Stockbridge School Board
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DRAFT MINUTES - STOCKBRIDGE SCHOOL BOARD
STOCKBRIDGE SCHOOL LIBRARY, 25 FEBRUARY 2004 @ 6.30pm
1.Welcome and Apologies
PRESENT: Board members: Anna Beynon (Chair), Jacqui Horsburgh (Head), Alexandra Black. Robert Black, Barbara Cartwright, Moira McGovern, Alan Thomas
PTA: Graham Bodenham
In Attendance: Susan MacInnes (Clerk to the Board), Anne Thomson (School Business Manager),
Apologies: Mike Dixon (local Councillor)
The three new Board members were welcomed. Alexandra Black is a parent member and Robert Black (no relation) is a local architect who has been co-opted as a community member. The other new parent member Elaine ??? was unable to attend. Barbara Cartwright has replaced Geraldine Hobbs as the new teacher member.
2. Minutes/Matters Arising
The Minutes of the previous meeting were approved.
3. Board Training and Recruitment
AB advised that she had attended a Recruitment Training course for Board members. All surplus funds allocated for training are transferred to the school and JH said this would go toward the General Expenses Budget.
4. Catchment area update
JH showed the Board a leaflet that was about to be issued to the parents regarding the Council review of catchments areas. Craigroyston and Broughton High (BH) schools would be assessed together. There is a proposal for a newbuild school for Craigroyston on the site of the existing Silverknowes Riding School. The catchment area for Broughton would change dir to the impact of the newbuild housing intended for the Granton Waterfront area.
BH is likely to be rebuilt within the existing grounds. The numbers may drop in the short-term but increase in due course. The current P3 class would be the first S1 year to attend BH in the new building.
There was a discussion of other possible developments in the area including a proposal to re-site the Stockbridge Health Centre and develop the playing fields at Raeburn Place. RB explained how the council's Local Plan establishes the areas for development. A Thomas expressed dismay at the lack of "joined up thinking" at the Council. AB said that the decision about a new BH would be made by the end of this month. RB said it should take around 18 months to 2 years to build a school of that size.
A Thomas queried whether all this affected the placing requests for Stockbridge. JH advised that next year the P1 intake was likely to be 50/50 split between children living in the catchment area and those outside. Although the school has a small catchment area there are no proposals to change this at present.
A Thomson said that most of these plans had been disclosed in the local press. The Board agreed that the aesthetics and location of the new BH ought to be considered when decisions were being made. By next meeting there would be more information available on this issue.
5. Membership of School Board Association
JH and GB agreed that this had been decided against in the past due to the politicised attitude of the Association in their objection to the "S28 issues", which some parents were uncomfortable about. AB agreed to investigate the matter further and this would be considered again.
6. Budget Consultation meeting 04/05
This meeting took place recently between the Director of Education and the Finance manager. The chairs of Primary and Secondary School Boards attended and were offered the chance to question the Council on the details.
There is to be a £12m increase in funding and a 2% efficiency saving overall. The main points raised were:-
(i) There was an over-estimation in the uptake of school meals.
(ii) HMI inspections meant that schools are the most monitored of all public services and 93% of all targets are met.
(iii) There are concerns about the BT Synerga Contract for maintenance of school computers. There are huge back-up problems and there is an ongoing dialogue with the company to try to resolve this.
(iv) The council are in negotiation with the Teachers' unions regarding sort-term absence cover.
(v) There will be staffing reductions and class organisation changes due to the falling school rolls.
(vi) The Catchment Area Review is expected to create savings. Some schools are operating at only 35/40% of capacity at present. However the rolls are expected to rise over the next 5-10 years.
A short general discussion took place on this. A Thomson commented that 90% of the huge Education budget is set and there was only a limited possibility of "tweaking at the margins". JH said that the Teaching organisations would be keen to maintain the staff/pupil ratios. A Thomas cast doubt on the politicians always talking about this whilst trying to reduce staff numbers. JH confirmed that Stockbridge P1 entry is now capped at 30 pupils.
7. School Review Report
Two Senior Quality officers and a Liaison Officer from the Council had carried out the review in November 2003. The Standards and Quality Report to be issued would use similar quality indicators as HMI had done in their last Report. The main focus was on the three areas of "Transition" (i.e. from nursery to primary school and from there to secondary school), "Teaching and Learning" and "Leadership".
JH and AB had seen an advance copy of the draft Report and the final draft was to be presented to the Education Committee on 10 March. JH and AB would attend this meeting. Some changes may be made thereafter but then the embargo on the content of the Report would be lifted and in due course copies will be sent to all parents. Although no details could be released at this stage, there was a strong indication that there were basically mo real concerns about the school.
8.Uniform
This subject had been discussed at length in the past. However, JH wondered if it should not be addressed again as she had received a comment from a recent inspection which raised the question of uniform in connection with Health and Safety issues. The point was that it increased the children's security to be dressed in easily identifiable uniform both in and out of school. BC commented that the new P7 sweatshirts had initially been a success but the numbers wearing them had tailed off now. The Board agreed to look at this issue again.
9. School Board Staff member
Barbara Cartwright had been welcomed in the general introduction to the meeting.
10. AOB
The school's homework Policy is to be reviewed and the Board were shown an advance copy of the questionnaire to be sent out to all parents shortly. The intention is to give a picture of what parents feel about the frequency and quantity of homework. The questions will be slightly different for the P1/2 and the upper school classes. A Thomas expressed the opinion that there ought to be a question as to whether children should get homework at all. JH emphasised that it is Council policy and what the questionnaire is looking for is answers to the practical aspect of how it is managed.
11 Correspondence received
"Being well, doing well" - leaflet re promoting Health in Schools
"Children's Services Performance indicators"
Letter re standardisation of the times of the P1 and P2 day.
Information re the Council Consultative Committee with Parents.
12. Date of Next Meeting
CHANGED TO WEDNESDAY 31 MARCH @ 6.30PM IN SCHOOL LIBRARY
Susan MacInnes (Clerk)
11 March 2004
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