Agenda for Meeting 6Th December
North and West Argyll FEI Cluster Group
Monday 2nd February 2011 at 4.30 pm
at
Inveraray Primary School, Inveraray, Argyll
Minutes
1. Present:
Anne Paterson (chair), Aileen Watkins, Caroline Boyle, Linda Leyland, Fiona Hamilton, Tim Barratt
Guests: Cathleen Russell (acting head of Sandbank) and Dale Kupris
2. Apologies
Ross Preston, Mark Wakefield (Toward), Eileen MacDonald (Sandbank)
3. Welcome
Anne welcomed Dale Kupris and Cathleen Russell to the meeting.
4.Minutes of the last meeting
Proposed: Tim
Seconded: Linda
Matters arising
Pre school delivery
We weren’t successful in getting any money from Bonnie so this didn’t go ahead.
5. Update onForest School training/ costs etc
Training – the 2 day First Aid training has happened and was excellent.
First training week for FS is on14th Feb – 18th Feb
The assessment week starts on 31st October 2011.
The training is taking place at Dunstaffnage at a cost of £75 per day, which was an unexpected cost.
We have 12 people undertaking the training although there have been some difficulties ensuring that people who initially wanted to do the training were going to continue with the course.
It is being delivered at a cost of £380 per person because of the extra funding we received from the Public Health Network. The full cost of the Archimedes Level 3 training is over £900 so the people who are being trained are getting a very good deal.
Grateful thanks to Aileen from the group for all the work she put in to getting the training off the ground.
We discussed that on a future occasion we should insist on a deposit being paid before training started. If Aileen has difficulty in getting the money this time Anne will help out.
Action
Aileen
•to update the contact names/ numbers of the people who have previously been involved in level 1/2/3 training so we have a clear list of who has done what/ where they have been delivering FS etc. This will be circulated to all the schools/ establishment involved.
•to contact Anne, if needed, re payments
6. Project work
Stramash is coordinating the delivery of 7 Forest School programmes and 22 outdoor learning projects before the end of March 2012, through the FEI group’s Forest 4 People grant.
Ross is available now if required to do one or both of the FS projects that need to be started before the end of March – Aileen mentioned that she has already organised other contractors to deliver these.
7. Finances update
The Forest 4 People application was submitted on time. Tim was told that it was the best and most thorough application that has been received. There are some bits that need to be altered because of changes to the goalposts!
Tim has drafted a letter that can be used to send in with each claim.
Public Health Network money came through although slightly less than claimed for (£1600).
Ross has paid Archimedes the full amount for the training. He has also
invoiced HIF for the £1600. He has had two payments so far from trainees
and once the rest is received, he will make the payment for the Awards for
All monies (£10,000) to Stramash – could Stramash receive this payment as soon as possible as this is supposed to pay for the Forest School equipment and delivery, not the training - Stramash have already paid out for aspects of this
8. Linda’s trip to Norway
Linda gave an interesting presentation on her LTS trip to Norway.
9. Review of applications for Forest School delivery
Forest 4 People money is supporting 7 projects which will take place before the end of March 2012.
Stramash will deliver the ones that run after October 2011 as they will have trained staff by then. Three will be delivered before October by external trained leaders.
All schools that have applied are outwith the area of our cluster group. It was decided that we would agree to deliver FS outwith the cluster group area if there was no school in our own area that had applied.
We discussed the possibility of running a week of FS in ‘difficult to get to’ places eg Jura, and/ or doing an outdoor learning programme which is shorter and easier to deliver.
Carradale – there is a teacher who is doing the training so they would be accepted on to the programme as long as she continues.
Arrochar – we are happy to accept this school as it is after October 2011
Rhu – they want it to happen before the end of June, but this is not possible; they will be offered another time slot.
There is still one place to fill; two if Rhu pulls out or three if Carradale pulls out
Ashfield and North Bute primaries are doing the programme before the end of June paying £450 for the nine sessions.
Cowal and Helensburgh cluster group is tending to go down the ‘outdoor learning route’ rather than FS.
Action
Tim
•to speak to Steve Gillan re FS in Arrochar and let him know that there are people in the area are trained and ask him if the two clusters could work effectively together.
•Steve to be invited to the next meeting to discuss what each cluster is doing and to compare the FS project.
Aileen
•to reply to Rhu and say that we cannot accommodate them at the time they requested but will offer them another time
• to talk to the head teacher of Jura re the options they will be offered
Anne
• to send out another letter to all schools asking for any more interest to fill the last place(s); pre 5 units to be encouraged
11. Scottish Goverment scheme – Cathy Russell
Toward and Sandbank, Inveraray and Baddens nursery have been involved in the Scottish Government scheme for staff/ parents to be trained in FS through Mindstretchers. Six members of staff / parents had to be put forward for training per school which was difficult for small schools. The training is about half way through and will finish up in May.
Mindstretchers have not put candidates through the First Aid training before the rest of the course. It is felt that doing the First Aid training first is better.
Action
Tim to circulate the full list of establishments who are taking part in this scheme – Aileen has this and can circulate although will be updated with the Level 1/2/3 database that Aileen is pulling together
12.Possibility of aligning the Cluster group's boundaries with Argyll & Bute's and Stramash's
See Action point 9
Extra comment from Ross;
Aligning boundary with Stramash. Only if it does not include Cowal and
Helensburgh because that's a different cluster group – comment from Stramash that they potentially can cover all areas, not just Argyll & Bute
13. AOCB
The report which Ross wrote has been put on GLOW by Anne (well done, Anne!).
Outdoor learning projects
Aileen gave information on courses that have run in Rockfield and Appin.
A list of FS equipment held by Stramash was distributed. This should be available for people to borrow so there must be a way of ensuring that the equipment is returned on time and in good condition ie a form. The onus must be on the people borrowing it to collect it/ ensure that it is returned in dry, good condition on the appointed date. Damaged equipment must be replaced by the borrower.
Ross has other equipment but we are not sure who ‘owns’ it.
Ross suggested via email that it may be useful to look into the possibility again of having a trainer based here in Argyll considering the costs involved in running a course.
Date of next meeting
Wednesday 27th April at 4.30 pm
Anne thanked Tim for his input during Elaine’s maternity leave.
Action
Caroline
• to add Cathleen to the distribution list:
Anne
• book meeting room for 27th April