Report to the People
A+ Accommodation
You may recall that at the end of September, your Greenock Telegraph and the national press was full of headlines like "Inverclyde is Top of the Class" and "Breaking Down Class Barriers."
They referred, of course, to the report which revealed that the education Inverclyde’s young people receive is among the best in the country.
Taking some of the shine off this achievement, however, was the finding that the class of which we were top probably had leaking windows and crumbling plaster.
Indeed, as I have mentioned in this column before, the state of our school buildings is such that it will cost over £60 million just to keep them wind and watertight for the next fifteen years.
But the problem is not simply about the state of repair. The local population pattern has changed dramatically since our current schools were built. As the gradual move west continues, we have some schools which are half empty are others which are bursting at the seams.
It is clear, then, that the solution does not lie in spending £60 million making do and mending buildings which are no longer in the right location. The solution has to be far more radical.
Inverclyde Council, however, is tackling this issue head-on with the publication of their £100 Million blueprint for the future of local schools.
Under the proposals, which have been made possible with Scottish Parliament Public Private Partnership money, in five to six years we would see six new primary schools. By the same time, nineteen primary schools and seven secondary schools would be completely refurbished and modernised. The consequence, however, would be that thirteen primary schools and one secondary school would have to close.
While no parent would argue against the new classrooms, new gyms, new science labs, new language labs and new computers, the immediate reaction, put to me at a surgery in Holy Cross Primary School (one of those earmarked to be replaced) the day after the plans were published, was "Why our school?" "Why should my child’s education be disrupted?"
To allay these fears, Inverclyde Council must be able to answer these questions. The support of the parents and pupils who will be affected by this plan is crucial. They must, therefore, be fully consulted and involved.
No-one in Inverclyde wants second class schools. Our young people, teachers and other school staff deserve to work and learn in buildings which are worthy of their proven excellence.
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Articles ] [ Calendar ] [ Contacts ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ UK Online ] [ Scottish Parliament ]