SAVE CORRIE SCHOOL

WITH THANKS TO “THE ARRAN VOICE” FOR  USE OF THEIR MATERIAL
Text Box: Parliamentary motion on Corrie School 24th November 2007 By Kenneth Gibson MSP Kenneth Gibson, Arran's MSP, has submitted the following motion to Parliament. It should be published tomorrow. He points out that the single long sentence is the style of Parliamentary motions. Motion: Proposed Closure of Corrie Primary School, Isle of Arran "That the Parliament notes with concern the decision of North Ayrshire Council to begin a formal consultation process in January 2008 with a view to closing Corrie Primary School and adjacent nursery, the only purpose built one on the island of Arran, in summer 2008; acknowledges that Corrie Primary School is a high performing school with 100% attendance levels, placing requests and which only this year had an excellent HMI report; is aware that Corrie Primary School has been at the heart of Corrie for over 120 years and is central to village life; appreciates the commitment of parents, staff and pupils who together raised over £11,000 to build and install an adventure playground, opened on 20 August 2007; is disappointed that the decision to open a consultation was based on erroneous information which grossly overstated the capacity of Corrie Primary School while underestimating actual pupil numbers; believes that the closure of Corrie School will have a devastating impact on the morale of pupils, parents and staff, some of whom will lose their employment, and have a severe impact on the viability of Corrie itself and the ability of the village to attract young families with children; realises that Arran Homes and the Housing Initiative for Arran Residents plan to build from 24-27 homes in Corrie over the next year or two, including family homes that will attract families and boost the roll of Corrie Primary School if it survives; recognises that the nearest school to Corrie, Brodick Primary, will mean children travelling 10-16 miles per day to and from school; appreciates that Corrie Primary School has received considerable investment from North Ayrshire Council in recent years, including this one, which will be wasted if the school closes; understands that there is genuine fear on Arran that, should Corrie Primary School close then others may follow in its wake; worries that the closure of such an excellent school as Corrie Primary would send out the wrong message to the rest of Scotland's 431 primary schools with rolls of 50 or less, where one third of head teachers, according to the recent Scottish Government study 'Leadership in Small Scottish Primary Schools' already fear for the future of their school." Text Box: Corrie school closure consultation begins, The Arran Voice 11th January 2008 By Nick Underdown The fight to retain Corrie primary school will up a gear next week as the consultation to assess its proposed closure and amalgamation with Brodick primary gets underway. The Education Executive is urging all stakeholders to contribute to the consultation released earlier this week. But since the proposal appeared on the Council’s website on 13th November, local campaigners have organised an island-wide petition and challenged the figures used by the Council to form the closure proposal. Over 1,000 signatures have already been collected in support of the ‘Save Corrie School’ campaign.Rush jobNew legislation due to to take effect in June means that closing schools such as Corrie Primary will be even more difficult to justify. ‘Save Corrie School’ campaigners say that due to the looming legislation, the Council have tried to push the closures through too quickly. ‘Because they have tried to rush it, they have made a string of procedural mistakes,’ explains Neil Bulger, a local resident, campaigner and parent of a pupil at Corrie primary. Peter McNamara, one of Arran’s four councillors who sits on the Education Executive, said earlier this week that ‘The figures that we’ve had, I’ve been led to believe, were slightly inaccurate.’ However, the new consultation document published earlier this week would seem to play down the impact of any new buildings in Corrie. Two roll projections are listed in the consultation document’s appendix which claim to show the impact of a further 10 and 20 houses on the future Brodick Primary School (if amalgamated with Corrie). ‘Both examples would result in an acceptable occupancy level for Brodick Primary School,’ it claims. Councillor McNamara stresses that the facts which directed the proposed amalgamation of Corrie Primary school and three other schools in North Ayrshire were compiled by an ‘all-party sub-committee’ called the School Estate Review Group. ‘This is not a Labour administration that is dominating decisions,’ he said. ‘There was a need to look at the school estate and we initiated a review.' He added, 'We don’t run the Council. I’ve been invited to Corrie, but that would undermine the process that we’ve set up.’ The Labour councillor said he was unwilling to comment on the outcome of the consultation. ‘Absolutely not. That would undermine the whole point of the consultation exercise.’ The consultation proposes to shut down Corrie school by the end of this summer. Because Corrie Primary School is 5.6 miles from Brodick Primary School and within the last ten years Brodick Primary School has had an occupancy of 80% or more, the proposal would require the approval of the Scottish Ministers. But SNP councillor Tony Gurney believes it is crucial not to let it get to that stage. ‘We need to head it off at the pass,’ he said.Who reviews? At a meeting on 27th June 2007, North Ayrshire Council agreed to set up a School Estate Review Group tasked by the Education Executive to identify areas for ‘potential rationalisation and improvement.’ Text Box: Corrie consultation will highlight approaches to rural education The Arran Voice 19th January 2008 By Nick Underdown The consultation on the proposed closure of Corrie Primary School starts today (Friday), after the draft consultative document was approved by the Scrutiny Committee of North Ayrshire Council. Local stakeholders responding to the consultation have just one month, until the 18th of February, to lodge their comments on the document. Parents have been issued with the consultation paper, but any other individuals or groups may request a copy from the Council offices or download a copy from the North Ayrshire Council website. The consultation looks set to highlight the Council’s stance on rural education and may flag up differences in the local authority’s approach when compared to the plans of the Scottish Government to create a legislative presumption against the closure of rural schools. Earlier this week, The Arran Voice contacted two key players involved in the consultation process to find out more about their views concerning the principles of rural education and its benefits for children and communities.The Arran Voice posed two questions to Carol Kirk, Head of Educational Services, North Ayrshire Council. We reproduce these, together with Carol's answers. What are the advantages of rural schools in North Ayrshire? There are a number of perceived advantages of small rural schools (smaller classes, better links with parents, good knowledge of the children and their family backgrounds by staff and Headteacher). However, these may be outweighed by the potential advantages of an urban school (better opportunities for learning via a wider range of different teachers, extended peer groups, better social opportunities, competition etc.) The key issue for all schools is that they provide high quality education and that the best use is made of existing resources to do so. It is these which are of greatest interest to the Education Service in North Ayrshire regardless of location. Is there an optimum class size for primary education in North Ayrshire? No. The Scottish Government is planning to reduce over time maximum class size to 18 in certain primary class year groups, especially at the lower end. In terms of quality of interaction between teacher and pupil, this could provide benefit particularly to pupils starting primary school. Smaller classes may restrict opportunity however; larger classes up to the current maxima may also be disadvantageous to individual pupils. The Authority is of the view that headteachers should have some measure of control over class sizes up to the permitted maxima in order to deal successfully with local circumstances. It should be noted that methodology in primary schools means that whole class teaching is only part of the children’s experience and that learning takes place in small groups, differentiated activities and project based work. The Arran Voice also contacted the office of Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Scottish Government. Ms Hyslop is the person responsible for Ministerial consent in school closure cases, but she understandably declined to comment on the specific case of Corrie school. In her nine months office, she has presided over two cases of refusing Ministerial consent — the first refusals of proposed school closures in 20 years. However, her office is keen to stress that ‘this does not set a precedent for future cases, which will of course all be judged on the individual merits of the case presented.’ Helpfully, they directed the Arran Voice to a letter issued to Education Conveners in October last year, and as this is of great relevance to the Corrie case, we publish it in full. Dear Convener, I am writing to you on a matter which each of you may have to confront from time to time, namely consideration of the need to adjust the configuration of the school estate and the prospect of having to consult on school closure proposals. This letter sets out the Scottish Government's position on the handling meantime of school closure proposals - whether or not they require Ministerial consent - in advance of our consulting on proposals for a legislative presumption against the closure of rural schools. It should be read in conjunction with the Additional Guidance on Local Authority Proposals for the School Estate, including School Closures, which was issued in September 2004 and which is reissued and attached for ease of reference. You will be aware of our manifesto commitment to introduce a legislative presumption against the closure of rural schools. We are in the process of considering how best to take this forward and intend to consult publicly on a package of measures in due course. Meantime though, I have looked again at the 2004 guidance and come to the decision that now is not the time to make changes to it. Given the prospect of consulting on legislative changes it might be confusing to make a series of interim adjustments at this stage. I also have little issue with the actual substance of the current guidance. My concerns focus more on how some Councils are applying it, particularly where a closure proposal is not referable to Ministers. Let me therefore highlight those aspects where my concerns are most acute. At the end of paragraph 2 of the guidance there is a recognition of Councils' need to look ahead and have regard to projections of future demand for places. I would ask you to exercise care when doing so, given that this can never be an exact science. Firstly, population projections for a given community or area can fluctuate quite significantly from year to year and secondly, your Council can sometimes take positive action, or encourage or support the taking of action by others, to influence directly the projections and trends - for instance to seek to slow, halt or even reverse the decline in a community's population. Although there may not always be agreement as to the figures, it is very important for a community to understand clearly the basis for the population projections relevant to consideration of any school closure proposal. The final sentence of paragraph 23 cannot be over-emphasised. In cases referred for Ministerial consent we shall pay the closest attention to the material and information in the case presented by the Council and the way it has demonstrated adherence to the legislation and guidance, taking account also of the issues I have highlighted in this letter. I would re-emphasise that the statutory framework, the guidance and this letter should underpin and be applied to all closure cases, not just those requiring consent. I would be most concerned if there were evidence of any distinction in the way Councils handle proposals which require Ministerial consent and those which do not. My expectation is that the same principles and approach will be applied across the board. In the opening part of paragraph 27 and in part (a) thereof, there is reference to the need for your Council to set out the educational advantages of the proposed closure. This is critically important not only for those directly or indirectly affected, but also in the context for instance of your authority's duty to secure improvement in the quality of education provided in schools. For that reason, in future cases which are referred for Ministerial consent I shall be asking for HMIE's independent and professional advice on the case presented by the Council and on the envisaged educational advantages which the Council indicates that the proposal is intended to secure. That said, there are other considerations which Councils may also need to take into account, as illustrated in the subsequent sections of paragraph 27. A balance may have to be struck at times between increased travelling times and distances and the envisaged benefits that would accrue from a closure proposal. The way in which the financial considerations are calculated and set out needs to made absolutely clear to all parties. There may also be real and contentious implications for the local community served by the school, which can be the focus of many of the consultation responses. It is important that Councils do give proper consideration to all such relevant matters prior to reaching their final decisions, although as the guidance indicates, the educational case - and the best interests of the pupils - at the end of the day has to be the key consideration. It is crucial that the guidance is read and acted upon, as a whole rather than selectively, and in the spirit of the whole document. An example would be in paragraphs 29 and 30. They have to be read together and in the context of the rest of the guidance. Although this section acknowledges that authorities may well have to take into account wider considerations than the purely local, there is an important emphasis in such circumstances on any proposal delivering advantages locally, for those pupils directly affected, as well as on the wider scale. Finally, whilst thoroughly endorsing the section of the guidance on the consultative process, I would very much wish to reinforce the message at the end of paragraph 33. The consultation process should always be a genuine one, one in which the points and issues raised at public meetings and by those responding in other ways are taken seriously, explored and also answered. In a process where transparency and accountability count for so much it strikes me as essential that those who have participated in the process get some sort of response or reply beyond just the announcement of the final decision. By that I mean that the Council endeavours somehow publicly to explain and set out how the consultation input and points raised were indeed considered and explored and then how and why the Council's final decision was reached. Drawing those links and setting out the post-consultation actions and of the decision making process are surely an integral part of genuine consultation and vital if people are to understand the rationale and reasoning behind your Council's decisions. Before leaving the issue of consultations I would also wish to stress that pupils, every bit as much as parents, are also key stakeholders in any potential changes to school provision. Experience suggests that their input at an early stage can be very helpful. I would therefore expect you to use relevant strategies to engage with pupils when considering any alterations to the pattern of educational provision. Let me conclude by asking you to reconsider the 2004 guidance and the way your Council applies it, in light of this letter, when you next have occasion to contemplate a school closure. Fiona Hyslop

THE STORY SO FAR