The Scottish Government has set up the Commission on Rural Education to look at all aspects of rural education in Scotland.
The group is tasked with examining both how the delivery of rural education can maximise the attainment and life chances of young people in rural areas, and the link between rural education and rural communities. The Commission will also review the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and its application and make recommendations on the delivery of all aspects of education in rural areas.
Anne Baird from the Argyll Rural Schools Network is a member of the Commission. She has asked the Scottish National Rural Network to help gather the views of people across rural Scotland and further afield on behalf of the Argyll Rural Schools Network. They want to hear your comments and suggestions on the future delivery of education in rural Scotland.
What concerns do you have about rural education? What ideas or suggestions do you have about how rural education could be delivered in the future? Are there examples from other countries that could transfer, or be adapted, to Scotland?
We know that rural school closures and other issues around education are important to many of our members and we would encourage you to get involved.
Please add your comments to this consultation - you can also find the link to do so at the bottom of the text. We'll pass all your comments on to the Argyll Rural Schools Network. This consultation will stay open until 31st November 2011.
Further information about the Commission
Members of the Commission
Sheriff David Sutherland (chair)
Stephen Hagan - Leader of Orkney Council
Anne Robertson - Leader of Aberdeenshire Council
Terry Loughran - Education Convener of Inverclyde Council
Peter Mackenzie - Education Convener of East Lothian Council
Malcolm Burr, Chief Executive of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, representing SOLACE
Glenn Rodger - Director of Education at Scottish Borders Council, representing ADES
Peter Ferguson - Headteacher at Auchterhouse Primary School in Angus
Sandy Longmuir, Scottish Rural Schools Network
Anne Baird, Argyll Rural Schools Network
Professor Cara Aitchison, Head of Moray House School of Education
Professor Bill Slee, James Hutton Institute
Bob Cree-Hay of the National Parents Forum
Emily Shaw, Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament for Shetland
Ann Brady, CEO, Care and Learning Alliance, in Highland
The Commission's Remit
To review the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and its application
To examine how the delivery of rural education can maximise attainment and outcomes to give pupils the best life chances, and to examine, where appropriate, how this can be applied more widely
To make recommendations on how to reflect best practice on the delivery of all aspects education in rural areas (pre-school through to Higher and Further Education)
To examine the links between rural education and the preservation, support and development of rural communities and to make recommendations on how these links might be strengthened if necessary
To examine and make recommendations on funding issues surrounding rural education
Organisation:
Argyll Rural Schools Network
Scotland: National Rural Network
Comments
Keep education local, keep rural communities alive.
As many contributors have said, rural schools are absolutely vital to the future of rural communities. Luing Primary School was proposed for closure by Argyll & Bute Council's misguided and misleading school closure programme but our whole community rallied together and saved it and our community's future.
Special conditions apply to island and other remote communities that do not apply in urban situations in that closing a school means accelerating a downward spiral of depopulation, whereas keeping it open means that families will continue to come to live there and help to reverse that worrying and destructive trend. Of course, it costs more to maintain small schools, and the Scottish Government must recognise this and ring fence extra funding to Councils for this purpose if it does not take direct control of education away from Councils.
As Sir Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer of Health, has shown, local empowerment is vital to the health of Scotland's people and I would ask the members of this Commission to recognise this and make recommendations which will strengthen legislation to protect rural schools and their communities from closure and empower local people to keep their schools and communities alive.
Norman Bissell
Isle of Luing
Argyll PA34 4UB
Rural schools.
Rural schools play a vital role in the sustainability of our remote rural communities, their presence encourages families with young children to move to and settle permanently in an area and they provide an enduring focus for the local community. As someone who attended a rural school (albeit, many years ago),I believe it is a retrogade step in even considering closing any rural school, as the community will never fully recover from its loss. My message would be: Please Support Our Rural Schools!
Rural Schools: Future Delivery of Education in Rural Scotland
Dear All
You might like to have a look at the RTPI in Scotland's response http://www.rtpi.org.uk/download/4718/080916-RTPI-in-Scotland-reponse-rural-schools.pdf to the 2008 consultation.
In it we advocated the use of the Development Plan as a mechanism to ensure a considered, balanced and above all transparent approach to educational provision. Happy to discuss further but I hope that the paper will be reasonably self-explanatory.
Best wishes
Rural Schools
Rural schools are vital for the education of our children. It is important that children are given the choice of being educated within their own communities whether that means that particular school has a role of 15 or 50 or 500. The school is the heart of a community and if it is taken away then younger families will not be attracted to live in rural areas.
The important issue to address is why are the councils willing to shut rural schools and be prepared to fund the cost of travel for these children to attend schools out-with their communities ( in many cases causing these schools to be pushed for space and having to employ another teacher) and yet they are not prepared to offer transport for children whose parents would prefer the chance of education within a smaller school, surely this would make better use of the resources and still give families a choice.
Listen, support, share
Each rural school will have its own challenges and set of circumstances. When considering the delivery of rural education, each school’s requirements and special situation must be considered. Many schools are innovative and are examples of good practice; this good practice should be shared.
Small Isles Primary School on the Isle of Jura is small (10 pupils plus 3 pre 5s), with a teaching head teacher and a part-time teacher, is remote, has a large catchment area (bus journey time up to 49 minutes), and has no direct mainland connection. The standard of education provided throughout the school is excellent with a variety of opportunities which would be the envy of many a larger school. There are difficulties which face the pupils and the staff, and other schools will, no doubt, identify with one or more of these situations.
Multi-year classes
Despite the difficulties teaching different year groups at the same time, with flexibility and knowledge of individual pupil’s abilities, pupils can progress in different curriculum areas at different rates suitable for them. Fully integrated Early (or Early/First level) level classes have the advantage of facilitating a seamless transition from nursery/pre-five provision into primary 1. The educational advantages of very small schools can only be felt if the staffing levels are kept at high levels with adequate planning time available.
Transition to High School
Whilst small and multi-year classes can be of benefit educationally and socially to children in small primary schools, the transition to high school can be very difficult. Sometimes just one pupil can be joining a school perhaps twenty times bigger than the primary school that they attended. All feeder primary schools should be given resources to help the smallest schools integrate their primary 7s together; high schools must be aware of this problem and be given resources to help pupils from their most distant schools make the transition to high school.
Long journey times for many pupils
Journey times can be decreased if the longest journeys do not have to serve side routes and other buses could be provided (but, of course, this incurs extra costs for the local authority). Journey times could be off-set by a shorter school day. The most innovative solution would be for a shorter working week for the children or even a mobile aspect to the school.
Single-teacher schools
The concern for parents is one of safety for children in case of emergency. There should be no times when there is only one adult present in the school. A second adult, able to deal with children in case of emergency must be present. In addition, the lone teacher must have provision during the school day for breaks.
Island life
The cost of transport off-island for trips, swimming lessons etc is essential for the social contact it provides, as well as the educational benefits. Schools’ budgets should reflect this. Islander families have an increased cost of living compared to their mainland counterparts and if asked to meet the full cost of trips would simply not be able to. It seems logical that school transport for trips on council run ferry services could run without the school paying. Provision should also be made for other schools to be able to fund trips come across to an island school, without incurring prohibitive costs. Cover Training for teachers, hospital appointments will take at least a day longer (often two) for teachers on islands. The cover budget must reflect this. Contact with other education professionals is hugely important for staff in small schools. Supply staff If covering an absent teacher in a single teacher school, the hours currently required from a supply teacher exceed what they are paid. This is unacceptable.
School bus and public bus
Some school bus services are the same as the public bus service. On islands, the timing of the school day can be dictated by the ferry times. Late ferries mean late buses and small children getting home unacceptably late. Large numbers of tourists delay buses. Separate services will not be funded by the Authority. Parents and schools are faced with an impossible situation. There is a culture of fear that if a problem with this transport arrangement is raised with the Authority, the life-line public bus service funding will be cut. Parents and teachers dare not speak out. There must be room for dialogue on this issue.
There are times when each child seems to represent no more than a bundle of money to be paid in or out. We must not allow this to continue. Our young children deserve to be treated as individuals who can have THEIR needs met. Just now, they seem to be at the bottom of the heap, they who have the least voice of all.
Rural Schools
We too have just gone through the extremely stressful consultation period of our rural school proposal of closure. We were happy to hear it was safe for the moment and possibly with luck for the long term future. We moved to a rural area (Minard) 4 years ago.
We selected Minard because of the school locality. Since moving in we have found the school not only excellent but the hub of the local community. Surely if Scotland is wanting to encourage young families to move into rural areas it should be preserving these schools not threatening to close them. We would not have elected to move to Minard had it not been for the school, its excellent staff and the well behaved and friendly pupils, past and present.
I would also like to add that having had children at much larger schools, bigger is definetly not better as the slower or quieter ones in a class are often left out whereas in small classes all pupils participate in events. There should be more done to attract families to rural villages, thereby sustaining the communities, they shouldn't let them degenerate as this leads to a village full of elderly people, holiday homes or empty houses as families move out.
Catchment areas in many cases could be extended to include areas which are closer to the small rural school than sending children to a much larger school which is further away. With regard to travel, how is it on a school trip there is legislation in place for first aiders to be present on the bus and supervision, but to get to school Argyll & Bute would send primary aged pupils on a public bus with no adult supervision.
There has also been incidents where the A83 between our village and Lochgilphead has been closed meaning children have had a journey of approximately 3hrs via Oban instead of 20 minutes. We do not see this as suitable for any primary aged pupil of any village.
Not just Rural Schools
Firstly I would like to say that ARSN and SRSN are two incredible organisations, with amazing people at the forefront of them doing their bit to try and ensure the education of our children is the priority in any proposals to change a school estate.
As a parent who is currently experiencing a potential school closure - in Arbroath (urban, not rural) - I can say first hand that it is one of the most stressful things I've had to deal with. We chose our house six years ago deliberately to send our children to the very school we are now being told is 'not fit for purpose.' I have a real problem with the way our school was assessed. It bears no resemblance to the state of repair that is written down on paper.
It also seems rather astonishing that a Council could downgrade nine of its ten schools in the space of a year, just as it sought justification for extra Government funding. That, in itself, would be a reason for tightening up an Act - to ensure that the 'facts' released in public are ACTUAL 'facts' and not some figures that have been massaged to justify closure.
Consultation, in our case, appeared nothing more than a 'ticky box'. Our Council did its best not to publicise any public meetings and tried, where possible, to either give incredibly vague information or give 30 page documents that were supposed to be read and used as evidence to draw on when filling in consultation papers on the spot.
We then have the infamous 'computer survey' where the system allowed someone to make over 1000 multiple responses from a single computer (naturally all in favour of shutting down the school). There should be a mandatory name and address on all consultation forms.
Staff at schools should also feel they have the right to make genuine opinions without fear of repercussions from their employers. Teachers are the very people who know what it's like at the coal face. They know the challenges, they know the strengths (and weaknesses) of their schools and they should know what is best to help them improve practice. Yet, under this Act, they are given no real authority to impress their opinions.
Educational Benefits should be at the forefront of any proposal. We cannot simply reject closures on the basis that the Act hasn't been followed. There has to be more power given to the Cabinet Secretary to say: 'No, this simply isn't happening. It's not going to work for the children.' Our friends at Robslee will testify to this.
There should also be tougher restrictions on Councils releasing information requested from them during the entire process. We shouldn't have to battle through FOI and find the usual 'delaying tactics' over release that we have, sadly, encountered regularly in Arbroath. These 'delaying tactics' could ultimately deny parents the right to pivotal information that could ultimately prevent their school from closure. A Council should be made to fulfil all FOI requests within a specific deadline that relate to the closure, before any action can be taken. A deadline on FOI requests could be set, much like the deadline for representation for call-in.
There should also be greater accountability for the local authority during the 'call-in' process. It's understandable that they are given their right to respond but they should make their response in public. Consideration may also be given to allowing a panel of representatives from both the Council and objectors for interview at the crucial 'call-in' stage.
Finally, there MUST be more provision given to urban schools in the Act. The moratorium was a great idea but it only covered rural schools and has left schools - like ours - exposed.
Why is environmental education so poor?
Having lived on Mull for 32 years my main observation is that standards of general education are pretty good. However I have spent a lot of my time wondering why environmental education is so poor here when children on the West Coast and the Hebridean Islands gaze daily on one of the most environmentally rich places on the planet. Millions of visitors come here annually to enjoy our wildlife and wild places and yet local children get little environmental education relative to what they are surrounded by.
The Scottish Government are obsessed of course with their 'black gold' as a means of bringing wealth to the nation and I would suggest that this will soon become a 'dirty' pot of gold, as the world becomes increasingly passionate about the natural environment in which we all live. Isn't the countries 'green gold' its biggest single asset?
Maybe I should remind all at this point that tourism accounts for something like 85% of cash coming into Argyll alone, leaving other rural industries in its wake. In 32 years of offering, not once has Tobermory High School taken me up on free wildlife tours.
Why is their no Ecotourism course anywhere in the whole of Argyll? Here on Scotlands spectacular National Scenic Area where are the places for visitors to stay and spend their money. Where are the places for them to eat. Where are the parking areas and interpretation of its natural wonders. Why isnt Mull part of a jaw dropping Hebridean Islands National Park which would be one of the worlds natural wonders, bringing cash and jobs to many here etc etc etc. Could it be that local children do not see the opportunities in their own natural environment because of the lack of such education during their school years?
I am suggesting therefore that it is in Scotlands 'Green Gold' where the future is for rural children here but without more input from their school years I dont see how they can take advantage of this.
Lack of Rural Education in Scotland
Why is there a lack? That's an easy question to answer, it's because the UK Government do not want Scotland and the Scottish people to be world leader's in Environmental issues.That is why there is no schooling in these issues.The UK Government ONLY care about England! Look where everything goes, the Dome, the Olympics, the Eye, everything built in England so that England makes money and Scotland get's the 'Respect' Mr. Cameron stated in his manifesto that the Scottish people deserved, then he completed a U turn as soon as he gained power!Scotland and it's people get nothing!Have a look at the Lake District of England, see how many Wind Turbines you can find = Not a lot!In fact you will be lucky if you can find 10 in all of the landscape. It's a case of keeping the environment safe in England and filling Scotland with Turbines for the use of England.Is it not time for our Scottish Government to come out fighting? Is it not time for our MSP's to lay down the gauntlet to the English and DEMAND fair and just treatment for our country and our environment? Or are they also not in the least interested?
School closures
Having just undergone a long and extremely stressful consultation on the proposed closure of my children's school, (which is to remain open!) I would like to add my views.
Firstly councils need to really consult with parents and communities, not make up their minds to save money and concoct an argument to prove their case. The whole process is completely confrontational and does not encourage sensible debate and discussion. Councils should be required to look at the bigger picture when looking at the school estate - current budgeting makes them look at issues in isolation.
Attracting families to rural villages and maintaining sustainable communities are important issues but are not relevant to those dealing with balancing education budgets. Populations change but catchment areas do not seem to move to keep up with them.
Pre-school and after-school childcare are key factors which many parents consider when choosing a school. Without childcare, rural schools which provide fantastic education and really encouraging environments for active learning, in keeping with the curriculum for excellence, start to decline.
School transport provision needs to be more flexible - not just taking children to and from school but possibly taking them to and from after school club too.
THE IMPORTANCE OF RURAL SCHOOLS
I believe no one knows the importance of the rural school unless they live in a rural area. I personally attended a large primary school but since both my own girls have went through a small rural school I cannot highly enough recommend the top quality education that they both received. Perhaps we were lucky to have two excellent teachers. Rural schools are very much the hub of the community. All social events involve the community and the community involve the children in social events too. Children have a more hands on education, learning how to organise events, involve the local community which brings in abilities of how to work with others no matter what age group. Small rural schools are much more personalised to each individual child. Rural schools can mix and share events with each other and with the introduction of the Glow Programme have every opportunity provided for each child.
I believe rural educated children are much more tolerant, confident and sociable individuals.
Local Education - Working Together.
Whether schools and education are administered at local or national government level any decisions about a change in local provision should involve the parents and the communities to identify problems and solutions before any decisions are made.
In Argyll & Bute it was apparent to parents & communities that the objective of the Council administration was to close a large proportion of rural schools regardless of their local need, educational strengths and without having made any concerted effort to address any problems faced by these schools that were affecting school rolls. This was so obviously in contravention of the Schools Act that it seemed unbelievable that the process should have progressed on two separate occassions to public consultation. Clearly there needs to be clearer rules/guidance and standards of proposals produced by education authorities that must be met before proposals are put out to consultation.
There also needs to be more research into the potential alternatives to closing rural schools and collation of ideas from around Scotland. The biggest issue seems to be staffing costs and more flexible staffing provision and sharing of management and administaration services by smaller schools needs to be looked at. Also ways of encouraging as many local pupils to use their local school as possible need to be examined, to include pre school provision in or linked to local schools.
Bottom line is something as important as education needs a completely open and honest communication between the education authorities and the communities that they are supposed to serve, well before closures are proposed. This may require a significant increase in the minimum timescales applied to developing and consulting on proposals.
Local Education and Working together
This is a superb example of bureaucratic thought. Parents need to know their chidren are being educated and competant teachers want to do that work - vital for economic and social progress as well as personal development. We do not need obedience to rules and concepts for the sake of a slogan or official advancement. Cut red tape, accept local knowledge, keep people in the countryside and look for the best people, not amenable ones. Improve libraries not hardware.
Rural education
More honesty from councils: parents are not stupid, if councils were to be more open and upfront and genuinely talk to parents then real progress could be made. National guidelines need to be set regarding capacity levels and occupancy rates to avoid any misrepresentation by councils. Some public clarification as to what the government considers the truth regarding the ability of the small school to deliver Curriculum for Excellence would help.
The GAE element paid for the small rural schools should be ring fenced and kept within the education department of a council. This should stop the argument that councils are not compensated for the smaller school, or that larger schools fund the smaller.
Consideration needs to be given to removing education from local authority control, however this would have to be very carefully monitored to ensure the central belt mentality is not imposed onto rural areas. Shared headships and staffing should also be considered, properly managed many savings could be made, without impacting on the education.
If schools are to be considered for closure, all information held and used in the consultation process, plus the minutes from any meetings held should be made public immediately, there is absolutely no need to keep any information secret (unless the councils have something to hide), this will also reduce the time lost to councils answering FOI requests. Should however an FOI be used that uncovers misrepresentation by a council, then the consultation should cease immediately.
Rural schools
Shared headships and teacher rotations are essential in my opinion for the continued health of Rural education. If we are to sustain communities in the most rural locations then the schools must be able to grow and change with the times. Our experience in Argyll has shown that staffing can can stay the same for many years at some schools and this has proved problematic in certain areas. If all schools were on an even footing and staff were rotated or shared in clusters then a balance and equality could be found - it is after all more acceptable and cheaper to move staff around rather than children.
The school buildings in many cases cost very little but have been neglected and their rolls have dropped often due to the slow withdrawal of other services and infrastructure. LA's should be made to invest in communities "at risk" rather than allowed to further manage the decline. This investment need only be as little as emergency allocation of land for affordable housing or in allowing land owners small pockets for building.
There is an assumption of course in my comments that the LA's wish the communities to survive and the school rolls to rise - unfortunately it appears that in the case of Argyll and Bute the main exercise was in tidying up and creating more urban style education bases which is not only inappropriate for the geography but has no evidence to suggest there is any educational benefit over the fantastic educational experiences the current schools provide.
Rural Education
A local school is vital for the health and heart of a rural community. It's role is greater than mere education. It is a focal point that brings a community together. It is also important that pupils learn how they fit into their local community and how their community fits in the grand scheme of things. There is little point in investing in rural projects and planning for the future if the children and young people are not a part of it( not just at weekends and holidays but on a day to day basis) At a time when there is a steady drift away from rural communities by our young people, this has never been more important.
Rural communities are not going to attract new families if there is no local school. No parent would be happy to have their pride and joy bussed miles away each day. The knock on effect is that local shops, doctors' surgeries, post offices, nurseries etc will all disappear. No growth in population will eventually ensure that our villages become stagnant and end up as mere dormitories for town and city workers with no one about during the day. Village life simply dies out. It is madness to be bussing our children miles away along rural roads, especially in winter. Fuel costs and carbon emmissions should also be considered. Surely it is better to deliver a local service. Small rural schools deliver so much and sadly we will not realise all that they bring to a community until it is too late. Big is not always beautiful.
Rural Education Commission
I think the lack of honesty, openness and transparency within Local Authorities means that Rural Education will never be given a fair playing field. Rural Education needs to be removed from them, there is already too much bad management going on in them.
Rural Education Commision
The Commission will have a tough job ensuring that the act and guidelines are strengthened sufficiently so that there cannot be a repeat of recent events in Argyll & Bute. A & B consistently treated the Act as a nuisance to be ticked off in their determination to decimate primary education in the region. In Rosneath and Kilcreggan the families were put under a great deal of stress and parents were appalled and terrified at the thought of pupils as young as four years old being put onto coaches without any adult supervision and travelling to Garelochhead but found there was no legislative safe guards against this, yet, if a school took the same children on a trip by coach there is strict legislation for this. It is a significant problem which has to be addressed.