Latest news with #DundeeCityCouncil
The Courier
a day ago
- General
- The Courier
Find out your Dundee school's attendance as more than 1 in 3 children 'persistently absent'
With more than 1 in 3 schoolchildren 'persistently absent', improving attendance is a priority for Dundee schools. Absence has increased over the last decade and the number of children missing at least 10% of their school days has soared since Covid. In this analysis of Dundee schools' attendance, we detail the attendance rate of every primary and secondary school. You can find your local school in our table at the bottom of this article. We also look at the downward trend in attendance at Dundee primary and secondary schools, mirroring the picture nationwide. And we examine the escalation in recent years of persistent absence – pupils with less than 90% attendance. Overall, attendance has fallen at Dundee schools over the last decade. There was a slight improvement last year. Attendance for the last full academic year – 2023/24 – was 85.8% at secondary schools and 91.7% in primary schools. The secondary schools with the poorest attendance are: Primary schools with the lowest attendance are: Absence includes sickness, family holidays, being on a part-time timetable, truancy and temporary exclusion. Since schools closed during Covid lockdowns, persistent absence has rocketed. That is where an individual pupil misses 10% or more of the school year, equivalent to at least 19 days or a day each fortnight. Attainment and achievement is affected when pupils' attendance falls below 90%, according to Education Scotland. Poor attendance is also linked with poorer peer relationships, poorer employment opportunities and emotional and behavioural difficulties. An investigation by Education Scotland in 2023 amid 'system-wide concern' found pupils living in poverty, with additional support needs or from Gypsy and traveller communities were more likely to miss school. In Dundee 37.1% of pupils were deemed persistently absent during 2023/24. We asked Dundee City Council what is being done by its education service and schools to improve Dundee schools attendance but received no reply. However, we know many city schools have family engagement officers whose remit includes working with regularly absent pupils and their families.
The Courier
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Courier
STEVE FINAN: Council chief must resign over Olympia secrecy – and why I may stand as an independent councillor
Mr Gregory Colgan, Dundee City Council chief executive, has left the Scottish Information Commissioner's office 'puzzled'. Jennifer Ross, deputy head of enforcement, said the authority 'appeared to be deliberately misconstruing the description of works' with your attempt to claim there weren't repairs but refurbishments at the Olympia. Let's have a look at the ramifications of that. 'Deliberately' failed to comply with the Freedom of Information Act (Scotland) 2002. There is no other option Gregory, you must resign. The response to The Courier's Olympia FOI request is in your name. If you don't resign, how can you act against anyone else flouting such things at will? Indeed, what requirement is there now for Dundee City Council to comply with any local government legislation if the chief executive can dodge transparency? And where is the reaction we should be seeing? Do senior figures on the council condone his actions? Or are they afraid to even express an opinion? A councillor's role in local government is to represent the people – and silence does not do this. You sit in meetings alongside Gregory Colgan. If you think he isn't doing his job properly, you must point that out on behalf of the people. You should be expressing, on the record, your anger at the way the city's name has been dragged through the mud. Have you proposed a vote of no confidence in him? If not, why not? Or do you agree that laws can be flouted? So, I put this plainly and personally to senior figures on the council – why haven't you said anything? It'll be interesting to see if any of you have the guts to answer. Can you imagine the frenzy of Facebook re-posts by Dundee's SNP group if a matter that directly affects the city was 'deliberately misconstrued' by the Labour government at Westminster? And what would Dundee's Labour group say if this was done by the SNP at Holyrood? Easy to point fingers and talk tough about someone far away, isn't it? You're not so brave when it comes to close-quarter fighting, when you'd have to look a man in the eye and criticise him. Or is it that you're all too cosy and chummy in your well-paid clique? This is the worst set of councillors Dundee has ever had. A collection of no-marks too meek to say what ordinary people in the city are already saying. It's got so bad, I'm thinking of standing as an independent councillor myself. I'd not be in the clique. I'd demand Gregory Colgan apologises and begs the people of Dundee to keep his £170k job – or resigns. I'd tell those happy to stay silent that they are cheating their constituents by not speaking up. I'd inform the public of exactly what was going on and give my opinion on it. Would you vote for me?
The Courier
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Courier
Dundee Oor Wullie statue targeted by vandalism
Locals have condemned the actions of 'mindless' vandals in Dundee city centre after an Oor Wullie statue was covered in pink paint. The Oor Wullie statue, which depicts the iconic cartoon character aiming a pea shooter at a nearby statue of Robbie Burns, was found covered in pink paint on Wednesday morning. A pornographic drawing and an obscene message had also been written on it. The bronze comic book which sits next to the statue was also vandalised. One passer-by called the damage a 'complete disgrace'. Another branded the vandal's actions as 'mindless'. A Dundee City Council also condemned the defacing of the statue. A spokesperson said: 'This type of graffiti is completely unacceptable. Our rapid response team are aware and will be taking the necessary action.' A council clean up team was spotted working to remove the paint at 3.30pm on Wednesday afternoon. The statue was installed at the Albert Square site outside The McManus Galleries in 2016. It was created to mark the 80th anniversary of the character's first appearance in The Sunday Post. The statue also features a satchel containing Wullie's pet mouse, Jeemy, as well as a catapult and a bag of peas to refill his pea shooter. Beside him is a poem entitled 'Tae Rabbie Burns'. Scottish artist Malcolm Robertson, who created the 4ft tall sculpture, said at the time the project was one of the most enjoyable and fun of his life.
The Courier
3 days ago
- The Courier
Dundee council taking legal action after travellers pitch up at two city parks
Dundee City Council is taking legal action after groups of travellers pitched up at two city parks. At least a dozen caravans have pulled up on an area of grass near the visitor car park at Clatto Country Park. The caravans cover a large section of the park between the reservoir and the playground. It is understood the Travellers are the same group who were moved on from Camperdown and Riverside parks earlier this month. The group were first spotted with a Shetland pony at Camperdown on May 5. The pony, children, chickens and several dogs are all part of the group now at Clatto. A second, smaller camp with just three caravans has also appeared near the playground at Finlathen Park off Fountainbleu Drive. Dundee City Council says it is aware of the encampments and is in the process of taking legal action in both cases. The local authority says it is also aware of an alleged incident involving the dogs at the Clatto camp. A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: 'The council is aware of this encampment and is progressing legal action. In the meantime, the council's liaison officer has visited the site to offer advice. 'The council is aware of the dog incident and have assisted Police Scotland with this matter.' Police Scotland was unable to find details of the incident when contacted by The Courier. According to Shelter Scotland, it is a criminal offence to lodge, occupy or encamp on privately owned land without the consent of the owner. Dundee City Council runs a purpose-built site for Traveller groups at Balmuir Wood in Tealing, Angus. However, the site has been barely occupied since 2019 with the local authority set to spend almost £250,000 on upgrades in the coming months. The Courier recently reported how the unpopularity of Balmuir Wood remains a 'concern' for Angus Council in tackling unauthorised encampments in the area.
The Courier
5 days ago
- Business
- The Courier
EXCLUSIVE: Dundee council chiefs rapped by watchdog for ‘deliberately evasive' response to £6m Olympia repairs scrutiny
Dundee City Council chiefs have been rapped by a watchdog for 'deliberately misconstruing' a request to reveal details of repair works at the Olympia. The leisure centre shut for more than two years in October 2021 after a series of issues were found in the swimming pools. The local authority commissioned £6.1 million worth of work to be carried out over more than two years. No detailed breakdown of that contract has been revealed, so The Courier submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the council in April 2024 asking for that information. FOI legislation allows journalists and members of the public to ask for certain information held by public authorities. As we previously reported, in response to our request, chief executive Greg Colgan provided a different list of smaller work carried out instead of details of the major work – because he claimed the pools were 'refurbished', and not 'repaired' as The Courier had described it. Now, the Scottish Information Commissioner – the watchdog responsible for enforcing FOI legislation – has upheld an appeal by The Courier over the council's handling of the request after a 13-month saga. Jennifer Ross, deputy head of enforcement, found the council had been deliberately evasive in its handling of the request. Ms Ross pointed out that many stories and reports about the Olympia had contained the word 'repairs' and the council should have known exactly what was being asked for. She said: 'The commissioner is puzzled by the authority's approach to this request. 'It appears to be deliberately misconstruing the description of works which, to the lay person, might clearly be described as repairs and/or maintenance works. 'Indeed, the words 'repair' and/or 'maintenance' themselves feature in the (council) committee reports presented to the commissioner as well as others on the same subject. 'The commissioner considers that in cases where the terminology used by a public authority differs from that used by a member of the public, it should ensure that its interpretation of the request is based on a plain English reading of the request, and if there is any doubt, it should seek clarification of the request.' Ms Ross also said the context of the request should have been clear to the council, given it was made shortly after the centre had fully reopened. The decision added: 'Overall, the commissioner is not satisfied that the authority has interpreted the request reasonably.' The local authority was ordered to reconsider its response to The Courier, which it has now done as part of a separate request. However, the details of the £6.1m contract are still a mystery as the local authority now says it considers the information to be commercially sensitive. A response sent to The Courier by Dundee City Council said: 'A further breakdown for the £6.1m costs is not provided to ensure that commercial confidentiality is maintained on behalf of the main contractor, sub-contractors and the suppliers involved with this project. 'Financially sensitive construction information of this nature being released in the public domain creates a risk and could compromise the supply chains' commercial strategy when pricing future works by providing their competitors with an advantage. 'Additionally, this could also have detrimental consequences for the council when tendering future workload and while looking to ensure best practice and maintaining a robust ethical and commercially competitive approach to tendering and contractual process.' David Clegg, editor of The Courier, said: 'We pursued this case on principle, and while our readers still don't have the full picture, I welcome the commissioner's condemnation of the council's deliberate obstruction. 'Public bodies must never be allowed to evade scrutiny in this way. 'The Courier has a proud record of holding power to account, and this episode only strengthens our resolve to interrogate every decision and follow every penny spent in our readers' name.' The Courier previously investigated a lack of transparency surrounding the Olympia crisis. A second prolonged closure of the centre, just weeks after the £6.1m repairs had been completed, will be the subject of an independent inquiry.
