paulb Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 (** mod edit - thread title changed **) http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2012/02/03/schools-and-community-care-to-be-hit-hard-as-sic-seeks-to-reduce-budget-by-22-per-cent for crying out loud how many times do they have to inflict this on the kids.a great cost saving would be to stop all these reviews of the schools it must cost as much as a primary school. so they think that they can close aith and move them where. get the new anderson school built then review if they need to. also please don't cut the social care budget there is a lot of ery vunrable people out there that need support. the funds were ment to support those iin need and that is what it should be used for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebedee Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 It's awful for the schools affected - employees, pupils and teachers - but I do really believe that the SIC are having to face up to the fact that cuts need to be made, and of course they need to look at all the options. Personally I think it's crazy that Skerries still has a high school for two pupils. I'm led to believe there are more high school age children on Fair Isle than there are on Skerries. Maybe they should start campaigning for a High School of their own... I think there is a lot of unfounded fears about school closures. I have spoken to children that go to the Anderson now instead of Scalloway, and generally they seem quite happy with the situation. I don't see the need for Northmavine to have three primary schools - there isn't a big distance for any of them to travel to get to any of the other schools in the area. The situation in Yell is quite different though - there is quite a long single track road for the kids from Cullivoe to travel before they get to the main road. But I believe that the nursery children go to mid Yell, so maybe it's not that big a deal really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinner72 Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 I think we all know that extensive school closures are inevitable over time. I just hope this time they have the wit not to make it a political exercise and stick to factual, fixed, criteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 once they have a fit for purpose school for them then maybe. untill then not a chance. there is no way that the anderson could cope with another 160 pupils. again the schools all have primary schools attached. so the ongoing running costs would still be there. why not shut sandwick as well it only adds 170 and brae 211. they would have to think about boarding for the whalsay students. how strange that the original plan for the new school was able to take this number. now what brave council member is going to stand on the policy.these plans cost tens of thousands each time they attempt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeksy Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 why not shut sandwick as well it only adds 170 and brae 211. I assume because, as is stated in the article, they are looking at the expensive schools (by which I assume they mean £ per pupil. Anyway, they may well be in the next round of schools they look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusion Posted February 5, 2012 Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 The situation in Yell is quite different though - there is quite a long single track road for the kids from Cullivoe to travel before they get to the main road. But I believe that the nursery children go to mid Yell, so maybe it's not that big a deal really? Yes i agree there, this road is safe enough to put pre-school children on for nursery, then unsafe for primary children, then back being safe for secondary children. It's a poor grasp of straws thats laughable sometimes. We would all like a school on our back doorstep but we cant aford that anymore. I hear they are more children in Gulberwick than the whole of Northmavine (for 3 schools) and they are bussed to Lerwick's Sound School Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironwithin Posted February 5, 2012 Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 Sooner the close more schools the better, with Shetlands road links nowadays and the need to save money there is no need for a lot of them to still be open. I hope they make scalloway in to a super primary and close all the near by primary schools. Skerries still being open as a high school is a disgrace and was only done for political reasons. The social care budget is bloated and out of control, it should be cut drastically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groilick Posted February 5, 2012 Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 Sooner the close more schools the better, with Shetlands road links nowadays and the need to save money there is no need for a lot of them to still be open. I hope they make scalloway in to a super primary and close all the near by primary schools. Skerries still being open as a high school is a disgrace and was only done for political reasons. The social care budget is bloated and out of control, it should be cut drastically.Yea – du’s fairly right dere, whin da aald eens ir no able tae look tae demsels da council shuid tak dem furt an shut dem -man joost tink o aa da money dey’d save fur da price o a boolit.An is fur da skules - dir no needin tae keep dem onby da age o ten – an dey dunna need roads an busses fur dey can asey waak 10 miles or mair tae da skule trow da hill Yea - Shetlan wis a lok better a hunder or twa year ago afore aa dis skule an social welfare hellry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humptygrumpty Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 I wonder many times who thinks up all this crap , Close Aith Junior High ? One of the highest ranking schools in Scotland , Fact. Where in gods name are they going to put approx 200 children ? In that semi derelict monstrosity in lerwick , already bursting at the seams ? And thats just from the aith school !!!! Wouldnt it have been more sense to have HAD a school ready to accomodate the hundreds of children from the country first ? Dont they realise that the childrens education will suffer until they get this new school built....many many years into the future judging by the way they cant make up their minds even where to put that monsrosity either ! Its kinda like building a housing scheme first , then putting a road and services to it last , now surely only a person of microscopic inteligence would do that ? The Stupidity of the SIC is mindboggling , how many office in lerwick are to lose there jobs as a result of this hairbrained idea ? , not many I'd warrant. How much would be saved if they sacked the morons that keep coming up with these idea's ? Yes savings have to be made but there are many other areas where savings should be made without destroying local communities. This from a council who have wasted millions on a non existant link between lerwick and bressay , and recently spent £400.000 on yet another feasability study into fixed links to the outer Isles , dont they think it would have been better to try to finish , sorry , start one project before attempting to plan that far into the future. Maybe they intend to get yet another cut price deal from ADC Ltd for the works (walls pier fiasco) , Didnt no one in the council think to check this companys background before awarding the contract to this lot instead of a local firm with the proven track record of good works carried out ? One would have assumed that councillor frank robertson would have been at least consulted about it , after all he is meant to be a councillor for the area. Joe blogs in the street could have told him that this was going to go tits up.....more expense. Who is accountable ???? I know this is off topic but it does show the total ineptitude of the "officials" and councilors at the SIC , and begs the question , are they fit to handle major changes of this magnitude ? Hmmm , I doubt it ! Hopefuly comes election time there will be a few swept out the town hall along with the trash. Rant over.......for now ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilldellin Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 ^^ Well said, lets just hope that when the sweeping starts the broom is wide enough ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 The situation in Yell is quite different though - there is quite a long single track road for the kids from Cullivoe to travel before they get to the main road. But I believe that the nursery children go to mid Yell, so maybe it's not that big a deal really? Yes i agree there, this road is safe enough to put pre-school children on for nursery, then unsafe for primary children, then back being safe for secondary children. It's a poor grasp of straws thats laughable sometimes. We would all like a school on our back doorstep but we cant aford that anymore. The difference is primary schooling is compulsory - nursery is voluntary. Even though the roads to Mid Yell are not brilliant, and travelling times can be long for a young child on the bus, ultimately it is up to the parent to get their child to and from nursery - and a car, with child car seat is a quicker journey than a bus with all it's stops, starts and detours. Yell isn't really a small island, it's as big as central Mainland. I wouldn't have wanted to put my young child on a bus to Mid Yell. If you are travelling from West Yell or Gloup it's quite a distance! So while you may think 3 primary schools in Yell is too much - it's not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambo6 Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 once they have a fit for purpose school for them then maybe. untill then not a chance. there is no way that the anderson could cope with another 160 pupils. again the schools all have primary schools attached. so the ongoing running costs would still be there. why not shut sandwick as well it only adds 170 and brae 211. they would have to think about boarding for the whalsay students. how strange that the original plan for the new school was able to take this number. now what brave council member is going to stand on the policy.these plans cost tens of thousands each time they attempt it. This is being considered. Maybe you should read the article you linked If the proposed JH schools were all closed the new building would need to be redesigned yet again. I'm not a political animal so to me it seems facile that a long-term issue like this is being tabled when we will shortly be getting a new council. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trowie246 Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 ^^^ I live in Cullivoe so here are a few facts for people who seem to think it is okay to comment on communities that they obviously know nothing about. Firstly regarding nursery age children going to Mid-Yell nursery school. I took my child in a car. The car journey took 20 minutes. I drove straight there and picked her up 2 and a half hours later. Currently secondary children leave Cullivoe at 8.20am. The bus does not go straight to Mid Yell but goes into North-A-Voe on route. They arrive about 9am. They leave Mid-Yell at 3.40pm and are home around 4.15pm. This is a journey of approx. 14 miles. Any child living in Gloup would have to travel approx. 17 miles to get to school in Mid-Yell. The condition of the road from Cullivoe to Gutcher - This road is very narrow with poor verges and steep embankment in places. My dad who worked as a roadman for most of his working life said it was probably one of the worst roads in Shetland considering the number of vehicles that go over it. The primary children travel directly to Mid- Yell for a few hours on Thursdays for PE and library and the big bus which was taking them there went off the road with 2 of my bairns in it. I got a phone call to come to Mid-Yell health centre as soon as possible so my bairns could be examined by the GP. I was told on the phone that everyone was fine so I wasn't too worried but when I drove past the bus it was the scariest feeling in my life and I started to greet. The bus was lying right over on her side propped up on a fence. The only thing that stopped it from being a serious accident was that the fence had just been renewed the week before and the bus driver had made sure that all the children were wearing seat-belts. One of the parents asked to see the police report on the accident and was told by the policeman that the official cause of the accident was that the road was too narrow in that specific point for the vehicle to pass safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 And the road from Cullivoe to Gutcher is the very same road where a Streamline Shipping crane went off the road last year. It is very narrow in places and although the bus drivers are very good it would only take a bit of ice at the wrong point on an otherwise treated road for an accident to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stromtrow Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 as a parent from scalloway who has already dealt with a school closure i urge all parents to dig their heels in and fight tooth and nail to keep your schools open! my daughters have been moved to the lerwick high school and since this happened my 2nd year daughters education has failed dramatically! the school is not fit for the purpose its supposed to be! the teachers cannot handle the quantity of children being forced through the doors. its not only the school that is the problem but the transport to get there aswell! there arent enough buses to cope with the huge quantity of children and my neice couldnt get a seat on the bus one morning and had to sit on someones knee, which is completely unacceptable! this has had a knock on effect with the transport to the primary school asweel and my youngest daughter also had to sit on someones knee as there wasn't enough seats. how is Shetland ment to improve when the S.I.C seems hell bent on sacrificing our childrens education and closing more schools to cover the cost of their mistakes?? todays children are shetlands future and without adequate education Shetland is doomed!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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