Schools policies (assorted)
Schools in the Western Isles have been thrown into chaos by the Comhairle taking the right decision (for all the wrong reasons) about the future of education in the islands.
I am delighted that there is to be a whole-scale review of education – how many pupils, in which schools, in which locations, feeding into which schools – before any decisions are reached.
It is long overdue, and is a decision that the previous Government Executive tried to prevent taking place; and that the current Government tried to drive through. Or more correctly – and please forgive my total cynicism – a policy that the civil servants tried to continue, and in which the Government was complicit.
The PFI PPP whatever TLA* scheme it is now being touted as, was a way to deliver schools in the wrong place with the wrong facilities for the wrong number of pupils, for the benefit of the developers and advisors, and not the pupils.
I confess to lacking a full understanding of the Curriculum for Excellence (another TLA*) other than to brand it yet another “innovation” that consultants have dreamt up and teachers are under-equipped and under-trained to deliver. Anyone with knowledge of the education sector knows that constant change is the problem, and that new ideas cannot – will not – work overnight.
Does the public want local schools retained? Yes.
Is this best outcome for education in the Western Isles? Maybe. Yes in some places, almost certainly not in others.
Will the Government pay for the additional costs of delivering this? You must be joking; despite the promises of a SNP Councillor that they would.
Will the Council Tax payers pay for the additional costs? Possibly, grudgingly, and then complain about Council Tax rises.
And the solution? Well I wouldn't start from here. The original plans need to be torn up and completely new negotiations with the Government need to take place to cost the proposals; to evaluate the educational merits; and then to take the hard decisions.
And explain to the communities why this is the case. Am I ever glad to have stood down :-))
* Three letter acronym
I am delighted that there is to be a whole-scale review of education – how many pupils, in which schools, in which locations, feeding into which schools – before any decisions are reached.
It is long overdue, and is a decision that the previous Government Executive tried to prevent taking place; and that the current Government tried to drive through. Or more correctly – and please forgive my total cynicism – a policy that the civil servants tried to continue, and in which the Government was complicit.
The PFI PPP whatever TLA* scheme it is now being touted as, was a way to deliver schools in the wrong place with the wrong facilities for the wrong number of pupils, for the benefit of the developers and advisors, and not the pupils.
I confess to lacking a full understanding of the Curriculum for Excellence (another TLA*) other than to brand it yet another “innovation” that consultants have dreamt up and teachers are under-equipped and under-trained to deliver. Anyone with knowledge of the education sector knows that constant change is the problem, and that new ideas cannot – will not – work overnight.
Does the public want local schools retained? Yes.
Is this best outcome for education in the Western Isles? Maybe. Yes in some places, almost certainly not in others.
Will the Government pay for the additional costs of delivering this? You must be joking; despite the promises of a SNP Councillor that they would.
Will the Council Tax payers pay for the additional costs? Possibly, grudgingly, and then complain about Council Tax rises.
And the solution? Well I wouldn't start from here. The original plans need to be torn up and completely new negotiations with the Government need to take place to cost the proposals; to evaluate the educational merits; and then to take the hard decisions.
And explain to the communities why this is the case. Am I ever glad to have stood down :-))
* Three letter acronym
4 comments:
Totally agreed that there should be a full review.
It should be explained to the public that Education provision is dependent on the finance available but it should also be crystal clear that the Education provision on offer should NOT be dependent on a particular (currently fashionable) financial funding method.
Are tou sure that what is in your second paragraph (I am delighted that there is to be a whole-scale review of education – how many pupils, in which schools, in which locations, feeding into which schools – before any decisions are reached) is what is planned. I think what will happen is that an independent consultant will be paid to reach a conclusion predetermined by someone holding the purse strings. This will then be presented as a report to Education Committee about why the Comhairle was wrong to take the decisions it took in June and to try and carry on the job Cllr Munro inherited from Norman L. By the full council meeting in early September we will all be where we were a year ago - Ed Dept wishes to close (a lot of) schools, some councillors want to close schools, some councillors want to stop school closures, some councillors want to stop the WISP, most councillors would like to sort it out by having a full review of education (but they would not support the idea in June, will they support in Sept?).
Councillors had the oppurtunity at the last council meeting to support a motion that called for a full review. Unfortunately many,for blatantly political reasons, chose not to support Donald Manford.
I sincerely hope there will be a full review of schools, locations and affordability; not a consultant paid to reach a predetermined conclusion. Nor do we want parents views ignored as they were in the 'consultation' of May/June. No one living on the west side wants to see children as young as 11 travelling over 20 miles to school in Stornoway. The west side of Lewis is still a community where people live and work locally, to a large extent. We do not want or need a council who are going to ruin this. Folk will not want to live here and have their children at 11 going to school in Stornoway. Reps of the council were told all this at the 'consultations' and chose to ignore it. Please do not treat us with such contempt again.
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