| PRESIDENT’S
REPORT: 10 MARCH 2000 PRESENTED
AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE/AGM:
STAKIS STRATHCLYDE, BELLSHILL
My year as President started on a very positive
note. Michael O'Neill's keynote speech at last year's Conference was inspirational.
Numbers attending the Conference had increased. Membership was growing. Even the
educational press seemed to be recognising the essential role of Advisers in the
continuing development of education in Scotland. The creation of a Scottish
Parliament in July 1999 and the publication of "Improving Our Schools" - the
consultation on the Improvement in Scottish Education Bill - confirmed the key role of
local authorities in providing education and managing schools. A principle which is
welcomed by the AEAS and a further confirmation of the vital role of educational support
services.
It is now four years since local government
re-organisation and the roles and structures of educational services across the country
are still evolving. The lines of demarcation between Advisers and Directorate are
often bluffed. We support teachers and schools in implementing developments and then
we monitor and evaluate their progress in this process. Effective support for
schools and teachers should involve a pastoral dimension and this has become increasingly
difficult to sustain with the growing range of functions currently expected of central
support services. However on the positive side a number of new posts have been
created as a consequence of initiatives such as Early Intervention, Alternatives To
Exclusion and Target Setting and this has to be welcomed . The Excellence Fund has
also allowed local authorities to provide support for specific aspects of the
curriculum. I look with interest at recent trends in Local Authority Organisation.
Education, Housing, Social Work, all being brought into one department. I wonder
what the future structure will be for Advisers in this Brave New Downsized World!
The times seem to be a' changing once again. New local authority management
structures, new curriculum guidelines and a review of teachers' pay and conditions.
For an organisation that is used to change and uncertainty this is not new. However I am
sure that I am not alone in wishing for some stability to allow the developments of recent
years to settle in.
Returning to that positive note, my year as
President has been very enjoyable. That has been very much due to the support and
encouragement I have received from the Executive Committee. I want to thank them for
attending so many meetings while juggling a multitude of tasks. I would also thank
them for the lively hours of discussion over a range of matters not the least of which has
been this Conference.
You will recall that at last year's Conference
Deirdre McVean, our Conference Organiser, indicated that she was stepping down from this
post. We were very sorry to see Deirdre go as I know you will agree with me that she
has done a wonderful job over the years often in very difficult circumstances. To
confirm her super human effort it has taken a Conference Committee of four to replace
her. That gang of four met over the course of the year to put together this year's
conference programme. I would like to thank Ann-Marie Stewart, Janey Mauchline and
Roderick MacKenzie for their hard work and good humour in putting this conference
programme together. From the various expressions of interest I have heard it
promises to go down very well. My sincere thanks also to Deirdre for yet again
carrying out the considerable range of administrative tasks involved in ensuring the
Conference runs smoothly. The Organising Committee are indebted to her for her
advice and hard work.
My first task as President was to attend the annual
NAEIAC Conference in the Holiday Inn, Nelson Dock, London in September 1999. It was
in the middle of a heat wave and even the themes of Improving School Effectiveness,
Improving Standards in Literacy and Numeracy, Tackling Failing Schools and The Future of
Local Authorities seemed less daunting in the glorious sunshine. I was particularly
interested in a workshop session entitled "Training Advisers to Tackle School
Failure". I wonder if we could be asked to run such a workshop at a future
Conference? However, the informal discussions which take place at conferences often
prove to be as valuable as the formal sessions. In talking with colleagues it was
clear that the concerns and issues are very similar. It is the approaches to
addressing these issues that are different. I want to take this opportunity to thank
NAEIAC for the kind invitation and for their hospitality when I was in London. I
look forward to Eric Blaire attending our Conference 2000.
Higher Still at last got off the starting blocks in
August 1999. The development has not been without its problems. I am pleased
that the Development Unit has met with members of the AEAS Executive over the years to
discuss ways of supporting local authorities take forward implementation. Advisers
and teaching staff have worked hard to ensure the new courses were up and running in
August and the good range of courses and levels currently being delivered in our schools
is evidence of that commitment. NABs, internal assessment and re-assessment are now
common terminology for S5/6 students. However, I believe that the HSDU have done a
good job in supporting this development by being receptive to the needs of teachers and
local authorities. Our meetings with Mary Pirie were valuable and did assist
authorities in managing local implementation. I would hope that our dialogue with
HSDU will continue to the end of the Development Programme.
Another successful venture has been the setting up
of The Inter-Authority Higher Still Collaborative Network. The Network aims to
complement the work being carried out by the HSDU in producing support materials by
co-ordinating developments at local level. It should be possible in the future to
extend the role of the Network to include support for other areas of the curriculum.
Advisers have an important role to play in taking this development forward to ensure the
sharing of good practice.
1999 certainly was the year of consultations.
The Executive Committee has tried very hard to respond to these consultation documents as
best we could. In advance of finalising the Improvement in Scotland Education Bill,
the Government issued a consultation document called "Improving Our
Schools". In responding to that document the AEAS welcomed the government's
objective of continuous improvement; it's commitment to a partnership approach; and the
recognition of the prime role of local authorities in the management of schools and the
provision of education.
The statements that the "Scottish Executive
does not intend to create centralised structures to direct school education" and that
"only schools themselves can take responsibility for their own improvement" we
felt provided a helpful context within which future developments could take place. We
certainly welcomed the acknowledgement that "continuous improvement is not promoted
by a constant stream of initiatives..." However we would wish to see local
improvement objectives focusing on achievement rather than just attainment and on a
broader view of education than the current focus on literacy and numeracy.
Further consultations followed - Structure and
Balance of the 5-14 Curriculum, 5-14 Modem Languages, 5-14 Environmental Studies, 5-14
ICT, Review of Assessment 5-14. The purpose of the 5-14 consultations has been to
"clarify" and "simplify". I am sure you will have your view as
to whether that aim has been achieved. There is certainly a lot of support required
in terms of staff development and resource development to ensure these revised guidelines
are successfully implemented. When we add Scottish Culture and the Curriculum of
Scotland, Education for Citizenship, Education For Financial Capability New Community
Schools and Individual Learning Plans there is enough to keep an army of Advisers busy
supporting schools for at least ten years. What was it that someone said about
limiting development priorities and initiatives??
Early in the life of the current Executive Committee
our secretary, Janey Mauchline, contacted a range of national organisations to remind them
of our existence and of our wish to be an active voice in current educational debate and
developments. The Scottish CCC responded positively to that offer and has invited
the Committee to meet with members of their senior management team to discuss ways of
co-operation and collaboration. I hope this will prove to be a fruitful
association. I also hope we will re-establish our annual meeting with ADES. Again
this provides a valuable forum for influencing educational provision and
development. We also look forward to building links with the Scottish Executive to
establish a true partnership to take forward and support continuing improvement in
Scottish education.
I have said enough for now. There are plenty
of challenges awaiting our new President and Office Bearers and I extend my best wishes to
them for the year ahead. Thank you for all your support not only at this conference
but throughout the coming year.
Jan Ward
President AEAS |
