Present Anne Forsyth,  Gillian Boyle, Charles Jamieson, Veronica Dowling, Cllr Ralph Robertson, Mary O’Reilly, Joe McLachlan, Roger Spooner, Brendan Docherty, Michelle Hynes, Gary Bhatti, Brian Hughes, Jackie Devlin, Peter Hessett, Judy Taggart, David Reilly, Cllr Jim Fletcher, Elaine Holland, Clare Haveron, Julie Neil, Cllr Gordon McCaskill.

 Apologies L. Garety, C. James, S. Jouannot, P. McConnell, S. Gallagher, J.P.Sheridan, M. Hickey, C. McCudden, A. Friel, Cllr Montague.

 Minutes proposed and Seconded Proposed- J. McLachlan, Seconded- J. Devlin

 Sub-groups
IT

J. Devlin spoke about changes to the school website and referred to a pupils’ page which is being constructed. It was noted that there had been some technical difficulties, but that it would be a useful source of information for parents. She thanked R. Spooner for his help.

G. Boyle mentioned the Communications sub-group in connection with this. She suggested that there should be liaison with C. Jamieson regarding the e-mail communication strategy and would look for input on improving the school handbook. It was also stated that there should be further discussion on how the school might use Facebook and Twitter and she acknowledged the improvements to the school website. C. Jamieson said that parents would need to be reminded to check e-mails as there had been some confusion over the recent non-uniform day. He noted that it is too expensive to text parents with every piece of information.

J. Devlin stated that office staff were being trained to put onto the school website any letter that is being sent out.

 Traffic
C.Jamieson referred to the cones that had been put out at the entrance road into the school and said that they had helped with the congestion, though more would still need to be done. He drew attention to the change in regulations regarding parking fines. Cllr Fletcher went on to explain that wardens would be empowered to book cars, which should improve the situation at the school. A. Forsyth asked whether schools would be a priority for the wardens, to which Cllr Fletcher replied that the school could ask the council to provide wardens at the school, but that parking was an issue at most schools.

 Merged Campus
It was explained that a list of requirements for the merged campus, arising from the sub-group meeting, had been sent to F. Morrison. A budget of one million pounds has since been allocated for the transition, with £600,000 in the first year and £400,000 in the second. A. Forsyth noted that a decision would now have to be made as to how that allocation should be spent, jointly between the Parent Council and the school management team. There was agreement that this should be considered carefully as being a long-term solution.

C. Jamieson said that it was important to consider what Robslee already has in terms of space and facilities and what type of link would be best, depending on whether one building or an annexe was preferable. The general feeling within the PC was that a physical link between the buildings would be more desirable, particularly in view of the anticipated high level of traffic between the two buildings. It was suggested that if there should be any money left over, some landscaping work would be desireable, with perhaps an outdoor classroom.

A. Forsyth indicated that only one of the links was a realistic option and C. Jamieson agreed, as only one option would allow full disabled access between the two buildings. This is the most expensive option and if it were to exceed the budget, then it would be necessary to take the matter back to the council. Cllr Fletcher indicated that extra money could be found if that were the case.

V. Dowling stated that all children needed to be able to access all parts of the school, especially in relation to the use of the two gym halls.

R. Spooner asked whether the classrooms have the best facilities and questioned whether the link would be the best way to spend the money. C. Jamieson replied that the Robslee classrooms have the same facilities as OLM, such as interactive whiteboards. He explained that they had been considering redesignating rooms, perhaps to create a library, a drama room or an extra IT suite. Cllr Fletcher noted that the money allocated for the transition was part of the council’s capital budget and would have to be spent on building work.

G. Boyle confirmed ERC’s view that the fully-enclosed link with the corridor and the lift would be the only option which would be approved by ERC’s consultees in the planning process such as the disability forum and C. Jamieson agreed it was the only accessible option. B. Hughes asked how much it would cost to maintain the link once it had been built. C. Jamieson replied that the maintenance would not come out of the school’s budget and that ERC would factor the cost into its overall cost per pupil.

J.McLachlan suggested that the fully-enclosed link would be essential to maintain the sense of community within the school.

G. Bhatti noted that the huts had posed the problem of pupils not being able to move between them and the main building unaccompanied and that this would be the case in the future if anything other than an enclosed link was chosen.

J. McLachlan raised the issue of the identity of the school and the need at some stage to no longer refer to the new building as Robslee. C. Jamieson said that he had been meeting with the head teacher of Giffnock Primary regarding such sensitive issues and Cllr Fletcher anticipated that when the transition has actually been completed, the focus will shift away from Robslee and to Giffnock Primary.

J. McLachlan asked when work would actually begin. C. Jamieson replied that it was hoped that some preliminary (preparatory) work might begin in the summer.  G. Boyle also noted ERC’s comments that it was likely the costings / specifications would take a few months to prepare/finalise and there would also be a tendering process based on the budget ultimately allocated. It was likely to be towards the end of the year before more comprehensive work would progress on the link itself.

M. Hynes asked whether the Parent Council would be in a position to agree on the proposed plans for a fully-enclosed link at this meeting. A vote was taken. 11 PC members were in favour of the enclosed link and there was one abstention.

G. Boyle concluded that there should be some form of communication with the wider parent forum on the whole issue of the merged campus, and in particular to explain why the enclosed link had been chosen.

 Update on the use of OLM as a Polling Station
Further to discussions in earlier PC meetings, an e-mail from Cllr Montague had been received stating that OLM will continue to be used as a polling station on the grounds that it has good access and good parking. The suggestion that the election days might be combined with staff In-Service days had not been accepted. It was indicated that an appeal could be made to the council to amend this decision in October and it was asked whether a formal appeal should be made. Cllr Fletcher indicated that there would be a review of polling stations in October and said that an appeal could be made but that in previous council discussions, OLM had been regarded as a particularly good building for use at elections.

P. Hessett asked why the election days could not be combined with staff In-Service days. Cllr Robertson replied that the returning officer had decided that it would not be appropriate to allow staff into the school on election days, but that that might change after the campuses merge.

J. Taggart asked whether it would be an option for staff to hold an In-Service day elsewhere on election days. C. Jamieson answered that it was more practical to have the In-Service days in the school.

A. Forsyth concluded that it would probably be worth putting the matter directly to the council again when the issue of polling stations was being reconsidered in October.

 Headteacher’s Report
Litter Initiative
C. Jamieson reported back on the recent litter-picking initiative which had involved J. Taggart, B. Docherty, J. Cassells and other ERC staff and pupils. It was noted that good ground had been covered, though J. Taggart expressed disappointment that there had not been greater adult involvement on the part of ERC. She also noted that there had since been a deterioration in the levels of litter around the school. C. Jamieson and B. Docherty stated that they did not believe that OLM pupils were causing the litter problem, especially as pupils do not have their snacks outside the school, and G. Bhatti mentioned the litter created through the weekend football, both in terms of plastic bottles and the discarded cable ties from putting on the nets. It was suggested that this issue should be brought up with J. Cassells. J. Taggart agreed to set up a meeting with him in the school. C. Jamieson said that the issue could be reinforced through the Eco Committee and that there was the possibility of more litter-picking in the summer term.

 Visit from the Religious Education Team
C. Jamieson reported back on the recent visit of two members of the team who observed lessons and spoke to staff, parents and pupils. He said that the visitors were overwhelmed by the Catholicity within the school and that they will highlight OLM as an example of good practice in their national report, to be shared with other schools. In particular, they were impressed with the school’s improvement plan and its self-evaluation procedures using Catholic resources. J. Devlin reiterated the fact that the pupils had really impressed the team members.

 C. Jamieson commended the P6 pupils for their participation in ‘Roll Back the Stone’, bringing faith into the wider community. He also noted the recent fund-raising within the school, with £5000 raised for Lepra and £400 for Women’s Aid through the Mothers’ Day sale. He also said that World Book Day had been a success within the school and that OLM had had several successes in the Glasgow Musical Festival.

 AOCB
M. Hynes referred to the issue of changing facilities within the school. C. Jamieson said that he and the Clerk of Works had had a walk round the building and that there would be the money available to adapt the two cloakrooms so that they could be used for changing. It was noted that timetables had been adjusted so that there was a rolling programme whereby two adjacent classes would be having PE side-by-side so that the  two classrooms could be used for changing, one for the boys and one for the girls.

V. Dowling underlined the fact that all pupils should bring the prescribed PE kit.

 M. O’Reilly drew attention to the fact that there was a problem at the P2 entrance in the morning, there being health and safety issues in the way the pupils crowd up against the door. C. Jamieson said this would be addressed.

G. Boyle thanked staff, and in particular B. Docherty, for their contribution to making ‘Roll Back the Stone’ a great success.

J. McLachlan, an East Renfrewshire representative for the National Parent Forum, had attended a meeting and reported that there had been discussion of the new National Assessments. C. Jamieson noted that OLM worked within the St Ninian’s cluster, and that a presentation on the new assessments could be arranged.

C. Jamieson stated that a sub-committee would be set up to work on improving the school handbook, though there are constraints regarding what must be included. Any changes to the handbook would have to be in place by December. It was suggested that this could be put on the agenda for a future PC meeting.

Academy Uniforms will be in the school on 17th June, where there will also be the unform re-sale. The school is keen to continue raising standards for uniform.

B. Hughes asked whether there had yet been any improvement in the system for paying for school meals. C. Jamieson replied that there was still work being done to improve it and that parents were being texted to remind them to top up their children’s lunch accounts. It was also noted that parents can choose to block their children’s accounts for use at the tuck shop.

 Date of next meeting: Thursday 25th April