ecll standards 2007/08 - south ayrshire ecll standard… · the council also provides out-of-school...

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ForewordI am delighted to introduce the Council’s Standards and Quality report for the Department of Education Culture and Lifelong Learning. This report contains information about how the Department has performed during 2007/08 which for formal education covers the period from August 2007 to July 2008 and for other services covers the period from April 2007 to March 2008.

The practice of issuing Standards and Quality reports is now well established across education authorities in Scotland. The report highlights the many achievements of our schools and services and recognises the efforts of pupils, parents, staff and the wider community. The report also identifies areas where improvements can be made and contributes to the continuous improvement of the Department.

I recognise that the many achievements that we have secured are directly attributable to the energy and effort of our staff and partners and am confident that these qualities will ensure that we make progress on the areas for development that have been identified.

I trust that you will find the report both informative and encouraging and share my confidence that, through delivering services of the highest quality, our children, young people and citizens will help to establish South Ayrshire as the most dynamic, inclusive and sustainable community in Scotland.

Hywel Davies Councillor

ECLL Standards and Quality Report 2007/08

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Vision

The Department is committed to contributing to South Ayrshire Council’s vision to “establish South Ayrshire as the most dynamic, inclusive and sustainable community in Scotland”.

Education, Culture and Lifelong Learning is committed to providing services of the highest quality helping individuals to grow and learn, giving them access to positive learning environments and, in the case of pupils, a curriculum that provides them with opportunities that develop their knowledge, skills, ambition, confidence and self-esteem to their fullest potential.

Values

Education, Culture and Lifelong Learning has adopted a values-based approach to delivering its services and has identified a set of core values that underpins all of its work. Each of the schools within South Ayrshire has a set of core values which reflect the views of its pupils, parents, staff and stakeholders.

Aims

The Council’s priorities for education are brought together in the form of a set of Educational Improvement Objectives for Education, Culture and Lifelong Learning. These are to:

• Raiselevelsofattainmentandachievement;

• Ensurethatalllearnersareeffectivelysupportedtoachieve

theirfullpotential;

• Engagealllearnersinhighqualitylearningexperiencesand

provide an appropriate range of learning opportunities that are

matchedtoindividualneed;

• Developacultureofachievementandambitionthatvalues

andempowersstaffandlearners;

• Fosteranddevelophighqualityleadershipatalllevels;

• Promoterespectandactivecitizenship;

• Developpartnershipsandservicesthatimprove

learningandwellbeing;

• Developandimprovelearningenvironments;and,

• Maintainanddevelopahighlyskilled,motivated

and professional workforce.

In session 2007/08, South Ayrshire Council’s Department of Education, Culture and Lifelong Learning had revenue budget of £99,748,631 and employed 2250.55 full-time equivalent staff in delivering its services.

Schools

The Department manages 44 primary schools, 8 secondary schoolsand3specialistschoolswithapproximately15,200pupils. All children in South Ayshire are offered a nursery place after their third birthday in one of the Council’s 4 nursery schools, 28 nursery classes or 12 approved private nurseries. The Council also provides out-of-school care and sessional crèche facilities at a number of locations across the authority.

Outdoor Learning

South Ayrshire provides outdoor, environmental and residential experiencesforitspupilswithintheDolphinHouseinCulzeanCountyPark.

Support and Inclusion

Most pupils with additional support needs are supported in their local schools by a range of staff, including educational psychologists, pupil support teachers, home-link workers and pupil support assistants. In addition, specialist support is provided by visual and hearing impairment teachers, teachers of English as an Additional Language, Care and Learning staff and Early Years home-visiting teachers. A small number of pupilswithcomplexneedsareeducatedinschoolsoutwith the Council area.

Profile of ServicesSouth Ayrshire is set in the south west of Scotland and is home to 112,097 people (2001 census). The area includes the towns of Ayr, Prestwick, Troon, Maybole and Girvan. There is a large rural area within its 422 square miles extending from Troon and Symington in the north to Ballantrae and Loch Ryan in the south.

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Lifelong Learning

Community Learning and Development, Libraries, Museums and Galleries and Sport and Leisure are all part of Education, Culture and Lifelong Learning.

A key feature of the work of Community Learning and Development is working in partnership with other staff and volunteers, to provide services for young people in schools or in their communities. Staff work with young people using a wide range of activities to encourage creativity and ambition and support the development of citizenship.

Adult Literacy

Community Learning and Development staff also work in partnership with Ayr College to provide free support to anyone over eighteen, living in South Ayrshire, who wishes to improve their literacy or numeracy skills.

Libraries

South Ayrshire’s Library and Information service covers the townsofAyr,Prestwick,Troon,MayboleandGirvanaswellasrural communities. There are thirteen branch libraries, a mobile library service and the main library of Carnegie in Ayr.

Museums and Galleries

The Museums and Galleries which are managed by South AyrshireCouncilincludeRozelleHouseandtheMcKechnieInstitute in Girvan. The service is accredited under the National Accreditation Scheme for Museums. The Council also manages the Maclaurin Galleries in Alloway in partnership with the Maclaurin Trust with whom it delivers an on-going seriesoftemporaryexhibitions.TemporaryexhibitionsarealsomountedintheMcKechnieInstituteinGirvanandwithlocal historical societies. South Ayrshire Council’s museum andartcollectionsincludeexamplesoffineart,naturalhistory,geology,textilesandcostume,archaeologyandsocialhistory.These collections incorporate material from the former burghs ofAyr,Maybole,Troon,GirvanandPrestwick.

Leisure and Cultural Services

The Council’s Leisure and Cultural Service operates 8 golf courses, the National Centre for Bowling at Northfield in Ayr, one multi-purpose leisure centre, 4 swimming pools, 7 small community sports halls, one all-weather sports ground and the Gaiety Theatre in Ayr. In addition the Sports Development and Events Team promotes participation in sports and physical activity, supports community based events and encourages participation in arts and cultural activities.

Central Support Services

Schools and other services are supported by a range of centrally deployed staff. Quality Improvement Officers provide support to schools in relation to pupil support, self-evaluation, school improvement planning and curriculum development. The Quality Development Unit provides support centrally for Standards and Quality reporting, service planning, self-evaluation and performance monitoring. Centrally deployed staff also provide support to schools and other services in matters relating to finance, property, janitation and cleaning, ICT and human resources as well as dealing with school transport, placing requests, footwear and clothing grants and education maintenance allowances for individual pupils.

PublicPrivatePartnership

SouthAyrshireCouncil’sambitious£76millionPublicPrivatePartnership(PPP)programmehasresultedinfivenewschools beingbuiltatBelmontandPrestwickAcademies,Alloway, BarassieandMonktonPrimaryschoolsandonenewbuild extensionatKyleAcademy.

Public Private Partnership

South Ayrshire Council’s ambitious £76 million Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme has resulted in five new schools being built at Belmont and Prestwick Academies, Alloway, Barassie and Monkton Primary schools and one new build extension at Kyle Academy.

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Primary5-14Attainment

Reading

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 82 84 85 84 85

Comparator authority 81 81 82 83 84

Performance levels for reading in primary schools have improved over the last five years and have been consistently higher than comparator authorities. The performance in 2008 was the second highest for five years.

Writing

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008



The performance level for writing in primary schools has improved significantly over the last five years and in 2008 was highest over that period. For the past four years performance levels in writing have been higher than comparator authorities.

Mathematics

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008



Over the last five years performance levels for mathematics in primary schools have improved and have been consistently above our comparator authorities in this period.

Secondary 5-14 Attainment

Reading

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008



Performance levels for reading in secondary schools deteriorated in 2008 following a period of four years during which the performance was higher than comparator authorities.

Writing

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008



Performance levels for writing in secondary schools also deteriorated in 2008 after a period during which performance levels were higher than comparator authorities.

Mathematics

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008



There has been an improving trend in mathematics in secondary schools over the past four years with South Ayrshire pupils achieving the same or better levels than pupils in other comparator authorities.

What key outcomes have we achieved?South Ayrshire has maintained high standards of performance in reading writing and mathematics in primary schools. The overall figures for the authority indicate an improving trend in national assessment levels in primary schools. Although the Scottish Government no longer collects and publishes information about performance levels (5-14) South Ayrshire has agreed to share its data with a number of other Scottish local authorities for comparison.

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SQA Awards

AlthoughperformanceinSQAexaminationsinsecondaryschools in 2008 remained largely above national averages there were a number of deteriorating trends.

ScqF Levels

Sqa qualifications

7 Advanced Higher

6 Higher

5 Intermediate 2 Credit Standard Grade

4 Intermediate 1 General Standard Grade

3 Access 3 FoundationStandardGrade

2 Access 2

1 Access 1

S3 Attainment

Asmallnumberofpupils(thirtyone)pupilswerepresented for Standard Grades in S3 in 2008 in three subjects with thirty pupils gaining credit level passes.

S4 Attainment

5+ awards at level 3 or better by the end of S4

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 92% 93% 92% 90% 92%

Comparator authority 91% 90% 91% 91% 90%

National 91% 90% 91% 91% 90%

The percentage of pupils gaining five or more awards at level 3 or better has remained steady over the last five years. In 2008 performance levels were higher than the comparator authorities’ and national averages.


2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 78% 77% 77% 76% 75%


National 77% 76% 77% 76% 76%

The percentage of pupils gaining five or more awards at level 4 or better in S4 deteriorated slightly in 2008 and was below the comparator authorities’ and national averages


2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 40% 39% 38% 36% 38%


National 35% 34% 35% 33% 34%

The percentage of pupils gaining five or more awards at level 5 or better by the end of S4 improved in 2008 and remained above the comparator authorities’ and national averages.

S5 Attainment


2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 27% 26% 26% 24% 23%


National 23% 23% 22% 22% 22%

The percentage of pupils gaining 3 or more awards at level 6 or better by the end of S5 has deteriorated over the last 5 years but remained above the national average in all years.


2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 12% 13% 12% 11% 11%


National 9% 10% 10% 10% 10%

In 2008, and in the previous four years, the percentage of pupils gaining 5 or more awards at level 6 or better by the end of S5 was above the national and comparator authorities’ averages.

S6 Attainment


2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 15% 14% 14% 14% 14%


National 12% 12% 13% 12% 12%

The percentage of pupils gaining 1 or more awards at level 7 or better by the end of S6 has remained stable and been above the national and comparator authorities’ average for the last 5 years.

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HMIe Inspections

During 2008 HMIe inspections were carried out in five primary schools and one secondary school. Indicators of quality in relation to attainment were evaluated as good or better in most of these schools.

quality indicator Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Weak Unsatisfactory

Pupils’attainmentinEnglishlanguage(primary) 67% 33%

Pupils’attainmentinmathematics(primary) 33% 33% 33%

Overall quality of attainment: S1/S2 100%



Tariff scores

EachqualificationwithintheScottishCreditandQualificationsFrameworkisassignedanumberofpointsrangingfromone point for an Access 2 unit to 120 points for an Advanced Higher. These points are used to determine the percentages of pupils in South Ayrshire who fall within national groups of pupils.

2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08

South ayrshire

comparatorSouth

ayrshirecomparator

South ayrshire

comparatorSouth

ayrshirecomparator

South ayrshire

comparator

Group 1 26 23 26 24 23 22 24 23 24 22

Group 2 18 22 19 21 21 22 18 21 21 22

Group 3 17 20 18 21 18 19 20 20 17 20

Group 4 19 19 19 19 18 19 19 19 21 18

Group 5 19 16 18 16 20 17 19 16 17 17

Group One represents the percentage of pupils in South Ayrshire who fall within the highest attaining 20% of pupils nationally and Group 5 relates to the percentage of pupils in South Ayrshire who fall within the lowest attaining 20% of pupils nationally. Over the last five years the percentage of pupils in South Ayrshire in the lowest attaining 20% of pupils by the end of S4 nationally has decreased slightly.

Adult Literacy

Community Learning and Development plays an important role in contributing to the wider achievement of individuals and groups and provides very good support to vulnerable young people and adult learners including the delivery of adult literacy. The number of adults participating in adult literacy programmes in 2008 decreased to 737 from 792 in 2007. The numbers of adults receiving one-to-one support also fell slightly from 121 to 115 due to annual fluctuations.

The numbers of adults participating in English for Other LanguageSpeakers(ESOL)programmesroseto146from129. The Department responded to the increased demand for ESOL support by developing an intensive course providing “survival English” with the success of this programme highlighted in the Scottish Government’s report on Adult Literacy and Numeracy.

Leaver destinations

In South Ayrshire the numbers of pupils entering full-time higher education has remained consistently high and above comparator authorities’ and national averages for the last three years. During 2007/08 33% of pupils went on to higher education compared with 31% nationally.

StayingOnRates

67% of S4 pupils who were eligible to leave school at Christmas 2007 remained at school. This was an improvement on the previous year and was above the national average.

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StandardsandQualityReviews

The Council is committed to school improvement through the work of its Quality Improvement Officers, School Improvement DirectorateVisitsandinternalStandardsandQualityReviews.During2007/08StandardsandQualityReviewswerecarriedoutin8schools.TheReviewshavebroughtaboutfurtherimprovement to children’s and young people’s learning experiences,achievementsandattainmentsinall8schools.

Wider Achievement

The Council has made very good progress in promoting wider achievement for all learners by ensuring that they have access tohighqualityexperiencesthatallowthemtodevelopassuccessful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

During 2008, a significant number of pupils participated in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme with 435 new entrants to the scheme as a result of pilot programmes in Queen Margaret and Carrick Academies which gave all third year pupils an opportunity to take part in the Award Scheme through the curriculum. The 102 pupils from Queen Margaret and 65 pupils from Carrick Academy were supported by a network of staff, senior pupils and parents as they progressed through the sections of the Award.

During this session 45 pupils gained a bronze award, 18 pupils gained a silver award and 6 pupils gained a gold award.

During2007/08444P7pupilsinSouthAyrshirereceivedawards for their participation in the Junior Achievement Award Scheme. The Scheme offered children the opportunity to be involved in a programme of informal learning activities in their senior years at primary school and leads on to the formal Duke of Edinburgh Award in secondary schools.

During 2007/08 605 pupils in 22 primary schools participated in the John Muir Award Scheme as part of their Junior Achievement Award. This award promoted environmental awareness and outdoor education through a range of activities, including canoeing, abseiling and hill walking. Of the 605 pupils who undertook the award 600 successfully completed it and received accreditation.

South Ayrshire Council schools are very involved in the Eco-school Initiative with 92% of schools registered as Eco Schools. By June 2008 41 schools had achieved a bronze Eco-school award, 25 schools a silver award and 9schoolsafirstGreenFlagaward.

South Ayrshire Council, in partnership with NHS Ayrshire and Arran, has developed a framework for recognising and accrediting schools which actively promote the health and wellbeing of children and young people. During 2007/08 all schools in South Ayrshire were awarded commitment-level status which demonstrated that they were providing pupils withexperienceswhichpromotedandprotectedtheirhealth and wellbeing.

What will we do next? We will ensure that the majority of schools achieve

performance levels which are in-line with or above comparator schools.

We will ensure that the majority of schools achieve SQA results which are in-line with or above comparator schools.

We will ensure that all of our schools receive positive inspection reports.

We will increase the numbers of young people receiving accreditation for wider achievement.

We will reduce the numbers of children who do not achieve appropriate 5-14 attainment levels for reading by the end of P4.

We will improve adult literacy levels.

We will increase the numbers of young people leaving school for positive and sustained destinations.

We will ensure all of our pre-school centres receive positive inspection reports.

We will increase the number of adults participating in community learning initiatives who gain employment or progress to further education or training.

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Attendance

Primary

2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 95.2% 95.2% 95.5% 95.2%

Comparator Authority 95.4% 95.4% 95.7%

National 95% 95% 95.3% 95.1%

Over the last four years attendance levels in primary schools have remained stable and above the national average. In 2008 the attendance level in primary schools was 95.2%.

Secondary

2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 90.5% 90.3% 89.8% 89.9%

Comparator Authority 90.9% 91.1% 90%

National 90.4% 90.7% 90.9% 90.9%

Over the last four years attendance levels in secondary schools have deteriorated. In 2008 the attendance level in secondary schools was 89.9%.

Exclusions

Primary

2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 5 6 11 10

Comparator Authority 9 12 12

National 13 15 16

Exclusionlevelsper1000pupils

In 2008 exclusion levels in primary schools have increased over the last four years.

Secondary

2005 2006 2007 2008

South Ayrshire 126 153 162 118

Comparator Authority 76 76 75

National 112 115 120

Exclusionlevelsper1000pupils

In 2008 exclusion levels in secondary schools were the lowest for four years at 118 incidents per 1000 pupils. Over this period all secondary schools in South Ayrshire reduced the number of exclusions.

How well have we met the needs of our stakeholders?

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Arts and Cultural Initiatives

The Department is committed to promoting the talents of individual pupils through a number of music programmes. In 2008 283 pupils participated in South Ayrshire orchestras. In addition over 1000 pupils took part in three “Showcase” events throughout the session. Concerts also took place featuring Authority ensembles, including the South Ayrshire Jazz Band, String Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. Nearly 100 pupils were involved in these three ensembles. Orchestras and bands also took part in events in association withexternalagenciessuchasSavetheChildren,theScottishConservativeConference,AyrFlowerShowandAyrshireChamber of Commerce.

The Maclaurin Art Competition is run annually by the Council’s Museums and Galleries Service in partnership with the Maclaurin Trust. All schools in South Ayrshire are invited to participate, including nursery schools and specialist schools. Afourweekexhibitionofsome600artandcraftworkswasheld to celebrate the achievements of pupils in 2008.

In 2008 the number of visits to libraries in South Ayrshire increased significantly although the number of people borrowing books fell. This reflected a national trend, reflecting the changing role of public libraries and the diverse and expandingusebeingmadeofthembythemembersof the public.

During this year the libraries migrated to a new management system, which involved the issuing of newly designed library cards and the re-registration of all borrowers as they made use of the facilities.

The number of people making use of public libraries to access computers dropped slightly in 2008 reflecting the increase of homes with computer access. The development of the library website provided services online 24 hours a day, changing the traditional concept of “visiting the library”.

Sporting Initiatives

Childrenfrom4SouthAyrshireCouncilPrimaryschools,Girvan, Dailly, Maidens and Sacred Heart, were involved in the annual sailing adventure on the west coast of Scotland in the summer of 2008. The programme, which was developed inpartnershipwiththeRoyalYachtingAssociationhelpeddevelop teamwork, confidence and self-esteem in children in preparation for them moving from primary to secondary school. During the programme the children completed the Discovery Award, part of the John Muir Award, an environmental Award programme to educate and promote environmental awareness.

All schools in South Ayrshire have an Active Schools programme which supports the delivery of sporting initiatives. In 2008 7,608 primary and secondary pupils participated in 4,817extra-curricularactivitiesorganisedthroughthe Active Schools programme to help them develop more active lifestyles.

All pupils in South Ayrshire schools were provided with RecreationAccessPass(RAP)cardsduringthesummerholiday period which provided free access to South Ayrshire swimming pools as well as discounted access to some leisure facilities. In 2008 15,444 attendances at South Ayrshire swimming pools were as a result of the scheme.

The number of people attending swimming pools increased in 2008, with 390,144 attendances at pools in South Ayrshire. However, there were fewer people attending other indoor sport and leisure facilities with 513,949 attendances.

All schools in South Ayrshire have an Active Schools programme which supports the delivery of sporting initiatives. In 2008 7,608 primary and secondary pupils participated in 4,817 extra-curricular activities organised through the Active Schools programme to help them develop more active lifestyles.

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Citizenship Initiatives

Schools promoted citizenship through a wide programme of activities many of which were initiated by pupils.

All South Ayrshire schools have pupil councils which were consulted and involved in the decisions that affected their schools. Members of pupil councils also had opportunities to meet with elected members to discuss issues affecting them and their schools. In 2008 pupil councils received enterprise funding and were commissioned to consult with all pupils to identify and implement ways to enhance their school communities.

ParticipationofSouthAyrshireschoolsintheEco-schoolsprogramme provided opportunities for children and young people to be actively involved in finding solutions to environmental and sustainable development issues at a local level. This accredited award scheme has supported children and young people to work collectively within their school and local communities to develop respect for and enhance their local environment.

TheAyrshireMiniTrialsinitiative,supportedbytheFacultyof Advocates at Ayr Sheriff Court in conjunction with South Ayrshire Enterprise helped to broaden pupils understanding of the Scottish legal system. In 2008 over 100 pupils from all secondary schools participated in four simulated court sessions.

This year, 1028 Young Scot and 2800 NEC discount travel cards were issued to young people through the Dialogue Youth initiative. The South Ayrshire Young Scot website, which provided information for young people in South Ayrshire, was in the top three local authority sites receiving the highest number of “hits”.

Community Learning and Development led on the implementation of a Council-wide Youth Strategy with young people integral to the development of the Strategy, which has already been successful in meeting some of its key objectives in relation to training and securing funding. A Youth Strategy Officer and political champion are now in place.

Followingasuccessfulthreeyearpilotprogramme,youngpeople in South Ayrshire continued to meet with staff from theChildren’sParliamenttodeveloptheirnationalwebsite.FundingwasmadeavailabletoworkwithLunariaDesign on this innovative project.

Enterprise Initiatives

There has been considerable progress made in providing enterprise activities to all pupils. These activities include industrial awareness days, healthy eating activities, fair trade days, leadership training, enterprise days which involve designing, making and marketing a variety of products from magnetic games to bird feeders.

Young people in South Ayrshire secondary schools continued to benefit from our strengthening links with local businesses. Within the primary school sector partnership activities provided pupils with opportunities to work together to develop financial management skills, increase awareness of the world of work and raise awareness of different jobs and the skills required to do them.

South Ayrshire Council worked in partnership with Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce to identify and provide a wide range ofworkexperienceplacementsforsecondarypupils.

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Inclusion and equality

In 2008 HMIe inspections of schools evaluated the majority of schools as good or very good in relation to equality and fairness and all schools were either good or satisfactory at meeting pupils’ needs.


Meeting pupils’ needs 50% 50%

Equality and fairness 17% 67% 33%

The Department has developed action plans to meet the requirements of recent legislation which requires schools to promote race equality, disability equality, and gender equality.

A number of projects have been developed to promote equal opportunities including the establishment of a peer support group for young people with English as an additional language. In 2008 this group, facilitated by a youth worker from the Glasgow Youth Counselling Service, met weekly to enable young people involved to develop their language and social skills in an informal setting.

During 2008 the Department entered a partnership with Respectme,Scotland’sNationalAnti-bullyingServicetoreview and update our policy on anti-bullying to include such areas as cyber-bullying and safe use of the internet.

During 2008 the Council’s Accessibility Strategy Group carried out a survey of pupils with additional support needs about the quality of the help they received in relation to access to the curriculum, communication from school and physical access to buildings.

A major achievement for the Department has been the establishment of the Inclusion Squad Network, which was launched on the 25th April 2008. The network consists of 14 primary schools, which provide opportunities for pupils of all abilities and backgrounds and staff, to consult, open dialogue and discussion, and give a platform to air ideas and concerns relating to the needs of children with disabilities/additional support needs and their peers.

Childcare

The Department’s Childcare Service established Muirhead CareClubinJanuary2008;thisnewserviceprovided24registered childcare places for children attending Muirhead, Struthers and Barassie primary schools.

ScottishVocationalQualifications(SVQ)trainingplaces were accessed by 6 childcare staff who signed up for a level 3 award in Childcare Development. In addition, 2 members of staff signed up for level 4 awards. 5 staff completed their level 3 SVQ qualification during this year and the Service is meeting all the training requirements for Scottish Social Services Council(SSSC)staffregistration.

The Service increased places provided for children with additional support needs during school holidays, from 38 supported places in 2006-2007 to 46 supported places in 2007-2008.

InFebruarytheCareClubinDundonaldtookpartinthenewinspection process with the Care Commission. This provided us with a good understanding of the required standards for the new inspection model. All aspects of the club at Dundonaldwerejudgedtobegoodtoexcellent.

A consultation of parents which took place in 2007 identified that the majority of users were very happy with the Childcare Service.Parentsreportedthatchildrenwereprovidedwitha range of activities and play opportunities and that the Service also provided a variety of opportunities to encourage children’s physical play, including attending programmed activities within the activity centres. All Care Commission inspections of Childcare Services within South Ayrshire found that the Service provided good quality childcare, meeting the needs of all children.

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PupilSupportandInclusion

A key strand of South Ayrshire’s inclusive education strategy

is to ensure that additional support for learning is provided

at an appropriate level and at the earliest possible stage.

This is done through the Authority’s staged intervention

system which identifies pupils with additional support needs

and plans, implements and monitors interventions for them.

In 2001 South Ayrshire, in partnership with Social Work,

developed a joint policy to improve educational outcomes

for looked after children. In 2007/08 66.5% of young people

leavingcareattainedqualificationsatSCQFlevel3orabovein

bothMathsandEnglish,thehighestlevelforsixyears.

The Department’s Care and Learning team provided support

for children and young people who were looked after and/or

at risk of missing out from education. During 2007/08 72

children and young people were supported by this team,

12ofwhombenefittedfromtheFeuersteinprogrammewhich

developed cognitive skills, created opportunities for success

and enhanced their self-esteem.

During 2006-08 the Taking Time to Talk initiative, a two year

project, focused on developing processes for consulting

withlookedafterchildrenandreviewedandrevisedPersonal

EducationPlans.

During 2007/08 the Better Behaviour Better Learning

Strategy Group focused on raising awareness and offering

training to schools on a number of key initiatives – Cool in

School,SolutionOrientedSchools,RestorativeApproaches

and Motivated Schools. The Strategy Group also provided

guidance on the development of behaviour policies to

all schools.

The Department has a number of measures in place to

ensure that all children and young people are safe and

protected from harm. All staff in schools are made aware of

their responsibilities in relation to child protection through

training delivered annually by Head Teachers. There is a Child

Protectionco-ordinatorineveryschoolandadesignated

QualityImprovementOfficerresponsibleforChildProtection

and Children Missing from Education.

Partnershipswithparentsandcommunities

Partnershipswithparentshavebeenstrengthenedbyestablishingnewparentcouncilsineveryschool.In2008anumberofevents were held to help parents in their work within the parent councils. The authority also promoted positive relationships with individual learners and their families through its Home Link programme.

‘TheParentsTogether’initiativehasinvolvedparentsintheirchild’slearningthroughICTbasedprojectsInaddition,anumberofconferences and workshops were held to further parents knowledge and understanding of curriculum developments.

In 2008 all schools inspected by HMIe were found to have good partnerships with parents, parent councils and local communities and all schools were either good or very good at involving parents, carers and families in the life of the school.


Partnershipwithparents,theParentCouncil, and the community 100%

The school’s success in involving parents, carers and families 25% 75%

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Consulting with stakeholders

The Department continued to use a range of procedures to gather the views of stakeholders and use these to inform service improvement. These included formal consultations and stakeholder surveys, pupil and parent councils, cross-Departmental and inter-agency working groups, Head Teacher andDeputeHeadTeachergroupsandPrincipalTeachernetworks. The Department developed a Consultation and Communication policy which set out the framework for all consultation and communications and described the range of methods for communicating with stakeholders.

In 2008 parent councils were consulted on a range of issues. The Council’s website was also used to gather the views of a wider group of stakeholders in relation to improvements to the school estate.

Questionnaires were developed and used to survey Head Teachers and central staff in a number of key areas including leadership and direction, management and support of staff, improving services and developing partnerships within the Department. Issues identified through these surveys were addressed through whole staff meetings and workshops. The results of the surveys were made available to all relevant staff.

The Department carried out surveys of people using swimming pools and leisure facilities to help improve services. A total of 426 people responded to the surveys with 30% of respondentsevaluatingthequalityofservicesasexcellent.

Early years

All primary 1 pupils attended school for the full school day from 1 September to allow them to engage fully with the Early Years’ curriculum. In 2008 996 3-year olds and 1192 4-year olds attended nursery schools, classes or partnership centres.

Between January and June 2008 5 pre-school establishments were inspected by HMIe and nearly all were found to be good at meeting children’s needs.


Children’sexperiences 20% 80%

Meeting learning needs 80% 20%

Care welfare and development 100%

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The school estate

In 2008 South Ayrshire continued to make improvements to its school estate and three new school buildings were opened at Monkton,BarassieandAlloway.KyleAcademyalsobenefitedfromastateoftheartextension.PartofthedevelopmentatAllowayPrimaryincludedanewnurseryfacility.

AcompleterefurbishmentofDalmillingPrimaryandMuirheadPrimaryschoolswasstartedin2007andcontinuedin2008.ArangeofadaptationswerealsocarriedatGirvanPrimary,BarrPrimary,KirkmichaelPrimary,StJohn’sPrimary,TarboltonPrimary,SymingtonPrimaryandQueenMargaretAcademytoimprove accessibility for pupils with additional support needs.

TheroofsatDoonfootPrimaryandGirvanAcademywerecompletely replaced and new windows were installed at Marr College,GlenburnPrimaryandStNinian’sPrimaryschools.

The Department made a considerable investment to replace much of the ICT equipment which supported the education infrastructure.

The fundamental review of the school estate within South Ayrshire is ongoing and a number of reviews of individual school buildings were completed and reported to the Council.

What will we do next? We will extend the range of opportunities for young

people to achieve.

We will increase participation levels in wider achievement initiatives.

We will ensure that the majority of pupils questioned report that they are:

– Successful learners

– Confident individuals

– Responsible citizens

– Effective contributors

We will ensure that the majority of adult learners questioned report that they are satisfied with services provided.

We will identify and keep safe all children and young people at risk.

We will improve educational outcomes and experiences for children at risk of missing out.

We will decrease the numbers of children and young people educated outwith the authority.

We will increase the numbers of children, young people and families reporting satisfaction with pupil support services.

We will increase the range of youth activities available.

We will increase the numbers of stakeholders reporting satisfaction with departmental services.

We will support adults to develop new skills and confidence to influence the design and delivery of services.

We will support parents and carers to become actively engaged and contribute to the life of the school and children’s learning.

We will ensure we receive positive child protection inspection reports.

We will ensure our children and young people are happy and safe.

All schools will promote the well being of all children and young people.

We will increase the numbers of schools and ECLL buildings accessible to disabled users.

The Department made a considerable investment to replace much of the ICT equipment which supported the education infrastructure.

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Childcare

TheLocalChildcarePartnershiptookastrategicrolein assessing the childcare need, assuring quality of services, meeting any gaps in provision and was key, in the development of new services, providing advice and guidance when required.

The jointly funded and managed East/North/South Ayrshire CareAndRecreationInformationService(CARIS),maintainedthe highest standards of support to families requiring information on childcare, through both a very informative web-site and telephone support.

The Childcare Service provided local, affordable, quality Out of School Care mainly in rural villages within South Ayrshire.Thecontinueddevelopmentofflexible,affordable,quality Out of School Hours Care services for 0-14 year olds across South Ayrshire helped parents and carers to access education, training or employment opportunities. The Care ClubService(OutofSchoolHoursCare)coveredthevillagesof Coylton, Mossblown, Tarbolton, Dundonald, Symington, Muirhead and included the Dropzone at the Citadel Leisure Centre. The service offered:

• 27breakfastclubplacesatCoyltonperday;

• 131afterschoolplacesspreadthroughtheabove locationsperday;and,

• 123fulltimeholidayplacesperdaybasedatCoylton,Mossblown, Dundonald and the Dropzone.

Early years

The curriculum for children 3-5 is now firmly embedded across all Early Years establishments and in 2008 there was a strong focus on outdoor learning and consulting with children, with children in nursery classes developing skills in these areas. These developments were supported by training for staff in local authority and partner Early Years centres.

The main themes for in service training were identified through evaluating current practice in Early Years centres and identifying local and national priorities. These included courses in Consultation with Children, Outdoor Learning, Active Learning,Literacy,CreativityandAspectsofPlay.Allstaffinnursery schools in South Ayrshire were trained in Assessment is for Learning approaches.

The publication of Child at the Centre 2, a self-evaluation framework for Early Years centres, highlighted the need for establishments to review their procedures for evaluating the quality of their services and the Authority provided local authority and partner Early Years centres with training to develop skills in this area.

PartnershipEarlyYearscentresbeganworkingtowards HealthPromotingSchoolsAccreditation.

How good was the delivery of our services?In 2007/08 the Department’s service plan set out the strategic objectives and actions to be taken to secure improvements for pupils, parents/carers, staff and other service users. The plan reflected the priorities set by the Council.

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CurriculumforExcellence

A Strategy Group, comprising nursery, primary, secondary and central staff, developed the first draft of a Literacy Strategy for the Authority. The strategy was informed by a review of approaches to teaching literacy within primary schools. As a resultofthisreviewtwoJollyPhonicscoursesweredeliveredto infant staff.

AprojectfundedbyLearningandTeachingScotland(LTS)enabled staff development materials, to promote Active Learning in Numeracy to be produced. As a result of this work a DVD illustrating the Active Learning approaches being implemented in South Ayrshire schools, was made for LTS and further supporting resources produced.

Almost all primary schools benefitted from staff development sessionswhichexplorednewwaysofworkingwithafocuson cross-curricular and interdisciplinary themes. These initial sessions empowered staff to reflect on their current practices andexplorewaysofdrawingareasofthecurriculumtogether,reflectingthenewoutcomesandexperiencesofCurriculum for Excellence.

A Strategy Group, which brought together school staff with a range of partners, was established to promote the health and wellbeing of children and young people. This group alsomonitoredtheHealthPromotingSchoolsAccreditationFramework,whichsawallschoolsreceivingthefirstlevelofaward. In partnership with the School Nursing Service an award-winning DVD was produced involving pupils from South AyrshireschoolstoenhancePersonalandSocialEducationprogrammes.Plansweremadetoestablishholistichealthclinics in all South Ayrshire secondary schools. Theprogramme,PositiveMentalAttitudes,wasrolledout in all secondary schools, following a successful pilot.

All pupils in South Ayrshire schools benefitted from the Hungry for Success initiative which operated under the umbrellaofHealthPromotingSchools.Examplesofimprovedprovision in schools included cashless catering in a number of schools,freefruitinallP1–P3classesandincreasedportionsizes of school meals.

The Authority remained committed to promoting the emotional health and wellbeing of its children and young people. We worked in close partnership with NHS Ayrshire and Arran to provide advice and support for staff and pupils in developing and delivering activities to promote good mental health and wellbeing. In order to further support mental and emotional health and wellbeing there is now access to the school nursing service in every cluster with all school nurses holding clinics in every secondary school.

This year the Department has worked in partnership with Cambridge Leadership Associates to promote Adaptive LeadershipapproacheswithintheAuthority.Followingonfromthis work a Leadership Council was established to oversee the work of a number of project teams. The focus for these teams included Active Learning, Motivated School and Science.

To support school managers in the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence, a one-day course was arranged whichexploredManagingPeopleduringtimesofchange.InadditiontheProjectLeadershipinitiativecontinuedtobeimplementedprovidingsupportforaspiringandexistingPrincipalTeachersinleadingtheCurriculum.

At the end of this session the Department committed to GLOW, the on-line initiative which is a key component in delivering Curriculum for Excellence.FourschoolswereidentifiedtopilotGLOW.Plansweremadefortheroll-outof this to all schools, including training for all staff in schools and at the centre and the recruitment of mentors to support implementation.

School and central staff attended the national launch of draft outcomes for Curriculum for Excellence. One secondary school, 4 primary schools and one nursery school were involved in trialling the draft outcomes for Science.

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Community Learning and Development

South Ayrshire Council’s Community Learning and Development Service provided opportunities for adults and young people to contribute to their own personal growth and to the growth of their communities through a range of initiatives. Support for adults included Community Based AdultLearningcourses,theMellowParentingprogramme,Adult Literacy programmes and English for Other Language Speaker courses. Young people were supported through Youth Work programmes delivered in schools and communities and received accreditation such as Youth Achievement Awards, Dynamic Youth Awards, Millennium Volunteer Awards, Junior Achievement and Duke of Edinburgh Awards as well as Strathclyde Youth Awards.

Museums and Galleries

The Museums and Galleries Service delivered a programme ofartandcraftworkshopsinRozelleinfourgroups–spring,summer, autumn and winter. Workshops were led by local artists/craftspeople. An additional life-drawing workshop was accommodated off-site in the Gaiety Theatre studio. TheMcKechnieInstituteinGirvanwasalsousedforworkshops, including an art class operated by the University of Glasgow‘s Department of Continuing Education.

The Museums and Galleries Service offered support to teachers, schools, local history groups and Careers Scotland with the recent development of two loan kits on the themes of the Victorians and the Second World War. The service also worked in partnership with local history groups and schools to assisttheminmountingtemporaryexhibitionswhichincludedloans from the collections.

In partnership with Ayrshire Archives and Carnegie Library, a 10-week arts and heritage module was designed, developed anddeliveredforthelocalDukeofEdinburghProgramme.

InpartnershipwiththeFriendsoftheMaclaurin,children’squizzes were created to encourage younger visitors to South Ayrshire Museums and Galleries to engage and to facilitate their understanding of the art on show.

What will we do next? Curriculum for Excellence will be implemented

in all our schools and documented in school improvement plans.

Our services will be targeted towards individuals and communities in greatest need.

We will increase the level of personalisation and choice within the curriculum for vulnerable children and young people.

We will improve communication and consultation with stakeholders.

We will continue to develop services to improve the health and well being of children and young people.

We will roll out our HPV vaccination programme.

Programmes will be developed to improve access to sport and leisure activities.

We will secure a 0-8 framework across partners to support all children.

We will provide stakeholders with access to high quality information services.

A state of the art libraries management system will be rolled out across all schools and public libraries.

In partnership with the School Nursing Service an award-winning DVD was produced involving pupils from South Ayrshire schools to enhance Personal and Social Education programmes.

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Keydocumentation

FollowingthepublicationofSecuring the Future for South Ayrshire which set out the vision for the Council, the Department carried out a fundamental review of its key documents to ensure that these reflected the priorities outlined within this document. All documentation within the Department has been organised under 3 main headings – strategies, policies and management guidelines.

Recruitmentandretentionofstaff

The Department has a clear staffing standard to ensure that appropriate staffing levels are maintained in all schools. The Department has developed innovative ways of working to compensate for any lack of staff in key areas including recruiting staff from outwith the European Union to ensure service delivery.

The Council’s recruitment procedures were developed in partnership with relevant trade unions and recruitment training has been provided to senior managers.

The Council has policies in place to ensure the care and welfare of staff. The Council’s Code of Conduct is issued routinelytonewstaffandexistingstaffwhomovepostwithinthe Department. Training was also delivered in key areas includingRespectatWorktoallstaffinschools.

Staff development

The Department has introduced a new electronic system, Gateway, allowing all school-based staff to have easy access to opportunities for professional development to improve their skills in undertaking their duties. The development offered within the Department ranges from one day in-service courses to professional qualifications and covers a broad range of staff.

Courses provided by the education personnel staff included Teachers’InductionandManagingPeopletraining,whichwere well received with reports from staff, ranging from ProbationerTeachersthroughtoHeadTeachersindicatingthat they had increased their confidence and improved their performance in key areas.

The Department has invested much energy in the development of effective employee relations both at a formal Trade Union level and in the formation of staff focus groups. This provided employees with an opportunity to influence the strategic direction of the Department. The approach included joint training sessions with Head Teachers and Trade Union representatives to promote more collegiate working in schools. A primary and secondary Head Teacher were asked todisseminatetheirexperienceofthisapproachnationally.

School/business partnership courses took place with a number of primary and secondary teachers, including 50 ProbationerTeachersdevelopinginidentifying,managingandsustaining appropriate business links to support enterprising learning. A further boost to training in Enterprise Education was provided through the Cooperative Education Trust Scotland, which provided materials and in-service training to teachers on fair trade education.

How good was our management?

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Partnerships

The Authority worked in partnership with a number of organisations and formalised these arrangements through a number of service level agreements.

Effective partnership arrangements are in place to support some of the most vulnerable young people within the Authority.ThisincludestheworkoftheChildProtectionCommittee and the joint training for child protection. There are good arrangements focusing on looked after childrenandyoungpeopleincludingtheCorporateParentinginitiative.AjointworkinggroupledbytheFosteringandAdoptionPanelalsoproducedtrainingmaterialforschoolscalled “Meeting my Needs” focusing on the needs of young people who were fostered or adopted.

ThelocalsystemfortheaccreditationofHealthPromotingSchoolswasdevelopedthroughtheHealthPromotingSchools Steering Group which brought together staff from within the Department with representatives from NHS Ayrshire and Arran, schools and corporate colleagues.

The Department has established effective partnership working arrangements with East and North Ayrshire in relation to a numberofactivities.Followingasuccessfulbidforfundingto take forward developments relating to Curriculum for Excellence (CfE),aninter-authorityCfESteeringGroupwasestablished.AssociatedSchoolsGroups(ASGs)acrossthethree authorities worked on the Assessment is for Learning initiative. The ASGs met regularly to consider shared developments. The three authorities made good progress in moving towards a standard timetable structure in secondary schoolsinordertofacilitatecurriculumflexibilityandlinkswithfurthereducationcolleges.PanAyrshirestaffdevelopmentinitiativesincludedCriticalSkills,Leadership,PostGraduateCertificateinPrimaryPhysicalEducation,ScottishQualificationfor Headship, Chartered Teacher Network and Secondary PrincipalTeacherconferences.Workexperiencewas delivered across the three Ayrshire authorities through the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce using the Gateway IT workexperiencesystem.

Young people in South Ayrshire secondary schools continued to benefit from our links with local businesses. Development Officers, Enterprise Coordinators and Quality Improvement Officers worked with members of the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce to provide a large number of sustainable business links. Many were linked directly to curricular areas in order to demonstrate relevance to work and life for young people. Members of the Chamber regularly visited schools to offer advice and support.

The Department has a broad range of partnership agreements relating to Leisure and Culture. These include partnerships withlocalandnationalsportsorganisations;SportsScotland;SouthAyrshireSwimTeam;AyrUnited;AyrUnitedFootballAcademy;SouthAyrshireSportsCouncil;NHSActivityforHealth;ActiveFutures;and,ScottishRugbyUnion.

TheLifelongLearningPartnershipfocusesonthepromotionof Lifelong Learning through partnership approaches, bringing togetherrepresentativesfrom:AyrCollege;PaisleyUniversity;Ayrshire&ArranHealthBoard;ScottishAgriculturalCollege; CouncilforVoluntaryOrganisations;Children’sServiceVoluntaryForum;MAYTAG;AccesstoEmployment;Regeneration;and,CareersScotland.

Young people in South Ayrshire secondary schools continued to benefit from our links with local businesses.

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What will we do next? We will continue to recruit and train a motivated

and effective volunteer workforce.

All schools and pre-school centres will plan for improved outcomes in early years using early levels for planning.

We will deliver year on year improvement towards class sizes of 18 in P1-3.

We will improve the suitability and condition ratings in the school estate to improve the environment for young people.

We will increase the early years entitlement for 50% of 3 and 4 year olds to 570 hours by 2010.

We will increase investment in the school estate.

We will further develop our guidance documentation and practices to combat inequality and discrimination.

Managers will be aware of and adhere to employment legislation and the application of effective management practices.

Human resources will be deployed effectively and efficiently

We will have systems in place to record and monitor staffing related management information.

We will continue to work with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport to improve the service provided to pupils who qualify for free school transport.

We will continue to work with local contractors to provide a quality transport service to our most vulnerable children.

We will maintain the work with schools to increase pupil and parent awareness of Education Maintenance Allowances.

We will continue to forecast future pupil numbers and class sizes to maximise use of accommodation and aid the development of future strategies.

We will continue to develop a positive Health and Safety culture within the Department.

We will develop the Technology Forge property system to ensure accurate information is available on the school estate to assist with strategic and operational decision making

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Adaptive Leadership

The Department has made a significant investment in “Adaptive Leadership” in partnership with Cambridge Leadership Associates, and has taken a national lead in promoting Adaptive Leadership as a mechanism for distributing opportunities for developing leadership at all levels.

Training in Adaptive Leadership was rolled out to senior central staff as well as to a significant proportion of school senior managers. This approach has been applied to a number of initiatives including the review of the school estate, development of the Leadership Council, review of school cluster working arrangements and distribution of leadership in the secondary sector.

A number of project teams were established to empower individuals through volunteering to become involved in service improvement, particularly in relation to Curriculum for Excellence.Aflexibleapproachallowedindividualinvolvementto be tailored according to other work commitments. Projectteamswereconstitutedtoensurethatstafffroma widerangeofexperiences,backgroundsandlevelswereableto become involved.

CommunityPlanning

SouthAyrshireCommunityPlanningPartnershipwasestablished in 2001 to improve the quality of life in South Ayrshire by bringing together the Council and other public service providers, such as NHS Ayrshire and Arran, with private businesses and community organisations. The plan of the partnership, A Better Future Together, set out the challengesforthePartnershipfortheperiod2006-2010 and outlined the ways in which these would be tackled.

Children’s Services are now a Thematic Group for the SouthAyrshireCommunityPlanningPartnershipandareinvolvedindevelopingthenextSingleOutcomeAgreement for South Ayrshire.

Single outcome agreement

In 2008 the Council worked closely with the Scottish Government to put in place the first Single Outcome Agreement which was shaped to reflect the needs and circumstances of South Ayrshire and outlined what the Council had committed to on behalf of its stakeholders.

How good was our leadership?

22

CouncilPlanning

TheCouncil’sPlan,Securing the Future for South Ayrshire, reflects these priorities and sets out the specific commitments of the Council under four themes:

• Prosperous,LearningandAchieving

• Healthy,SafeandCaring

• Clean,AttractiveandSustainable

• Ambitious,Forward-LookingandResponsive.

Planningforchildren’sservices

The Department, along with partners from Social Work Housing and Health and NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Strathclyde PoliceandtheVoluntarySectorsupportedthedevelopment of an Integrated Children’s Services Team. This multi-disciplinary team supports children’s services’ planning across a range of key priority areas, including Child Protection,YouthWork,ParentingandFamilySupport, Child Care and Child Health. The team provides inter-agency training to support these initiatives.

Developments in planning for children’s services continued through the establishment of the Integrated Children’s Services Strategic Steering Group which is now a Thematic GroupwithintheSouthAyrshireCommunityPlanningPartnership.ThisStrategicGroupforchildrenisresponsiblefordevelopingthenextChildren’sServicesPlanfortheperiod2009 to 2011.

DepartmentalPlanning

TheDepartment’sownServicePlanfor2007/08outlined the specific ways in which it would contribute to the IntegratedChildren’sServicePlan,theCouncil’sPlan, theSingleOutcomeAgreementandtheCommunityPlan.This plan also took account of the Department’s own self-evaluation and set out the ways in which it intended to achieve improvements in the services it delivered. As part of its drive toward improvement the Department set nine improvement objectives which schools were required to take forward through their own improvement planning.

What will we do next? Effective partnerships will be developed to support

pupils with additional support needs.

Effective partnerships will be developed within the authority and local action plans will be developed and implemented to meet local need.

We will maintain effective formal and informal employee relations to achieve joint solutions.

We will commit to modernising working practices.

We will ensure a year on year improvement in line with Scottish government guidelines on reducing class sizes.

We will continue to develop systems to ensure the council receives Best Value in our PPP schools.

We will secure developers’ contributions to ensure adequate provision is made for increased pupil numbers arising from new housing developments.

We will review the capacity of schools to reflect the Council’s aspirations for schools within “A Learning Centre for the 21st Century”

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What is our capacity for improvement?Quality improvement framework

The Department has developed a quality improvement framework which is made up of three key activities:

• Self-evaluation;

• Serviceplanning;and,

• Standardsandqualityreporting.

These activities are underpinned by a cycle of performance monitoring activities. These activities and associated timescales and responsibilities are outlined in the Department’s self-evaluation framework. School and service improvement portals are key tools for organising and accessingthemanagementinformation(includingself-evaluationdata)thatisusedtoinformschoolandserviceimprovement planning.

Self-evaluation, improvement planning, performance monitoring and Standards and Quality reporting are well established in schools. This cycle of improvement activities is complemented by a programme of Standards and Quality reviews, Quality Improvement Officer visits and annual visits by the Director. These programmes are well established and provide support and challenge to all schools.

During 2008 the Department further developed its electronic system for using management information to profile performance and achievement at both school and Authority level.

The progress achieved by the Department in 2007/08 has provided a strong platform to achieve further improvements in the services provided.

Through the development of a comprehensive quality improvement framework the Department has established clear procedures for monitoring and improving performance.

Self-evaluation, improvement planning, performance monitoring and Standards and Quality reporting are well established in schools.

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ConclusionThis report highlights some of the key developments and achievements of

Education, Culture and Lifelong Learning in 2007/08. In providing a concise report it

has not been possible to include all of the many initiatives which have been undertaken

or the core business of the Department. It should, however, illustrate the range and

variety of our activities.

We hope that you have found the report informative and reflective of our commitment

to continuous improvement in providing services of the highest quality.

ecll standards 2007/08 - south ayrshire ecll standard… · the council also provides out-of-school...

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