Save Scalloway School

[GypsyScy]

@EM 'Seem' to think...it's pretty clear cut to us who are losing our secondary department.

[trowie246]

i suppose the councils way of looking at that these it is these schools are very much under capacity and its better to run with one at 80 % than 2 or 3 at 30 %

Is it true that some parants in all areas are opting to send there bairns to schools which would not be the default one for there area?

 

 

Yet more spin from schools service about the capacity of the peerie schools. When they work out capacity they include social areas, dining areas and cupboards etc. They more or less work it out on the floor area of the school. For example, Cullivoe primary school on paper has a capacity of 60 pupils. In reality it is more like 30. There are 20 pupils at the moment with an increasing school roll. The only way Cullivoe school could accommodate 60 pupils is if they knocked down walls and built an extention. Uyeasound school had its dining area included in the capacity and when they asked where the pupils were expected to eat their lunch they were told at their desks!

[unlinkedstudent]

i suppose the councils way of looking at that these it is these schools are very much under capacity and its better to run with one at 80 % than 2 or 3 at 30 %

Is it true that some parants in all areas are opting to send there bairns to schools which would not be the default one for there area?

 

 

Yet more spin from schools service about the capacity of the peerie schools. ... Uyeasound school had its dining area included in the capacity and when they asked where the pupils were expected to eat their lunch they were told at their desks!

 

It really isn't uncommon in many schools to utilise dining areas outside of actual lunch times. I therefore fail to see a problem with it being included but hasten to add that I have never been inside the school you mention and make my point as a general one. Perhaps you could throw some light on this as to why the dining area could not be used outside of lunch times?

[khitajrah]

Uyeasound school had its dining area included in the capacity and when they asked where the pupils were expected to eat their lunch they were told at their desks!

 

I spent all of my education years eating lunch at my desk, and so did thousands of other students. I'm afraid I do not see why this would be a problem, to be honest. We didn't have a cafeteria. On Friday's we could order a boiled hotdog in a bun from the Home economics Dept. kitchen with our 250ml of milk, but that was it (for those who could afford it, I must add, and they were cooked by the teachers, not kitchen staff). Our 'social areas' were the hallways. We didn't have dedicated rooms for such purposes. I don't feel that my primary & secondary education was inadequate or harmed because of a lack of these facilities. Change of times, I suppose.

[Kavi Ugl]

I've just heard Councillor Betty Fullerton on Radio Bagpipes and it was extremely concerning to hear about the abuse she's recieved over this issue.

 

She mentioned that some people had said that because of her stance this time/vote around, she "wouldn't be getting back in next year" if she stood for election but "after the phone calls and emails I've recieved over the past week that might not be such a bad thing".

 

I know this is an emotive subject but I think it's terrible that people can obviously be so personal and vehement towards their fellow Shetlanders.

[trowie246]

Uyeasound school had its dining area included in the capacity and when they asked where the pupils were expected to eat their lunch they were told at their desks!

 

I spent all of my education years eating lunch at my desk, and so did thousands of other students. I'm afraid I do not see why this would be a problem, to be honest. We didn't have a cafeteria. On Friday's we could order a boiled hotdog in a bun from the Home economics Dept. kitchen with our 250ml of milk, but that was it (for those who could afford it, I must add, and they were cooked by the teachers, not kitchen staff). Our 'social areas' were the hallways. We didn't have dedicated rooms for such purposes. I don't feel that my primary & secondary education was inadequate or harmed because of a lack of these facilities. Change of times, I suppose.

 

 

If you want to make that point then I suppose the lack of canteen space shouldn't be a problem at the AHS. When the Scalloway pupils transfer they can eat their lunch at their desks.

[khitajrah]

^ and why not?

[crofter]

Uyeasound school had its dining area included in the capacity and when they asked where the pupils were expected to eat their lunch they were told at their desks!

 

I spent all of my education years eating lunch at my desk, and so did thousands of other students. I'm afraid I do not see why this would be a problem, to be honest. We didn't have a cafeteria. On Friday's we could order a boiled hotdog in a bun from the Home economics Dept. kitchen with our 250ml of milk, but that was it (for those who could afford it, I must add, and they were cooked by the teachers, not kitchen staff). Our 'social areas' were the hallways. We didn't have dedicated rooms for such purposes. I don't feel that my primary & secondary education was inadequate or harmed because of a lack of these facilities. Change of times, I suppose.

 

 

It is not eating at desks, or in a canteen which is the issue here. It is the capacity figures being skewed by including social space/canteen areas as classroom space. This makes it seem as if a school is operating at a lower capacity than it really is, which strengthens the argument to close it.

[Mag]

If all the Councillors seem to think the present AHS is perfectly adequate...

Where does that idea come from? First I've heard of such an opinion.

It's been said many times in the past couple of weeks, in the context of the Scalloway secondary closing, by AHS parent council members as well as councillors. Will be interesting to see if they change their minds again and decide the AHS is not adequate again once scalloway is closed.

[trowie246]

It is not eating at desks, or in a canteen which is the issue here. It is the capacity figures being skewed by including social space/canteen areas as classroom space. This makes it seem as if a school is operating at a lower capacity than it really is, which strengthens the argument to close it.

 

There is guidence from the Scottish Government on capacity where it is recommenced that "non-teaching" areas such as social areas and dining space in schools should be taken into consideration by the local authority. Unfortunately it is only guidence and not policy therefore schools service can ignore it.

[unlinkedstudent]

It is not eating at desks, or in a canteen which is the issue here. It is the capacity figures being skewed by including social space/canteen areas as classroom space. This makes it seem as if a school is operating at a lower capacity than it really is, which strengthens the argument to close it.

 

There is guidence from the Scottish Government on capacity where it is recommenced that "non-teaching" areas such as social areas and dining space in schools should be taken into consideration by the local authority. Unfortunately it is only guidence and not policy therefore schools service can ignore it.

 

Got a link by any chance? As I stated above, it isn't uncommon for dining areas to be used outside of lunch times. Blimey, even my school yonks ago used the hall as the dining area so that was also used for PE, exams, drama lessons, music lessons, etc. My son's school also used the dining hall for assembly, drama, PE and so forth.

 

As I said, I haven't been to the school in question but to have a large area doing nothing for say 80% of a school day does appear to be somewhat of a waste of resources UNLESS, of course, there is good reason why it can't be used for other purposes outside of lunch times.

[stilldellin]

Some bumf here :-

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/Buildings/changestoschoolestate

[trowie246]

www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/01/20528/50015

 

The above is the link for guidence on school capacity.

[amno]

Well the education comitee is there to look at education and not the comunity how a small village will function with or without a school is none of there concern, im not realy suprised that councilers have had an earfull of abuse from the public ive seen with my own eyes how some poeple here can throw the toys out the pram when they're not getting everything there own way.

 

as to the point about incomers bleeding the place dry ones who can afford to buy a house tend not to need that much from the state anyway and would you like to back up youre claim with some figures ie how many incommers are here and how many sit and do sweet FA whilst taking money from the social?

its very easy to blame things on a boogy man and much harder to get to the root cause of a problem

[crofter]

Well the education comitee is there to look at education and not the comunity how a small village will function with or without a school is none of there concern,

 

That is not correct. The act makes it clear that the council are required to take account of sustaining economic growth and to the strength and vibrancy of communities before making any changes to the school estate. Although like yourself, some councillors did not seem to realise this.