Issue - meetings

(a)       That the report be noted;

(b)       That the Head of Development and Resources provides information to the Committee which detailed the longetivity of accommodation which was not classed as permanent.

The Housing and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Facilitator introduced the 2013/14 Mid Year Improvement Plan Monitoring Report relevant to the Committee for the period April to September 2013.  She provided background information and advised that the Improvement Plan Monitoring Report explained the progress being made towards delivery of the impacts set out in the Improvement Plan.  Members were asked to consider and comment on the Improvement Plan sub-priority reports on Modernised and High Performing Education, Places of Modernised Learning, and Apprenticeships and Training, which were appended to the report.

Councillor Dave Mackie referred to the suggestion made at the recent   meeting of the Community Profile and Partnerships Overview & Scrutiny Committee that a Members workshop be arranged to assist Members to scrutinise and comment effectively on the newly introduced improvement plan performance monitoring approach.  The Facilitator advised that it had been agreed that a workshop would be held for Members in the New Year to consider this task.

Councillor Ian Dunbar referred to the information contained in appendix two concerning changing demographics and the impact on supply of school places.  He commented on new residential developments in his Ward and the impact on capacity in local schools.  The Head of Development and Resources acknowledged the issues raised and advised that the Authority’s policy was to ensure that there was sufficient places for the local community that the school served.   

In response to the concerns raised by Members around the use of temporary accommodation, the Head of Development and Resources explained that there had been a sharp increase in the birth rate in certain areas and to meet the urgent needs of those communities temporary accommodation had been put in place.  He referred to the difficulty in some areas of replacing temporary with permanent accommodation due to cost and building restrictions on site but gave an assurance that the use of mobile classrooms was avoided wherever possible.  Responding to the further questions raised by Members concerning the cost of mobile classrooms he advised that the number of mobile classrooms in use had been reduced substantially and would continue to be replaced whenever possible under the capital programme and subject to available finance. 

The Head of Development and Resources also explained that the Authority was unable to expand on schools which attracted high demand for admissions at the expense of those schools which had surplus places.  Councillor Dave Mackie sought clarification on the schools admission policy and the Head of Development and Resources gave an outline of the current legislation.    

It was agreed that the Head of Development and Resources would provide information to the Committee which detailed the longetivity of accommodation which was not classed as permanent.

RESOLVED: 

(a)       That the report be noted;

(b)       That the Head of Development and Resources provides information to the Committee which detailed the longetivity of accommodation which was not classed as permanent.