Joint Response from Temple School Board and Temple Community to Director of Education's Report of 26 Feb 2004: "Midlothian's Schools Strategic Asset Management Primary and Nursery"

Summary of Main Points

Having attended the consultation meetings, we appreciate that Midlothian Council has inherited challenges with its school estate. We also appreciate that the Council faces constraints on the finance that it can use to solve these problems. We ask that in their restructuring of the schools Councillors keep Temple school open because:

1. The children and wider community of the Temple catchment area value this school highly and in large numbers
2. The school plays a vital part in the community, bringing children, parents and grandparents together daily from throughout the catchment area. Members of the community help in the school
3. The school is small but truly socially inclusive in its wide mix of pupils and parents
4. The school ensures that young families remain in the area or move into it, keeping the rural community socially diverse
5. Composite classes work in the context of Temple and this rural community. Overall educational attainment figures are good and the children learn citizenship through caring for younger children in class
6. Temple has the biggest catchment area of the rural schools with 32 farms (over half of the Midlothian total), 6 Water Board houses and many owner-managed businesses in the area
7. Temple school is an important factor for rural employers being able to attract employees to the area.
8. Temple itself is only a few miles from Gorebridge but most of its catchment area is much further away and serviced by minor roads. Keeping the schools open would ensure that the journeys of the children are as short and as inexpensive as possible.
9. Temple school is positioned most centrally of all the village schools in the rural South West of Midlothian
10. The school buildings, while not ideal, are sound and fit for purpose as the current report by Hardies demonstrates. The recently reported smell has been pinpointed to the remains of an end of term party. The Hardies report confirms that there is no problem with ventilation or damp
11. The Hardies report also confirms that there are only relatively small maintenance costs required for Temple school in the next few years
12. Of the village schools in Midlothian, Temple school is the second cheapest to run
13. Because of reversion it is unlikely that closing the school would produce much in capital receipts
14. According to Hardies it would cost only £1500 to bring Temple school into line with DDA standards
15. There is room for expansion at Temple through using the village hall (for PE etc), the house and garden and the play park and land immediately behind the school.
16. Keeping Temple school open would be in the spirit of Midlothian Council's commitment to value its rural communities and maintain a quality urban and rural environment for us all

Summary

• The proposals are against guidelines laid down in Scottish Standards and Education Act 2000.
• Proposals are counter to the Parent's Charter.
• Small Schools achieve high attainments.
• Temple Primary School is able to deliver the curriculum.

Peter Peacock the Education Minister recently stated – "A one size fits all approach is simply not appropriate". He also says "Greater flexibility opens up more choices, tailoring education to the diverse needs of every child". He goes on to say, that cutting classes at key stages ensures parents are better engaged with schools and their child's education". The closure of the rural schools in preference to large two stream schools is against this policy.

There are no grounds to close the school based on a falling roll – in fact as of August 2004 the roll will be increasing to 42 and this includes an additional seven children who will be within walking distance of the school. There is an increase of young families moving into the Temple area keen to send their children firstly to the excellent Nursery and then on to the village school. The facts are that with 39 pupils and the current capacity at 47 pupils. Our capacity is 83% and growing.

The Scottish Standards and Education Act 2000 states that:

(1) The Scottish Ministers shall endeavour to secure improvement in the quality of school education, which is provided for Scotland; and they shall exercise their powers in relation to such provision with a view to raising standards of education.

(2) An education authority shall endeavour to secure improvement in the quality of school education, which is provided in the schools managed by them; and they shall exercise their functions in relation to such provision with a view to raising standards of education.

Moving children from a School, which has good educational standards to a School and which is in good physical condition, to a larger school which is not built yet, is NOT an improvement and does not comply with the Act.

There is no evidence that two stream schools are better for education or social benefits. There is no evidence that children moving from a small school to a large school have any problem settling in.

The proposals are contrary to the Parents and Children's Charter - any semblance of parental choice is being taken away. As for the fact that Temple has outwith catchment children, according to the parent's charter it is their right to do this. Many of the out of catchment children have connections with the village e.g. grandparents living there who are able to provide wrap around care. We argue that the closing of schools and the taking away parents choice will not provide inclusion but that it will simple perpetuate and extend social polarisation as people move away from the area to live and work, into communities where they do have the choice.

Much research has been carried out which shows that accessible rural schools have the highest attainment figures. Temple School has higher than average attainment figures. It is a Centre of educational excellence. Its achievements, just this year, have included re-designing the Scottish Youth Hostel Association logo, winning a weekend holiday for the entire school at Carbisdale Castle. Coming first in the Midlothian Primary School Euro quiz and were given an award for eating the most fruit of any Midlothian primary school.

Education at Temple

Any discussion of attainment in Midlothian should consider the Education Department's performance record. Each local authority has a legal requirement for continuous improvement in performance measures, including the percentage of combined P3, P4, P6 & P7 pupils attaining or exceeding the appropriate 5-14 level in reading, writing and mathematics[1], and publishes annual attainment figures against the national average, the average for comparator authorities[2] and its own targets.

Midlothian has fallen behind nearly all of its comparator authorities in primary attainment and in 2003 showed only minor increases in reading (0.4%) and mathematics (0.1%). Although Midlothian is far from being the most socially disadvantaged Scottish authority[3], it is moving towards having among the worst primary attainment levels. The proposed changes to primary education do not address this problem and are likely to make it worse by increasing average class sizes (see below).

Temple School again met its attainment targets for 2003. Performance in reading and writing was well above Midlothian averages and above national averages (82% and 77% of pupils reaching appropriate levels) and mathematics at the Midlothian average and improving. Above average attainment of 5-14 levels is true of Midlothian's five rural schools as a whole and reflected in their reading and maths performance in UK-wide tests (reading age and NFER maths scores). They are also consistent with the Executive's figures for Scotland showing that primary attainment levels are highest in accessible rural schools[4], with Ofsted's figures for rural schools in England[5] and with the proven effects of smaller class sizes on performance (see below).

At public consultation meetings[6] and on national radio[7], the Director of Education gave figures for P7 attainment that he claimed to show under performance in Midlothian's rural schools. He has declined to provide the data from which his figures were taken. It is obvious however, that they do not reflect the average performance for Temple over the four years or for 2004 because attainment has already exceeded the quoted figures with one term of the school year left to go.

All the published figures show that Temple School is performing well in attainment measures.

Social and academic development at Temple School

The Director of Education has stated that bigger schools provide a greater level of challenge for pupils and that pupils from smaller schools have problems integrating into secondary school. He has cited research by Brian Boyd of Strathclyde University and from North Yorkshire to support his beliefs.

Dr Boyd says that he has not carried out any research of this type and that he 'could never argue that small schools are not effective schools'. Similarly North Yorkshire's Director of Education knows of no such research in her authority.

Smaller schools generally have smaller classes[4] and there is convincing research showing the benefits of small classes. The first systematic study began in the US in 1985 and involved 11,600 pupils being assigned to small classes (less than 17 pupils) or to normal sized classes (22-25) for their first three years[8]. The effects were unambiguous. After three years children in smaller classes were on average five months ahead of their colleagues in larger classes, while children from deprived backgrounds were more than twice as far ahead – one of the few opportunities to level-up in education. These effects have persisted through the children's careers – they have been more likely to go on to university or college or to earn more on leaving school. They also showed better social development including lower absence, drop-out and criminal detention rates.

These results prompted the US government to spend over $12 billion reducing primary class sizes to below 17[9]. All follow-up studies have shown the expected benefits and Prof. Alan Kruger, of Princeton University, has calculated that the scheme is already paying for itself in income tax on increased earnings[10]. The scheme has also proved universally popular with parents.

The only recent studies in the UK, by Prof. Peter Blatchford and his colleagues[11], report similar effects of class size on primary attainment in England. They found that smaller classes were always better and that the effects were again highest for children from disadvantaged backgrounds or with special needs.

While Midlothian Education Department's report says that larger classes provide more opportunities for pupils to work together, the UK research found that pupils in larger classes spend less time learning and more 'off task'.

All educational evidence therefore points to smaller classes and schools providing better educational development and better, or at least no worse, social development. This is in line with the experiences of current and former Temple parents and pupils.

The effects of class size on attainment and development are important in the context of Midlothian as a whole. The Director of Education has admitted that the Education Department's plans would result in an increase in the average class size (24.1 in 2002 [12]). The plans are therefore likely to reduce average attainment in Midlothian primary schools and have lasting detrimental effects.

The Executive Education Department's estate team confirms that the Executive has issued no guidelines on the size or type of primary school. They say that it would not be in the spirit of the Executives policy document, The 21st Century School, which states that 'there is no simple answer or definitive answer to suit all circumstances; no single blueprint will fit all.'[13]

Temple School can deliver the modern curriculum

The Education Department's report says that Temple School 'lacks space for a number of curricular areas such as physical education, music and learning support'.

The curriculum consists of the key subjects of reading, writing and mathematics and non-key subjects including expressive arts. PE and music are part of expressive arts and therefore neither major nor key components of the curriculum. Curriculum itself is only one of seven areas assessed by HMI Education and is not one of the targets of the National Priorities that local authorities are legally obliged to meet. Curriculum is not a substitute for these targets – it is possible for an under performing school to have a very good curriculum and poor attainment.

The Executive aims for all children to have access to two hours of quality PE each week by 2007[13]. The Executive does not require PE facilities to be within the school or used only for PE. These criteria must have been devised by Midlothian Education Department very recently, because the recently completed St Andrew's has a multipurpose hall that is used for both gym and dining.

Temple pupils already have access to two hours quality PE each week. This includes skiing and swimming (to which pupils from all schools have to be transported), gym (at Greenhall, in the school grounds or in the village hall, 2 min walk away) and team games including rugby and netball in the grounds or neighbouring field, to which the school has access. Greater use of the village hall would reduce reliance on indoor facilities elsewhere at minimal cost. The Executive's 21st Century School leaves the decision of how PE provision is met to individual schools.

Temple School pupils already have access to music in classrooms and the hall. Through its strong links with the local community, the school also benefits from qualified voluntary help in several areas of the curriculum, including environmental studies, drama, art & design and music through the participation of a retired music teacher.

Temple School has ample ICT facilities that include a networked computer for every six pupils. 21st Century School sees ICT networks becoming wireless and the use of computers when and where they are available. There is no requirement for dedicated ICT suites or a reason that older buildings cannot be networked wirelessly.

Because of its class sizes and strong ethos of respect and citizenship, Temple School has been able to provide effective learning support within the classroom environment. This is entirely in line with Midlothian Education Department's stated policies on inclusion. The value of small schools is also recognised by parents of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) or disabilities.

It has been said that the council is sitting on a maintenance time bomb. This is not the case with Temple school.

Summary

• Temple Schools is in good condition and has minimal maintenance costs over the next 20 years.
• Midlothian's Property Survey dated, 11th to 17th March stated that all parts of the building are in reasonable condition and that only £1,500 might be needed for Disability Discrimination Act Works
• As highlighted above the school is fit for fulfilling the needs of the curriculum.
• Midlothian needs to find an extra £80K for transport costs for the Dalkeith Campus because they were not included in the PPP Business Plan. Is the PPP2 business plan robust?

The Condition of Temple School

Midlothian Schools Strategic Asset Management report dated 26 February 2004, submitted to the Council Cabinet states that, "Temple School is in need of refurbishment with particular needs identified for the renewal of windows, doors, heating system and roof repairs."

Midlothian Council made their decision to propose closure of Temple School on inaccurate and misleading information. Midlothian Council appointed Hardies to complete a condition survey between the 11th and 17th of March 2004, two weeks later than Midlothian Council proposed closure of the School.

Hardies report identified that the windows were "in reasonable condition", "one fire exit door should be replaced in the short term.

A summary of the approximate budget estimates is as follows. It should be noted that Hardies estimates are not based upon firm quotations from builders. The estimate represents an average of £2,200 over 20 years. The building is fit for its purpose and many elements, e.g. stone walls, slate roof will last considerably longer than recently built PPP Schools where the fabric is designed to last 30 years.

The Director of Education was asked at the Temple School Board meeting what evidence he had to support his view, expressed in his letters, that closure would not have an adverse impact on the rural community. He was asked if Midlothian had undertaken a Community Impact Study or an Economic Impact Study. He stated that Midlothian had not. Despite Midlothian's claims in their Local Plan, Annual Statement 2003/04, they have not engaged the local community; they have not produced the evidence that there will be no impact to the Community.

The closure of the school will have a serious impact on the rural community. Evidence of the impact is difficult to quantify as no studies have been carried out. However, after speaking to all members of the farming community and to local businesses, we have found that the closure of Temple school would have a profound affect on their business. They rely on a young workforce that want and expect local amenities, which include a playgroup, nursery and a school. Therefore the closure of the school would not only have detrimental social implications but economic as well.

Farms on Rosebery Estate
Moorfoot, Toxside, Gladhouse Mains, Rosebery, Cauldhall & Fullerton, Fountainside, Edgelaw, Stonefieldhill, Parduvine, Capielaw, Redside, Braidwood, Carrington Mains, Carrington Barns, Aikendean
TOTAL 16 - 30 full time jobs

Farms on - Arniston Estate
Mauldslie, Yorkston, Temple, Castleton, Arniston Home Farm, Outerston
TOTAL 6 - 14 full time jobs

Farms - Privately owned
Esperston, Huntly Cot
TOTAL 25 full time jobs

Gamekeepers
Toxsidehill , Rosebery Cottage and Huntly Cot
3 full time jobs

Scottish Water
Gladhouse and Rosebery
6 houses 6 full time jobs

There are cottages for rent in Arniston Estate, Esperston farm, Rosebery Estate.
Total houses including farmhouses 81

Other businesses in catchment include :

• Rosebery Sawmill -- Estate employ Head Forester, Secretary , Woodcutter and 2 others
• Joiner / Carpenter
• Horse rug cleaning and repair business
• Self - employed shepherding/shearing service
• Horse Livery and Dog Grooming
• Pest Control
• Plant and Machine Hire/ Contractors
• Fencing Contractors
• Temple Nursery - employs 4 and provides apprentice training
• House and gardening staff employed at Rosebery House, Arniston House Huntly Cot

* This is just a small sample of businesses in the area

Much has been made of the fact that many of the children are transported to school, yes, we have many children from outlying Farms and cottages that come by bus. Temple itself is one street long, the village boundaries however, encompass 25 square miles, the school is where children who live in isolated farms and cottages all come together to meet with their contemporaries and neighbours, the school is the village.

The school is the focus of community life and represents the future. It is also the heart of the village - any claims that the School is not used by the community are simply not true – it hosts the village fete & various PTA fundraising events. Any limited usage outwith school hours are due to prohibitive costs charged for its use.

Many parents, grandparents and villagers enrich the curriculum throughout the year. From art to gardening and music to IT skills there is no end to the wealth of knowledge and experience shared with the children and learnt from the children. Life long learning at Temple is passed on from Grand Parents and community members to the next generation. Temple is a university of the third age.

These proposals go beyond Midlothian – they attack the entire concept of rural re-generation and sustainability, they attack the diversity of Midlothian and would set a dangerous precedent. Do not think that social exclusion is only within urban settings – access to goods, services and facilities are not extensive in Temple. We have no buses, soon no Post Office, no church or doctor and now it is proposed - NO school.

These proposals are contrary to the Scottish Executives Social Justice Policy 2000; Every community matters, which states that rural communities face many obstacles because of isolation. This report defines a rural area as a post code sector with a population density of less that 100 persons per sq. km. Or alternatively, areas falling outwith settlements of less than 10,000 people. 89% of the Scottish landmass is considered rural and 27% of Scottish employment is in rural areas. It is therefore vitally important for authorities to recognise that there must be sustainable and regenerative rural policies.

Despite the lack of facilities and the social exclusion for many residents who do not have access to transport. We are a modern 21st century community. Members of rural communities range from farmers, who provide an invaluable economic stability for Midlothian, to wired workers at the cutting edge of technology. Closing the school will have a destabilising effect on the economy and the community of the Temple area.

[1] Priority 1.1.A of the National Priorities in Education: 'percentage of the combined P3, P4, P6 and P7 rolls attaining or exceeding the appropriate 5-14 level for their age in reading, writing and mathematics.' National Priorities were agreed by Parliament in December 2002 under the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act 2000

[2] Comparator authorities are chosen by HMI Education on the basis of similar free school meals entitlement and rural/urban mix. For Midlothian they are Highland, Perth & Kinross, East Lothian, South Lanarkshire and Sterling.

[3] Scottish Area Deprivation Index for Scottish Postcode Sectors, 1998. Scottish Executive CRU.

[4] See http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00257-05.asp

[5] Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools: Standards and Quality in Education 1995/96.

[6] http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/Services/WebInfo/Attachments/14507/webminute3.doc

[7] Lesley Riddoch Show, Radio Scotland, 23/03/03.

[8] Final report of this study – the Tennessee STAR project – is available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/classsize/eval/projstar.htm – though the participants remain under study (see 10).

[9] E.g. the US Secretary of Education's statement beginning 'Class size reduction is something that is so clearly beneficial to the ability of our students to learn and our teachers to teach that I am bewildered by any effort to stand in its way.' http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/11-1999/class_size.html

[10] Links to research on Project STAR and class size can be found by following the working papers link from Prof. Kreuger's homepage http://www.irs.princeton.edu/krueger/

[11] P. Blatchford, H Goldstein, C Martin and W Browne, W. (2002) A study of class size effects in English School reception classes. British Educational Research Journal (2002), 28: 169.

[12] SPI report on Midlothian Council, 2002

[13] The 21st Century School. Building our Future: Scotland's School Estate. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/se21-00.asp

[14] http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/Services/WebInfo/Attachments/14507/webminute3.doc

[15] Social justice 2000. Trends in Service and availability in rural areas, 1960-1989