Blueprint for education consultation

[shetlander]

Given their history of shying away from making decisions to close any schools, I would be very surprised if councillors go beyond the second of the five options for primary and secondary (closing Uyeasound, Burravoe, North Roe, Olnafirth and Sandness primaries and Scalloway and Skerries secondaries) - but time will tell.

[paulb]

are they going to send the gritters out earlier. one of mine has to get the bus at 7.30 the roads are still bad at that time. 6 formers can cope with it but 12 year olds its a long day. they are hoping to start this at the end of next year. where are he children going to be taught. the anderson. is unfit for the kids going there now. add another 500 and thats a poor education. we now know why they are building or planning to build the new school 50% oversize.

they really don't care what we say they will do what they want and stuff us. those that vote for school closing had better think really hard about there future.

[dtothet]

I honestly think that kids are a lot more resilient than many Shetlinkers give them credit for. Having to travel further every day won't damage the kids in any huge way, and it will save massive amounts of money that can ultimately be spent to improve our community in other ways.

[Frances144]

When it was my turn, in England, I used to get out of the school bus and throw up on any poor suspecting parent! Travel sick + migraine = a great combination.

[crofter]

it will save massive amounts of money that can ultimately be spent to improve our community in other ways.

 

Are you sure about that?

 

There is a letter on the SN site suggesting that although small schools are more expensive, they offer better value for money:

 

http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/2010/June/letters/Small%20schools%20outperform%20large%20ones.htm

[swc123]

I see that the Services Committee have gone with the option as recommended to start the consultative process to close 7 schools (2 secondary and 5 primary).

 

Seems to be conflicting reports on vote count however but clear backing for the proposal.

[crofterlady]

"The cost of providing the education service in Shetland is ludicrous when compared with other Councils and puts a strain across all Council services."

 

 

I was told that a couple of weeks ago the entire Fair Isle school was FLOWN, yes FLOWN to the mainland to go swimming at Clickimin! Incredible. What a waste of money. I also agree with Gussie Angus: we can't have it all ways.

[MJ]

compare the cost of flying those kids to the mainland on a council service that can run empty to the cost of hiring a private bus + driver for mainland schools to provide a service that is required by LAW.

ALL school children are required to be taught how to swim, it saves lives.

Have you ever caught the fairisle flight? or are you one of these folk who believe that as south travel is so expensive with taxes and surcharges that the fairisle flights are also so expensive?

Or would you prefer to pay the hotel bills required to teach those children how to swim if they were to travel by boat?

[skaterboy]

And what is wrong with learning to swim in a loch or da voe, is that not part of the lifestyle choice made by their parents when deciding to live there.

It is all well and good wanting to live the life but with it surely must come a grasp on reality that not all the modern facilities are available.

[crofterlady]

Spot on, skaterboy!

[skaterboy]

I would also suggest that learning to swim in da voe might actually save a life as the bairn would be able to cope with the cold shock much better.

lots of folks that could swim perfectly well in a swimming pool have drowned falling in to the sea, loch or river due to cold shock, that first initial sharp intake of breath when you hit the water is often taken while under water if you are not used with it it will kill you and heated swimming pools do damn all to prepare them for that.

[soljey]

I'm sorry...but I don't see what where Fair Isle bairns learn to swim has to do with Blueprint for Education

[swc123]

I see from press reports that one councillor suggested the idea of a secret ballot, was anyone at the meeting that can confirm this? I sincerely hope it was in jest that the comment was made.

 

I really do fear for some communities looking to regnerate in these trying times, but is a sad reflection on where our current wider economic thinking has got us.

 

Is the cost savings estimates and methodology behind them freely available?

[trowie246]

I was at the services committee meeting on Thursday. It was councillor Alister Cooper who suggested a secret ballot and no, he was not joking. He voted for closures.

 

Sitting listening to councillors speak about schools was just so depressing. Some fighting to keep schools open were very knowledgable and put forward a good argument but a large number of others were just completely ignorant about the facts and talked a big fat lot of rubbish. I know that councillors have vast amounts of reports and paperwork to wade through but I just wish they would do their "homework" before going into meetings where important decisions are taken.

 

Gussie Angus is still spouting off the "fact" that primary school rolls in Shetland have fallen between 1996 and 2006 by 50%. It has actually fallen by 20% but is now beginning to increase because of the increasing birth rates in Shetland. I was awful blyde that the increasing birth rates were pointed out by a couple of councillors at the meeting.

 

The flea still bangs on about what happened in the south end of Shetland 50 years ago and how the communities were not affected when they closed 5 schools. I read the actual report in the "times past" in the Shetland times and it said that none of the communites were more than 3 and a half miles from the proposed new purpose built primary school.

 

As for the financial information, the amount of spin that has been put on the figures is unbelievable. Firstly, the schools service has been very clever in how they have displayed the so-called savings. Councillors have actually voted for proposal 1 and 2 in primary at the meeting because proposal 2 already included all the perceived savings in proposal 1. I'm fairly sure that a number of councillors who voted at the meeting were not aware of this. So for example, by bringing in proposal 2 primary (closure of 5 primary schools) the savings were stated as 2.3 million pounds. However, this already includes the perceived savings from proposal 1 which is 1.4 million pounds. These savings will be made from radical cuts in the schools e.g reduction in classroom assistants, supervisory assistants, janitors and cleaners. ASN will be reviewed, national staffing levels will be introduced to schools, swimming provision will be reduced and provision of specialist teachers will be cut back to art, music and P.E.

So, in reality they are saying they will save almost a million pounds by closing 5 primary schools. Fact is that they will never get anywhere near this figure. What the councillors have voted for is people losing their jobs and sadly that is the only way they will save any money. Unfortunately this sort of "skeleton" staffing level they are proposing will mean larger class sizes and you do wonder what will happen to the quality of education being delivered presently in our schools.

 

The biggest problem that the SIC have at the moment is that they do not have a compulsory redundancy policy. All staff whose jobs are threatened have to be offered redeployment. Helen Budge has been saying for months now that schools are going to lose teachers due to falling school rolls. So why is Dunrossness primary and Hamnavoe advertising for 2 full-time permanent contract teachers? If other schools really are going to lose teachers there shouldn't be any problem filling these posts without having to advertise? If anyone knows the situations in these 2 areas I would be interested to know.

[vespaneil]

loaded questions are not proper negotiations.