The Council’s Education Committee (27 January 2015) received a presentation from Audit Scotland on its report into School Education, which was published in June 2014.
This national audit assessed how efficiently and effectively councils are using their resources to maximise pupil achievement in schools. It examined how much councils spend on education and what they spend it on, how effectively councils are driving forward improvements in pupil achievement; and how efficiently councils are using their resources to maximise pupil achievement.
The report highlighted that councils that have made the most improvements have focused on areas such as developing leadership skills, improving teacher quality, and improving systems for monitoring and tracking pupil data. The report:
• cited Dumfries and Galloway’s leadership development programme as a case study of good practice.
• placed Dumfries and Galloway in the top third of councils for sustained improvement over time, having improved in all 10 assessment categories over the last 10 years.
• noted Dumfries and Galloway’s robust performance information for pupils aged 3 to 15, which is reported to committee to assist elected members with their scrutiny role.
Councillor Jeff Leaver, chairman of the Education Committee, said, “I was very pleased with this report, which rated our Council as being in the top third for sustained improvement over time. I’d like to thank all of the staff, pupils and parents who have contributed towards this achievement. Of course, we mustn’t be complacent and must strive relentlessly to improve further. This will be a considerable challenge in view of the difficult decisions we must take when faced with considerable budget challenges. We must consider not just the amount we spend but how we spend it. Providing the best start in life for all our children is a key priority for our Council.”
