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1 To: Education Committee

NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

From: Director of Education

Ref MON/DS/AM

Date: 27th July, 2000

Subject: Education Resource Service - Standards & Quality Report

Purpose and Content

To provide members of the education committee with information relevant to the progress of the education department’s Education Resource Service.

Recommendations

The education committee is asked:

(i) To note the contents of this report.

h

Members wishing further information should contact Michael O’Neill, Director of Education on Tel: 01236 812336 or, Dan Sweeney, Head of Quality 8z Support Services on Tel: 01236 812291

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North Lanarkshire Council - Education Department

Education Resource Service - Standards & Quality report

Report by Director

1. Introduction

1.1 As indicated in previous committee papers of February 1996 and November 1998, the provision, maintenance and development of a central library support service, named the Education Resource Service (ERS), is an integral feature of the education department’s central support services to schools.

1.2 ERS services are available to all staff and pupils involved with the education department in North Lanarkshire and indirectly to parents, and for reference to other users including private partner nurseries and other council departments.

1.3 The main areas of ERS provisions are:

0 Advice and consultancy services 0 Direct support to schools

Central resource lending 0 Staff development

1.4 The quality of North Lanarkshire Council’s ERS has been recognised through its Chartermark award, the first received by an ERS in Scotland.

2. Audit & Reporting

2.1 Each year the ERS undertakes an audit and review of the service it provides, using the broad framework provided by SEED’S ‘How good is our school?’, and reports its findings in a Standards and Quality report.

2.2 A copy of the ERS Standards and Quality report for 1999/2000 is attached as an appendix to this report.

3. Recommendation

3.1 The education committee is asked:

(i) to note the contents of this report.

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NORTH ......... _._

COUNCIL

.............. ._ ...........................

LANARKSH ~ ~

Education Resource Service

Standards 8( Quality Report

Awarded for excellence

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Nationally 1999/2000 has been highly significant. In June 1999, The COSLA Standards for School Library Services in Scotland: A Framework for Development was published. In the autumn,Taking a closer look at the school library resource centre' was published by the Audit Unit and Scottish CCC as a supplement to How good is

* our school?

Locally also 1999/2000 has been an eventful year for the ERS, due in the main to the application,assessment and award of Charter Mark in February 2000.The ERS is the first school library service in Scotland to achieve such an accolade. Charter Mark and Best Value place a heavy emphasis on customer care and openness. The ERS has attempted in 1999/2000 to improve communications with users through consultation over alternative resource provision, resource-specific evaluation forms and an annual user satisfaction survey to all educational establishments

@

@ @

0 @

'Staff go out of their way to be as supportive and helpful as they can' (Primary sector) 'Pre-5 topic boxes are "hand-picked" to meet our needs' (Early Years sector) The van service is 'an efficient service given with a personal touch' (Primary Sector) 'Excellent in-service provision' (Secondary sector) 'ERS i s one department which can be relied upon' (Pre-5 sector)

( Curriculum )

Key strengths:

@ Resource progression in topic boxesfrom pre-5 to 5-1 4 is already established and providing challenge and advancement for pupils in the development of their skills in reading for information. The review of pre-five to infant levels (Primary 1-3) is complete

c

@

Points for future action:

,@ Progression will be reviewed for further stages starting with infant to junior levels (Primary 1-3 to Primary 4-6) in 2000/2001

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Key strengths:

@

@

Early Intervention Team Librarian 0.5 appointment has been made (July 1999) Collaborartive working with Early Intervention staff has been established.

Points for future action:

f@ Guidelines for setting up and maintaining infant libraries in schools will be developed in 2000/2001.

Learning and Teaching ]

Key strengths:

@I

@ @

5-14 attainment outcomes are now included in 5-14 topic boxes and in artefacts cu rri cu I u m co I I ect i on s. Non-book materials in pre-five and 5-1 4 topic boxes have been increased. Artefacts curriculum collections have been augmented. 'World of Learning ... Wealth of Information' open days and exhibition were held on 1 s t and 2nd September. Links with Motherwell College, nursery nurse students and tutors are well established.

@

Points for future action:

5-14 topic box collections will be augmented to include more professional development materials for teachers up to a maximum of 3 items per box beginning in 2000/2001. Direct support service to schools will be reviewed and developed through consultation with parents and parent helpers in 2000/2001. Best value indicators will be established for the direct support service to schools Appropriate means of promoting ERS services to users will be investigated.

Key strengths:

@ Resource provision in the Support for Learning collection concentrating on Gaelic, bilingual and foreign language materials has been increased and improved. Reading materials and advice has been provided to summer schools. Author visits to primary schools have been provided to promoted fiction reading, reading for enjoyment and the importance of school libraries in the development of literacy skills

@ ,@ 1.

Points for future action:

@ Pupils with special educational needs and their parents will be consulted on materials which constitute the Support for Learning collection

Ethos

Key strengths:

,@ A service charter poster has been distributed widely to all educational

A user satisfaction survey i s now sent annually to a l l educational

hip with Community Resources in the Community Services been established through project development. ration with the Quality Development Service has been

f ERS resources and services has been produced and is

uccessfu I t y established.

stributed to all educational establishments. <

- Points for future action: Collaboration with Community Resources will continue. Specific problems highlighted in the user satisfaction survey will be followed UP.

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Key strengths:

@ Provision of resources for Pre-5 has been reviewed and augmented by the increase of professional development and non-book materials within topic box collections. A pilot in 2 primary schools of the new primary library database has been successfu I . The level of unfulfilled requests for resources has remained low for a second year. Evaluation forms returned from users show a high level of satisfaction with resource provision.

I'@

@

@

Points for future action: @ Best value indicators will be established for the resources provision to pre-

5.

@ The new primary library database will be extended to interested primary and special schools.

Key strengths: Charter Mark Award in February 2000 An 'Authority policy on central library support services - Education Resource Service' has been produced as the authority's response to the publication of the 'COSLA Standards for school library services in Scot1and:A framework for developing services'. The ERS has participated in the Education Department's successful application for 'Investor in people'. Processes for staff development are well established. Following staff development, school librarians have been encouraged to submit annual development plans. In-service on school library organisation and resources has been provided to classroom assistants. The production of ADES display boards involving the Education Department's graphic artists has been successfully completed during the Director of Education's tenure as chairperson for the association.

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Points for future action:

0 @I 0 0

Users will be consulted on ERS standards and quality Standards and Quality reporting will include year-on-year trends The COSLA standards and the authority policy on the ERS will be promoted The ERS will support and encourage schools in the implementation of the

Library Resource Centre'

newly appointed classroom assistants.

, qualitative performance indicators in 'Taking a closer look at the School

There will be continuing staff development and in-service for existing and 1 0

Key strengths:

,@ To celebrate the National Year of Reading and World Book Day, a Big Book Week was held from 19th-24th April 1999, culminating in a Big Book Shop at the Civic Centre, Motherwell. A total of approximately 1830 pupils from 44 schools were involved in centrally-organised events. The event was also included in 'Spotlight on Success 1999'. Through Excellence funding a Family Literacy Project to encourage story telling by parents for their children, particularly using storysacks, has been successfully piloted in 8 primary schools involving staff, parents and pupils in each as well as the wider community. ERS has also supported Raising Achievement For All by mounting displays and exhibitions Senior staff a t the ERS are involved in national initiatives including membership of the heads of service working group looking into hard or quantitative performance indicators for school library resource centres (Principal Librarian) and appointment as a New Opportunities Fund ICT training assessor (Senior Team Librarian).

@

@

< Evidence )

Management Plan 1999/2000 and previous years @I Development Plan 1999/2002 and previous years

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Annual Statist ics 1997/1998,1998/1999 and 1999/2000 User Satisfaction Survey 1998/99 (random sample) and 1999/2000 Charter Mark Application, June 1999 Charter Mark Feedback Report, December 1999 Good practice files (School Library Resource Centres) Evaluation forms (Open Days, Big Book Week, Resources) Education Resource Service poster, January 2000

ERS Catalogue of Resources, March 2000

1999/2000 has been the third year of the production of a comprehensive annual statistical analysis of ERS service provision in order to gauge trends and to be more responsive to user needs.

Outlined below are the 10 main indicators, which we believe clearly show how you are making use of the service and how we are performing against this. We hope your agree with us, however, we want you to tell us your opinion.

@ Do you feel the 10 main indicators are appropriate? If not, why not?

@ Would you like to see some removed? Do you have others you would like to see included?

You can contact a member of the ERS on 01 236 434377. We’ll be happy to

Description Total

isten

1 Requests for resources 601 0 success rate 97.9%

2 Pre-5 topic box requests 424 success rate 95.6%

3 5-14 topic box requests 131 1 success rate 95.6%

4 Support for Learning requests success rate 99.8%

5 Establishment use (275) usage rate 85%

1900

234

6 Borrower satisfaction (2905 evaluation forms issued) 934 a

satisfaction rate 97.7%

7 Enquiries success rate 89.5%

Enquiries dealt with promptly (244 user surveys) success rate 7 00%

8

9 Van runs - number of properties visited average per day 22.6

21 7

116

263 1

10 Number of ERS Iibrarians’visits to education establishments 284

General Information

primaries borrow 5-1 4 topic boxes

Support for Learning resource issues have increased 728% in the last 3 years

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. .

General Issues

. .

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

. . . . .

. . . . .

1997/1998 1998/1999 1999/2000

uestisns Answered

We wanted an extension of the loan periods on some of the resources we had borrowed, but the van driver couldn’t help us, why?

The van driver is not authorised to issue, return or extend the loan period. lfyou contact the ERS, a staff member will be happy to deal with your request.

I got some of the 5-1 4 topic boxes I requested, but not all, why? The ERS operates the issuing ofitems on a f irst come, first served busis. We think it’s the fairest way. It does mean however thatyou may not get everything you want, when you want it. No matter how early you request an item, there’s a chance that someone has requested it even earlier.

I requested a 5-1 4 topic box, but got another resource instead, why? The ERS has a policy of trying to meet all requests where possible. We feel it‘s better for you to get something than nothing at all. If we cannot give you the resource you requested, we wil l search all our collections for a suitable alternative. In such circumstances we will always endeavour to contact you first.

’