77 AGENDA IEM No. ............1 lc\ North Lanarkshire Council Report ~~ ~ To: The Education Committee Subject: Review of Primary School Provision for the Rural Areas outwith Cumbernauld Town: Results of the Consultation From: Director of Education Date: December 1999 Ref: Mn'lI.JP Summary This report details the results of the consultative process on the primary school provision for the rural areas outwith Cumbernauld Town. The report recommends that children living in rural areas should be zoned to primary schools closer to their homes. Recommendations It is recommended that the education committee : 1 approves the re-zoning of the rural areas outwith Cumbernauld as described in paragraph 4.5 2 requests that the appropriate change be made to the scheme of educational provision. Members Wishing further information should contact: Michael O'Neill, Director of Education on 01236 - 812336 Murdo Maciver, Head of Service on 0 1236 - 8 12269 78 North Lanarkshire Council : Department of Education Review of Primary School Provision for the Rural Areas outwith Cumbernauld Town Results of the Consultation Report by the Director of Education 1 BACKGROUND 1.1 At its meeting on 26 October 1999, North Lanarkshire Council approved the issue of a consultative document on the primary education arrangements for the rural areas outwith Cumbernauld Town. That document is attached as appendix 1. 1.2 This report covers the outcome of the consultation on that document. 2 THE CONSULTATION 2.1 The department arranged an extensive process to consult the communities affected by the proposed primary education arrangements. The proposal was advertised in the press and copies of the document were issued to interested parties, including parents, school boards, elected members, unions and school staff. School staff and public meetings were held to enable further information to be given. Finally, written comments on the proposals were invited in terms of the Education (Publication and Consultation etc) (Scotland) Regulations 1981. 2.2 25 written responses to the consultation document were received on or before Thursday 2 December 1999. These are listed in appendix 2, including the main points raised in each case. In addition, 170 general responses were received relating to the review process as a whole and how it affects the Cumbernauld area. These are listed in appendix 3. 79 3 THE RESPONSES 3.1 The following points were emphasised in the specific responses or at the public meetings. (a) Concerns were expressed about children from Luggiebank, already in attendance at Cumbernauld Primary School or St. Mary’s Primary School, being uprooted to another school. (b) This arrangement will result in siblings attending different schools (c) Parents from Luggiebank were worried about their children being targeted for abuse since they did not live in the Greenfaulds area and would be viewed as outsiders by the local community (d) The re-arrangement of rural area catchments was solely for geographical neatness and was not based on parental choice. Parents will be reluctant to accept these changes and will transfer their children to schools outwith the Cumbemauld area 3.2 A response was submitted by the Senior Management Team of Cumbernauld High School. The following issues were raised:- * The present arrangement, whereby primary pupils living in rural areas to the south of the town are zoned to Cumbemauld Primary School, has the effect of them transferring to Cumbernauld High School. Under the current proposals, these pupils would be rezoned to primary schools that have no association with Cumbernauld High School. Consequently, this would affect the future roll of Cumbernauld High School. The proposals contain no details of plans for future primary to secondary transition arrangements 3.3 Elected representatives 3.3.1 In his official response to the proposals, Councillor Murray made the following points :- The statistics and proposals presented to the Education Committee are fundamentally flawed and biased against the residents of Cumbernauld 0 The “ring-fenced” money is not as secure as had been expressed during the informal consultation meetings 0 Proposals were deliberately held back until after the local elections 0 Details of the unofficial consultation were deliberately held back until after the schools had been fully set up after the summer holidays 0 The legality of the consultation process must be questioned 0 Conditions in certain primary schools in Cumbemauld have been described by the Education Department as ideal. Would it be sacrilege to raise educational 80 standards by having centres of excellence, wherever practical and at no extra cost, which could inspire others to copy ? In line with the view expressed by the Cumbernauld Community Forum, Councillor Murray proposed that the Education Committee and the Council should consider making the ownership of all schools in Cumbernauld and perhaps in North Lanarkshire the direct responsibility of the Council. The Council would then lease the buildings to the Education Department, who would be directly responsible for paying for their education usage. The use of buildings for community purposes, not directly associated with education, could then be charged to other appropriate council accounts. This would mean that the Education Department would not have the sole responsibility of maintaining, heating and lighting all primary schools. 3.3.2 Councillor F. Glavin highlighted her concerns in her response. These are summarised below. 0 In producing these proposals, safety was an issue which was not taken seriously by the Education Department. Parents have genuine concerns about the dangers and hardships that will befall their children, some as young as 4 or 5 years of age 0 Some of the children who will be affected by these proposals are from the most deprived areas of Cumbernauld 0 North Lanarkshire Council’s plans are out of step with the Government’s future plans for education 0 Available space in schools should be allocated to community use and also pre- 4 and pre-5 provision. Councillor Glavin proposed that North Lanarkshire Council’s Property Department should take responsibility for school buildings. The Education Department would then occupy the space required for school provision. The unused space could then be employed for pre-school and community use. This will ensure that the buildings are totally utilised and that parents and children are - not being faced with unnecessary hardship. 3.3.3 Councillor W. Homer’s response highlighted the following concerns:- 0 The consultation has been flawed fiom the start with inaccurate information and figures being presented 0 The number of submissions fiom the informal consultation and suggestions contained in them were not reflected accurately in the final documents 0 Safety factors are a major concern 0 If pre-school provision and primary provision are accommodated in different locations, this will cause hardship for parents with children attending both in different schools 81 0 All schools are used by their communities. The loss of a school will result in many groups folding Parents want reduced class sizes and additional pre-school provision on the existing school sites 0 The monies raised from the sale of greenfield sites north of the A80 should be sufficient to build the new school and upgrade all of the existing schools 3.3.4 Councillor E. Irvine submitted a response in which the following points were raised:- 0 The Education Department’s proposals for Cumbernauld as a whole should be reconsidered since they are fundamentally flawed 0 Schools form a focal point for a variety of community activities. Cumbemauld will be ripped apart by these proposals 3.3.5 A response was received from Rosemary McKenna, M.P. for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, in which she summarises the representations made to her by her constituents. She requests that adequate time be taken to reach the correct conclusion and suggests that if a further consultation period is appropriate then the Council should consider this 3.3.6 A response was received from Cathie Craigie, M.S.P. for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth in which she requests that the final decision should consider the implications for Cumbemauld of the programme for primary education set by the Scottish Executive. These include the reduction of class sizes in P1 to P3 to 30 or less by 2001 and the provision of further nursery and out of school care facilities. Representations made to her by her constituents are summarised in the written response 3.3.7 Andrew Wilson, MSP, Shadow Minister for Finance, submitted a response detailing the following issues:- The consultation period has been a wasted opportunity and the views of the parents seem to be inadequately considered The proposals could mean bigger class sizes and leave less space for extra- curricular activities such as music and drama. Class sizes of 25 rather than 33 should be the Council’s target as we enter the new millennium Schools are indispensable community resources and often act as a community focal point Not only will many children have to travel longer distances to school but they will also have to use routes that can be described as dangerous for example through underpasses and past pubs. 82 3.3.8 A response was received from Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland. The main issues are as follows:- 0 The Council has failed to persuade parents that the proposals will improve the overall quality of primary provision in Cumbemauld 0 The new plan should set out a clear strategy