Education Committee

Special meeting of the Education Committee earlier this afternoon and the Organisational Review was approved - not by us, I hasten to add.

There is just no way now that proper political scrutiny can be applied to what was agreed today - 4 of the 6 approved recommendations gave the green-light for outline structures 'in principle' and delegated authority to the Director to finalise further consultation and specific details of the posts/remits within those structures.

On top of that we had an Attainment Report that clearly flagged-up some worrying issues with a minority of schools - it too was agreed, not by us! - and yet the very support-services required to help that minority of schools improve their attainment levels were being cut-back in the earlier Organisational Review ...

... support-services like: a better integrated early years provision; Community Learning and Development services; services for vulnerable children through the Working Together programme; to mention but the obvious.

I think it all bodes very badly for the future - and our esteemed Convener boldly stated that:

"We will now be successful in driving up standards"

... one to remember, along with:

"We now have the budget under control"

We'll see.