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NATIONAL PRIORITIES IN EDUCATION PERFORMANCE REPORT 2003: EDUCATION AUTHORITY INFORMATION

THE MORAY COUNCIL

This report summarises some of the key points set out in The Moray Council's Educational Services Departmental Development Plan 2002-2003 and its Education Services Performance Report 2000-2002.

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 Ken Edwards (01343 563 092;ken.edwards@moray.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

Procedures for establishing targets have been agreed with schools. The target setting is pupil-centred and informed by historical trends, FME comparisons and standardised testing data. PIPS and MidYIS are used to establish performance baselines at P1, P3, P5, P7 and S2. Pupil progress is tracked and monitored using the Phoenix Assessment Manager.

The authority has developed further its arrangements to support schools with assessment and reporting by appointing an Assessment and Reporting Officer.

A Support Officer has been appointed to assist schools in raising attainment in literacy and numeracy. The work of this officer includes modelling good practice and sharing professional experience through collaborative work in the classroom, producing exemplar materials and providing CPD opportunities in the teaching of reading, writing and maths problem solving for teachers and for classroom assistants.

Secondary schools were encouraged to review their arrangements in respect of, for example, the pace of learning in S1 and S2 and the degree of stimulus and challenge offered to higher attaining pupils.

The charts which follow provide information on the attainments in reading, writing and mathematics achieved by pupils in The Moray 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 The Moray Council, its comparator authorities and nationally at end June 2002.

The Moray 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 The Moray 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 The Moray Council, its comparator authorities and nationally at end June 2002.

The Moray 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 The Moray 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 94.5%. Nationally 92.6% did this and 95.3% of pupils did this in comparator authorities. The Moray Council has set a target that 96% of its pupils should achieve these levels of attainment by 2005. The equivalent national target is 94%.

Outcome 2 - Improved examination results

The SCHOLAR Programme is used in all of the authority's secondary schools. Arrangements have been put in place to secure access for pupils to Advanced Higher courses which are not supported by SCHOLAR. Access courses have been developed and are available in all secondaries. There are strong links with local colleges of Further Education. Progression routes for almost all pupils are in place.

A policy on the nature and purpose of S6 has been agreed and implemented.

Procedures for establishing targets have been agreed with schools. The target setting is pupil-centred. MidYIS is used to establish performance baselines in S2. Pupil progress is tracked and monitored in these contexts, to foster an ethos of expectation and achievement.

Schools evaluated the impact on learning of their study support programmes and to effect implied changes in these programmes. They were encouraged to develop links with other after and out of school learning activities.

The charts below provide information on the attainments in National Qualifications achieved by pupils in The Moray Council's secondary schools. They also provide information on the targets which the education 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 The Moray Council's secondary schools in National Qualifications (post-appeal) compared with attainment in comparator authorities and nationally.

The Moray 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 The Moray 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

A draft CPD portfolio was developed. A limited list of CPD providers was set up. The authority offers a wide range of training courses and other CPD opportunities to its staff; these are described in a web based CPD catalogue.

NOF ICT training for librarians and SEN staff was all but completed. Almost all teaching staff are now signed up to the programme. Subject guides on the use of ICT have been produced for all secondary subjects, language, numeracy, environmental studies, action planning and ICT.

MLPS refresher courses were run as were courses on literacy, numeracy, 5-14 science and 5-14 technology. Training was also offered on art and drama in the context of the 5-14 curriculum. This training was supported by regular visits to schools by the authority's Expressive Arts Visiting Specialist Teachers.

Further CPD opportunities included development of the SQH, a comprehensive programme for probationer teachers, CASE and Thinking Skills. Probationer teachers were further supported by the secondment of two part-time probationer support officers.

Outcome 2 - Increased self-discipline of pupils

An action plan was developed and implemented in respect of the implementation of the recommendations of Better Behaviour, Better Learning. Actions implemented included reviews of school discipline policies in the context of promoting positive behaviour initiatives.

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

Levels of attendance

The authority has set itself the targets of securing an average attendance of 96.1% for its primary school pupils at the end of session 2004/2005 and 91.6% for its secondary schools 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 17 days lost per 1000 pupils through exclusions in primary schools by the end of session 2004/2005 and 70 days lost per 1000 pupils through exclusions in secondary schools within the same timescale.

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

Quality management processes have been identified for all sectors and services within the educational service. The EFQM Excellence Model has been used to evaluate the authority's performance. Schools are visited regularly when discussions take place about target setting and performance.

Best Value reviews are undertaken as well as specific reviews grounded in COSLA standards. Areas reviewed included secondary school resource centres.

Arrangements for monitoring the authority's ICT provision, funded through a PFI scheme, were developed further to include a greater role for schools.

An Action Plan for the Development of an Asset Management Plan was developed. Improved access to financial management systems was arranged.

Arrangements for the allocation of support staff to schools were established in the context of A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century. New arrangements for the delivery of janitorial and caretaking services to schools were introduced.

The pupil:adult ratio in the education authority's primary schools is 11.8:1 currently. Moray has set itself the target of 14:1 by end of school session 2004/2005. The ratio nationally is 14.2:1.

The authority maintained an explicit commitment to securing Health Promoting School status for all its schools in a relatively short timescale. Beyond that general commitment the authority was engaged in a number of specific initiatives including an under-age drinking initiative and the implementation of the Moray Drug and Alcohol Action Team Plan.

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

The access which looked after children have to ICT has been enhanced, both in school and in their care settings, through purchase of laptops and an appropriate range of educational software. Teaching and other staff have received training in how to address the needs of looked after children.

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 27%. Nationally, the percentage of pupils was 29%. Moray Council has set a target of 90% by the end of session 2004/2005.

The average tariff score of the lowest attaining 20% of pupils in the authority's secondary schools is 69. The average tariff score of the lowest attaining 20% of pupils nationally is 58 and in Moray's comparator authorities it is 71. The Moray target by the end of 2004/2005 is 75.

10.4% of primary pupils are entitled to free school meals; 86.5% of these pupils actually take a school meal. 7.0% of secondary pupils are entitled to a free school meal with 66.8% of these pupils actually taking up their entitlement. Nationally, the uptake percentages for primary and secondary are 79.2% and 59.1% respectively.

A strategy has been produced to sustain the New Community Schools initiative in the Milnes Associated School Group (ASG); the strategy contains a report on lessons learned from the Milnes' pilot and their implications for future inter-agency working. The New Community School initiative was rolled out to the Forres ASG. Selected aspects of the approaches underpinning these initiatives are being rolled out on an authority-wide basis.

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

The Moray 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.

Pupils in Moray Council 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.

Revised policy advice was produced in respect of Support for Learning.

The authority's Inclusion and Support Service was reconfigured and refocused. The basis for the allocation of resources to support pupils with special educational needs was reviewed and audit-based arrangements were introduced. Area-based support capacity was extended into areas of the authority which had been serviced previously from centrally-based services. Specialist training was provided for staff on, for example, SPELL I and II for use with autistic children.

Of mainstream primary pupils with special educational needs in The Moray Council, 68.0% receive all of their education in a mainstream class. 2.8% of primary mainstream pupils with special educational needs in The Moray Council receive all of their education in a special unit attached to a mainstream school. For secondary, the figures are 24.0% and 7.4% respectively. Nationally the percentages for the primary sector are 83% and 3%; for secondary they are 73% and 4%. For its comparator authorities the percentages for the primary sector are 68.0% and 3.4%; for secondary they are 62.3% and 5.7%. The Moray Council has no special schools.

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

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

The authority received no requests for Gaelic medium education.

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).

The authority has set out a strategy for enabling and supporting the promotion of active citizenship in schools.

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

The authority has introduced a programme for training members of School Boards.

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

The authority's MLPS and science and technology 5-14 working groups completed their work. The uptake of thinking skills focused methods such as those employed in the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) Programme was encouraged.

An Arts Development Strategy and a Sports Development Strategy were developed. Access to ICT was developed further through the People's Network through the establishment of learning centre and learning point provision.

The authority's Community Learning Strategy was established and its implementation was begun. This included a review of the authority's Community Development Service; the recommendations of this review were implemented.

The authority has a strategy for the promotion of education for work and enterprise; this includes an explicit commitment to support the development of the Schools Enterprise Programme.

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

The Moray 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 32%.

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

The initiatives referred to throughout this report contribute generally to achievement in relation to this outcome.

QUALITY INDICATORS

The Moray 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' in their schools was good or very good and that they were good or very good at promoting 'expectations and achievement'
• almost all judged that they had good or very good arrangements for 'staff review and development', and that the 'climate and relationships' in their schools were good or very good while most judged that they had good or very good 'accommodation and facilities'
• almost all schools judged that their schools' arrangements for the promotion of 'equality and fairness' were good or very good
• most thought that their arrangements for 'learning support' were good or very good, almost all thought that their arrangements for the 'placement of pupils with SEN and disabilities' were good or very good and almost all thought that they were good or very good at the 'implementation of SEN and disability legislation'
• almost all judged that their arrangements for supporting the 'personal and social development' of young people were good or very good and that they also had good or very good 'partnership with parents, the School Board and the community'
• almost all judged that the overall quality of their 'pupils' learning experiences' was good or very good.

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.

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