Learning and Achievement 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.
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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 (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 The proposals have been considered but are not applicable for this report. Legal and Governance 3.4 N/A 3.5 N/A Risk 3.6 N/A 4. Consultation Internal 4.1 Relevant Heads of Service and Service Managers within Education and Learning have been consulted in the preparation of this report. External 4.2 N/A 5. Communication 5.1 In the case of an initial Education Scotland inspection of a school, a public meeting is held after the publication of the inspection report with invitations going to parents, the local elected members, and members of the Learning and Families Committee. These meetings give parents, carers, and other members of the community the opportunity to discuss the findings of the
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inspection and to be consulted on the areas for improvement to be taken forward. 5.2 Where further inspection activity is carried out, Education Scotland will report publicly to parents and stakeholders. Other continuing engagement activities undertaken by PKC will also be reported to parents and stakeholders. This includes the publication of reports to parents on Extended Learning and Achievement Visits and follow-up reports on the school’s website and on each school’s page on the Council’s website (www.pkc.gov.uk). 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: • Education Scotland Inspection reports, published by Education Scotland. • Care Inspectorate Inspection reports, published by the Care Inspectorate. 3. APPENDICES 3.1 Appendix A: Summary of performance, services providing day care of children inspected by the Care Inspectorate Appendix B: Overview and Comparison of Education Scotland Inspections 2016/17 - 2023/24 (to date) by Performance Indicator