Conference 2002-------
'SSBA
is fit for the future'
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Alan
Smith, President of SSBA welcomed members to the
Conference and offered thanks to Alan Blackie,
Director of Education for East Lothian Council for
the support in hosting the conference in Musselburgh
Racecourse.
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"This
year has marked the largest expansion of our
organisation with eight more local authorities taking
up our offer of group membership bringing the total
to 24 out of the 32 authorities. This is due in no
small part to the outstanding efforts of Ann,
Jennifer and Jim in their "Roadshow Tour of
Scotland's Local Authorities."
More
training courses have been booked, more trainers
recruited to deliver them, more handbooks ordered,
new induction packs and booklets produced - all due
to the profile raising efforts that have taken place.
The
changes in personnel at the Scottish Executive also
gave rise to mixed feelings. Jack McConnell proved to
be a Minister that parents trusted with the future of
Education. He promised and delivered the change to
SQA, the real spirit of Parents as Partners was
evident and then he was promoted to First Minister.
We wished him well, but wondered who next? I am
pleased to report that his appointed successor, Cathy
Jamieson and her depute, Nicol Stephen are continuing
the positive partnership that Jack started.
I have
now been an Executive Board member for several years.
I have been President for the last two years and
presided over a talented group of Executive Board
members both old and new as they took on the task of
rebuilding and development for the 21st Century. I
have admired the unstinting efforts of Ann, Jennifer
and Jim as they delivered courses throughout the
country and answered School Board members queries
from the office.
I now
pass the torch of President to my successor in whom I
have every confidence, knowing that the interests of
parents and children in Scotland's education system
will be represented at the highest levels.
I thank
you all for your support during the past two years.
"
Nicol
Stephen, MSP, Deputy Minister for Education
Speaking
at the SSBA conference the Minister said –
"Parents
can play a crucial role in the education of their
children. This review will look at the best way to
involve our parents more. We need to make sure that
we involve parents in all schools in every part of
Scotland.
Many
parents aren’t sufficiently involved in their
child’s schooling and some rarely go the
child’s school. We need to change that. You, as
members of the SSBA, can help by encouraging parents
to become involved and let them see the rewards of
doing so. Parents, teachers and pupils must work in
partnership and School Boards are vital to making
that partnership work.
I am
pleased to announce that we are also looking at
improving the Executive’s support for School
Boards. We have agreed to fund an independent
consultant to review current support arrangements for
School Boards to consider where progress can be made.
Parents
must have regular access to meaningful information
about their child’s school, about their
child’s progress and how they as parents can
help. There is a lot of information available but our
concern is that it does not reach all parents.
That is
why we are committed to conducting a review of
communication with parents. In particular the review
will look at how complaints by parents are dealt with
and how we can give all parents a stronger voice. The
SSBA, set up by parents in Scotland in 1991, aims to
promote and encourage partnerships in education,
bringing together educationalists, parents, pupils,
governments at local and national level, as well as
members of local communities to develop best practice
and improved standards in schools."
The
Steering Group members:
John
Tierney, SSBA President
Ann
Hill, SSBA Chief Executive
Roddy
MacDonald, SEED Education Department
Cathy
Stobo, SEED Education Department
A
representative of ADES (Association of Directors of
Education in Scotland)
A
consultant (likely to be a retired HMI appointed by
the Minister)
The Steering
Group will discuss the exact remit of the support for
School Boards review but it is likely to cover:
a
review of the key issues facing School Boards
– like general funding from Local
Authorities, recruitment of members, working with
Headteachers.
Executive
and local authority support for School Boards
(financial and non-financial).
ways
to help School Boards develop.
Bill
Clark, HMIE
Bill
Clark, HMIE described the crucial role of the School
Board with the introduction of the Standards in
Scotland’s Schools etc Act 2000. "How good
is our school?" is designed to help
headteachers, teachers and School Board members in
schools self-evaluation and to assist education
authority officials in discharging their
responsibilities for quality assurance. HM Inspectors
are also using it when they are inspecting both the
school and the education authority.
This is
a crucial document for School Boards. Please ask your
Headteacher to print you off a copy from the disc
inside the booklet or simply make you a copy. Please
let me know if you have any problems obtaining a
copy. More information is contained in the conference
report.
The
School Board role in this self-evaluation can also be
measured. The Scottish Parliament and their education
committee are taking a greater interest in how
schools are performing. With the introduction of the
Standards in Scottish Schools etc Act 2000 schools
and local authorities must involve parents in
consultation processes much earlier than they did
before.
Involvement
in the setting up of the School Development Plan will
lead to greater partnership between the school, the
School Board and parents. Schools will also have to
make more provision for children with special
educational needs and disabilities and there are new
guidelines and encouragement to promote racial
equality in our schools. School Boards are required
to take an active part in ensuring that all of these
aims are being met within the school.
All of
this is reflected in the new document "How good
is our school?". Schools will be using this
document between now and August to measure quality
within the school. School Boards should be using the
document to measure the strength of the partnership
the parents, the School Board and the community.
Quality
Indicators of particular significance to School
Boards:
Encouragement
to parents to be involved in their child’s
learning and the life of the school.
Procedures
for communicating with parents.
Information
given to parents about the work of the school.
Links
between the school and School Board.
The
school’s role in the local community.
Comment:
This
could include communicating with parents, information
for parents, links with the School Board and links
with the community.
processes
of self-evaluation
monitoring
the evaluation by promoted staff
reporting
on standards and quality
Comment:
The
School Board may want to identify the school
strengths, development needs and priorities.
When
inspecting local authorities HMIE are looking for
proof that the education authority is supporting the
School Boards in their area. It is better to be
prepared. You have a duty, in law, the raise the
standard of education in your school. Ask your
Headteacher to place this important document on your
next School Board Agenda for discussion.
Alan
Blackie, Director of Education for East Lothian and
currently President of ADES (Association of Directors
of Education in Scotland)
"I
would make a personal plea to the Minister to ensure
that the Debate is not only about ‘school’
education but is also about the place of Lifelong
Learning, the importance of communities and families
and the need for the involvement of parents in our
great enterprise – including the place of School
Boards in all of this.
In
addition, there is a very clear agenda arising from
the Report "For Scotland’s Children"
regarding the closer integration of children’s
services – primarily but not solely involving
Health, Education and Social Work. While there is
much to celebrate by way of good work on the ground
at local level – New Community Schools, Social
Inclusion Projects and integrated Plans for
Children’s Services are some examples –
much more needs to be done to ensure that all
children and young people are supported and enabled
to benefit from public services of the highest
quality which are really geared to the most
vulnerable and disadvantaged in our communities.
Alan
also shared His hopes, fears and aspirations for the
future of Schools Boards in a modern, 21st
century education system in Scotland –
"What
of the future for School Boards and what is their
place?
They are
often criticised for being unrepresentative, middle
class and as having vested interests – how
accurate a perception is this? I would contend that
there is some truth in this and that there is a real
challenge for some School Boards to overcome this
view and to really work hard at being more inclusive.
I also
read lots of Minutes of School Board meetings, and
attend a fair number of meetings too, and all too
often I see or hear a lot of discussion on issues to
do with the property or repairs or transport, all
important enough in their own right – but too
seldom do I see really meaningful debate on what the
school needs to do to improve attainment or about how
more parents can be meaningfully involved in the life
of the school or about how the local community could
really put its weight behind what the school is
trying to achieve, sometimes in very adverse
circumstances indeed.
Some of
my hopes are that all School Boards achieve the
standards of the best and fulfil their potential for
real and meaningful involvement of parents in their
communities as full partners with schools and
education authorities in improving the quality of
education and in including all who have a stake in
this great venture called "education".
What are
my fears? Clearly my fears are that School Boards do
not fulfil their promise as vehicles of involvement,
improvement and social change. That they become
sterile, moribund and ineffective in supporting
schools to continually improve. That would be a
disaster for all concerned.
Aspirations?
This is where we get the chance to be a little
fanciful perhaps and to gaze in to the crystal ball
of what Schools Boards could really be! I would like
School Boards to be:
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Productive and Positive Calm
Forward looking
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Inclusive Supportive
Continuously
improving
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We now
live in a new and vibrant Scotland with our new
Scottish Parliament, which is young and enthusiastic,
and we have an education system, which is
under-funded, under pressure and under the
microscope. We can and must rise to these changes,
respond positively to the excitement and carry out
our duty to provide the best possible learning
opportunities for all of our citizens.
This is
both a hope and a vision for all of us because we
would wish for our communities, our schools, colleges
and universities and for our families to nurture
children and young people so that they are confident,
have a sense of purpose, are well educated and
ambitious, want the very best for themselves, their
families and communities, who are proud but not
overbearing, can feel good about themselves without
demeaning others and who think of and care for the
weaker, less favoured members of our community. That
is both our calling and our privilege.
I am
sure that you too share this vision and these
aspirations and I am equally sure that by working
together, the Scottish Executive, the Scottish School
Board Association and the Education Authorities along
with School Boards can and will make a real
difference to the quality of life and to the quality
of the educational experience for all of our
learners."
Margaret
Doran, Head of Schools: Children’s Services,
Stirling Council and member of the Ministerial
Discipline Task Group
The
Ministerial Discipline Task Group was established to
secure improvement in discipline in Scottish schools
whilst recognising the difficulties and challenges
involved. The aims of the task group would be better
achieved by involving all the stakeholders in the
decision making process.
Key
principles:
Standards
in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 requires
that the purpose of education be directed
"to the development of the personality,
talents and mental and physical abilities of the
child or young person to their fullest
potential".
Effective
learning and teaching
Entitlement
to education and qualifications
Encouraging
positive behaviour
Equality
and respect
Inclusion
Participation
and citizenship
Partnership
working (is essential)
It is
very rare to find that children or young people who
are experiencing problems in schools are doing so as
a result of a single issue. It is usually the case
that they are having problems in a number of areas in
their life such as family breakdown, alcohol and
drugs, abuse within the family, etc. All of these
constitute a barrier to learning. Others include
social factors, school policies, and conditions for
effective learning and teaching, involvement of
children, parents and carers. It is important that
schools and education authorities take all steps
necessary to ensure that barriers to learning are
removed where possible and that social disadvantage
is not reinforced by educational disadvantage.
It is
important that professionals with a range of
different expertise are involved in assessing and
supporting the needs of children, young people and
their families. It is crucial however, that the
approach to multidisciplinary working is well
co-ordinated and managed.
There are no
easy or quick fixes. Recurring themes from the evidence
found during the disciplinary review showed the need for:
effective
vision and leadership
the
importance of high quality learning and teaching
participation
in decision making by children, teachers and
parents/carers
constancy
in the implementation and application of agreed
policies
the
development of holistic support through
multi-disciplinary approaches
high
expectations
ensuring
the staff who have responsibility for the care
and welfare of children are given the time and
resources to do this effectively.
Some of the
Key Recommendations:
curriculum
flexibility
integrating
learning and teaching policies and policies for
inclusion
increase
staffing to support inclusion and positive
strategies
staged
intervention
dress
code
training
support staff
advice
on levels of intervention
shared
responsibility in school areas
participation
in decision making by children, staff and
parents/carers
parenting
skills
homelink
workers in secondary and clusters
raise
awareness of parental rights and responsibilities
integrating
support for children and young people in schools
review
of the formula for allocating learning support
staff
review
of the nature and purpose of guidance
flexible
support provision in school and out of school;
provision
of suitable pupil support bases
review
guidance on Exclusions (Circ 2/98) in light of
Act
designated
member of staff for Looked After Children
joint
multi-disciplinary decision making and working
for all sectors to support children and families
early
intervention for children with social, emotional
and behavioural difficulties
review
‘transitions’ for children
roll
out New Community Schools
all
trusted professionals should have access to
relevant background information on children,
including personal and family details, which may
affect the learning and teaching process
teacher
training: link with the training of other
professionals
continuing
professional development programmes for all staff
including multi-disciplinary working
national
priority targets (funded)
excellence
fund: positive behaviour; learning and teaching;
alternatives to exclusion
Workshops:
The
following range of workshops were run twice during
the course of the conference.
East
Lothian Youth Parliament – Colin Forbes
Drug
Awareness – Mike Whitton, Mid and East
Lothian Drugs Team
Anti-Bullying
and Advocacy – Paul Morgan and Caroline
Harris
Discipline
in Schools – Margaret Doran
Renfrewshire
Parents as Educators – Susan Bell
Lifelong
Learning – Myra Galloway/Wendy MacAdie,
East Lothian
SSBA
March 2002
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