Education and Children's Services round-up
Chair of the committee Cllr David Keating welcomed members to the meeting and began by thanking teachers and school staff for keeping their schools open where possible during recent bad weather.
All agenda item reports can be read in full by clicking here.
Education and Children's Services - Financial Performance 2024-25
The total forecast net expenditure for the year as of November 30 is £1.2m over budget.
Director of Education Laurence Findlay told councillors that ECS “remain confident in coming in on budget by the end of the year due to the range of measures which managers and budget holders have put in place to reduce spend”.
Members had a wide-ranging discussion on budgets, noting the increased up-take of secondary school meals, work on Inverurie Community Campus, reserves, staffing and vacancies, teacher workloads, the progression of a new primary school at Chapelton, crossing patrollers, Peterhead Community Campus and teacher numbers.
Policy Register Annual Review
Members considered the current position of policies delegated to the committee. Councillors agreed on the proposed plans for review for those policies that have expired and those that are approaching their review date.
Aberdeenshire Instrumental Music Service Annual Report 2023/24
The committee considered the Instrumental Music Service (IMS) Report 2023/24. The report is a record of IMS activity and statistics which runs in operates in all 17 school setworks across Aberdeenshire, providing group and individual lessons.
Hybrid working, large group and whole class delivery resulted in a significant increase of the number of pupils accessing tuition in 2023/24 compared with the previous year, with the outcome that numbers were the highest since 2018.
A further increase in pupil accessing tuition is anticipated for the next academic year.
Discussion included waiting lists, online learning, whether pupils continue lessons beyond their first year, bagpipe tuition in the south of the Shire, increased group learning, and quality indicators.
Aberdeenshire Young Carer Strategy 2025 to 2030
Members endorsed the Aberdeenshire Young Carer Strategy 2025 to 2030.
The strategy builds on previous plans and is tailored to support through Young Carer Statements, self-directed support, and community resources.
Analysis of Attainment and Achievement of Young People from Aberdeenshire Secondary Schools in Accredited Awards (2023-24)
Committee considered the latest analysis of secondary school attainment in Aberdeenshire in 2023/24.
Committee heard that the cohort of S4, S5 and S6 pupils taking awards increased from 6,220 in 2018 to 6,884 in 2024.
In 2024, 51.79% of S4 pupils attained five or more awards at SCQF Level 5 or better. At SCQF Level 6, 44.26% of S5 pupils achieved three or more awards. Meanwhile, 37.57% of S6 pupils secured five or more awards at Level 6.
Discussion included the disruption caused by Covid for those who sat the exams this year and how comparisons between previous years are impossible to make; and literacy and libraries.
Parental Engagement Update
Committee considered the Parental Involvement and Engagement Strategy 2023-2026, an ongoing commitment by Aberdeenshire Council to improve the quality and extent of parent and carers engagement in their child’s learning.
Discussion included the reach of surveys, promotion and formatting.
Northern Alliance Regional Improvement Collaborative Update
Committee members were provided an update on the Northern Alliance Regional Improvement Collaborative (RIC) work which has taken place throughout 2024, focussing on the development of a learning, teaching and assessment toolkit which is in the process of being rolled out across a number of schools in Aberdeenshire.