THE first day of the new school year is an important event. I am sad therefore, that for some this will be disrupted by strike action, but we are doing everything we can to minimise the impact.
Pupils are returning to schools which have once again produced an excellent set of results in Scottish Qualifications Authority exams and I want to pay tribute to the continuing work that our schools do in supporting pupils to make this possible.
We are coming to the end of a period of central reorganisation which has aimed to create a leaner and more efficient operation which can support our schools in a more direct manner.
I hope that schools will begin to see the benefits of this in the coming year, and the fact that we are gradually getting the budget balanced again. This should mean that we will be able to support schools to meet the targets coming through a "Curriculum for Excellence" and help to achieve our aims of improving literacy and numeracy in our primaries.
In addition, schools will be beginning to benefit from the additional £4.5 million put into the school repairs budget.
We also have ambitious plans for our early years service and hope to see many more centres embracing the good practice seen in Cowgate and other nurseries.
The council completed the adoption of the SEEMIS system of school management last year and it is our aim to use this to help improve the tracking of pupil progress.
I am delighted that the first of our new schools will be opening this year starting with the stunningly designed Niddriemill/St Francis and then the first of our PPP2 schools, Bonaly Primary, in October.
I hope that the department can now settle to perform its main function - to educate and look after our young people. In doing this I know that we can continue to rely on the commitment and hard work of our staff and the co-operation and involvement of parents, carers and the pupils themselves.
Councillor Marilyne MacLaren is convener of Education, Children and Families for Edinburgh City CouncilThe full article contains 363 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
