COMHAIRLE NAN EILEAN SIA

EDUCATION AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES COMMITTEE

Minute of Meeting held in the Council Offices, Stornoway, on Wednesday 1 September 2004 at 11.00am.

PRESENT	Mr Norman L Macdonald (Chairman)
	Miss Samantha E L Hawkins
	Mr Iain Morrison	Mr Norman M Macleod
	Mr Ian M Macleod	Mr Archie K Campbell
	Mr Murdo Macleod	Rev Andrew Coghill
	Mr Angus Campbell	Rev Dr Iain D Campbell
	Mr Donald I Nicholson	Rev David Campbell
APOLOGIES	Mrs Morag Munro (Vice-Chairman)	Mr Alex A Macdonald
	Mrs Annie Macdonald

Prayer		The meeting was opened with prayer led by Rev Dr Iain D Campbell.
Tribute:  Stornoway Primary Pupils		The Chairman referred to four P7 pupils in Stornoway Primary School who had won a Scottish Education and Teaching with Technology Competition.  The pupils, with the help of Miss Muriel Murray, a teacher in the school, had produced a digital video about Stornoway Primary School and the use of technology there. The Chairman stated that the pupils and Miss Murray had now been invited to attend the national SETT Conference in Glasgow on 22 and 23 September 2004 to be presented with their award and also to film parts of the Conference. The Chairman, on behalf of the Committee, congratulated the pupils and Miss Murray on winning this competition.
		MINUTES
Minute of Meeting of 16 June 2004	1	The Minute of Meeting of 16 June 2004 was approved.
Minute of Meeting of School Board Appointments Committee of 3 June 2004	2	The Minute of Meeting of the School Board Appointments Committee of 3 June 2004 was noted.
		FINANCE
General Fund Capital Monitoring:  1 April 2004 – 30 June 2004 PR110.01	3	With reference to item 4 of the Minute of Meeting of 26 August 2003 the Director of Finance submitted a Report detailing progress in the Capital Programme for 2004/05 as at 30 June 2004.
		It was agreed to recommend, in so far as the Committee’s interests were concerned, that the Forecast Out-turn be approved as the Revised Approved Programme and specifically the following: (1)           the acceleration of £20k for electrical upgrading work at Lochmaddy School from the Renovation/Composite Programme for such work; (2)           the acceleration of £84k for the Schools Accessibility Programme from the Renovation/Composite Programme for such work; (3)           the acceleration of £103k for Reroofing work at Daliburgh School from the Renovation/Composite Programme for such work; (4)           the slippage of £20k for the Boiler Plant Replacement in Schools; (5)           the slippage of £914k of expenditure and £390k of income on the South Uist Care Development project; (6)           the acceleration of £58k for Capital Repairs to Social Work properties from the Renovation/Composite Programme for such work; (7)           the slippage of £335k of expenditure on Roads to Communities to 2005/06 pending the outcome of a HISTP claim for funding for this project; (8)           the overspend of £23k on Pointers; and (9)           the overspend of £195k on the Stornoway Sports Centre.
First Quarter Revenue Monitoring PR110.05	4	With reference to item 3 of the Minute of Meeting of 26 August 2003 the Director of Finance submitted a Report concerning the Comhairle’s forecast revenue outturn for 2004/05 at the end of the first quarter. It was agreed to recommend, insofar as the Committee’s interests were concerned, that: (1)           the Report be noted; (2)           it be noted that the Director of Finance would submit a concurrent report on the financial performance of the Social Work Department; and (3)           the use of departmental carry forwards for Housing and Corporate Services, as detailed in Section 7 of the Report, be approved.
Education Capital Expenditure Programme 2004/05 PR110.01	5	The Director of Education submitted a Report seeking approval for Education and Children’s Services projects within the context of the Comhairle’s Capital Expenditure Programme 2004 – 2008.  The prioritised projects for the Schools Renovation Programme were detailed in the Appendix to the Report. It was agreed to recommend that the items in the Project Section of the Report be approved.
		BUILDINGS
Capital Works:  Programme and Progress PR33.01.12	6	With reference to item 5 of the Minute of Meeting of 16 June 2004 the Director of Technical Services submitted a Report concerning programme and progress in respect of properties held on the Education and Children’s Services account. It was agreed to recommend that the Report be noted.
		It was agreed that the public, including the press, be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item on the grounds that exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 8 and 9 of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 would be disclosed, namely information relating to the amount of any expenditure proposed to be incurred by the Comhairle under any particular contract for the acquisition of property or the supply of goods or services and any terms proposed or to be proposed by or to the Comhairle in the course of negotiations for a contract for the acquisition or disposal of property or the supply of goods or services.
Schools PPP Update E01	7	With reference to item 8 of the Minute of Meeting of 16 June 2004 the Director of Education submitted a Report which gave details of an indicative letter of award for the Comhairle’s PPP bid from the Scottish Executive.  The main points contained in the letter were detailed in the Report.  It was indicated in the Report that, in order to meet the requirements stated by the Scottish Executive, the staff necessary for the PPP project implementation would require to be appointed on a phased basis as the project developed. It was agreed to recommend that: (1)           the Report be noted; and (2)           it be noted that, in so far as the Committee’s interests were concerned, the appointment of the necessary staff for the implementation phase of PPP would be the subject of detailed consideration of the establishment of the appropriate posts by the Human Resources Sub-Committee.
Galson Old School E02.03	8	The Director of Corporate Services and the Director of Education submitted a Joint Report seeking approval to advertise Galson Old School for sale on the open market.  It was indicated in the Report that Airidhantuim Community Council had formally withdrawn their interest in the property and that other Comhairle departments had indicated that they had no interest in the property. It was agreed to recommend that the Director of Corporate Services, in consultation with the Director of Education, be authorised to advertise Galson Old School for sale on the open market with offers being sought which specified the proposed future use as well as price.
		It was agreed that the public, including the press, be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item on the grounds that exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 8 and 9 of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 would be disclosed, namely information relating to the amount of any expenditure proposed to be incurred by the Comhairle under any particular contract for the acquisition of property or the supply of goods or services and any terms proposed or to be proposed by or to the Comhairle in the course of negotiations for a contract for the acquisition or disposal of property or the supply of goods or services.
Lionel School E02.01	9	The Director of Technical Services submitted a Report seeking permission to enter into contract negotiations for works at Lionel School.  Details of the proposed works and the reasons that negotiation was proposed were outlined in the Report. It was agreed to recommend that, in terms of Contract Regulation Paragraph 7(f), the Director of Technical Services be authorised to enter into negotiations with Alex Murray (Construction) Ltd for the procurement of works at Lionel School as detailed in the Report, on the basis that it was anticipated that to do so would provide value for money to the Comhairle and resolve any potential difficulties in relation to shared use of the site.

			EDUCATIONAL PROVISION
			It was agreed that the public, including the press, be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item on the grounds that exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 would be disclosed, namely information relating to a particular employee, former employee or applicant to become an employee of, or a particular office holder or former office holder, or applicant to become an office holder under the Comhairle.
Shared Headships in Primary Schools:  Proposals for a Pilot Trial E01		10	The Director of Education submitted a Report proposing that Shared Headships be piloted in Airidhantuim and Barvas Primary Schools for a period of one year.  Details of the proposal and details of shared headship arrangements in other local authorities were outlined in the Report. It was agreed to recommend that a decision be taken in principle to pilot the concept of a Shared Headship arrangement for a period of one year in Airidhantuim and Barvas Primary Schools with a view to continuation of the arrangements, if deemed appropriate, until the new Westside School was commissioned.
			EDUCATIONAL POLICY
Policy on Flexibility in the Curriculum:  Feedback from Consultation E01		11	With reference to item 17 of the Minute of Meeting of 21 April 2004 the Director of Education submitted a Report which detailed feedback received on the consultation carried out in respect of the draft policy on Flexibility in the Curriculum.  It was indicated in the Report that consultation had taken place with a range of interested parties and that the document was posted on the Comhairle’s website.  A revised document, taking account of feedback received, was appended to the Report. It was agreed to recommend that the Flexibility in the Curriculum document as appended to the Report be approved as the Comhairle’s policy statement.
			RELATED MATTERS
Road Safety:  20mph Speed Limits at Schools T09.05		12	With reference to item 14 of the Minute of Meeting of 16 June 2004 the Director of Technical Services submitted a Report detailing a priority list of proposed 20mph speed limits at various schools throughout the Western Isles.  The Report detailed the financial implications associated with this and indicated that these could be met from Scottish Executive funding. The Report proposed that an element of the current financial years award would be used to erect these signs in appropriate locations outside island schools with the balance available to complement the School Traffic Management Budget. It was agreed to recommend that the implementation of 20mph variable speed limit signs at the following thirteen Schools be approved: 1        Balallan School 2        Sir E Scott School 3        Leverburgh School 4        Lochmaddy School 5        Balivanich School 6        Carinish School 7        Daliburgh School 8        Laxdale School 9        Sandwickhill School 10      Stornoway Primary School 11      Sgoil nan Loch 12      Shawbost School; and 13      Bayble School.
			It was further agreed to recommend that a Report be submitted to the next meeting of the Committee detailing a proposed prioritised list of Schools where it was considered by Officers that the introduction of a 20mph would be appropriate and detailing the priority criteria including the current volume of traffic, current limits, budgetary provision and detailing the reasons why the introduction of 20mph limits were not considered appropriate at all Schools and detailing the proposed use of any balance of funding after these measures had been implemented.
Youth Music Initiative:  Update AL07		13	The Director of Education submitted a Report updating members on progress in the implementation of the Youth Music Initiative.  It was indicated in the Report that the Scottish Executive had allocated funds to all local authorities in Scotland to implement the Youth Music Initiative, which would be dispersed by the Scottish Arts Council.  It was further indicated that the Comhairle’s funding would be £24k in year 1, £54k in year 2 and possibly £100k in year 3. It was agreed to recommend that: (1)           the Report be noted; and (2)           a further Report be submitted outlining proposals for the mainstreaming of this project when the external funding comes to an end and that the said Report be submitted to a meeting of the Committee at least six months in advance of the date of termination of the external funding.
For All Our Children:  Children’s Services Planning SW02		14	The Director of Education and the Director of Social Work submitted a Joint Report which proposed that the lead responsibility for Children’s Services Planning be transferred from the Chief Executive’s Office to the Education and Social Work Departments jointly.  The financial implications were detailed in the Report.  A list of Children’s Services Initiatives Strategies and Plans and Children’s Services expenditure and demand were appended to the Report. It was agreed to recommend, insofar as the Committee’s interests were concerned, that: (1)     the process and timescale proposed to produce the Comhairle’s Children’s Services Plan be noted; (2)     the lead responsibility for Children Services Planning be transferred from the Chief Executive’s Office to the Education and Social Work Departments jointly and that the Scheme of Delegation be amended accordingly; and (3)     the Director of Education be authorised to make appropriate arrangements, including the appointment of temporary staff for a period in excess of three months, to address the resource implications identified at paragraph 6.4 of the Report from within the budgetary provision identified at paragraph 1.2 of the Report. It was noted that the production of a Children’s Services Plan was a statutory duty and it was agreed to recommend that resources within the Departments of Education and Social Work should be prioritised, together with other statutory duties, to ensure that the plan was produced within the timescale outlined in the Report.
			The Chairman ruled that a material change of circumstance had occurred since the consideration of the following item by the Committee at its meeting on 28 March 2002, namely that the appendix to the Report in February 2004 had contained errors in relation to the support to the Lifestyle Project and the Family and stated that it was not necessary to suspend Standing Order 66.
Changing Children’s Services Fund SW02		15	With reference to item 4 of the Minute of Meeting of 16 June 2004 the Director of Social Work submitted a Report concerning the level of support from the Changing Children’s Services Fund to the Lifestyle Project and the Family Mediation Service and proposing that financial support be provided towards the establishment of Cultural Co-ordinators in Schools.  It was indicated in the Report that the appendix to the Report to Committee in February 2004 had contained errors in relation to the support to the Lifestyle Project and the Family Mediation Service.  This Report proposed the revision of the level of support for 2004/05 to correctly reflect the continuation at the level from the previous year, with an inflationary increase. It was agreed to recommend that: (1)    the support for the Lifestyle Project for 2004/05 be set at £10,300 and the support for the Family Mediation and Conciliation Service be set at £15,450, maintaining the level of support offered in the previous year with an inflationary provision, all funded from the Changing Children’s Services Fund; and (2)    £3,000 be allocated for 2004/05 and 2005/06 from the Changing Children’s Services Fund towards the provision of cultural co-ordinators within Schools, subject to the other funding sources identified in the appendix of the Report being confirmed.
Action Plan for Out of Hours Provision E01		16	The Director of Education submitted a Report concerning the “Schools Out” Action Plan.  It was indicated in the Report that the Scottish Executive had provided a framework for local authorities for the development of out of school care in 2003, which was know as “School’s Out”.  The Plan, which was appended to the Report, details how the Comhairle can meet the recommendations detailed in the “Schools Out” document. It was agreed to recommend that the “Schools Out” Action Plan be approved for submission to the Scottish Executive.
			PERFORMANCE REVIEW
Reports Outstanding:  Progress PR33.01.12		17	With reference to item 23 of the Minute of Meeting of 16 June 2004 the Director of Corporate Services submitted a Report concerning Reports Outstanding arising from decisions of the Education and Children’s Services Committee. It was agreed to recommend that the Report be noted.
			ADDITIONAL ITEMS
			The Chairman ruled that the following three items be considered as a matter of urgency in order that the matter could be dealt with prior to the next meeting of the Committee.
Higher School Bursaries:  2004/05 and 2005/06 Revised Arrangements E01.05.04	18		The Director of Education submitted a Report concerning the payment of Higher School Bursaries to eligible students whose date of birth denies them the right to receive an Education Maintenance Allowance.  It was indicated in the Report that the Scottish Executive guidance does not allow for payments of EMA’s to students who were 16 before 1 March 2004 and, to enable these students to receive an alternative to the EMAs, it is proposed to allow all eligible pupils to receive a Higher School Bursary, if their date of birth denies them access to an EMA. It was agreed to recommend that Higher School Bursaries be awarded to eligible students whose date of birth denies them access to an Education Maintenance Allowance for the sessions 2004/2005 and 2005/2006.
			In accordance with the provisions of paragraph 17 of the Scheme of Administration, the Committee unanimously agreed to determine the following recommendation on behalf of the Comhairle, under delegated powers, in light of the need to have the matter dealt with prior to the next meeting of the Comhairle, on the basis that the recommendation was not contentious and did not breach a major policy position of the Comhairle.
Residential Conference for Church Representatives:  9 – 10 September 2004	19		The Director of Corporate Services submitted a Report concerning a two day residential conference for church representatives on local authority Education Committees which was due to be held in Edinburgh on 9 and 10 September 2004.  The Conference Programme was appended to the Report. It was agreed that all religious interest representatives on the Education and Children’s Committee be invited to attend the Residential Conference on 9-10 September 2004.
Child Protection – Social Work Services Inspectorate Review SW02	20*		The Depute Director of Social Work submitted a Report which gave an update on issues regarding the Child Protection case.  It was indicated in the Report that an interim report was submitted by the Scottish Executive’s Social Work Services Inspectorate to the Western Isles Child Protection Committee on 19 August 2004.  It was further indicated that a final report, with conclusions and recommendations, would be presented to the Child Protection Committee in October 2004. It was agreed to recommend that: (1)     the decision of the Chief Executive to invite the Social Work Services Inspectorate to undertake a review of the local authority’s involvement in the case detailed in the Report be homologated; and (2)     it be noted that the Social Work Services Inspectorate’s review was now underway and that a full Report would be presented to the Western Isles Inter-Agency Child Protection Committee in October 2004.