Rural Community Gateway

The Scottish Government want to hear your views on their proposals for changes to legislation regarding school closures and improving school consultation procedures. These proposals are set out in the consultation document ‘Safeguarding our rural schools'.

Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop said, “Local schools are an important part of ensuring vibrant local communities and local economies in villages across rural Scotland.

“It is important that rural schools get the protection that they need and this Government wants their future safeguarded. There can be much heart-ache and time-consuming efforts in current consultations and we want to try and relieve that. This Government wants to make the process for handling all school closures fairer, more robust and more transparent, and we want to see better consultation before any decision is taken.

“Our proposals would lead to a number of improvements in the way authorities consult on all school closures. They would have to provide an educational benefit statement, consult for a minimum of six weeks of term time and extend the list of consultees to include, among others, HMIE.

“In the case of rural schools specifically, the authorities would also have to have regard to alternatives to closure, the impact on the community including use of buildings and the impact on the environment of new travel requirements.”

What’s wrong with the current system?

The 'Safeguarding our rural schools' consultation paper says that current legislation is a patchwork of rules and regulations which is thought by some to be difficult to understand and no longer fit for purpose. Current rules and regulations leave some parents and communities with no clear understanding of their rights and how the system operates.

What are the main points of the consultation?

Improving the consultation process.
The Scottish Government think that when making certain changes (including the closure of a school) a council should have to:

• Publish a consultation paper, including an educational benefit statement about the proposals
• Consult for at least six weeks of term time
• Seek the independent views of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE)
• Hold a public meeting on its proposals
• Publish a report of what people said during the consultation (including HMIE’s views), and how the council has responded

Safeguarding rural schools
The Scottish Government also want councils to consider:

• Alternatives to closing a rural school
• The impact on the community of closing a rural school
• The impact of closing a rural school on the community’s use of the school’s buildings, facilities and grounds
• Impact of new travel patterns on pupils, others, and on the environment, if a rural school closes

How to take part

The consultation will be open until 19th September 2008. You can download the consultation document Safeguarding rural schools from our library.

You can respond in writing to:
School Closure Consultation CRE 995
CSU, Spur U5b Saughton House
Broomhouse Drive
Edinburgh, EH11 3XD

You can email your response to: schoolclosure.consultation@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Or you can fill in an online form here.

You need to include a Respondent Information Form with your submission. You can find one at the end of the consultation paper ‘Safeguarding our rural schools’, or by going to the Scottish Government website.

If you have any queries contact the Scottish Government on 0131 244 0166.

Tell us what you think?

What do you think about the Scottish Government’s consultation on safeguarding rural schools? How significant is the provision of accessible education in the long-term future of rural communities? Has a school in your community closed? You can give us your thoughts on these questions, and any issues raised by the consultation by adding your comments to this article.

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