D&G School Review - Background

25 June 2001

To: School Board Chairpersons

Dear Colleagues

Provision of education in the 21^st century – consideration of school closures

Further to the letter you recently received from the Director of Education which enclosed the Consultant’s list of possible school closures.

Member of the SSBA’s Rapid Response Team, Kathleen Glass- the Executive Board member for this area and myself were invited to hear the Turner and Townsend presentation to the Councillors on Friday 22 June 2001. I am grateful to the Director and the Education Committee Chairman for including us in this important event.

First of all let me try to put your minds at ease. The closure of 41 schools is not definite. The proposal by the Consultants is neither unexpected nor unwelcome. What we have now is the next step in an ongoing consultation process and an opportunity for School Boards to be consulted on these plans, to look at them with an open mind and to decide the best way forward in the interests of the young people in Dumfries and Galloway.

Background to the Consultants Proposals

In March 1997 the Education Committee proposed to close six primary schools as follows:

All Souls’ RC Primary, Wigtown

Auldgirth Primary

Dundrennan Primary

Glentrool Primary

Torthorwald Primary

Westerkirk Primary

On the 14 March 1997 The Education agreed not to proceed with the closures but review the position of all schools across the region as a whole through the Buildings and Capacities Sub-Committee and Area Committees.

In November 1999 the Council agreed to go out to consultation with School Boards to establish a set of principles for a future review of school provision.

Since that time School Boards, teachers and others with an interest in education have been involved in the consultation and this resulted in the following criteria being set and agreed by the Education Committee:

1. A school’s viability on Educational grounds might be considered in terms of:

• significant decline in pupil number projection
• inability to create meaningful class groups with consequent loss of "socialisation" for pupils
• the burden falling on teaching staff to develop and deliver the whole curriculum across multi-age/stage grouping
• the additional burden of management and administrative tasks falling on staff
• the level of attainment and the potential to raise the standard of education

2. A school’s viability on Economic grounds might be considered in terms of:

• the condition of the building
• health and safety factors
• under-utilisation against overall capacity
• cost per pupil relative to other schools

3. Other factors such as:

• the importance of the school to its community
• community use of the school premises – and potential use
• distance of a school from suitable alternative schooling
• cost of additional transport
• possible loss of Government allowances if the "small school factor" is lost

Public Private Partnership

We have an over provision of pupil places in Dumfries and Galloway and are required by the Audit Commission for Scotland to consider whether or not the service could be provided more efficiently. The Council have been doing this over a number of years but have not made much headway. The fact that our school buildings are in desperate need of repair is also recognised by School Boards throughout the region.

It is a deliberate co-incidence that Dumfries and Galloway Council are currently preparing a bid for Scottish Executive funding to support the replacement, repair and upgrading of its school provision in Dumfries and Galloway

A successful funding bid is largely dependent on the Education Department being able to demonstrate that they have taken cognisance of the requirement to take serious consideration of the empty pupil places in schools and the state of the buildings.

Turner and Townsend are independent Consultants who were employed by the Council to look at the information provided by the Council and to come back with a plan which, in their opinion, would provide an education service fit for the 21^st century. The information given to the consultants would have included:

• projection of pupil numbers
• anticipated demographic and housing changes
• condition of school buildings
• advice on who owned the property (some school buildings are not owned by the Council)
• staffing levels in the schools
• transport implications
• current costs of running the schools
• views expressed during the various consultation periods
• costs relevant to any proposed changes

Taking all of the above into consideration the Consultants put forward proposals which include the possible closure of 39 primary schools, the possible closure of 2 secondary schools and the building of nine new primary schools as well as the refurbishing of the remaining schools.

Requirements for school closures

It is important to remember that the closure of a school has certain requirements. A summary of these are as follows:

1. The Secretary of State’s consent is required if:

• a school is operating at over 80% capacity
• the school is a denominational school
• the proposed alternative school is over 8 kilometres away

2. Formal consultation must offer the opportunity for comment to:

• all parents of current pupils
• the parents of those pupils eligible to enrol in the next two years
• School Boards
• Where appropriate, the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church (in the case of an RC school)

The Way Forward

The most important message coming from parents, School Board members and teachers during the past week has been that they do not want to see this issue dragging on. They simply want a decision taken by the Councillors following consultation with communities. They also want the decision taken on educational grounds and not on any financial implications.

It is anticipated that the Education Committee will consider a report on the provision of education for the next five to ten years at a meeting in October/November 2001. SSBA will consult with member Boards during the months of September and October and Boards will be advised to consult with their parents and teachers at the same time. I also understand that the Council’s Area Committees will discuss this issue during the same period. I would urge everyone to go along and listen to the debate. A list of meeting dates is attached.

I would urge you to look at this issue with an open mind. What is best for our young people must take priority. If I can be of any further assistance in this matter please do not hesitate to get in touch with either myself or Kathleen Glass, the Executive Board member for this area. Kathleen is a Board member at Kirkcudbright Academy and I am a Board member at Mouswald Primary and Dumfries High School.

Ann Hill, Chief Executive, SSBA