Present
Gillian Boyle, Anne Forsyth, Michelle Hynes, Charlie Jamieson, Gerry Devenney, Marie-Claire Darroch, Mary O’Reilly, Callum Houston, Karen Kelly, Clare Bowes, Cllr Waters, Cllr Robertson, Cllr McCaskill, J. Taggart, C. James, J. Heraghty, A. Friel, R. Spooner, M, McAlpine
Apologies
Cllr Wallace, N. Salim, M. Moore, Cllr Fletcher, G. Bhatti, L. Garety, J. McLachlan
It was noted that P. Rogers had tendered her resignation from the Parent Council
Approval of the Minutes for the January PC Meeting
Proposed- C. Bowes
Seconded- J. Heraghty
Update on Transition
C. Jamieson explained that D. Leask had informed him that the tenders for the building work were in and were being scrutinised. He said that he did not yet know who the contractor would be and did not yet have a start date but that he had been advised that the start of the work would be imminent and that a perimeter fence for security was already being erected in the Robslee campus. He added that there would be two ways to access routes from OLM to Glenwood without having to cut through Robslee.
Cllr Waters said that a winning bid had been chosen and that the details were being finalised.
C. Jamieson said that he had brought up with D. Leask the issue of the masonry bees at Robslee. He added that he hoped to visit the Robslee building again after Easter, when he would know what money was still available.
A. Forsyth drew attention to the reduced time for the building work to be completed.
C. Houston asked whether the school had been consulted about awarding the contract. Cllr Waters replied that procurement laws prevented that and that three officers judged the contracts. C. Houston went on to note that the school , had not therefore seen what was in the contract since it was a Design and Build contract that went out to tender. Cllr Waters said that although it was a Design and Build contract, it had a very detailed specification.
K. Kelly asked whether the contract had been awarded to the lowest bidder. Cllr Waters replied that there was a price/ quality balance. Cllr Robertson added that each bid would be marked on certain criteria which would have been included in the specification.
C. Houston emphasised the need for good quality and said that the building material would be important. Cllr Waters said that samples of the proposed building materials were often included with the tender. The contractor is picked from a council list. He expected that the tenders would be less than the budget.
K. Kelly noted the two different aesthetics of the OLM and Robslee buildings and queried how a building material would be chosen to blend the two together. Cllr Waters replied that that was the role of D. Leask, who has responsibility for all of the school buildings.
Cllr Robertson said that the bids would be checked to ensure that they meet the specifications. C. Houston noted that contractors could find a way round this in the way they write their tenders. C. Jamieson said that the drawings of the architect had been available and so the tender should be in line with what was asked for.
Cllr Waters explained that he had not seen the winning contract or the full specification but he envisaged that the clerking of the work would have to be a daily or weekly exercise. He also stated that agency staff could be used to prevent slippage.
R. Spooner asked about the clerking of the work. Cllr Waters replied that the clerk would check in with C. Jamieson. R. Spooner also asked whether the text of the winning bid would be available to view. He was told that it would not.
G. Devenney asked whether, in the system of the preferred list, a contractor could be removed if they failed to provide work of a suitable standard. Cllr Waters replied that they could.
A. Friel asked whether the new building would be given a new name. C. Jamieson replied that it would not be given a separate name as such but that it would need to be identified in some way so that the 2 areas of the campus could be distinguished from one another.
A. Forsyth asked about how the project would be delivered on time. C. Houston asked if there was a contingency plan if the work was not finished in time for August. He noted that there were still building procedures that would have to completed before work can begin. Cllr Waters replied that the time scale would be finalised after the award of the contract has been completed but that there might still be snagging work that will need to be completed after August. G. Boyle asked for more specific detail about what the snagging period might entail. Cllr Waters said that he anticipated only small jobs needing to be completed and that the school would need to function round this work being finished. He added that if there is a delay and the tender is under budget, then there might be the finance available to get the project back on track.
C. Houston asked whether paying for acceleration would come out of the budget and whether that would be to the detriment of paying for other things. Cllr Waters explained that the way the capital budget works, any money not spent on the link corridor will go back into the pot and does not automatically refer to the school. However, a further decision at a political level could be made to allocate further funds if this was felt necessary / appropriate.
K. Kelly asked whether the contractor would be obliged to reinstate the landscaping as it is. Cllr Waters replied that some landscaping would probably be included. Cllr Robertson stated that if it was not included, the council would be able to do some landscaping work. He added that by the time of the last Parent Council meeting of the session in June, there would be a better idea of whether the project was on track.
Attainment, Monitoring and Reporting
C. Jamieson spoke about the strategies used in the school to maximise each child’s potential.
Primary staff liaise with the nurseries to help with transition and there is a transfer of levels from the nursery. The children receive a broad, general education until S4. The school receives summative assessments and reports from the nurseries and by the end of the first term in P1 the children are grouped by ability. A baseline assessment is also carried out to maximise potential and support given. The teachers work along the GIRFEC guidelines to meet individual needs. Lessons are planned on an eight-weekly cycle and then fine-tuned. Pupils are tracked from P1 to P7. Members of Senior Management Team sit down with teachers to assess, target-set and monitor progress. This is done using of the Curriculum for Excellence target language and targets are set within a timeframe. Standardised tests are also used to gain information. The overall target set for OLM is that all pupils should reach Secure Level 2 by the end of P7.
Standardised tests are carried out by East Renfrewshire Council at P3, 5 and 7. The maximum score is 130, the average is 100. The average for OLM pupils is 104 for boys and 105 for girls. The statistics are then analysed by ERC.
K. Kelly asked about the gender disparity. C. Jamieson replied that the boys tend to catch up by P7. He added that the results of these tests are taken alongside target-setting to get an overall picture.
C. Jamieson said that there were 1.5 teachers for Support for Learning but that additional staff were involved in it. P7 pupils are prepared for secondary by learning skills such as writing critical essays.
C. Houston asked about the average for OLM. C. Jamieson replied that the averages for individual year groups could be put onto the website.
R. Spooner asked about staff time allocated to support more able children. C. Jamieson replied that classroom teachers would give extension work and that there were extension maths and reading groups. There are also additional staff to help with writing in the upper school.
M. McAlpine brought up the matter of communication with parents, saying that it was sometimes difficult to understand the reports as the terminology used can be unclear. G. Boyle asked whether the information in the reports could be more detailed. C. Jamieson said that staff were already thinking about reports and that there could be more explanation of target levels.
J. Taggart suggested that there could be a place on the reports to indicate the effort of the children and how well they were doing within their capabilities.
R. Spooner asked whether the reports could be more specific rather than containing general information about the topics covered.
M. O’Reilly said that perhaps it could be more specific to the child in the way that the parents’ evenings were carried out.
K. Kelly asked about whether there were any initiatives to address the gender disparity in maths and literacy. C. Jamieson said that the disparity was most obvious in P1 but that it evens out by P7.
J. Heraghty said that it could be a difficult procedure to write reports that are too personal.
R.Spooner asked whether the experiences and outcomes were used. C. Jamieson replied that every lesson has success criteria and that peer assessment is used.
G. Devenney asked whether a comment on homework could be included on the report card.
G. Boyle said it might useful to indicate on reports whether the child is meeting the targets set for them specifically.
J. Taggart asked whether the parents of children not meeting their targets would be contacted. C. Jamieson said that he regularly meets with parents.
C. Houston asked what happens when children don’t reach the secure level by P7. C. Jamieson replied that those children continue on with the programme into secondary school. The school also receives feedback from St Ninian’s about destinations of pupils.
K. Kelly suggested that this information might be presented to year groups of parents. C. Jamieson said that it could be included in the Curriculum Evening.
Achievements and Successes
C. Jamieson said that the pupils were experiencing success and achieving in a variety of ways. He mentioned the Catholic Education Week, Pope Francis Faith Awards and World Book Day.
He indicated an article in the Catholic Observer about the school’s success in the Curriculum Impact Review on Religious Education.
Pupils had also participated in the Glasgow Music Festival.
Pupils will be performing a cantata in Eastwood Theatre.
Other successes were in badminton, cross country and the Burns Federation.
The school raised £2000 during Fairtrade week.
Athletes had visited the school to promote the Commonwealth Games.
M. Hynes asked whether it would be possible to recognise individual children who took part in team activities.
C. Jamieson said pupils were also chosen as Writer of the Week, or by being given house points or by having their work displayed. Some pupils would also be going forward to participate in the K’nex challenge in the St Ninian’s cluster, and some P7 pupils will be involved in the Maths Challenge.
G. Boyle congratulated the school netball team who had won the St Ninian’s cluster tournament for the first time.
Headteacher’s Report
A P1 Ladies Night had successfully taken place and it is hoped that this will become an annual event.
A St Patrick’s ceilidh had been organised by the PSA.
Representatives of the school will attend the ordination of Father Keenan, Bishop-Elect.Primary 6 pupils will perform the Easter Cantata on Wednesday 2nd April.
AOCB
A. Friel mentioned the work going on in Rouken Glen park to refurbish the swing park. Cllr Waters noted that it would be finished by summer.
Date of next meeting: Thursday 8th May
[Note: subsequently changed to 29th May due to scheduling conflicts]
