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School closures


GAZ1888CELTIC
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I always understood that schools could only be closed only for educational reasons and not for finacial savings alone maybe I'm wrong ??

I don't know but I think that there are many factors on why a school would shut: as you said, educational issues (e.g. lack of teachers or work resources), unsuitable facilities (e.g. boiler doesn't work), abuse tolerated or something. Those are the ideas that I can think of on the top of my head but I wouldn't be surprised if anybody else wants to continue the list...I think financial savings is a rare consequence when it comes to giving a penny and bringing in a pound.

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Did we all see the editor's choice letter in the paper this week? I still laugh every time I think about it. £7 a day to keep a cat, nigh on £400 a month to keep two of them! No wonder people dispute every proposed saving if this is what they think things cost...

 

How much do you think it costs to keep a pupil in the hostel hjasga?

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Did we all see the editor's choice letter in the paper this week? I still laugh every time I think about it. £7 a day to keep a cat, nigh on £400 a month to keep two of them! No wonder people dispute every proposed saving if this is what they think things cost...

 

How much do you think it costs to keep a pupil in the hostel hjasga?

 

Has to depend how you cost it.  Obviously a bare minimum has to be power costs, staff costs, food, laundry and so on.  Then you could add other costs like insurance, property tax (if a school hostel has to pay that) and maintenance for the building and grounds.  Then of course you have to include replacement costs for furniture, fixtures and fittings, the cost of the building perhaps spread over its expected lifetime and interest on loans taken out to pay for it.  Then you add admin costs.........and here the sky is the limit.  At one end include admin staff time directly attributed to the hostel but if that is not enough include a percentage of the cost of the Chief Executive and all other council officers involved.  Might well find it costs a fortune.

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To reply to hjasga. The £7 is the cost of one cat per night in the Gott cattery. The < £3 is the SIC's cost for feeding etc one teenager per night. These are not made up numbers.

 

To my recollection, the letter in question spoke of ongoing costs for somebody's private cats. There was no mention of the privately run Gott Cats, nor of the staffing costs that affect the figure you quote, so it's a fairly disingenuous letter if that is the case.

 

How much do you think it costs to keep a pupil in the hostel hjasga?

 

 

I have no reason to doubt the figures quoted during the Skerries consultation. People have to remember that the figures that have been questioned are additional costs on top of the existing provision. Adding three pupils to an existing group of around sixty makes very little difference. 

 

I would expect figures for the future consultations on the larger isles schools to be higher. If they are not, I will join the skeptics in asking questions of them. As it is, I very much doubt the addition of Skerries pupils will have much effect at all on the existing hostel provision.

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The new hostel is too small, as is the existing hostel as it has even fewer beds. It can't accommodate all the pupils if they discontinue education in S3 and S4 in the isles. There are 59 pupils boarding at the moment and you will double that number if proposals go ahead, with the possibility of requiring even more beds depending on the girl/boy split and building in extra capacity. The new hostel can take 46 boys, 46 girls and 6 ASN pupils = 98. The Janet Courtney can hold 91 pupils.

 

I've been reassured that the officials are aware the new hostel might be too small.

 

Unfortunately, a decision will be taken shortly on the size of the hostel, before the councillors make a decision on education in the isles.

 

The hostel can be extended if necessary but I would imagine that this will be of significant cost to the SIC.

 

I'm not sure what will happen in 2015 when pupils are due to transfer if these proposals goes ahead as obviously the new hostel will not have been built.  Presumably they will remain in the JHS's until accommodation which is fit for purpose has been sorted out.

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