Item 05 - Minutes of Previous Meeting
West Dunbartonshire Council · 26 November 2025
Back to Educational Services Committee — 26 November 2025 and its agenda
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EDUCATIONAL SERVICES COMMITTEE At a Hybrid Meeting of the Educational Services Committee held in the Civic Space, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton on Wednesday, 17 September 2025 at 10.00 a.m. Present: Provost Karen Murray Conaghan* and Councillors Fiona Hennebry, Gurpreet Singh Johal, David McBride, Michelle McGinty, John Millar, Lawrence O’Neill, Lauren Oxley, Martin Rooney, William Rooney, Gordon Scanlan and Sophie Traynor, Mr Gavin Corrigan, Miss Ellen McBride, Ms Joanne McLaren and Ms Julia Strang. *Arrived later in the meeting. Attending: Peter Hessett, Chief Executive; Alison Bowers, Senior Education Officer – Early Learning and Attainment; Andrew Brown, Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance and Resources; Claire Cusick, Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People; Julie McGrogan, Senior Education Officer – Raising Attainment/Improving Learning; Joe Reilly, Business Unit Finance Partner (Education); Alan Douglas, Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration (Legal Officer); and Scott Kelly, Committee Officer. Apologies: Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Councillors Hazel Sorrell and Clare Steel, Mrs Barbara Barnes, Miss Faith Bhardwaj MSYP, Reverend Ian Miller and Miss Rebecca Ross MSYP. Councillor John Millar in the Chair STATEMENT BY CHAIR – AUDIO STREAMING Councillor Millar, Chair, advised that the meeting was being audio streamed and broadcast live to the internet and would be available for playback. DECLARATION OF INTEREST It was noted that there were no declarations of interest in any of the items of business on this agenda. ITEM 5
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RECORDING OF VOTES The Committee agreed that all votes taken during the meeting would be carried out by roll call vote to ensure an accurate record. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The Minutes of Meeting of the Educational Services Committee held on 28 May 2025 were submitted and approved as a correct record. OPEN FORUM The following Open Forum question was submitted:- (a) Question from Chloe-Louise Conroy I understand that the recent change to funded childcare - moving eligibility from the month after a child’s third birthday to the term after - brings the Council into line with Scottish Government guidance, and that it is partly intended to address the financial pressures the Council faces. However, this change has created a ‘birthday lottery’, where some children now receive significantly less pre-school education than others, and families must cover substantial extra costs. Given the well-documented benefits of early years education, how does the Council justify a policy that results in unequal access for children in our area in comparison to Glasgow City Council or Argyll & Bute, and will you commit to reviewing it with a view to restoring a fairer system for all families? Councillor Martin Rooney provided the following response:- Thank you for your question about the Council’s decision which aligned the start date for eligible 3-year-olds, to access their 1140 hours of provision from the month after to the term after. The term after start date now matches the funding received from Scottish Government. It also brings the entitlement for 3-year-olds in line with the entitlement offer that is in place for eligible 2-year-olds. At present 23 local authorities out of 32, including West Dunbartonshire Council, offer entitlement for 3-year-olds from the term after and 1 other local authority will move to implement in this way from August 2026. Additionally West Dunbartonshire Council offers families, who wish it for their child, the entitlement to access a deferred year from the start of the August school term and include the school in-service days prior to children returning within this option.
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We recognise that this change may have caused some disruption, however, it aligns West Dunbartonshire provision with the majority of other councils, the Scottish Government funding model, and it allows us to protect other vital council services. SENIOR PHASE UPDATE A report was submitted by Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance and Resources providing a high-level update on the Senior Phase attainment of our young people in the 2024/25 session, and seeking agreement of a consultation on the introduction of a 33-period week in our secondary schools. It was noted that that paragraph 6.6 of Appendix 1 to the report contained a typographical error and that, should the Committee agree to the launch of the consultation, the correct date of the meeting at which it would be requested to consider the final proposal was 26 November 2025. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance and Resources, the Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People, and the Chief Executive, in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the initial findings of SQA results analysis for session 2024/25; (2) the launch of the consultation on the proposal to change the start and end times of the secondary school day to accommodate a 33-period week; (3) that the consultation period should run from Thursday, 18 September 2025 until Friday, 31 October 2025; and (4) that a report outlining the results of the consultation and making appropriate recommendations be presented to the meeting of the Committee scheduled to be held on Wednesday, 26 November 2025. STRATEGY FOR EXCELLENCE AND EQUITY A report was submitted by Senior Education Officer – Raising Attainment/Improving Learning providing an update on progress with delivering improved outcomes for attainment and equity. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Raising Attainment/Improving Learning and the Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People, in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the attainment and equity performance of West Dunbartonshire in the Broad General Education in academic session 2024/25;
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(2) to note the annual progress towards the Stretch Aims set in 2023 for achievement by 2025/26; and (3) to note the Council’s annual report and improvement plan for Excellence and Equity 2025/26. Note: Provost Murray Conaghan entered the meeting during consideration of this item. EARLY LEARNING AND CHILDCARE UPDATE A report was submitted by Senior Education Officer – Early Learning and Attainment informing of progress made to provide high quality Early Learning and Childcare in West Dunbartonshire Council. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Early Learning and Attainment in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to note the progress to deliver high quality Early Learning and Childcare. SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES UPDATE REPORT A report was submitted by Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People informing of progress on supports to children, young people and families. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to note progress on plans to continue developing and improving support to children and families. Note: Councillor Hennebry left the meeting during consideration of this item. SUMMER HOLIDAY 2025 PROGRAMME EVALUATION A report was submitted by Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People providing an update on the impact of plans to reduce holiday hunger and provide summer support to families across West Dunbartonshire Council during summer 2025. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Services for Children and Young People in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the progress and impact of authority-wide plans by partners to reduce holiday hunger; and
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(2) to note the ways in which funding has been administered and governed. EDUCATION DELIVERY PLAN 2024/25 – YEAR-END PROGRESS A report was submitted by Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance and Resources setting out the year-end progress of the 2024/25 Education Delivery Plan. After discussion and having heard the Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance and Resources and the Senior Education Officer – Raising Attainment/Improving Learning, in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to note the progress achieved at year-end. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL REPORT 2025/26 TO 30 JUNE 2025 (PERIOD 3) A report was submitted by Chief Officer – Resources providing an update on the financial performance of the Educational Services revenue budget to 30 June 2025 (Period 3) and the forecast position at 31 March 2026. After discussion and having heard the Business Unit Finance Partner (Education) in further explanation, the Committee agreed to note the contents of the report which showed that the 2025/26 revenue account had a projected adverse revenue variance of £0.807m (0.59% of the total budget) which became an adverse variance of £0.707m (0.51% of the total budget) after use of earmarked reserves for the summer programme. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CAPITAL BUDGETARY CONTROL REPORT 2025/26 TO 30 JUNE 2025 (PERIOD 3) A report was submitted by Chief Officer – Resources providing an update on the Educational Services capital programme to 30 June 2025 (Period 3). After discussion and having heard the Business Unit Finance Partner (Education) in further explanation, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note the current position of the 2025/26 Educational Services capital budget; and (2) to note that the project life total was currently on track. The meeting closed at 11.50 a.m.
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