1. education
2. school

Portlethen Parent Partnership
Meeting Minutes
VENUE:
Staff Room, Portlethen Primary School
TIME:
6.30pm
ATTENDEES:
Ian Bruce (Acting Chair), Debbie Mann (Vice Chair), Terri Taylor (Secretary), Leigh
McKenzie, Nicola Garrod, Lisa, Main, Claire Nitarangelo, Elaine Hope, Rhona Jarvie
(QIM Enhanced Provision), Marion Youngson (Q10: ASN (Enhanced Provision)) and
Councillor Alison Evison
DATE:
3 March 2015
Teaching staff: Jennifer Garnes, Sandra McKechnie, Morag Weston, Laura Watson,
Hannah Polson, Steph Moir and Kirsty Colligan
APOLOGIES:
1
Judy Mathieson and Nicola Brownie
DUE BY
NB
Next
Meeting
Actions carried forward from 3 February 2015
Nicola Brownie spoke about a scheme to reduce parking problems
that was used in a school that her sister who was the HT used. It
involved a photo being taken and sent to the local police. In turn
they issued a parking ticket/fine. Nicola to find out how this was
implemented.
2
ACTION
Matters arising:
Enhanced Provision
The meeting was visted by Rhona Jarvis and Marianne Youngson,
from Aberdeenshire Council who were in attendance to discuss
Enhanced Provision.
The background to identification of Enhanced provision was
provided detailing the following:




Page 1 of 7
An audit was conducted and it was established that there
was a need within PPS for Enhanced Provision to support the
pupils currently attending the school.
Currently, if you are a parent in Aberdeenshire and require
support then Support Services is contacted.
People are asked where they are going before they could
offer support. This practise was found to be unacceptable.
There are currently 17 ‘clusters’ across Aberdeenshire, also
Portlethen Parent Partnership
Meeting Minutes
ACTION









Page 2 of 7
incorporating 6 political areas.
There has been a new 9 area model developed, of which
Portlethen, Stonehaven and Laurencekirk are considered one
area.
This has been developed to try to ensure parental needs are
being met in the local school (presumption of
mainstreaming), however, if that proves to be difficult there
is the option of an enhanced provision centre within the area
for both primary and secondary. This is currently housed at
Newtonhill. The neighbouring cluster is Stonehaven and they
have never had an enhanced provision.
Needs have changed within the communities and there is a
high level of need in Portlethen area and in PPS.
It is proposed that Enhance Provision is relocated to PPS as
there is a higher need in PPS than in Newtonhill and other
support at Mill of Forest, but with support to all local schools.
The ideal situation is for students to be educated in their own
area with their family. Transporting students to other
locations is no longer deemed as best practise.
One of the aims of Enhance Provision is to try to make all
schools dyslexia and autism friendly.
To make these changes there needed to be a statutory
consultation. There were 9 statutory consultations, one of
which was in Portlethen and one in Mill of Forest.
Following the public consultation there will be a 30 day
consultation period, during which there is preparation carried
out before the proposals are presented to the Education and
Learning Committee who on approval would confirm a
timescale. The current proposed date is 28 May for
submission to the committee.
The summary proposal will provide details on all the schools,
how parents were consulted and where documents will be
available.
There will also be a public consultation event, normally held
in the evening, which will be chaired by either the Chair or
Vice Chair of the Education and Learning Committee where
engagement and views of young people will be captured.
There will also be an online survey so submissions can be
done online, at the public evening consultation, in writing to
Rhona or by email.
DUE BY
Portlethen Parent Partnership
Meeting Minutes
ACTION


From start to finish the process can be 6 – 9 months as the
Authorities need the support of Education Scotland. There
will be an inspector appointed to oversee the whole process
to ensure the process is being followed and engagement is
taking place.
At the public consultation there will be a short presentation
followed by Q&A. This will be carefully documented.
Everything will be collated and then a high level report will be
sent to Education Scotland. Education Scotland then have 3
weeks to respond with a reply report. The reply report will
then go to the Area Committee which can be commented on
and fed back to Education Scotland.
Further discussion points included:
Why the process has been so long when there are children who
require the assistance require it now?
The meeting was advised that the process must be followed, but in
the meantime there is awareness of the additional support, and
there have been physical improvements made to the environment.
A key part that has been worked on is the staffing model. As there is
to no longer be a unit or a base, it means enhanced levels of
expertise, training and support of skilled staff. There will be
appropriate levels of staffing. There is a need for flexibility with staff
as the model is slightly different in how staff are issued. PPS will
have a protected level of staffing and there will be flexible allocation
of staffing to the rest of the cluster. A process needs to be followed
to have this approved and a consultation must be carried out. There
is a need to ensure allocation of staff is fair, equitable and
transparent.
Phase 1 of the project has been 2014 – 2015 and Phase 2 will be
2015 – 2016. Consultation will commence from the end of August to
September, and this will be dependent on the dates the committee
meets. It is anticipated there will be a decision by the end of the
year and then commencement of implementation. In the meantime,
there is an allocation of Support for Learning teachers. If the need is
in PPS then the resourcing is at PPS. The difference in
recommendation is that the new staffing model has fixed staffing
which can’t touch but there will also be additional cluster allocation.
Newtonhill will be assessed to ensure they have the adequate
Page 3 of 7
DUE BY
Portlethen Parent Partnership
Meeting Minutes
ACTION
physical environment and allocation of staffing, however, there
maybe an option for some pupils to move, but this will be a parental
choice. There will not be a big influx of students.
There is an acute awareness of the growing school roll at PPS and
work will be in conjunction with PPS and Mill of Forest.
There was a query on school spaces available for children without
additional needs and the meeting was advised that Enhanced
Provision has a wide remit, there isn’t a ‘definition’ of special needs
education as this can be short term and capture needs such as
bereavement or separation of family. It is much more inclusive.
Does the school have an infrastructure?
The school will be worked with closely at every stage. If it has to be
phased then it will be and this will be assessed nearer the time.
Discussion took place on what is needed now in terms of funding for
equipment for the room that’s available.
Rhona and Marion were advised that there had been rejection of
monetary requests. They offered to meet with Mrs Garnes to try
and reassess. Requested that parents are included in consultation
when individual children are concerned.
Discussed identification and assessment.
New guidelines were launched in April 2014 so that there is more
consistency – addressing dyslexia toolkit. All schools should be
dyslexia friendly. You don’t need a label or diagnosis there is now a
strategy in place to address. This was introduced last August to the
toolkit.
The plan is to work within the current staffing in place and it is
hoped that there are existing teachers who could develop and be a
support that could work across the cluster. Targeting first and
foremost support for learning teachers. There are good staffing
levels within the existing levels of staffing but are being more
specific and precise. If PPS is enhanced provision there will be a
number put against it, this will mean there will be a minimum level
of staffing which will be protected.
So far there has been £875,000 of funding put towards physical
adaptations. Any parents with queries can come via PPP and we will
Page 4 of 7
DUE BY
Portlethen Parent Partnership
Meeting Minutes
ACTION
pass them on.
Vice Chair Role
Debbie Mann advised that she was finding it difficult to commit the
time to the role of Vice Chair and that she would like to resign from
the post but wished to still support the PPP. Ian Bruce asked to
discuss this with Debbie and that it would be reconvened for
discussion at the next meeting.
3
Treasurers Update
An update was provided, further details at the next meeting.
5
Headteacher Update
Mrs Garnes distributed the new edition of the school Newsletter and
highlighted that Donny Macleod, a H.M. Inspectorate Officer, would
be at the school on 10 March from 1.15 – 1.45pm to discuss the
rezoning. The proposed rezoning impacts the school significantly
and parents were encouraged to come along to and share their
views on the zoning.
Mrs Garnes distributed the new Anti-bullying policy for review.
It was noted that Quality Improvement visit produced a lot of
positive outcomes. Mrs Garnes wished to thank you everyone who
came along and spoke to the team. Reports can be obtained from
the school office.
Mrs Garnes advised that a cap of 445 pupils has been placed on the
school. There are currently 435 children on the role. This has impact
that if you are not in zone you will not get to come to the school and
if you are in zone there is a possibility your child might not get into
the school due to the capping numbers. This has been approved by
Area Committee and needs to be further approved by the Education
Committee.
Discussion took place on how the capping could be in place without
Page 5 of 7
DUE BY
Portlethen Parent Partnership
Meeting Minutes
ACTION
any consultation and no identification of criteria for attendance at
the school, to which there was no answer. It was noted that siblings
would be taken into consideration as it would be impractical to have
children at two different schools, but that it was not confirmed that
places would be offered.
What is currently unknown is the amount of parents who wish to
move their children to Hillside or Fishermoss schools. Children who
have registered with the school before 10 February should be
unaffected by the cap. It was noted that the capping paper only
takes into account the school buildings, not the huts and that the
cap doesn’t include the nursery children.
Mrs Garnes said that there is a lot of positivity in the school and that
a lot of people had been extremely generous in offering money to
assist in the furnishing of the enhanced room.
Easyfundraising has now been established and the funds raised will
go to PIP.
6
Pupil Council
Mrs McKechnie advised that there is huge involvement with the RGU
students for the Playground Improvement Project, currently there
are 5 working groups. A second meeting has taken place which was
very positive and exciting. The fourth and last meeting will be when
the 5 designs are presented to the parents, anticipated date of this is
22 April. We will then select the design we will aspire to which will
be subject to costing, fundraising and the ground being checked for
stability. The Local Authority are being kept fully informed and
Councillor Evison has been very supportive.
The school is organising a comic relief day. The day will be kept very
simple in consideration of parents donating money. Pupils will be
able to purchase red noses at £1 and do something funny with their
face or dress as they please for £1.
Project Update
9
Playground
PIP held a focus meeting which was well attended, was very positive
Page 6 of 7
DUE BY
Portlethen Parent Partnership
Meeting Minutes
ACTION
and people were keen to help out. It was noted that PIP is a
standalone project supported by both the PPP and the PSA.
Current events organised to raise funds are:
Dons Day Out on 4 April
Fundraising dance supported by the 5th Avenue Band at the
Aberdeen Altens Thistle Hotel on 18 April
£1 for PIP Friday Feast cake sale every Friday morning up to the end
of March. At the time of completing the minutes the total raised
from cake sales was in excess of £400.
It is anticipated that PIP will run a Nearly New Sale, date to yet be
determined.
A meeting has been arranged for 4 March to discuss with Alec Reid
from Fishermoss School on who they approached for grants and the
methodology in doing so.
It was noted that the P7s had raised money to donate to a charity
and have decided to half the money with the charity and PIP.
AOB
It was noted that we have one parent with a child in a wheelchair
who has on several occasions been unable to park in the disabled
parking bay. Parents were asked to give due consideration to the
use of these spaces.
It was noted that the school has received a request for the Lethan
10 Arms that parents do not use their car park when dropping off and
collecting children. The car park is a private car park and is for the
sole use of patrons using the establishment. Parents are asked to
respect this request and refrain from using the car park.
The meeting concluded at 8.10pm, the next meeting will take place
at 6.30pm in the staff room on 29 April 2015 (now amended to
Thursday 30 April) – all are welcome.
Page 7 of 7
DUE BY