Minutes of meeting
Renfrewshire Council · 3 May 2023
Back to Placing Requests and Exclusions Appeals Panel — 3 May 2023 and its agenda
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Minute of Meeting Placing Requests and Exclusions Appeals Panel Date Time Venue Wednesday, 03 May 2023 10:00 Microsoft Teams Meeting, Present: Councillor Stephen Burns, Councillor Carolann Davidson, Mrs Elaine Knox Chair Councillor Burns, Convener, presided. In Attendance D Briggs, Senior Solicitor (Litigation and Advice) and E Gray, Senior Committee Services Officer (both Finance & Resources). Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting. EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC The Appeals Panel resolved that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business as it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
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1 Placing Request Appeals Consideration was given to two appeals against the refusal of a placing request at Ralston Primary School. All participants had been invited to attend virtually by means of MS Teams. G Thomson, Senior Solicitor (Litigation & Advice) (Finance & Resources) and J McGowan, Headteacher of Ralston Primary School and S Gorman, Resource Support Manager (both Children's Services), all representing the Education Authority, were invited to attend the meeting together with the appellants in relation to appeals RP 23/01 and 23/02. D Briggs, Senior Solicitor (Litigation & Advice) outlined the procedure to be followed in hearing the appeals. G Thomson then presented the case for the Education Authority and led evidence from J McGowan and S Gorman in relation to the circumstances surrounding the refusal of the placing requests. The appellants were then asked to leave the meeting and were advised that they would be invited back to present their case to the panel. (a) Ralston Primary School - Appeal against Refusal of a Placing Request - RP 23/01 The appellants in relation to appeal RP 23/01 were invited back into the meeting and then presented their case. Each side having been given the opportunity to cross examine and sum up, were thanked for their attendance and left the hearing. DECIDED: That one or more of the grounds of refusal specified in Section 28(A) (3) and (3A) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 existed and that in all the circumstances, it was appropriate to confirm the Education Authority’s decision and that the appeal be not upheld. This was agreed by a majority decision. (b) Ralston Primary School - Appeal against Refusal of a Placing Request - RP 23/02 The representatives of the Education Authority were invited back into the meeting. The appellants in relation to appeal RP 23/02 were also invited back into the meeting and then presented their case. Due to connection difficulties experienced by the appellants, the Convener proposed that consideration of the appeal be continued to a future meeting of the Panel. This was agreed unanimously. DECIDED: That consideration of the appeal RP 23/02 be continued to a future
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meeting of the Panel.