Save Scalloway School

[kjohns45]

First of all I would like to point out that I have been through hamnavoe primary school, scalloway JHS and AHS. I have been happy with my education in all of these institutions but especially enjoyed my time at Scalloway.

The pupils which I am worried about are those who are not as academically driven as others and gain a lot of help from classroom assisstants or just require more teacher/pupil contact, which they will almost definately not recieve in the AHS. Also having gone through the Anderson it should be noted that the place is falling apart. In my time there we had pipes burst, heating failures(on numerous occasions) and leakages. I believe that it is for this reasons that the school FEELS more overcrowded than in the past.

 

i will admit that us pupils here in Shetland enjoy a far greater standard of education than some. However I do not see how this will save money apart from running cost of the building coming from a different pot. The teachers will still be on SIC payrol and pupils will have to be transported further AND/OR in larger buses. Perhaps if the council want to save money they should look inside Hayfield House for some cuts to be made.

 

If the councillers had goten there fingers out and we now had a new High school in Lerwick no-one at Scalloway would disagree that it makes sense to send pupils to lerwick, but the simple fact is that there is no new high school and I do not foresee it for years to come.

 

You only need to look as far as the councillers decision to axe free music tuition to realise that we are dealing with councillers who do not fully realise the detrimental effects of their actions.

 

As a longstanding teacher of Scalloway said, "It would be a tragedy if Scalloway closed," and it would strike straight through the community's heart.

[glipper]

The council go on about saving money with school closures etc..I think they should start with doing away we some off the unnecessary jaunts they go away on that must cost a lot o money...Even cut down on some members using taxis when theres a good bus service running every working day...

[Carlos]

The pupils which I am worried about are those who are not as academically driven as others and gain a lot of help from classroom assisstants or just require more teacher/pupil contact, which they will almost definately not recieve in the AHS.

Not sure of the argument here? Assuming there are more staff per pupil at Scalloway, should we go with:

1) Bringing staff levels at other schools up the the Scalloway level at extra costs?

2) Reducing costs by cutting staff levels at Scalloway instead of closing the school?

3) Keeping the provision different depending which school you go to.

[Para Handy]

The council go on about saving money with school closures etc..I think they should start with doing away we some off the unnecessary jaunts they go away on that must cost a lot o money...Even cut down on some members using taxis when theres a good bus service running every working day...

 

Well pointed out glipper.

 

Just like the Yanks. Lerwick has the same ideas. Everything has to bigger than everywhere else

That’s why the want New School the size of the Tashma Hall and the sill Marel nonsense.

(I just surprised that its not the size of the Sydney Opera House.)

By Councillors who think. What they think about Nuclear Weapons is going to change the world.

Now the close Schools and build Tunnels.

So much for saving money. Save a few pennies and spend Millions of Pound on useless things

The Oilrig Repair Base that Stood empty for years, Now a Wind Farm ? just to save on the cost of heating all the swimming pools no doubt

I also she that most of them. Have got there own kids through the system. First (just a pity they did not do well at School themselves ) And will now screw the quality of the Education for everyone else. No wonder they keep appointing failures to the post of CE

Just imagine the size of the UK overdraft ! if our councillors were in charge of it. The kids in P5 at the Scalloway School. Could manage the Shetland budget better.

[claude van toots]

..

[russaway]

The SIC need to really think about what they are doing here. The population of Scalloway is increasing every year. The Scalloway primary department has as many or more bairns as the secondry. Add the pupils from the catchment areas and the years are going to get bigger and bigger. The Anderson just might be able to take the pupils in Scalloway just now but think about in a few years time when we have even bigger years there just won't be enough room.

[jimmy parks]

For the sake of clarity and without wishing to go off topic, the SIC education budget isn't affected by Mareel

 

Mareel is managed by Shetland Arts Development Agency, not the SIC - the SIC contributed around half of the capital build costs and there is no ongoing revenue costs to the SIC

 

Another perfect example of trying to con the public into thinking that SIC and the Charitable Trust (and the individual trusts) are not irretrievably linked.

[Carlos]

Everything is linked, but there are still differences between Capital and Revenue spending.

[vandivoo/raggy doll]

The teaching ratio at Scalloway has been affordable for many years. So why has it now been decided we cannot continue to have this education? Probably because the council has run out of money. But why should the children at Scalloway be the ones to pay for that?

 

The phrase that is currently in vogue is "we're all in this together". Or something along those lines.

[JustMe]

I just watched something on the news about "teaching assistants" sometimes having to teach a whole class in a primary school. Now when I went to primary school we had up to 40 kids in a class and one teacher without assistants. So now we have smaller class sizes yet we have to have "teaching assistants" as well as teachers. Leads me to wonder if teachers are less good than they used to be or if a class of pupils is more difficult to teach and if so why?. After all this is money that could be spent on my pension so I do have a valid interest. Anyone prepared to offer an explanation.

[Skunnered]

^^Perhaps it was easier to manage bigger classes a few decades ago when "discipline" wasn't regarded as a nasty word. Teachers had more authority and could hand out punishments within reason without being challenged by parents, their superiors, and the law. And children had more respect for their teachers, and for adults in general. And maybe (and I may be wrong here) teachers were better qualified with a broader range of education themselves.

[Shoogler]

I believe (based on a long list of conversations and anecdotes from SIC staff or families) that there is significant opportunity to cut staff costs and numbers before needing to actualy close a school. There are numerous examples of low productivity, waste and inefficiency across all council departments. I am aware of many a casual or temporary staff posting where they are told to slow down or they will do themselves out of a job.

 

We should be looking at how we can achieve step by step efficiencies as a first target. For instance, if there are 6 classrom assistants in a school reduce to 4 and if there are 3 janitors/technicians, reduce to 2. Administrative staff is another area to look at. The functions of Head Teachers and the options for sharing responsibility for management and admin of schools is also needing to be looked at.

[stephen]

I just watched something on the news about "teaching assistants" sometimes having to teach a whole class in a primary school. Now when I went to primary school we had up to 40 kids in a class and one teacher without assistants. So now we have smaller class sizes yet we have to have "teaching assistants" as well as teachers. Leads me to wonder if teachers are less good than they used to be or if a class of pupils is more difficult to teach and if so why?. After all this is money that could be spent on my pension so I do have a valid interest. Anyone prepared to offer an explanation.

 

The majority of teaching assistants in Scotland are, in actual fact, ASN Auxiliaries and are used to ensure integration of children who have additional support needs into the main stream.

 

You will also find that education today is very different to education when there were classes of 40. I can not see how every child, in a class of 40, can receive a meaningful education or support when needed. When I was a child I can remember being 'overlooked' in a class because I was not necessary one of the brighter kids - this shouldn't happen today...

 

In terms of spending on education in Shetland, it is unsustainable. That being said, all council spending in Shetland is unsustainable. Perhaps a root-and-branch audit on spending should be done to minimise wastage and then look at closures. The problem with Shetland is that so many are reliant on the council for jobs, so what ever happens it will be both painful for people and the local economy.

[shetlander]

The SIC need to really think about what they are doing here. The population of Scalloway is increasing every year. The Scalloway primary department has as many or more bairns as the secondry. Add the pupils from the catchment areas and the years are going to get bigger and bigger. The Anderson just might be able to take the pupils in Scalloway just now but think about in a few years time when we have even bigger years there just won't be enough room.

 

The SIC also really need to think about how they are going to tackle a huge funding deficit in the next financial year.

 

To put the ‘overcrowding’ argument into context, the AHS roll was 933 in 1986. If the blueprint proposals are implemented and Scalloway and Skerries secondaries close, the roll would be 928. The AHS hasn’t shrunk and has had a new science block added since. I accept that buildings age and that curriculum needs and expectations change over time and whilst nobody is in any doubt that the existing school is in need of replacement, it has a capacity of 1200 according to the SIC. Take a look at the state of some schools south (which - unlike the SIC - most councils have no money to replace without striking private partnership deals) if you think the current AHS is bad.

 

When the proposal to close Scalloway secondary was mooted last time round, opponents truitled that an oversized replacement AHS (which would now have been well underway at the Knab had the plug not been pulled at the last minute) was being planned before a final decision was made on closures. Now folk are complaining that closures are being contemplated prior to a new school being ready – you just can’t win.

[Shoogler]

You are right Shetlander - you just can't win. And neither you should because there is never an easy way to do away with something, other than to allow a hopefully full and open consultation and a truthful balancing of evidence - without inaccurate costings and with all budgetary considerations (including more efficient service delivery) included in the process - just let the process run its course and live with the outcome. Let people get on with the no win job of making these tough decisions.