Education and Families have implemented an Empowering Clusters Model as a way of ensuring a clear focus on children and young people. Its principles and values are those underpinned by the UNCRC, ‘Getting it right for Every Child’, All our Children, all their Potential (Morgan Review), The Promise 2020 and the Review of National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 and align to the following themes:  

• Rights and Participation; 

• Relationships; 

• Wellbeing and Care; and  

• Inclusion and Universal Support. 

It puts children and their families at the heart of decision making to give all the best possible start in life. 

The model of cluster working allows for the needs of children to be met through a joined-up approach to children’s services. The model is the same for primary and secondary and is built around the 23 educational clusters which includes secondary school, the feeder primary schools, early years establishments, SEBN and ASN provision within the cluster area. The model centres on integrative practice within and across agencies using staged intervention to plan for individual children and young people and their family at the earliest opportunity. This approach to planning helps to identify what needs to be done to improve the child/young person’s wellbeing and what support is necessary to meet identified outcomes.  

Alongside the implementation of the cluster model, significant re-structure is ongoing across the Additional Support Needs (ASN) provision.  Work has progressed through statutory consultations to relocate and refurbish existing premises to support the expansion of ASN.  This has resulted in newly refurbished premises which better suit the needs of our learners across the service. Further consultations have progressed with the remaining ASN standalone provision. Inclusion, equality and the presumption of mainstream underpins all new processes.   

The Authority are committed to continuing to support all educational establishment to ensure inclusion and equality are embedded in all aspects of school life. All schools’ handbooks include an equality statement and all schools display the Council’s overarching equality statement on their public notice boards. This ensures parents and visitors are confident that they will be treated with dignity and respect and if they feel they are not then they are encouraged to share their experience. 

There are currently three equality outcomes for education where performance is carefully assessed so that the Council has an understanding of what is happening for particular groups of learners. Some of the performance measures include:  

• monitoring attendance, attainment and exclusions of young people with disabilities and/ or additional support needs and Gypsy Traveller children; 

• monitoring and setting targets for schools participation in programmes such as the Mentors in Violence Prevention Programme and Rights Respecting Schools, LGBT Chartermark etc; 

• providing continuous training and awareness raising opportunities for employees on equality related matters; and 

• monitoring the: 

  • % of ASN pupils participating post school 

  • % of ASN pupils employed post-school 

  • % of young people from ASN schools entering MAs and employment directly from school 

  • % of girls and young women participating in STEM subjects 

This then allows any service development activity or corrective action to be taken if necessary. 

Equality Impact Assessments

Recent assessments undertaken by the Education Authority include:

• Schools transport – assess the impact of reducing the current demand for mainstream transport by up to one third by bringing eligibility criteria into line with statutory requirements and those of most other local authorities.

• Active and Creative Communities – review impact of a new Operating Model.

• Realignment of Early Years Practitioner Posts