n of Larkfield Primary and Springfield Primary (as a new school) within the Larkfield Primary School building; (b) relocation of King's Glen Primary School into surplus capacity within St Kenneth's Primary School building; (c) either amalgamation of Clune Park Primary School and Highholm Primary School within Highholm Primary School building or closure of Clune Park Primary School and transfer of the pupils to Highholm Primary School and Boglestone Primary School; and (d) amendment to the delineated areas of Moorfoot and Gourock Primary Schools and the building of a replacement school for Gourock Primary School on a site off Broomberry Drive, Gourock.

Following discussion, Councillor Robertson (Y) moved that the recommendations in the report by the Director of Education Services be approved and that the consultation exercise proceed immediately in terms of recommendation (i). As an amendment, Councillor Campbell moved (a) that the recommendations be not accepted and that the Director of Education Services be asked to examine and report on possible options for locating some primary schools in their associated secondary school and thereafter produce a fresh set of proposals and options for all schools; and (b) that the matter of the present paper be remitted to the Policy and Strategy Committee for a policy decision. On a vote, 3 Members voted for the amendment and 8 for the motion which was declared carried.

Those Members who had voted in favour of the amendment then requested in terms of the relevant Standing Order that the matter be referred to The Inverclyde Council for decision in terms of the amendment.

The Provost indicated her intention, in terms of Standing Order 11, to call a special meeting of The Inverclyde Council on Tuesday 21 January 1997 to consider this matter.

DECIDED:

(a) That the recommendations detailed in the report be approved and that the formal consultative documents appended to the report be issued immediately;

(b) That any revenue savings identified by the exercise be reinvested in the Education Services Department to secure the high level of service already provided and enhance the educational environment for teaching and learning;

(c) That funding be made available during 1997/98 independently of the Education Services Capital Programme to undertake necessary adaptation works to those primary and secondary schools affected by the re-provisioning exercise should this proceed; and

(d) That the report be referred to the Policy and Strategy Committee in order that the matter of future school re-provisioning savings might be considered further and with the recommendation that provision of £1,000,000 be included in the 1997/98 Capital Programme.

On the motion of the Convener, it was unanimously agreed that the meeting be adjourned at this juncture. The meeting re-convened at approximately 4.20 pm.

67.00

REVENUE BUDGET 1996/97

SUBMITTED: Report dated 9 January 1997 by the Director of Finance on the position of the Revenue Budget 1996/97 as at 6 December 1996.

DECIDED:

(a) That the report be noted; and

(b) That Departments continue to implement economies wherever possible.

68.00

CAPITAL PROGRAMME 1996/97 - FINANCIAL POSITION

SUBMITTED: Report dated 20 December 1996 by the Director of Finance on the financial position of the Capital Programme 1996/97. The report advised that once fees had been added to the lowest tender received for Phase 3 of the Port Glasgow High School Structural Rationalisation, the total cost of the project exceeded the sum available within the Capital Programme by approximately £71,000 and in order to comply with the decision of the Policy and Strategy Committee at its meeting on 6 August 1996 (para 685), the Director of Education Services had recommended that no legal commitment be entered into in respect of the Major Maintenance Health and Safety Project until the position regarding the 1997/98 Capital Programme is finalised.

DECIDED:

(a) That the financial position of the Capital Programme 1996/97 be noted; and

(b) That it be agreed that no legal commitment be entered into in respect of the Major Maintenance Health and Safety Project until the position regarding the 1997/98 Capital Programme is finalised.

69.00

CAPITAL PROGRAMME 1996/97 - TECHNICAL PROGRESS

SUBMITTED: Report dated 20 December 1996 by the Director of Property and Technical Services on the technical progress of the Capital Programme 1996/97.

NOTED

70.00

BLUEBIRD CENTRE , ST JOSEPH'S PRIMARY SCHOOL, GREENOCK -

WINDOW REPLACEMENT AND CONCRETE REPAIRS

SUBMITTED: Report dated 9 January 1997 by the Director of Property and Technical Services advising that tender documentation had been prepared for the window replacement and concrete repair works at the Bluebird Centre, St Joseph's Primary School, at an estimated cost of £100,000, which is in line with the allowance within the Capital Programme, and requesting that delegated powers be granted in the usual manner to accept the lowest tender received subject to this being no more than 10% greater than the budget estimate and the Director of Finance confirming that funding is available for the project.

DECIDED: That delegated authority be granted to the Director of Central Services in consultation with the Convener, Vice-Convener and a Member of the Minority Groups to accept the lowest tender received for the window replacement and concrete repairs to the Bluebird Centre, St Joseph's Primary School subject to this being no more than 10% greater than the final estimate and to the Director of Finance confirming that funding is available for the project.

71.00

PUPIL ATTAINMENT IN SCE EXAMINATIONS IN INVERCLYDE

SUBMITTED: Report dated 19 December 1996 by the Director of Education Services advising of the importance placed by his Department on pupil attainment in SCE examinations and outlining the processes and procedures which are followed to ensure that pupil attainment remains a high priority for all involved.

NOTED

72.00

SCHEME OF ARRANGEMENTS FOR SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS

SUBMITTED: Report dated 20 December 1996 by the Director of Education Services advising that as a consequence of the enactment of the Education (Scotland) Act 1996, a number of amendments required to be made to the scheme of arrangements for school board elections and seeking the Committee's approval of the revised scheme of arrangements set out in the appendix to the report.

DECIDED: That it be agreed to recommend to The Inverclyde Council the adoption of the revised scheme of arrangements for school board elections as detailed in the appendix to the report.

73.00

PRE-FIVE ADMISSIONS POLICY

SUBMITTED: Report dated 19 December 1996 by the Director of Education Services setting out a proposed scheme of consultation relative to a revised admissions policy for all pre-five establishments within Inverclyde.

DECIDED:

(a) That approval be given to the proposed scheme of consultation relative to the revised admissions policy for all pre-five establishments within Inverclyde; and

(b) That a report on the outcome of the consultations be submitted to the meeting of the Education Services Committee on 27 February 1997.

74.00

ST MUNGO'S PRIMARY SCHOOL, GREENOCK - PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIT FOR PRIMARY PUPILS WITH COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES

SUBMITTED: Report dated 19 December 1996 by the Director of Education Services on proposals for the establishment of a unit for primary aged pupils with communication difficulties, including autistic spectrum disorders, within St Mungo's Primary School, Greenock together with an estimate of the associated costs.

DECIDED:

(a) That the report be issued as a consultative document and made available to all interested parties with a view to written representations being received by 21 February 1997; and

(b) That the Director of Education Services prepare a report on the results of the consultative process for consideration at a future meeting of the Education Services Committee.

75.00

PROPOSALS TO ASSOCIATE SKELMORLIE PRIMARY SCHOOL WITH LARGS ACADEMY AND LANGBANK PRIMARY SCHOOL WITH PARK MAINS HIGH SCHOOL

SUBMITTED: Report dated 9 January 1997 by the Director of Education Services advising that following the decision of the Committee at its meeting on 10 October 1996 (Para 937) to make representations opposing the proposed association of Skelmorlie Primary School with Largs Academy rather than Greenock High School, The North Ayrshire Council had now taken its decision which was to associate Skelmorlie Primary School with Largs Academy and that there was no further action which The Inverclyde Council could take. The report also advised of a proposal received from The Renfrewshire Council that Langbank Primary School be associated with Park Mains High School, Erskine rather than Port Glasgow High School as at present and that following a consultative process, the matter would be considered by The Renfrewshire Council's Education Committee in late January 1997 where it was considered likely that the re-association to Park Mains High School would be approved.

DECIDED:

(a) That the decision made by The North Ayrshire Council that from August 1997, Skelmorlie Primary School be associated with Largs Academy rather than Greenock High School be noted;

(b) That the decision of The Renfrewshire Council to consult on the proposed association of Langbank Primary School with Park Mains High School, Erskine instead of Port Glasgow High School as at present and the response made by the Director of Education Services be noted; and

(c) That in the event that Renfrewshire Council do not agree to the association of Langbank Primary School with Park Mains High School, the Director of Education Services report this to the next meeting of the Committee.

76.00

GLENBURN SCHOOL, GREENOCK - SURPLUS LAND

SUBMITTED: Report by the Director of Education Services advising that a local resident whose property adjoins Glenburn School had expressed an interest in purchasing a piece of land which lies on the boundary of the school grounds and requesting the Committee to declare the land, which is not used by the school or the Department and is unlikely to be of any use in the future, surplus to requirements.

DECIDED: That approval be given to the Director of Education Services declaring the piece of ground lying on the boundary of the Glenburn School grounds and shown hatched on the map appended to the report, surplus to the requirements of his Department.

77.00

SEAT BELT LEGISLATION AND PUPIL TRANSPORT

SUBMITTED: Report by the Director of Education Services advising that as a consequence of the Roads Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendments) (No 2) Regulations 1996, new seat belt legislation had been introduced which has a direct effect on dedicated services for the provision of school transport for children by the authority. It was noted that the position adopted by the Director of Education Services in response to the legislation was to take no action since the age and design speed of vehicles currently used within Inverclyde for the provision of school transport on a dedicated basis meant that they were not affected by the legislation until February 1998 and all coaches after this date which meet the specified criteria would require to be fitted with lap belts should a dedicated service be required for the transportation of school children. This approach would allow all existing contracts to continue while meeting the legislative requirements up to February 1998 by which time the contractors operating dedicated services would be required to comply with the new seat belt legislation. DECIDED:

(a) That the legislative changes regarding the fitting of seat belts and their effect on dedicated services for the provision of school transport be noted; and

(b) That the position adopted by the Director of Education Services in response to the legislative changes be noted.

78.00

RESOLUTION: EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC AND PRESS

On the motion of the Convener it was agreed unanimously that in terms of Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the public and press be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the undernoted item of business on the grounds that consideration of the item involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 8 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Act.

79.00

SCHOOL TRANSPORT CONTRACTS 1997/98

SUBMITTED: Report by the Director of Education Services on estimates for school transport contracts for session 1997/98 and requesting approval to instruct Strathclyde Passenger Transport to proceed with the schedule for the renewal of the contracts.

DECIDED: That consideration be continued to the next meeting of the Committee.