Comment posted Major success for Argyll and Bute Council education staff and for Kilmodan school by newsroom.
Just checked our time logs. We posted the update at 08.23 and Simon’s comment to which Barmore 2 refers was posted at 09.09.
Apologies.
I had done this time log check myself and had not noticed the days, only the hours.
Simon posted his comment on 3rd June at 9.09pm.
Our update to the article was on 4th June at 08.23am.
Lynda
newsroom also commented
- Thank you for the subtle prompt on the latest typo.
Aileen Goodallhas now been reunited with her proper name.
Recent comments by newsroom
- Argyll and Bute Council: Councillor McCuish leads again
We appreciate that it is inconvenient for a light to be shone on doings your party would prefer to keep hidden in shady places from those it asks to vote for it.
That is a dishonourable contract.
As the former Alliance of Independent Councillors [which had nothing at all do with Michael Russell ] knows very well, when it was damaging Argyll and Bute by its conduct during the 2010-11 schools closure wars, we were even more vigilant in keeping them under scrutiny and publishing on their manoeuvres.
We had to be even more vigilant because they were skilled at keeping things under wraps – where the SNP has conducted its acts of political genocide en plein air. All anyone has had to do is draw up a chair.
It should be obvious from our stance in recent weeks that we have no ‘vendetta’ against Councillor Dick Walsh, whom we dealt with arguably more harshly than we have done with Mr Russell.
A central function of our role is to contribute to the holding to account of those elected to serve the people. We do our best to fulfil this fairly – and hard. But we have no vendetta against anyone.
In Mr Russell’s case we simply feel he is a hot air balloon who has imploded over Argyll and done a great deal of harm – profoundly so to his own party, which we used to support. The evidence for our view is in the public domain. - Radically new council group changes all the dynamics: party politics dead in Argyll
The fact is that the SNP councillors in the Argyll and Bute for Change group are not ‘SNP councilors’ in council group terms – as rules forbid membership of more than one group.
So the ‘Russell camp’ is definitely no longer in the council’s SNP group, although presumably they will personally vote in elections according to their preferences.
And IF the other 8 SNP members have actually joined [as opposed to supporting [the Argyll, Lomond and the Isles group, there is no formal SNP group at all in Argyll and Bute Council.
If this has become the situation, it means that the SNP as a party has no right of purview over the behaviour of ANY of its originally elected councillors, none of whom would now be SNP councillors.
You have to say this is fun. It's not politics but it is a laugh. - Argyll and Bute Council: Councillor McCuish leads again
As given in one of the recent updates above - the missing person is Councillor Strong - from the, as of this morning, Argyll and Bute for Change Group. This would leave that group with 18 members but only 17 present to vote - which would not be enough to carry them to administration IF all other 18 councillors voted together.
This has to be likely but in the current situation the finessing is so arcane that one cannot be certain of anything until it's done. - Argyll and Bute Council: Councillor McCuish leads again
The fact is that they were quite prepared to work with the Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups - but were ordered by the the SNP to face expulsion from the party or to leave the administration that was planning just such a coalition.
We do not yet know what the SNP party position is today - although in our 14.15 update above, we have laid out the range of possibilities - but we do know that the 8 SNP Councillors have not resigned from the party. - Argyll and Bute Council: Councillor McCuish leads again
Sincere apologies for the temporary error - now corrected - and thank you for the prompt.
We are doing our level best - live - to get changing situations out to people as fast and as best as we can.
When we inevitably have the odd muddle [like cloning Mary Jean Devon], it is corrected very quickly.
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Yet another success for a school the previous administration, and in particular Cllr Marshall’s criteria, would have us believe is failing.
A little encouragement and a little support and our rural schools can, and do, demonstrate quite how effective they are and quite how well they deliver education.
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Well done Kilmodan! Great school, great kids and great community.
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So, is this Aileen Goodall one of these much maligned immprovement officers we keep hearing newsie and FA rubbishing??
Mmm??
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We could do chapter and verse on QIOs in general and in particular but it seems thrawn to do that right at the moment because our hope is that things will improve under new political guidance.
ARSN was always aware that QIOs follow instructions from their employer and indeed it was obvious that some were uncomfortable with the roles they had during the closure consultations, not least the dreadful scripts they had to read from (Vygotsky indeed!).
Now that there’s a new administration, we hope to see more of the kind of work Aileen Goodall is doing. Given all the negative tensions involved in the closure debacle, I’m sure it’s what our QIOs would rather be doing.
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Didn’t you read the Update at the foot of the article Simon?
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A bit unfair, B2. Simon’s reply was posted before newsy posted the update.
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Just checked our time logs. We posted the update at 08.23 and Simon’s comment to which Barmore 2 refers was posted at 09.09.
Apologies.
I had done this time log check myself and had not noticed the days, only the hours.
Simon posted his comment on 3rd June at 9.09pm.
Our update to the article was on 4th June at 08.23am.
Lynda
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It is certainly very interesting to hear what has been happening in Kilmodan.Has this been successful in the other schools across Argyll?
I would love to hear from the teachers and support staff on the closure story now that they are allowed a voice without
the threat of disciplne.Or have all the bosses seen the light.Still a lot of money being paid to the QIO,s or is this new title a change or additional staff?
I would hope that the education department and Carol Walker,s so called leadership will be examined very quickly by the new council along with giving us the answers to spygate and Jo Smith.Is she still sitting at home being paid to get a sun tan.
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Well done Kilmodan…!
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Well said Barmore 2. Kilmodan deserve our congratulations, as do all the wee schools who keep clocking up one prize or another for doing really special and wonderful work.
I reckon Argyll & Bute always had the best chance of implementing the Curriculum for Excellence because the wee schools already had to operate that way to an extent and the teachers really know how to make it work. Let’s hope they’re allowed to flourish now so the kids, and their communities, can move forward with security and confidence.
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Yes – well done to EDOs, so why shouldnt all the QIOs become EDOs?
And I hope that Neil McIntyre gets the answers to his questions quickly – I cant think of a good reason why he shouldnt.
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Regarding the update which reads ‘Auileen Goodall is an Educational Development Officer – not a Quality Improvement Officer. This keeps the pressure on the question of just what the very many QIOs at Argyll and Bute council actually do and whether that is worth what it costs us’
This is an important point of discussion. It would be interesting to know what are the remits of both roles and how much overlap is there. Based purely on title (which can obviously be misleading) they certainly appear to be roles which must have a lot of similar responsibilities. Are we getitng value for money from these two roles?
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I think the best people to enquire this with would be Head Teachers across Argyll & Bute and perhaps ask them to list the areas they have received help or have found QIOs and QIMs to actually have been a benefit to them.
I already know the thoughts of one area – so I would expect much silence to follow such a request.
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Thank you for the subtle prompt on the latest typo.
Aileen Goodallhas now been reunited with her proper name.
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Surely after the chaos of the rural schools proposed closures the points made by Integrity and Crazy in response to this story would be a great place to start for our new councillors The investigation into duplication of responsibility across the whole spectrum of council departments will surely follow.Jobs can be created and services improved if someone has the sense and guts to do it.
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I expect the new Lead Councillor on Education, who knows his area of reponsibilty , possibly better than his appointed staff, to lay down the law to his staff as to policies and guidance. The days of paid staff laying down policy, and failing to give correct information to the elected members and the Council as a whole, are over. One such occurrence such as we have seen in the last few years will lead, I hope, not to resignations and “settlements” but to termination with no recompence. The first real test will probably come in the next 2 weeks with the report on Spygate and the dealing with the culprits in that affair.
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