The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Listen

NATIONAL PRIORITIES IN EDUCATION PERFORMANCE REPORT 2003
EDUCATION AUTHORITY INFORMATION

FIFE COUNCIL

This report summarises some of the key points set out in Fife Council's Education Service's Annual Improvement Plan 2003, National Priorities Progress Report 2002 and its Annual Progress Report 2002.

For a full understanding of the position in this education authority and its plans for improvement you should refer directly to these documents or contact Garry Crosbie (01592 413 285;education.services@fife.gov.uk).

The summary is presented here under individual National Priority in Education outcomes for simplicity but the actions and programmes referred to may often relate to more than one National Priority.

NATIONAL PRIORITY 1 - ACHIEVEMENT AND ATTAINMENT

To raise standards of educational attainment for all in schools, especially in the core skills of literacy and numeracy, and to achieve better levels in national measures of achievement including examination results

Outcome 1 - Increased levels of numeracy and literacy

Fife Council's Education Service has promoted a range of initiatives to further improve its pupils' literacy and numeracy. These initiatives are grounded in its Early Intervention Programme, the Stepping Stones Programme. This programme has been evaluated externally. Among other findings the evaluation has shown that teachers involved in the programme are more confident about their ability to help all children to read, write and count better and that there has been effective sharing of good practice. The programme has been extended into the middle and upper years of primary school. Teachers have been receiving training in early intervention methods; teaching and learning materials have been produced. Materials have been produced which include information about current research into how people learn and about how that research can be applied in classrooms. The further development of pupils' skills in writing has been given a high priority.

Schools receive feedback on their performance including information about the progress they are making compared with broadly similar schools; they receive support from the authority's Area Support Teams in interpreting and using this feedback in their planning. New planning materials have been produced to support these actions.

New pupil-focused reporting systems have been introduced.

The charts below provide information on the attainments in reading, writing and mathematics achieved by pupils in Fife Council's primary schools and in the first two years of secondary school. They also provide information on the targets which the education authority has set in respect of these aspects of pupils' learning.

Chart 1. Percentage of pupils in P3, 4, 6 and 7 meeting or exceeding age appropriate 5-14 levels in reading, writing and mathematics in Fife Council, its comparator authorities and nationally at end June 2002.

Fife Council has set targets with its primary schools to raise levels of attainment between now and the end of school session 2004/2005.

Chart 2. Levels of attainment at end June 2002 compared with anticipated percentage of pupils in P3, 4, 6 and 7 who will meet or exceed age appropriate 5-14 levels in reading, writing and mathematics in Fife Council and nationally by the end of school session 2004/2005.

Chart 3. Percentage of pupils in S2 meeting or exceeding their age appropriate 5-14 level, level E, in reading, writing and mathematics in Fife Council, its comparator authorities and nationally at end June 2002.

Fife Council has set targets with secondary schools to raise these levels of attainment between now and the end of school session 2004/2005.

Chart 4. Levels of attainment at end June 2002 compared with anticipated percentage of pupils in S2 who will meet or exceed their age appropriate 5-14 level, level E, in reading, writing and mathematics in Fife Council and nationally by the end of school session 2004/2005.

The percentage (averaged over 3 years from 1999/2000 to 2001/2002) of the original S4 cohort who by the end of S6 had attained SCQF level 3 or better in English and mathematics was 93.6%. Nationally 92.6% did this and 93.3% of pupils did this in comparator authorities. Fife has set a target that 94% of its pupils should achieve these levels of attainment by 2005. The equivalent national target is 94%.

Outcome 2 - Improved examination results

The charts below provide information on the attainments in National Qualifications achieved by pupils in Fife Council's secondary schools. They also provide information on the targets which the authority has set in respect of these aspects of pupils' learning.

Chart 5. Levels of attainment (a three-year average for 1999/2000 to 2001/2002) of pupils in Fife Council's secondary schools in National Qualifications (post-appeal) compared with attainment in comparator authorities and nationally.

Fife Council has set targets with its secondary schools to raise levels of attainment in National Qualifications by the end of school session 2004/2005.

Chart 6. Levels of attainment (a three-year average for 1999/2000 to 2001/2002) of pupils in Fife Council's secondary schools in National Qualifications (post-appeal) compared with anticipated levels of attainment (a three-year average for 2002/2003 to 2004/2005) locally and nationally by the end of school session 2004/2005.

NATIONAL PRIORITY 2 -FRAMEWORK FOR LEARNING

To support and develop the skills of teachers, the self-discipline of pupils and to enhance school environments so that they are conducive to teaching and learning

Outcome 1 - Continuing professional development of teachers' skills

The authority's commitment to the SQH continues. An induction programme for newly-appointed headteachers has been introduced. 36 existing headteachers attended a management training course.

144 class teachers attended a course on effective learning and teaching. The course is called Making a Difference. Nearly 100% of teachers have had NOF ICT training.

A comprehensive probationer induction programme was implemented.

The implementation of the authority's Professional Review and Development arrangements was further supported by the training of nearly 500 'reviewers' and over 220 CPD co-ordinators. A draft framework for the teacher CPD file was issued for consultation.

Outcome 2 - Increased self-discipline of pupils

The authority's schools operate a wide range of buddying, mentoring and support schemes in both primary and secondary schools. The authority has developed materials to support the adoption of best practice in relation to such schemes.

The authority's anti-bullying policy was revised in light of new intelligence about best practice and after consultations with pupils.

The authority has adopted a staged intervention model for behaviour management programmes in schools. It has extended its use of individualised target setting to include behaviour. It has established programmes for supporting young people experiencing discontinuities in their education.

The authority has appointed home-school link officers.

The levels of attendance and exclusions in Fife Council's schools are shown in the tables below.

Levels of attendance

The authority has set itself the targets of raising percentage attendance in its primary schools to 95.5% by the end of session 2004/2005 and in secondary schools to 90.3% within the same timescale. The national target for attendance by the end of session 2004/2005 is 95% for primary and 90% for secondary. These figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Exclusions from schools

The figures in the above table are drawn from the Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication Exclusions from Schools, 2000/2001.

The authority has set itself the targets of reducing the number of days lost through exclusion per 1000 pupils in primary schools from 33 to 25 by the end of session 2004/2005 and reducing the number of days lost through exclusion per 1000 pupils in secondary schools from 422 to 390 within the same timescale.

Outcome 3 - Enhanced school environments which are more conducive to teaching and learning

The authority has implemented the recommendations of A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century regarding the provision of support staff in schools. The authority's DSM Scheme has been revised and simplified and greater authority has been delegated to headteachers.

Business standard ICT networks have been installed in all the authority's secondary schools. Similar installations are planned for primary schools. 1000 computer systems were installed in primary schools which have now a computer:pupil ratio of 12:1. The secondary ratio is now 5:1. An Internet use policy and support pack were produced. The authority produces an ICT newsletter twice a year.

PPP projects are underway to replace two secondary schools and to build a new primary school. Further such projects are in the planning stage.

The authority has implemented, revised and extended systems for assuring quality. One of its secondary schools achieved the Charter Mark Award and two received School Curriculum Awards.

A wide range of initiatives were undertaken to promote pupil health and welfare in schools. These included the establishment of breakfast clubs and the introduction of an agreed policy on the management of drug-related incidents in schools.

The pupil:adult ratio in the education authority's primary schools is 15.9:1 currently. Fife has set itself the target of 13.5:1 by end of school session 2004/2005. The ratio nationally is 14.2:1.

NATIONAL PRIORITY 3 - INCLUSION AND EQUALITY

To promote equality and help every pupil benefit from education with particular regard paid to pupils with disabilities and special educational needs, and to Gaelic and lesser used languages

Outcome 1 - Every pupil benefits from education

Fife is working in partnership with Barnardos in a project which is designed to support young people in making effective transition from primary to secondary school; this project is called the Aberhill Project.

Secondary schools across Fife have adopted a wide range of Intermediate and Access courses.

Fife has allocated funds to residential schools to enhance the provision they make for children looked after by the authority; the enhancement has included improving access to ICT. Similar enhancements have been undertaken in respect of children who are looked after in the community; these enhancements have included one-to-one tutoring and the provision of counselling services.

The percentage of children looked after by the Council aged 16 or 17 who left care with qualifications in English and mathematics at SCQF level 3 or above in school session 2001/2002 was 40%. Nationally, the percentage of pupils was 29%. Fife Council's target for 2004/2005 would be to attain a 60% achievement of pupils leaving with level 3 or above in English and mathematics.

The authority's New Community Schools Programme is being rolled out to the four regeneration areas in Fife.

The average tariff score of the lowest attaining 20% of pupils in the authority's secondary schools is 54. The average tariff score of the lowest attaining 20% of pupils nationally is 58 and in Fife's comparator authorities it is 54. Fife has set itself the target of raising the average tariff score of the lowest attaining 20% of its pupils to 58 by the end of the school session 2004/2005.

17.7% of primary pupils are entitled to free school meals; 83.9% of these pupils actually take a school meal. 13.0% of secondary pupils are entitled to a free school meal with 65.2% of these pupils actually taking up their entitlement. Nationally, the uptake percentages for primary and secondary are 79.2% and 59.1% respectively.

Outcome 2 - Every pupil benefits from education, with particular regard paid to pupils with disabilities and special educational needs

Fife Council, along with all other education authorities, has prepared and published an action plan setting out how it will improve access to school buildings and the formal and informal curriculum for people with disabilities over the next few years.

An inclusion strategy is under development taking account of the outcomes of a review of support for young people with disabilities, young people with mental health difficulties and the Council's Children's Services Plan. The development of the strategy is being informed by consultations with pupils and with parent focus groups.

Pupils in Fife who have recorded special educational needs, as defined currently, have an Individualised Educational Programme (IEP). In these programmes targets are set with and for individual pupils; these targets help to structure and focus the pupils' learning. Pupils' progress in achieving their targets is monitored and the targets are the subject of regular review. In 2002, 49% of schools achieved all of the IEP targets which they had set with and for their pupils.

The establishment and implementation of integrated provision for pupils with disabilities is co-ordinated by an officer who has this as their specific responsibility. The establishment of such provision is undertaken with the active participation of parents.

Specific initiatives are being undertaken in partnership with other services, including local health services, in respect of autism and ADHD.

Staff working with children with disabilities receive specific training to support them in discharging their duties.

Of mainstream primary pupils with special educational needs in Fife, 81.3% receive all of their education in a mainstream class. 1.5% of primary mainstream pupils with special educational needs in Fife receive all of their education in a special unit attached to a mainstream school. For secondary, the figures are 72.9% and 6.0% respectively. Nationally the percentages for the primary sector are 83% and 3%; for secondary they are 73% and 4%. For comparator authorities the percentages for the primary sector are 75.0% and 8.0%; for secondary they are 59.3% and 11.9%. Fife has 7 special schools which accommodated 200 pupils in 2001/2002.

It should be recognised that the collection of this SEN data in 2000/2001 may not have been universally robust.

The authority also has 11 free-standing Support Units which are run by the Behaviour Support Service for pupils in mainstream schools.

Outcome 3 - Every pupil benefits from education, with particular regard paid to Gaelic and lesser used languages

The Council received no written or other requests for Gaelic medium education in the school session 2001/2002.

NATIONAL PRIORITY 4 - VALUES AND CITIZENSHIP

To work with parents to teach pupils respect for self and one another and their interdependence with other members of their neighbourhood and society and teach them the duties and responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society

Outcome 1 - Increased respect for self and others

The pupils in the education authority's schools are involved in a wide range of activities which encourage them to work with others and which are designed to promote their personal and social development ( see section on Quality Indicators).

All Fife Council's secondary schools have a pupil council. The authority has produced guidelines on setting up pupil councils; the authority provides training in setting up and running a pupil council. The authority operates a Fife Pupil Council which is consulted regularly on policy matters. It also makes use of pupil focus groups for this purpose. These focus groups include children with disabilities and who are in vulnerable circumstances.

The authority has integrated Care and Welfare Guidelines which cover issues such as child protection, domestic abuse and racism. A co-ordinator oversees and supports the implementation of these guidelines.

Outcome 2 - Increased awareness of interdependence with other members of their neighbourhood and society and teach them the duties and responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society

Two of Fife Council's primary schools have the Eco Schools Green Flag; one of these schools was the first mainland school in Scotland to achieve a third, consecutive Green Flag award.

Fife's Grounds for Learning Scheme, operated in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage, has mounted to date 150 projects involving pupils, parents, staff and local communities in improving school grounds to, for example, promote biodiversity.

NATIONAL PRIORITY 5 - LEARNING FOR LIFE

To equip pupils with the foundation skills, attitudes and expectations necessary to prosper in a changing society and to encourage creativity and ambition

Outcome 1 - Pupils are equipped with the necessary foundation skills, attitudes and expectations to prosper in a changing society

Schools throughout Fife participate annually in a number of festivals, arts competitions and events, concert performances and exhibitions. These include festivals in Scottish country and creative dance, a drama festival and a Fife Festival of Music. There is a Fife Youth Orchestra and young musicians can participate in 16 different musical activities. All schools make provision for pupils to be involved in music, dance and drama. Pupils' work in art and design is displayed in schools. Schools and the authority celebrate publicly pupils' achievements in the arts.

All secondary schools provide opportunities for out of hours learning. About 70% of primary schools do this. Summer schools are run each year; these are run in conjunction with Community Services.

The Fife Wider Access Project supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in gaining access to Further and Higher Education.

The authority has produced a planning grid and a pack of teaching and learning materials to support the development of young people's skills in the use of ICT. The materials refer to 5-14.

All primary schools participate in projects such as Enterprising Infants and Go for Enterprise. The activities undertaken by schools include visits, guest speakers, fund-raising events and running tuck shops. All secondary schools participate in work and enterprise projects including the work experience programme Awareness for Work and Related Experiences (AWARE), Young Enterprise, Achievers International and the Ethos of Work initiative.

Chart 7. School leaver destinations; percentage of pupils leaving Fife Council's secondary schools in 2002 and going on to Higher Education and other destinations compared with comparator authorities and the national position.

Fife Council has set itself the target of raising the percentage of school leavers who go on to Higher Education after leaving school in June 2005 to 33%.

Outcome 2 - Increased levels of creativity and ambition in young people

The initiatives referred to immediately above and, indeed, throughout this report contribute not just to National Priority 5, Outcome 1 but also Outcome 2.

The authority has adopted learning and teaching policies which embrace the latest ideas about learning and teaching and it has produced guidance and provided training on how these ideas can be applied in practice in classrooms.

QUALITY INDICATORS

Fife Council's schools have used HGIOS in their regular, moderated self-evaluations to reach informed judgements on where they stand currently in relation to these processes. These judgements are summarised below:

• most judged that the 'overall quality of attainment' was good or very good
• almost all judged that they were good or very good at promoting 'expectations and achievement'
• most judged that they had good or very good arrangements for 'staff review and development', 'learning support', 'implementation of SEN and disability legislation' and the 'placement of pupils with SEN and disabilities'
• a majority judged that they had good or very good 'accommodation and facilities' although a few concluded that their accommodation was unsatisfactory
• almost all judged that the provision which they made overall to promote 'pupils' learning experiences' was good or very good; they reached the same conclusion in respect of the four other indicators ('climate and relationships', 'equality and fairness', 'personal and social development' and 'partnership with parents, the School Board and the community') which have been adopted over into the National Priorities framework.

Authorities and schools will be continuing to build up their expertise in self-evaluation and moderation of progress with the National Priorities over the period to the end of school session 2004/2005. Some self-evaluation in this report is therefore provisional at this stage. HMIE are undertaking independent and robust external evaluation of how well Scottish schools and education authorities are delivering the National Priorities in Education and their report will be published after the end of school session 2004/2005.

« Previous | Contents | Next »