Chief Education Officer's Update Report
North Ayrshire Council · 3 December 2024
Back to Cabinet — 3 December 2024 and its agenda
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 3 December 2024 Cabinet Title: Chief Education Officer’s Update Report Purpose: To provide Cabinet with a summary of current key educational issues, both in national and local contexts; and to inform Cabinet of current and future improvement activities within the Education Service. Recommendation: It is recommended that Cabinet: (a) Notes the contents of this report; and (b) Agrees to receive a further update report from the Chief Education Officer within six months. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 North Ayrshire’s Education Service is focused on improving attainment and closing the poverty-related attainment gap. This includes the introduction of a new approach to attainment dialogue meetings with secondary school leaders. Monitoring tools and professional learning opportunities are being implemented to track learner progress and improve educational outcomes across all sectors. 1.2 The service is addressing increasing demand for additional support needs (ASN) provision, including reviewing current arrangements and collaborating with health and social care services to maximise support. Key developments include enhancing child protection procedures, updating policies on funded school transport, and improving engagement with parents of learners with support needs. 1.3 New vacancy and staff absence management procedures are in place across the service to ensure efficient resource management. A systematic four-year review of policies is underway, with priorities set by school leaders. 1.4 The national thematic inspection of North Ayrshire Education Service resulted in very positive feedback. North Ayrshire is engaging in collaborative improvement activities in a quad with three other local authorities facing similar socio-economic challenges. Future partnership work is also planned with East and South Ayrshire and Ayrshire College to explore expanded qualification options in senior phase education. 2. Background 2.1 The work of the Education Service leadership team is organised into three thematic areas: Raising Attainment and Achievement; Supporting Needs; and Strategic Service
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Support. This update report will provide key information on each of these thematic areas as well as other current local and national educational issues. 2.2 Raising Attainment and Achievement 2.2.1 Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels data will be published nationally in December. Whilst there have been modest improvements in attainment levels in North Ayrshire again this year, the service will continue to have an increased focus on raising attainment and reducing the poverty-related attainment gap, as intimated to Cabinet in August in the Service Improvement Plan. A report summarising our Curriculum for Excellence achievement levels will be brought to Cabinet later in the academic year. 2.2.2 A series of attainment dialogue meetings have been held with all secondary school leadership teams to discuss performance in the latest diet of national qualifications. Discussions focused on the celebration of success as well as the identification of future focused areas for improvement. This work will feed into the school improvement planning cycle. This will be followed up with all schools in March and a full report analysing the attainment outcomes of our school leavers will be brought to Cabinet later in the academic year. 2.2.3 A new tracking and monitoring tool has been created within the service to support establishments with the analysis of learner progress. Establishments have been supported to set achievement targets for the year. These will be monitored through the quality improvement cycle. A Service Improvement Group has been set which will focus on further specific actions to support improved attainment and achievement across the service. 2.2.4 A new Digital Learning Strategy is currently in development. This will provide a framework for learners and staff to ensure that learning is enhanced through the effective use of digital technologies. The strategy will focus on the development of digital skills. The service has been involved in a national research project on the emergent issues around Artificial Intelligence in education. The service continues to work with IT Services to ensure that the Digital Learning Strategy aligns well with the updated North Ayrshire Council Digital Strategy. The service has begun to explore potential additional funding sources for devices across all sectors to support digital technology usage and the development of digital skills. 2.2.5 Senior leaders have been engaging in activity around curriculum design and innovation with a view to ensuring that the curriculum offer across our early years establishments, primary and secondary schools supports learner engagement, high quality learning, teaching and assessment, and help to raise attainment. Linked with this, the service has developed an Ayrshire Growth Deal tool which supports schools to plan tailored skills development through the curriculum. This has been shared across all sectors and has been presented to partners at the Ayrshire Skills Group and with Ayrshire Growth Deal programme managers. 2.2.6 There has been a series of activities to support highly effective teaching and learning experiences for all learners. The Professional Learning Academy is operating an updated delivery model which incorporates the aim of sustainable professional learning and effective use of data for improvement. In addition, senior leaders have engaged with a series of moderation inputs to continue to develop the understanding of the moderation cycle and achievement of a level. In the secondary sector, DHTs and PTs of English and Maths have been provided with opportunities for professional
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dialogue around the core Quality Indicators and data literacy which both support raising attainment. 2.2.7 Following the conclusion of the early learning and childcare review, the service has developed a significant programme of service-wide professional learning for early years staff to ensure that quality improvement in our early years provisions remains a key focus. In addition, work to embed play pedagogy in the early stages of primary is ongoing, following the ADES collaborative improvement visit last year, and which was presented to Cabinet earlier this year. 2.3 Supporting Needs 2.3.1 We continue to implement the recommendations from the Morgan Review and findings of ASL inquiry (May 2024). The service is currently undertaking review and scoping work around targeted and specialist additional support needs provision across the service. This is in response to the significant change in the profile of needs in our establishments and the challenges this presents in terms of supporting needs as effectively as possible within our current arrangements. Options will be discussed with relevant stakeholder groups and proposals will be brought to Cabinet for decision in due course. 2.3.2 In collaboration with colleagues in the HSCP, the Brighter Pathways group is focused on supporting children and young people who are on the edge of care placements. We are also engaged in positive partnership around the North Ayrshire Multiagency Neurodevelopmental Support Pathways work and an Education Senior Manager is jointly chairing the panel with a colleague from Health and Social Care. 2.3.3 Child Protection procedures have been reviewed and significantly updated to ensure more streamlined processes are in place for all establishments. The updated policy has been launched with all staff and has been received positively. New monthly monitoring within the service allows for patterns and trends to be easily spotted and professional learning targeted at particular establishments, clusters or localities. We have also introduced a monthly check-in with Service Access colleagues in the HSCP, where concerns can be shared, discussed and resolved. 2.3.4 Given concerns around the escalating costs of funded school transport, the application of the Policy has been reviewed, alongside the approach to appeals. The internal guidance has been updated and the initial application revised to ensure a more consistently rigorous approach to the consideration of applications relating to additional support needs. 2.3.5 Following the Behaviour In Scottish Schools Research (2023) and the publication of the subsequent Scottish Government Action Plan (November 2024), work has been undertaken to review the Corporate Violence and Aggression Policy as it applies within educational settings. This was undertaken collaboratively with colleagues from Corporate Health and Safety as well as trade unions and includes specific instruction around prevention, reporting and support for employees. The policy on Promoting Positive Relationships is being updated to ensure specific guidance is given around behaviour and consequences including the creation of Positive Behaviour Plans which include assessment of risk. 2.3.6 Our approach to engaging with parents and carers around additional support needs has been significantly enhanced with pro-active engagement with two support groups (ASN Ayrshire and ASN 3-towns). This work was recognised in the Scottish parliament
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as being positively welcomed by parent support groups. Following this early collaboration, we reviewed our policy for supporting specific diets for neurodiverse learners and now have a new approach which has been welcomed by parents and carers. We continue to work collaboratively to design a partnership forum to encourage open communication with parents and families of children with additional needs. Updated literature has also been created to ensure parents and carers are well informed about issues to do with starting school when your child has additional needs; this incudes the placement process. 2.3.7 Ensuring children and young people’s rights are respected and upheld is a crucial element of our work to support needs and we are piloting both Young Leaders of Learning and Young Inclusion Ambassadors within establishments across North Ayrshire. This also links with recognising and celebrating our achievements in championing inclusion through the Success Looks Different national awards: we are supporting establishments through this process. 2.4 Strategic Service Support 2.4.1 Three new education provisions have opened so far this academic year: Marress House Early Years Centre; Montgomerie Park Primary School and Early Years Class; and Moorpark Primary School and Early Years Class. All provisions are working well and represent excellent additions to our learning estate, providing very high-quality learning environments and excellent facilities for our children and young people. Plans for official openings are in progress and will be shared in the near future. 2.4.2 New vacancy management procedures have been implemented to ensure that all posts governed by the Devolved School Management Scheme are scrutinised prior to vacancies being filled. This takes place on a weekly basis and is managed directly by the Head of Service. Adopting this process replicates the level of scrutiny applied to local government posts in other services and is designed to ensure effective resource management and that posts are only filled if a set of well-defined criteria are met. 2.4.3 New staff absence management procedures are in development. The service is working with the new HR Adviser on the creation of more efficient monitoring and assurance processes. This is part of a larger project which aims to: improve the quality of sickness absence data; analyse trends and underlying drivers of sickness absence; support more systematic implementation of absence management policies through improved monitoring and reporting structures; and address underlying drivers of sickness absence where possible and maximise support available for staff. 2.4.4 The service has worked in collaboration with trade union colleagues through the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers (LNCT) to review and develop comprehensive new guidance to support the creation of annual Working Time Agreements for teaching staff in all establishments. This guidance will ensure that school leadership teams work effectively in partnership with professional associations to ensure agreement is reached at school level when planning certain key activities for teachers across the school calendar. 2.4.5 The service is in year two of a four-year systematic review and update of service-level policies and operating procedures to ensure that establishments are supported to respond consistently in agreed policy areas. Part of the review process includes a policy review group of Heads of Establishment. Policy areas for review, refresh or development in the current academic year were agreed and prioritised by Heads of Establishment, and include the following thematic areas: Use of mobile phones;
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Responsible use of social media; Inventory procedures; Education and the law; Information sharing; Emergency school closures; Recruitment to teaching/promoted posts; Staff new start/leaver procedures; Managing grievance; Exclusion; Transitions; Curriculum review cycle; Early learning; Supporting care experienced learners; Working collaboratively with privately arranged therapists, tutors or practitioners; Physical restraint and seclusion; Supporting staff wellbeing. 2.5 Local and National Issues 2.5.1 HMIe has recently appointed Jacqui Nimmo, Head of Inspection, as a link between North Ayrshire Council and the inspectorate. To date two meetings have taken place with the Chief Education Officer and have focused on working in partnership to support successful inspection outcomes for our establishments. It has been recognised that North Ayrshire has a strong inspection record, further details of which are outlined in the annual report to Cabinet. 2.5.2 A National Thematic Inspection was carried out by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIe) in all 32 education authorities across Scotland during September and October. The inspections focused on how local authorities support improvement across all educational establishments. Inspectors visited North Ayrshire Council in the week beginning 16 September 2024 and met with focus groups of key education staff, including the service leadership team, school leaders, teachers, representatives from the parent forum, trade unions and elected members. The verbal feedback from this inspection was very positive, with a number of areas of effective practice highlighted. A written report is due in December 2024. This is expected to be followed by the development of a new inspection framework to evaluate the quality of the work of education authorities, which was originally announced by the Chief Inspector alongside the National Thematic Inspection in June 2024. Officers in North Ayrshire would welcome the opportunity for involvement in the development of the new inspection framework. 2.5.3 Through the Association of Directors of Education (ADES), North Ayrshire has been grouped together with the Education Services of Glasgow City, Dundee City and North Lanarkshire to work on collaborative improvement activity. These partner local authorities have similarly high levels of deprivation and have committed to work on agreed shared improvement goals. This partnership work will begin in January 2025, with further updates being provided to Cabinet in due course. A principal focus in the initial months will be on using the new self-evaluation tool recently developed by ADES in partnership with HMIe, entitled “How Good is Our Education Authority?” as a focus for collaborative support and challenge. This framework is organised under two key quality indicators: Leadership, direction and continuous improvement; and Improving outcomes for all. 2.5.3 The publication of the annual staff and pupil census is expected in December 2024. It is anticipated that the pupil:teacher ratio will be around 12.4. North Ayrshire Council will continue to work with Scottish Government and engage in discussions whenever possible around service needs in light of our declining school roll. 2.5.4 The Scottish Government’s Educational Reform Programme focuses on evolving the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) to address key challenges identified by the OECD. Current actions include piloting curriculum reviews (2023–2024) to test methodologies for the Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC), aiming to declutter the curriculum, clarify knowledge, and enhance transitions between Broad General Education (BGE) and the
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Senior Phase. Stakeholder engagement is underway and North Ayrshire Education Service will be contributing to this work. 2.5.5 North Ayrshire Council Education Service has begun to discuss opportunities for closer partnership working with the education services in East and South Ayrshire. A key consideration in the next period will be a partnership approach, including Ayrshire College, to the provision of a full breadth of qualifications options in the senior phase. 3. Proposals 3.1 It is recommended Cabinet: (a) Notes the contents of this report; and (b) Agrees to receive a further update report from the Chief Education Officer within six months. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 No direct implications as a result of this report. Human Resources 4.2 No direct implications as a result of this report. Legal 4.3 No direct implications as a result of this report. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 No direct implications as a result of this report. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 No direct implications as a result of this report. Key Priorities 4.6 Council priorities: The external inspection activity confirms the focus of the Education Service is to align with the Council Plan 2023-28 strategic aim to “transition to a wellbeing economy, delivering prosperity, wellbeing and resilience for local people” and more specifically “improving educational attainment and achievement and closing the attainment gap” activities. Community Wealth Building 4.7 Better educational outcomes for children young people and adults, as well as increased capacity building and resilience in communities are required to underpin a strong local economy. North Ayrshire works in partnership with local early learning and
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childcare providers (local businesses) to ensure the provision of care is a shared endeavour. 5. Consultation 5.1 There has been no specific consultation on the contents of this report. Sam Anson Executive Director For further information please contact Andrew McClelland, Head of Service (Education) and Chief Education Officer, on 01294 324413. Background Papers 0