Guest Anonymous Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 we'll likly bump into wan anidder shun enough and the resultant conflab will be fine we me.I'm met sum o de collegues afore and another meeting between us would serve no purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 they manage to consume large amounts of alcohol in all lerooks schools on the last tuesday in Jan so to be honest that excuse does not cut the mustard brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crofter Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 how can you justify a handfull of pupils in areas where there are alternatives ie yell and unst to cost 10 times that of a pupil in lerwick, what makes them so special??? 10 times? Where are you getting that figure amno? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amno Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 ok well that is a bit of an exaggeration but it is significantly more (il see what figures there are to be found on the interweb), and they have outlined alternatives in mid yell and baltasound which i dont think is unreasonable they are still small schools at the end of the day, it could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to them what with the greater facilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crofter Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 ok well that is a bit of an exaggeration but it is significantly more (il see what figures there are to be found on the interweb), and they have outlined alternatives in mid yell and baltasound which i dont think is unreasonable they are still small schools at the end of the day, it could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to them what with the greater facilities. Taking your argument a bit further, shouldn't we close ALL the shetland schools and move everybody to Aberdeen, or Glasgow? The cost of education in Lerwick is about twice the scottish average... and it could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to them what with the greater facilities? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 theres only 100 odd pupils it is as they say in the trade "not cost effective" Last time I heard there were about 130 pupils in the secondary department and, as many again in the primary. That's 260© by my reckoning. Bussing half of them into Lerwick is going to save nothing as there is still going to be a large building to maintain etc. The only way that there will ever be any significant savings from the education 'budget' will be when the SIC has the guts to remove some of the 'managers' etc. from Hayfield House. Let's not forget that the SIC has an annual wage bill of around 100 Million. I have no idea how much of that is down to education but, if savings have to be made, back office staff should be removed before front line services are attacked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trowie246 Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 the money in the pot is surely everyones money so how can you justify a handfull of pupils in areas where there are alternatives ie yell and unst to cost 10 times that of a pupil in lerwick, what makes them so special??? Yes, there are alternatives, and when you factor in things like transport and teaching staff into those alternatives the savings are minimal if indeed any at all. Last I heard the Lerwick primary schools were having to employ an extra teacher into P1 and P2 classes because they are over the government limit of 25 pupils, so that is 2 teachers in each class instead of one. Cost per pupil figures have to be viewed with caution as it all depends on costs that year and numbers of pupils in the school that year. Amno, you'll be glad to know that since Cullivoe school has an increasing school roll our cost per pupil is decreasing every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amno Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Well i am glad its bucking the trend of falling rolls in the same way that sandness has a number of pre school age bairns in its catchment, Crofter i dont think we should move everyone to bigger places no and i dont think this is an ideal situation, (some authorities and buisneses use bad economic situations to force through things which in good times would have no chance) but shetland is in the big bad world the 2 small primarys in yell and unst have been deemed too small and close enough to alternative schools that they cannot feasably be kept open. my spelling would no doubt be alot better if i had attended one youre fine schools here in shetland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeriebryan Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Sorry to go off topic again folks... we'll likly bump into wan anidder shun enough and the resultant conflab will be fine we me.Super. I look forward to it. In the meantime, a little common courtesy, as I afford you, wouldn't go amiss. I'm met sum o de collegues afore and another meeting between us would serve no purpose.You claim to have met my colleagues, and you have attacked us by name. They don't know who you are so perhaps you should have the decency to reveal your identity to them so they can judge the validity of your comments. Anonymous personal attacks on people you've met seems pretty spineless to me. they manage to consume large amounts of alcohol in all lerooks schools on the last tuesday in Jan so to be honest that excuse does not cut the mustard brianOne night a year, which is followed by a holiday, does make a very strong case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilldellin Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Quote from amno :- deemed too small and close enough to alternative schools that they cannot feasably be kept open. That is the whole point that everone is missing, are you saying that 14 miles West Yell to Mid Yell the long way round is all okay for a five year old bairn ?. Okay the schools may be reasonably close but it's the catchment area that has to be considered. Soon we will hear that a mistake has been made and extra transport will be required. What then ?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amno Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 well thats just it, is 14 miles acceptable, without any official guidlines to base it on what do you do? some people (not me) may argue that if people can go from all over yell to mid yell for high school then younger ones could travel on likely the same buses there for primary school, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russabell Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Shetlandlass - you have hit the nail on the head there. Wish people would consider the wider picture. Trowie - I'm not 100% sure about this so correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it is the case that Lerwick schools have two teachers to a P1/2 class. It's my understanding that the Lerwick schools had to get permission from the Council to employ an extra teacher as they otherwise couldn't meet the national requirements for class sizes for P1/2. Ie - the number of children would have been divided amongst the teachers if you see what I mean. If the numbers fall below the national maximum, the extra teachers would be removed. Lerwick is no different from the country schools in this respect, however much other people would like to try and imply that it is somehow favoured over other areas. I personally cannot see how it can be classed as equality of provision to keep schools running with less than ten or twenty pupils, but for Lerwick children to be taught in a class of 25 (or sometimes more as far as I understand). Going on to the subject of the AHS, when I was there, there were 1,000+ pupils. Now there are additional spaces, 200-300 fewer pupils and there is suddenly no room......? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilldellin Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 well thats just it, is 14 miles acceptable, without any official guidlines to base it on what do you do? some people (not me) may argue that if people can go from all over yell to mid yell for high school then younger ones could travel on likely the same buses there for primary school,[/quote Well all I will say is anyone coming up with that argument should seek some professional counseling at the earliest oportunity ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Going on to the subject of the AHS, when I was there, there were 1,000+ pupils. Now there are additional spaces, 200-300 fewer pupils and there is suddenly no room......?I have asked previously about exactly this, but nobody seems inclined to offer any explanation. It makes no sense and casts doubt on other claims being made concerning other school matters on which I have no personal knowledge. As I've said before, attacking the AHS unfairly does not help in winning support for other schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsyScy Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 EM you keep speak as if those of us who were fighting to have our school saved were making up claims just for the sake of it. The link below has quotes from the Head Teacher in regards to the poor building and also congestion in the school. http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2009/01/23/school-building-is-past-its-shelf-life-warns-head-teacher. I have spoken with senior pupils in the school who have told me dinnertimes are a nightmare and teachers who have said there is at times not enough food left by the time they get through the queue! Most of my concerns have come straight from the horses mouth so to speak! My daughter is going to Lerwick in August. I have every right to be aware and concerned about the environment.... I never attended AHS, I go by what I have been told by those within the system at present, if this is all untrue then I am absolutely over the moon! But it is not something that we as parents have invented to further our cause as you seem to think!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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