ISLAY HIGH SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING

25th October 2017

  1. PRESENT: Stephen Harrison, Ailsa Hayes, Sheila Scott, Sarah McMillan, Katherine Urquhart.

Janice Carmichael(secretary)

APOLOGIES:Mairi MacArthur

  1. Minutes of previous meeting

All read - SH spoke to staff about mobile phone use and none of them have any issues with students using them inappropriately. Underage drinking is still a serious problem. MAYDS are coming back into school to work with smaller groups of 3rd and 4th year. No date confirmed yet.

Minutes proposed by AH, seconded by SS

  1. School report

SQA results 2017 – passed out to everyone and discussed (attached to minutes)

  • School role and attendance is good. Exclusions – 2.
  • ASN support needed is high but the school is not getting the hours required due to financial cuts. 90 hours for SEN, 58 pupils with needs but the majority do not require 1:1 support. 17 are on the autistic spectrum and 6 have moderate learning needs.
  • Only a small number of students are claiming free school meals. Parent Council/school will try and promote this at time of student induction.
  • SIMD (Scottish index multiple deprivation) – results are based on postcodes.
  • Qualifications – Highers are slightly lower than last year but 15/16 was particularly high. Nat 5 match Authority average. Nat 3,4, have no exam so 100% pass mark. 2 subjects did not do well. 1 was Art (possible disruption to students due to staffing)
  • Skills for work courses – Childcare, Rural Skills, Cosmetology
  • YASS – Open University – 2 students doing courses.
  • Wider achievement – Duke of Edinburgh, John Muir, Work experience, Saltire Awards
  • Teacher professional judgement (above authority average)
  • Nat 4/5 outcomes – good results

Mid Term reports – SMcM asked why the target grades on the estimates were lower than the student expected. Why not aim high? Surely target grades should be high so that students are aiming to do their best.

Parents Evening on 8th Nov – SS asked if this is a subject parents evening? A letter is going out this week to confirm the parents evening. SS asked if it can go on the website under documents as well as being under community.

Authority Review

Review Team have given feedback to SMT. A report will be out in 4 – 6 weeks. The review team were in school Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – they met with SMT, students, staff and focus groups. Classroom observations went well – the school values are visible, school ethos is very good, and behaviour is very good. The support team were very sensitive to needs of all students. Assertive discipline is working well. They felt there was a lack of Formative assessment – students should know what they are learning on that day.

When the feedback was given to staff, they felt that the time in the school was only a snapshot of what goes on in a school week and Wednesday is not the best day for them to follow a student round the school as the afternoon is prep time. The team had concerns about the prep time as the S6 student they were following only had 2 periods of a class that whole day. One of the review team is the DHT of Hermitage Academy and they had a similar system which was changed. However, Stephen thinks this time is valuable but will discuss this with students and staff.

The feedback from the time with Focus Groups was that the school need to consult parents on the vision, value and aims. The parent council explained to them that it is very difficult to get parents involved and they have tried at recent 1st year inductions parents evening.

Recommendations can be given to the school and SH can negotiate the wording if evidence to show otherwise on findings. The parent council can share the document with parents.

SH feels it is very difficult for schools as they are expected to improve every year despiteconstant cuts to education.

School Improvement plan – document handed out and discussed (attached to minutes)

  • This still needs to go out to parents. SH will do this soon.
  • Literacy and numeracy – across the curriculum.
  • HNIOS (how nurturing is our school)
  • Support/opportunities – could the school do better? Sometimes missed opportunities with placements, saltire, apprenticeships that the school don’t use. The school need to involve the community more and be more parent led, not just school led.
  • S6 support is focussed on their destination but could be done earlier for some.

SS – Careers advice should be given earlier in school. SH confirmed that World of work and Focus Point website are used in school by students. KU feels there is not enough support for the students that are not going to University or Further Education. The students that are unsure of what they want to do are not priority. Why not have past students in talking to other students and giving them advice and information on ‘where they are now’

SH advised us that the Careers Advisor has an open-door policy.

  1. Any other business
  • School Photos – JC asked about the students getting school photos. Ben Shakespeare has recently done the Primary Schools and they are lovely photos. Would be nice to have a class photo of High School students. All agreed we can ask Ben. JC will do this.
  • Fourteen Funding – trailer has been purchased. SH has paid for this so will need to be paid back by PC when the signatories on bank account are sorted.
  • Building work – Architect was in this week. No costings were given so hopefully money will be transferred next financial year. If not, we will need to rush the works. Open up library and Tech room to combine and make a social area/class area.
  • Work to be done for Vocational Shed out back for engineering and boat building
  • Funding for Recording studio going well
  • Nurture room has been done up for students needing time out/relaxing (good for mental health)
  • Music rooms have been painted
  1. Date of next meeting – 18th January at 5.30pm