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  • Media articles - 11/03/2004

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    The Advertiser - Front Page

    Reproduced with kind permission from The Advertiser.

    Praise for school from council that plans to close it

    Report by : Chief Reporter Janet Bee

    A Midlothian school earmarked for closure has been praised by councillors after receiving a glowing HM Inspector of School's report.

    Cousland Primary, one of five rural schools scheduled to close in June in a shake-up of nursery and primary education, was found to provide a safe and caring environment where pupils' personal and social skills were well developed.

    The report, details of which appeared in the Advertiser last month, gives the local authority and school two years to address its main findings.

    When presenting the HMI report to last week's cabinet, education director Donald MacKay said that of the report's 14 indicators, three were judged "very good", six were seen as "good" and five as "fair".

    "We are currently in the process of bringing forward an action plan as a result of the HM Inspection," he added.

    Cabinet members were asked to congratulate the pupils, parents and staff connected with Cousland Primary on the key strengths indicated in the report.

    The results of the action plan will be brought before cabinet in the coming weeks.

    The Advertiser - Page 5

    Reproduced with kind permission from The Advertiser.

    School closures: for or against?

    We ask the local councillors for their views : David Fletcher, Bob Jenkins, Margot Russell, Jim Muirhead.

    While parents are forming campaign groups to oppose the proposed closure of five Midlothian primary schools, the views of the councillors, who will be charged with making the final decision, have been sought by the Advertiser.

    The councillors, in whose wards lie the earmarked schools, all have differing opinions.

    Liberal Democrat councillor David Fletcher is to support the parents campaigning against the proposed closure of Howgate Primary School.

    While admitting that the prospects for future generations of primary school children in Midlothian were "quite exciting" under the education reforms proposed, Councillor Fletcher said he had concerns about the closure of Howgate and the other rural schools.

    "There is obviously a concern that I share about the closure of Howgate School but I suppose it comes down to the numbers game and there are, in fact, only 16, although they are now saying 17, pupils.

    "There are two things I am really quite concerned about. It seems that the closure, which is in fact at the end of June, is pretty short notice and I think that the period of notice should have been June 2005 rather than June 2004.

    "And I think also the suggestion that all pupils would move to Cuiken is probably not the best way for disposal and I feel that the parents should be given a choice. If the school is to close - there is a campaign to keep it open - the parents should be given a choice as to where their children should go," he said.

    Councillor Fletcher also accused Midlothian Council of short-sightedness with its plans to close five rural schools.

    "Having been at a school like that myself I have a great deal of sympathy. It may well be a short-sighted policy that there are to be no rural schools in Midlothian. We have to remember that large parts of Midlothian are rural. We have a very large farming community and maybe that should be served - not only for the farming community but for others who, for whatever reason, want to send their children to a rural school," he added.

    The local councillor was full of praise for Howgate's achievements. "I have the highest regard for Howgate School and the way it is being run. It has been said that the facilities and resources are not there that primary school youngsters in today's age require. It has been more than made up for by the activities Howgate has been involved in and the head teacher Mrs Dempster should be given credit for that."

    Bob Jenkins, councillor for Mayfield South, said he would be happy to put forward the views of Borthwick parents but would not be making up his own mind until after the consultation period was completed.

    He said: "I think as councillor for the Borthwick area I am on record as saying that I support the move in principle. I have heard many of the views both at the public meeting and the school board meeting last night (Monday). I want to attend as many of the public meetings as possible to hear their views and put the views forward to my council colleagues but I will only make up my own mind after the consultation period is complete."

    He added: "Whatever my view at the end of it, I represent the people just now and I will put forward their views. I am prepared to listen and I am going to listen and make my decision at the end of the consultation process."

    Depute Provost Margot Russell, whose ward contains Cranston and Cousland primary schools, said she supported the proposals but understood the concerns of parents.

    Mrs Russell said: "I am supportive of the education division's proposals put to the cabinet. This whole programme will bring Midlothian into the 21st century with new and refurbished school buildings. However, I understand the trepidation of the parents and families of pupils attending Cousland and Cranston primary schools and I will remind them there is a full and public consultation process to be undertaken by Midlothian Council."

    She added: "I am happy to listen to all the concerns of the parents and will be attending all the public consultation meetings."

    Promising to listen to everyone's views is Councillor Jim Muirhead, whose ward Gorebridge South takes in Temple Primary.

    Councillor Muirhead said: "I have three schools affected in my ward - two new schools and also Temple which is up for closure. Right from the outset I have not made a secret that I supported the paper put before cabinet as a potential solution to the problems we have got in Midlothian.

    "However, that document forms the basis of the consultation for the parents potentially affected. I certainly intend to take every opportunity to ensure that I get as much information as possible and the views of the folks I represent. I will use that information to come to a decision at the end of the process. I have already been to meetings and school boards at Temple and Borthwick and a large number of people attended my surgeries at Carrington and Temple.

    "I intend to attend all meetings I can in all areas and ensure I understand the concerns of the people who will be affected by the decision."

    The Advertiser - Page 5

    Reproduced with kind permission from The Advertiser.

    Letters to the Editor

    Big isn't beautiful

    It was ironic to read in last week's Advertiser that Temple School, one of the rural schools the education department wants to close because of its poor facilities, has just won the Midlothian Euro Quiz beating all the large urban schools into which the council wishes to forcibly herd these children.

    Despite their allegedly deprived facilities, lack of computer maintenance, they must be doing something right. Perhaps it indicates that the important educational facilities do not reside in physical materials, but in a caring community-based environment which is small enough to facilitate curiosity and creativity in each child as well as giving them the sense of security and happiness vital for any learning. However this cannot be quantified so it does not count.

    The almost Soviet vision of collectivisation and centralisation exhibited by the council bureaucrats confuses quantity with quality. Its appetite for ugly, unsympathetic, badly built, monolithic institutions with its emphasis on the number of computer screens per passive pupil as a measure of educational environment is perverse and has little to do with real education. Information may come from a screen but inspiration does not.

    This may not be the only strand of Sovietism in the veins of our great leaders. These excellent, stimulating small village schools are perhaps seen as subversive outcrops of privilege in education with their high teacher/pupil ratios and happy environment. This cannot be tolerated by the ideology – all pupils must be processed the same way in large anonymous drab urban institutions. Eliminating the possibility of any diversity means the bourgeois concept of choice expires with it.

    Knocking the hearts out of the villages by closing their schools is perhaps looked upon with approval by those hollow men whose Utopian vision of Midlothian seems to be for an endless urban Wimpey world sprawl of heartless concrete, empty high streets, out-of-town shopping centres and gleaming administrative palaces for themselves.

    The need rather is for more village schools and smaller decentralised schools in towns fostering creativity and curiosity. How many of the youth problems plaguing these soulless, depressing urban growth arise from early alienation in such unsympathetic, oversized schools, their banks of computer screen not withstanding?

    John Scarlett
    Kirkhill Gardens
    nr Gorebridge

    Opposing closures

    I am writing in response to the many letters published in last week's Advertiser stating opposition to the closure of no fewer than five of our local schools. As was demonstrated in the pages of this newspaper last week, there is a great deal of concern about the plan to shut down schools in Temple, Cousland, Cranston, Howgate and Borthwick and that is of no surprise.

    Our political opponents will, most probably, accuse the Scottish Socialist Party of nothing more than political opportunism in opposing these closures but that is certainly not the case. In fact, our support for the campaign against these closures is part of an ongoing and consistent campaign against the funding of schools and other key public facilities from PFI and PPP.

    In contrast to the views of Midlothian Council, we believe in the fundamental principle of publicly funded education facilities and vow to vehemently oppose the closure of any schools without the agreement of the local community.

    We believe that the closure of these five local schools will only cause major disruption to the education of hundreds of young children and is not in the best interest of these pupils – and that is the reason enough to oppose these closures.

    However, I would like to correct one of the letters printed in last week's Advertiser. Peter Smaill stated that "Only the Midlothian Socialists are intent on smashing the successful rural schools in favour of remote, intimidating and likely bullying prone big primary where 400 children will struggle to find their identities". I can only assume that the "Midlothian Socialists" Mr Smaill refers to is the Midlothian Labour Party - which has, of course, long been a stranger to socialism.

    I would like to assure Mr Smaill that the only real socialists in Midlothian – the Scottish Socialist Party – supports the retention of accessible, publicly-funded local schools with reduced class sizes as part of our wider strategy of protecting and developing our smaller, rural communities.

    On behalf of the Midlothian Socialist Party, I would like to add my voice to the ranks of those who are angry at these proposals and would like to offer the community the SSP's full support to those who are campaign to Save Our Schools.

    Willie Duncan
    SSP Midlothian
    Press Officer

    The Advertiser - Page 5

    Reproduced with kind permission from The Advertiser.

    United we stand: joint campaign is launched

    Parents and community leaders representing the five rural primary schools facing the axe have banded together to form an action group.

    Midlothian Rural Schools Action Group has also set up a website to keep people up to date with the fight against Midlothian's controversial proposals.

    Bill Lumsden, a member of Cousland Primary School board said: "It all came about when people realised the various communities were basically fighting the same battle, even though there were different things to take into consideration for each school."

    He continued: "At the Cousland School Board/Community Action Group meeting, Councillor Margot Russell was asked - as representative elected by the people of the Cousland community (among others) - if she was prepared to support our action against the school closure.

    "Sadly, Councillor Russell said she was in favour of the proposed new primary school campus, and the resultant closure of various rural schools."

    More than 150 people, many disgusted at the proposed closures, last week attended a meeting in Temple Village Hall.

    Moorfoot community councillor Kerr MacGregor said it was the biggest attendance he had ever seen in the village and it was a measure of the intense anger felt throughout the rural communities.

    Sandra Crow, who has two children at Temple Primary, said: "The interesting thing was that in a group of so many people, from the local millionaire to the lone parent, everybody was completely united in one cause and that rarely happens."

    For details on Midlothian Rural Schools Action Group visit: www.mrsag.org.uk

    The Advertiser - Page 6

    Reproduced with kind permission from The Advertiser.

    Andrew wins safety poster competition

    Cranston Primary School pupil Andrew Forbes was last week presented with £200 worth of Halfords vouchers for his winning entry in Midlothian Council's 20mph "Design A Sign" competition.

    The P7 pupil was presented with his prize at a special assembly by Councillor Jim Dunsmuir, cabinet member for Strategic Services, local councillor and depute provost Margot Russell and Joseph Meechan from Woodward Food Services Ltd, who provided the prize.

    The Peeblesshire News - Website

    Reproduced with kind permission from The Peeblesshire News.

    Parents battle to save school

    Link to The Peeblesshire News website.

    Parents of children at Howgate Primary School are taking the fight to keep their school to politicians and the media, arguing that Midlothian Council cannot find a valid reason to close the school.

    In a briefing note put out to members of the school's Parent-Teacher Association, chairman Dr Maureen Murray is calling on supporters of the school to generate publicity as quickly as possible with threatened closure less than four months away.

    Describing the Council's decision as "a real attack on rural Scotland", Dr Murray said that Howgate school "is fantastic with great community support and is the heart of our community."

    She accused Midlothian Council of being unable to show any benefit from the changes being proposed and described the savings that would be made by closing Howgate`sing the school centre round the lack of PE facilities and "limited space to meet new curricular demands". In addition there is a need to replace doors and windows and repair the roof and walls of the extension.

    The school is currently at only one-third capacity and the plan is to relocate the pupils to Cuiken Primary School though there already indications that some parents will wish to place their children elsewhere.

    Commenting on rumours that local head teachers had been told not to accept placing requests until final decisions had been made following consultations, Councillor Peter Boyes, Cabinet member with responsibility for education, told the Penicuik News:

    "All head teachers in Midlothian have been advised to receive any placing requests made but rather than deal with them on a 'first come, first served' basis they will manage the allocation of places according to the Council's policy.

    "This would mean that if there is space available, requests will be granted. If there are more requests than available places, then those living nearest the school will have their request granted.

    "It is hoped to consider as many placing requests as possible before the end of the Easter term.

    "In the Penicuik area, within the current proposals, Howgate pupils would be zoned to Cuiken Primary School and there are currently sufficient places for all of these pupils. If parents make a request to another school, these requests will be dealt with as described above."

    Following comments and correspondence in local press last week, Councillor Boyes also issued a statement in which he said that much of the current school estate was in need of improvement and renovation, with too many buildings either unsuitable for today's educational needs, or of poor standard, or both.

    "Our aim is to bring Midlothian's primary and nursery schools into the 21st century and to provide schools with the quality learning environment that our pupils and staff deserve."

    Out of the 42 primary and nursery schools in Midlothian, only one - St Andrews, Gorebridge - was a new building. As a result of the proposals, 20 would be newly built or refurbished.

    "We are notifying every parent/carer affected about our proposals, and we will provide details to every school board," he said.

    "Some 10,000 information leaflets are being circulated, and we have organised a series of public meetings where people will have the opportunity to question members and officers on the proposals.

    Councillor Boyes added that there would also be consultation with staff and trades unions, and 28 days would be allowed for written comments from those who could not attend the public meetings.

    "I would urge everyone with an interest or comments to make to get involved in the consultations, and make your views known.

    "These proposals will mean change, and we know that change is not always welcome. We understand emotions can run high, but we hope the consultations can be carried out in an atmosphere of mutual respect, without resorting to personalised attacks on members and officers.

    "Be assured that our aim is to ensure the best possible education for our children - and for future generations."



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    Last Updated : 07 August 2004