Braco School Parent Council Meeting

Tuesday 27th March 2018

6pm – Braco School

Attendance: Jo Speed (Chair), Dominic Edward (Secretary), Linda Dawson (Headteacher), Anna Black, Helena Carey,

Claire Crossley-Bell, Adrian Davidson, Julie Davies, Marianne Heron.

Apologies: Fiona Kerr (Treasurer)

1. Headteacher Report LD reported that the recent ‘Learning and Achievement Visit’ went well. The report is expected after the Easter break. The visitors observed all the classes and teachers. They were particularly impressed with the forest learning. The kids were brilliant, showing great knowledge about their learning and progress, which was a real help. The nursery was another particular strength at the school. LD asked if a parent council meeting could be set aside for discussing the ‘vision, values and aims’ for the school. LD thanked all parents who attended the playground tidy at the weekend. 2. Transformation of the School Estate The options appraisal following the consultation on the “Transformation of the School Estate” has been completed and approved at the latest meeting of Lifelong Learning Committee. Details can be found here: https://perth-and-kinross.cmis.uk.com/perth-and-kinross/Meetings/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/1701/Committee/15/Default.aspx A video recording of the meeting can be found here (see 1:31:59 to 1:35:50): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVG-pbWVMMg&feature=youtu.be The option accepted is to consider closing Greenloaning Primary and improve the suitability rating of the buildings at Braco. LD was pleased with the outcome for Braco, in particular that the appraisal appears to infer refurbishment of both the school and village hall. LD informed that there will likely be meetings with Perth and Kinross Council (PKC), first meeting staff and later a public meeting to discuss what will happen. LD thought it likely that the refurbishment of Braco would not start until the statutory consultation on the Greenloaning closure is completed. Refurbishment would likely take a considerable duration, perhaps an entire academic year, during which children would likely be taught at Greenloaning. To move all the school resources would be a significant undertaking, so it is expected this will not happen until considerable planning is completed. There were many questions raised in the meeting, such as:

• What can we expect to happen next and on what timescale?

• Will the refurbishment of Braco take place before the consultation on the closure of Greenloaning is completed?

• Will PKC be planning to refurbish the school and the village hall? If so, will some of the village hall refurbishment start before the refurbishment of the school (e.g. toilets)?

• What capacity of school is PKC planning to refurbish for?

• Is any other land being considered for development?

• Does PKC intend to maintain nursery provision at Braco?

• What will happen to the children during the refurbishment?

• If pupils are taught at Greenloaning during refurbishment works, will transport be provided?

• In the longer term, will transport be provided for children living in Greenloaning as there is no safe walking route to Braco?

Action point – JS will contact the council to ask if a representative can attend our next Parent Council meeting to answer our questions. If that is not possible, those questions will be put directly to the council. 3. Fundraising – Beetle Drive A Beetle Drive fundraiser, with raffle, was confirmed for 18th May. Other than booking the village hall and organising raffle prizes, it as felt that little needed to be done until nearer the term. The event will be advertised as bring our own refreshments, though tea and coffee will be made available. Most of the materials needed to run the event can be provided by the school, (e.g. dice, paper). LD was happy that the children could write some letters asking for raffle prizes early next term. JS will send emails to organisations that do not require a letter. Action Point – MH to arrange hall booking (now booked). Action Point – JS to look into sources for raffle prizes. 4. Fundraising – Easter Fayre LD reports that organisation for the Easter Fayre is well underway. Lots of books and toys have already been donated. Baking donations are requested. This will take place after the church service, from about 10:15am. Setting up will begin on Wednesday after school from 3pm. Stalls will be manned by P7, with the assistance of staff. Some parent helpers may be needed, but this can be arranged on the day. 5. Fundraising – Errol Mud Run LD informed parent council of a fundraising event being organised by Errol Primary School, a Mud Run, on Saturday 12th May. This has been advertised as a fundraiser in which other schools can raise money for themselves, with children being sponsored for completing the course. However, it was generally felt that the £10 entry fee per child combined with the distance to travel was off-putting. Nevertheless, this is perhaps the kind of event we could try to organise ourselves. Information is provided below for any parents who would be interested in attending this event.

6. AOCB JD informed us that she is now able to attend Tuesday meetings and would be happy to take on the role of Vice Chair. Everyone was in agreement. There was a discussion of how well attended Parent Council meetings are and if there was anything that could be done to improve this. It was noted that, for a small school, Parent Council attendance was actually better than average. AB suggested that we should try to make the very first Parent Council meeting of the year as open as possible to welcome new parents. LD confirmed that children are very welcome to come to the school during parent council meetings on the understanding that there is no organised supervision. Most of the parents attending the meeting had brought children with them and are grateful to be able to do this. DE suggested a mechanism for parents to be able to contact the Secretary anonymously with agenda items for discussion, as many parents may be afraid or lack the confidence to raise issues that they feel are important. LD was cautious of this suggestion, feeling that if parents have suggestions to make then they should be made in person. It was suggested that we could have a comments/suggestion board at the beetle drive, that could outline some of the work that Parent Council does. Following the recent inspection of the school, for which a positive outcome is expected, AD suggested that we should try to “blow our own trumpet”; making the wider area aware of what a great school we have here in Braco – for example having an advert in ‘Living Local’ or similar. HC noted that having an improved website would help to achieve this. LD will bring this to the attention of all teachers at the next planning meeting, though it was noted that this can be time consuming and the software to update the website is not user friendly. Action Point – the school would be happy to hear from any parents with IT skills who could help to improve the school website.

Meeting close 1915

Connect is a trading name of Scottish Parent Teacher Council Registered Company SC151086 and Scottish Charity SC019168

Invitation to our FREE session

North Inch Community Campus, Gowans Terrace, Perth PH1 5BF

Involving All Parents

Wednesday 2 May 2018 7pm-9pm

Refreshments from 6.45pm

Connect is the new name of Scottish Parent Teacher Council. All parents from local schools are

welcome to attend the session which is run in an informal, parent-friendly way with plenty of

opportunities for discussion and questions. It is a great chance to learn more about how to run

your group effectively and to meet other parents and swap ideas.

This session looks at the challenges parents and carers often face in engaging with their child’s

school and Parent Council and how your PC can help to overcome them and encourage more

involvement in learning and the school community.

We share lots of ideas for making your Parent Council more welcoming and how to recruit more

members, please register on https://connectinvolvingparents.eventbrite.com so we know you

are coming along.

To book your FREE place, go online to our Eventbrite page at

https://connectinvolvingparents.eventbrite.com or contact

training@connect.scot Tel: 0131 474 8022.

“It was good to hear from all

the other Parent Councils

and to let them know what

we are already going in our

school.”

“As a parent it gives me

confidence to help and

support the Parent Council

in other areas rather than

just attending meetings.”

“Very open and

interactive. Good

sharing of practical

examples,”

“Found it very informative

and gave me a much clearer

understanding of Parent

Councils. Gave me new ideas

to think about.”

Headteacher Development Day Bulletin

20 March 2018

Culture Perth and Kinross partners St Johnstone FC to kick-off campaign to get children reading Free football match tickets for children who read.

Culture Perth and Kinross has joined forces with St Johnstone FC, the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) Trust and Scottish Book Trust, to launch a unique project created to inspire children to read and visit libraries more regularly. Culture Perth and Kinross Libraries are included in the 200 Scottish libraries, working in partnership with 14 SPFL clubs, to deliver the 4-4-2

Reading Challenge which asks children aged 5-12 to read four books in exchange for match tickets. To take part, children will be issued with a reading “challenge card” from their local library for the participating football clubs, which will then be stamped each time a book has been read. When they have read four books, the child will receive a FREE match ticket for a home league match at McDiarmid Park, while an accompanying adult will be able to purchase a discounted ticket. Although this is a test project, more than one-third of the libraries in Scotland will be involved, across 11 of Scotland’s 32 Local Authorities. The project could be extended to cover the whole country if the initiative is a winner. Funding for the 4-4-2 Reading Challenge has been generously provided by the SPFL. In turn, the SPFL Trust and Scottish Book Trust have launched a partnership to deliver an initial three-month campaign. All public libraries within Perth and Kinross are participating. The promotion launched on Friday 9th March and stamps can be collected until 31st May for SPFL games which fall before the 31st October 2018. Further information can be obtained from local libraries or by visiting www.scottishbooktrust.com/442 Every Child A Library Member Culture Perth and Kinross are looking to support childhood literacy by promoting library membership for every child in Perth and Kinross through the Every Child a Library Member project. Reading for enjoyment has been clearly identified with better learning outcomes for children and the library service can provide lots of resources, encouragement, inspiration and stimulation for children and families. We have a range of resources to suit various ages and stages of reading and a programme of events and activities which augment reading for enjoyment. This large-scale targeted library membership campaign was first undertaken in 2016 when Culture Perth and Kinross Libraries registered 3,268 children in the Jan-Dec 2016 period. For comparison purposes children’s registration in the previous year was 1,972. We

recognise that much of this was down to the support of our partners, especially schools and nurseries. We are delighted we have the appropriate approval to work with schools again, particularly the nursery, P1 and P2 children on the ECALM project. You will receive information, leaflets and registration forms soon. Author and illustrator Debi Gliori has created some wonderful images for Culture Perth and Kinross that have been incorporated into the design of our leaflets. There are lots of fantastic reasons for library membership and we thank you for your continued support with this ambitious project. A key part of the project will be to try to ensure that every child who joins the library actually goes on to borrow resources and that whole families are encouraged to become library members and users. If you have any queries you can contact your local library or Amanda Pirie, Senior Officer, Communities, apirie@culturepk.org.uk , 01738 477043 Scottish Library Improvement Fund The School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF) is administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council on behalf of the Scottish Government. The new fund is aimed at innovative projects which support the school library sector and is available to all state run schools in Scotland. The successful applicants for SLIF 2017-18 have been announced and can be viewed here.

This year, the total fund available for SLIF is £450,000. There is no minimum or maximum amount for bids although all projects must be completed within twelve months. Applications for SLIF will open on the 16th of April and will close on the 14th of May. More information on this year's Fund will be available soon.

A key contact has been allocated for schools in every local authority area in Scotland. In Perth and Kinross, the key contact is Lesley Lennon (Education Support Officer). Every application must be co-ordinated with the key contact in your area before submission. Further information will be sent to schools about the submission of PKC applications before the Easter break. Scottish Library Improvement Strategy Survey To gather an overall baseline of library provision in Scotland, schools are asked to complete a short survey. It is vitally important for the development of the strategy that the results of the survey are as accurate as possible, so we ask that the questions are answered honestly and best reflect the current provision at your school. You can access the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9XLKD8Q or through our website, https://scottishlibraries.org/advice-guidance/school-library-surveys/ The survey is open from Monday 5 March to Saturday 31 March. You are able to edit your responses until the survey closes.

Please complete the survey for EACH school for which you hold responsibility.

Recruitment - Your Help is Needed! Perth & Kinross Council, like many other Councils, are experiencing challenges in recruiting teachers particularly in rural areas, to promoted posts, both fixed term and permanent roles, as well as in specific secondary subjects. This is a national issue and can directly impact on the attainment levels for our children and young people across Perth and Kinross. We need YOU! …. to help us attract the strongest pool of candidates possible for our vacancies. School management teams can make a significant contribution by:

Ensuring your school website is current, and as polished as possible, supported with photos, quotes from your school community, recent/forthcoming events etc to give prospective candidates a flavour of the school. Check links to documents, external website etc work and that your most recent school handbook is available online.

Some hard to fill vacancies are promoted through the Council’s social media forums. It is helpful if you also use school social media, particularly Twitter and Facebook, to promote vacancies in your school and extend their reach. Ask teachers within your schools to ‘like’ social media to further increase coverage of the vacancy.

Create a Linked In account if you don’t already have one, ensure it is kept up to date and where possible share vacancies to extend their reach.

Help us create a range of case studies, quotes, photographs of events to support working with PKC. Ask staff if they would be willing to write a few paragraphs – it could be what attracted them as a probationer to come to PKC and why they have/want to stay with us; promotional opportunities; support for teaching staff through the Learning Hub, for HTs etc. Could you build this as an activity into your next staff meeting, in service day?

The Council have also taken a number of proactive steps to strengthen our recruitment including:

Refreshed, creative advert text to promote PKC as an employer of choice.

Information on our recruitment portal, MyJobScotland, as well as our PKC webpage promoting Perth and Kinross as being renowned for its outstanding quality of life, exhilarating scenery, rich heritage and hospitality making it a fantastic place to live, work and visit.

For headteacher vacancies, schools are encouraged to make short films, produced by pupils, staff and parents, to attract potential candidates by showcasing the school and its community, as well as providing the school community with an opportunity to let candidates know what they are looking for in their headteacher. A link to the short film is included in the advert.

A specific teaching page has been developed on the ’careers’ area of our PKC webpage with key information as well as links to short films including clips to promote working and living in PKC as well as links to the ECS Learning Hub to showcase the support that is available to our teachers.

If you have any suggestions, material to support our recruitment of teaching staff or queries, please contact Pat Nicoll at PNicoll@pkc.gov.uk or ext 75435.

Teachers & Associated Professionals Pension Banding - 2018/2019 For all active members contributing into the Scottish Teachers Pension Scheme, please find detailed below the adjusted earnings bandings for the scheme year 18/19. Employee contribution percentage rates remain unchanged as they have been fixed for the period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2019. If you have more than one contract, you have a separate pension account for each. Each contract is assessed separately to determine the appropriate earnings banding.

Actual Pensionable Pay for the eligible employment for

2018/2019

Contribution Percentage

Rate

Up to and including £27,047 7.2%

£27,048 to £36,410

8.7%

£36,411 to £43,172 9.7%

£43,173 to £57,216 10.4%

£57,217 to £78,022 11.5%

£78,023 and above 11.9%

Recording of Trade Union Activities The Trade Union (Facility Time Publications Requirements) Regulations 2017 implemented the requirement, introduced by the Trade Union Act 2016, that each public body is required to report annually on paid time spent carrying out trade union duties and activities by employee trade union representatives. This is a statutory requirement and Perth & Kinross Council must comply with this request with a first reporting period of 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018. Human Resources have been in consultation with EIS regarding the importance of recording this information and further communications will be issued in due course to all Trade Union officials/representatives concerned in relation to obtaining the relevant data. In the future please encourage Trade Union reps to record all trade union activities and duties via My View. If any further information is required please do not hesitate to email agellatly@pkc.gov.uk

Integrated Schools Programme - Substance Misuse, Conflict and Homelessness Prevention workers within Housing and Community Care (Drugs and Alcohol) have developed sessions which can be delivered as part of a PSE programme aimed at S3 pupils based around issues of substance misuse, conflict and homelessness. Andy Murray and Gillian Dickson are keen to link with secondary schools to deliver lessons across Perth and Kinross. Two sessions are available for S3 pupils. The first is on Substance misuse and the second on Conflict and Homelessness. The delivery of the programme has been designed around the philosophy that, ‘’ PSHE Education begins where the young people are,” enabling sessions to be focussed around the prior knowledge and understanding of young people participating. The session is opened by asking pupils the question, What is substance abuse? Pupils then supported to participate in a relaxed art workshop creating imagery based around the question. This format enables all students to participate, helping those who do not perhaps feel as confident speaking out in a group setting to have their say. Gillian and Andy then collect in the finished artwork and facilitate a discussion around the images which are exhibited one by one back to the group. This style has proven to be a particularly effective way of engaging the young people and raising valuable discussions around the points that they themselves have generated through their artwork. Feedback from staff: ‘’ You were picking up from their level to begin with, there were no prior assumptions about where the might be or what their prior experience might be, or judgement’’ ‘’Rather than giving them a list of information, you give them the opportunity to tease things out themselves. That made them a collective’’ Demand for the sessions is likely to be high. Should you wish to arrange delivery within your school, please email AndyMurray@pkc.gov.uk or GDickson@pkc.gov.uk For information, the sessions currently being delivered in schools by Lindsay Grant will be finishing in April and Gillian and Andy’s work will be addressing any of the issues previously covered by Lindsay.

Early Learning and Childcare Expansion

A meeting has been arranged for centre leaders and headteachers of schools with nursery classes on Tuesday 17 April 1-4pm at the Christian Outreach Centre, Riggs Road, Perth to provide information about the expansion of early learning and childcare in Perth and Kinross. Attendance at this meeting should be booked either by phone:- 01738 472372 or by email:- earlyintervention@pkc.gov.uk

12th March 2018

Dear Sir/Madam

Saturday 12th May, 2018

We are delighted to let you know about the launch of a new event – Errol Mud Run - a muddy, obstacle course designed especially for children from age 3 upwards. This is our first year running the event, but we plan for this to become an annual event in the school calendar due to the availability of our own permanent Assault Course in the Grange, nr Errol, where the event will be hosted. We are so excited to be offering your pupils the chance to participate, and welcome everyone, of all abilities and fitness levels. Errol Primary School has undergone a large program of extension, and we are hoping to use the proceeds of this event to provide an exciting outdoor activity centre/classroom/adventure trail for our pupils. The cost of participation is only £10 per child (due to sponsorship from Scottish Assault Courses, Dundee), and we are busy ensuring that it will be a fun day out for the whole family, with other activities on site to entertain and nourish. As well as offering your pupils the chance to participate in this event, we would encourage you to use this opportunity to raise funds for your own school, for example, by asking pupils to obtain sponsorship to complete the course. All sponsorship proceeds would go to your school. We are happy to enclose an example sponsorship form that you should feel free to use, and which we can validate on the day upon completion of the course. Note that this is optional – there is no obligation for your pupils to obtain sponsorship in order to participate in the event. If you have any questions about the event, please feel free to get in touch using the details below. We would love to see you there! Yours sincerely Errol Mud Run team Errol Primary School Parent Council Email: errol.mudrun@outlook.com Website: https://www.pta-events.co.uk/eps/index.cfm?event+Shop#.WnSLx6pLHcu We are extremely grateful to all our sponsors:

Saturday 12th May, 2018 ________________________ is participating in the Errol Mud Run, and would love it if you would sponsor her/him to complete this event. The Mud Run is a fun, muddy obstacle course specially designed for children from age 3 upwards. Children of all ages are very welcome, regardless of their capabilities and fitness level; nursery-age children must be accompanied by an adult (who will go free). All proceeds of your sponsorship will go to ______________________ School.

NAME of SPONSOR ADDRESS of SPONSOR TEL. NO. AMOUNT OF

SPONSORSHIP PAID

Errol Mud Run team Errol Primary School Parent Council Email: errol.mudrun@outlook.com Website: https://www.pta-events.co.uk/eps/index.cfm?event+Shop#.WnSLx6pLHcu