The opening of a new state-of-the-art Midlothian primary school has set the standard for the rest of the county, say education officials.

The official opening ceremony of St Andrew's RC Primary in Gorebridge by Cardinal Keith O'Brien and Midlothian Council leader Councillor Adam Montgomery last Thursday was hailed a tremendous success at a time of controversial proposed rural school closures.

Education chiefs said the new school provided a model for future educational facilities for children in Midlothian who are currently being taught in what the council described during the public consultation meetings as "maintenance time bombs."

However, the new schools will come at a price, one with which many Midlothian parents are unhappy – the closure of Cranston, Borthwick, Temple, Cousland and Howgate schools.

Speaking to the Advertiser at the new school, Director of Education Donald MacKay said:"We wouldn't be doing our jobs if we let things continue the way they are. We don't want youngsters being educated in sub-standard accommodation."

The rural school board consultation meeting last week was said to be "far more constructive" than the public consultation meetings.

Pupils and staff at St Andrew's were delighted to welcome Cardinal Keith O'Brien and Councillor Adam Montgomery to jointly open their new school last Thursday.

In declaring the school officially open, Cardinal O'Brien said:"It is indeed a very great privilege for me to be opening St Andrew's RC Primary School, along with Councillor Adam Montgomery. This is the first Catholic school which I have opened since my appointment as Cardinal.

"When travelling to St Andrew's last Friday, it was with a certain sadness that I passed the old building of St Andrew's with is boarded up windows and dilapidated look.

"I fondly thought of the countless teachers and ancillary staff who had served in the old St Andrew's along with the many thousands of young people who had received their academic formation and their first lessons in their faith within those walls.

"However, my sadness soon turned to joy on entering the door of the new St Andrew's. It is indeed a wonderful learning environment for the pupils of St Andrew's and one which will prepare them well through the efforts of the head teacher and staff for their lives which stretch ahead.

"I ask God's blessing on all who have worked to bring this school building into existence; to all who will be here over the years and to the communities which will be served by this school."

Councillor Montgomery added:"The standard of accommodation we have achieved at St Andrew's is something we would like to achieve for all our pupils in Midlothian.

"This is the first school we have been able to build using traditional funding and we hope to build and refurbish many more of our primary schools using a variety of funding methods. I hope the pupils here enjoy their new teaching space and make full use of the improved facilities for learning and I am sure that pupils of future generations will also benefit from this new school."

Peter Boyes, Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning gave the vote of thanks at the opening ceremony saying:"I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in planning, designing and building this new school and hope that all the staff and pupils enjoy the excellent facilities. This quality environment is something we would like to provide for all pupils in Midlothian."

Pupils and staff moved into the new school in January and they are now enjoying their new facilities. Head Teacher Susan Mackintosh added: "We struggled in our old school, using temporary classrooms to accommodate our children for a number of years so we are delighted that we now have this modern school, suited to teaching today's curriculum."

Midlothian Council and their education department have manifestly failed to justify the case for the closure of Cranston Primary School or any of the other four rural schools in Midlothian and have certainly not allayed the fears of either the parents of pupils or other members of the community as to the tearing of the heart from these communities by the closure of the schools.

The end of the consultation period on April 30 will certainly not mark the end of the fight to keep these schools open. There are a large number of angry electors in Midlothian who will not allow this issue to go away.

Unless the proposed decision to close the five rural schools in Midlothian is reversed, the people of this village and the wider community of Midlothian will continue to lobby until Midlothian Council sees sense.

William Davidson
Chairman
Edgehead Village Committee

As a busy working mother I write to express my concern about the "Better Buildings Better Schools" campaign and the proposed closure of the five rural schools in Midlothian. The welfare of their children is a parent's greatest priority so it is no surprise that such strong opposition has been mounted against the proposed closures.

I grew up in Canada and attended schools in admittedly better condition than many of the ones I have seen in Scotland. However I attended a primary of 500 pupils, a secondary school of 1300 and an under-graduate university of 2500 students.

It is easy to get lost and alienated in such big numbers, particularly if the school is far away and in a different community. Bigger facilities may offer facilities which higher numbers support but they invariably mean larger catchment areas with more commuting for more children.

It was not until I attended Edinburgh College of Art for a post-graduate course in Town and Country Planning that I appreciated the advantages of smaller friendlier class sizes and education communities.

There are so many good community and education facilities in the Midlothian and Edinburgh region that it is perfectly possible to supplement the educational experience outwith local schools. I believe it is particularly important for children to attend smaller schools at primary age for the better educational and social experience offered and to avoid starting the grind of commuting at such an early age.

As someone who works in an aligned field, I am critical of what appears to be poor management of the Midlothian Educational estate. It may well be that Midlothian was left a dilapidated building legacy by Lothian Region and the system-built schools of the 1960s which are all reaching replacement age. It is not the Victorian school buildings, like the rural schools, which have reached their life span. Good estate management would suggest:

• Forecasting changes in school rolls, supporting village and community schools by allowing out-of-catchment children to attend to keep school rolls healthy and, where necessary, allow sensitive designed housing to support numbers.
• Focusing maintenance on main school buildings and avoiding wasted expenditure and repairs on temporary extensions and classrooms through a well-planned educational estate.
• Where refurbishment and new build is required, this should be conducted with the support and consultation of the local community long before such works are undertaken.
• If schools must be condemned, it is possible to achieve this with the least disruption to pupils and staff by liaising with the contractor to agree a move in date once buildings are complete, as it is well known for building programmes to slip and run over budget.

My daughter is in the catchment for Temple Nursery and Borthwick Primary. These small schools are a wonderful educational opportunity for her and a great feature of Scottish rural education.

I sincerely hope that these rural establishments will receive the ongoing maintenance they require and be allowed to welcome as many students to fill the school rolls and offer this same opportunity to other students nearby in Midlothian who might benefit from the small village school option.

Sarah d'Auvergne Collings
Fushiebridge

Midlothian Rural Schools Action Group would like to thank all of those who marched through Dalkeith in support of our rural schools, to show our commitment to local education, and to the wellbeing and future of the rural communities of Midlothian. It was great that so many people felt so strongly that they were willing to stand up and be counted.

We would also like to thank the team of Lothian and Borders Police and traffic wardens, led by Sergeant Watt, for ensuring the safety of marchers and road users, our pipers, and Provost Campbell for receiving a copy of our petition to the Scottish Parliament, and a decorated heart from each primary school. These hearts really do symbolise the place of the primary schools in each community.

Councillors and officials have told us they are listening, that this is the purpose of the consultation process. They must know that any decision to close the rural primary schools is a decision to damage the rural economy, to reduce the choice and diversity in education in Midlothian, and to discourage young families from living and working in the country areas.

This will be the result of the current proposals. Is this really what councillors want? All over Midlothian we are waiting and hoping that councillors will not let our children and communities down.

Irene Stewart
Temple