108 Ac"KM ITEM No. ...!..I. $i North Lanarkshire Council Report The Education Committee Subject: To: I Review of Non-Denominational Primary School Provision for Abronhill: Results of the Consultation From: Director of Education Date: December 1999 Ref: MM/R Summary This report details the results of the consultative process on the non-denominational primary school provision for the Abronhill area of Cumbernauld. The report recommends that Glenhead Primary School should be closed and its catchment area be divided between Abronhill Primary School and Whitelees Primary School. The area of Westerwood, which is currently zoned to Glenhead Primary School, should be re-zoned to Cumbernauld Primary School in the interim until a new non-denominational primary school is built. Recommendations It is recommended that the education committee : 1 approves the closure of Glenhead Primary School and the re-zoning of its catchment area as described in paragraph 4.19. 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 01236 - 812269 '. w. 109 North Lanarkshire Council : Department of Education Review of Non-Denominational Primary School Provision for Abronhill Results of the Consultation Report bv 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 non-denominational primary education arrangements for Abronhill. 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 70 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. 3 THE RESPONSES 3.1 The Glenhead Primary School community The following points were emphasised in the responses or at the public meeting in the area. (a) The degree of disruption caused by this proposal will have a detrimental effect on the children’s education. Some parents have moved their children into Glenhead Primary School on placing requests and they have 110 made excellent academic progress as a result. To subject these children to a further move will hinder progress. Continuity of education must be maintained. As opposed to other schools in the area, Glenhead is in a central location, close to all other civic amenities with easy access for the public and for traffic. The school building and surrounding play areas are resources which should not be lost to the community. There are major concerns about the safety of walking routes in Abronhill. All underpasses, bridges and overgrown areas are unsafe and parents will not allow their children to use them, even in the company of an adult. The safety and lack of supervision of pupils travelling on school buses is a concern. As a result of these proposals, more parents will transport their children to/fiom school and the amount of traffic in and around school grounds will be chaotic and dangerous. As a result of increased rolls in the receiving schools, less time and support will be available for children with special educational needs and consequently their progress will be hindered. Any increase in class sizes is not in line with current government policy and opposes North Lanarkshire Council's priority of Raising Achievement. Glenhead Primary School makes excellent use of spare capacity. Rooms are used for music, art, drama, I.T. and learning support. These facilities will not be available in Abronhill Primary School and Whitelees Primary School. Time for children to access computers will be reduced. These proposals remove parental choice. Roll projections for the Abronhill schools are inaccurate and do not take into account the predicted Millennium baby boom. Glenhead Primary School has a separate P.E. facility, unlike Whitelees which has a combined gyddining facility. If physical fitness is a priority, Glenhead should be retained since it can offer more dedicated P.E. time during the school day. The three primary schools in Abronhill should be retained and any space in Glenhead Primary School should be used for pre-school provision. 111 (m) The five greenfield sites north of the A80 should be sold to help finance the refurbishment and upgrading of the 20 existing primary schools in Cumbernauld. Children living north of the A80 should be bussed to these schools. (n) The population north of the A80 do not want new schools and have not been consulted on the matter. Children living in areas south of the A80 should not suffer because new schools are required to the north of the town. (0) The staff of Glenhead Primary School are excellent and deserve great credit for their work. 3.2 The Abronhill Primary School community Apart from the responses covered by 3. I, the following points were emphasised :- (a) The additional pupils fi-om an extended catchment area will result in overcrowding. (b) The quality of education and consequently children's progress will suffer because class sizes will increase. (c) Space which is currently allocated to other activities will be lost to classroom use to accommodate the increased roll. 3.3 The Whitelees Primary School community Apart from the responses covered by 3.1, the following points were emphasised :- (a) The additional pupils from an extended catchment area will result in overcrowding. (b) The quality of education and consequently children's progress will suffer because class sizes will increase. (d) Concern was expressed about the safety of walking routes to /from school. (e) Issues regarding traffic and inadequate parking facilities idaround the school were raised. (f) These proposals are based on financial and not educational factors. 112 3.4 Elected representatives 3.4.1 Councillor Carmichael was highly critical of the proposal for the following reasons:- The statistics presented in the document are fundamentally flawed Whitelees Primary School and Abronhill Primary School will be full to capacity. Consequently, music lessons, library and audio visual activities etc. cannot be accommodated Children’s safety will be threatened by the unsafe walking routes (dark and overgrown pathways, public houses, woodlands, dark and flooded underpasses) and by the increased traffic in and around school grounds. In addition, pupils who receive free transport will be expected to walk further distances when they will be dropped at a bus stop rather than the school gate The proposed zoning arrangements do not make sense Parental choice is being disregarded The closure of a school rips the heart out of the community To improve the quality of education, class sizes should be reduced to a maximum of 25 The proposals are biased against the people of Cumbernauld The promise of “ring-fencing” the money saved or raised in Cumbemauld is not guaranteed He suggested that the following alternative proposals should be investigated:- @ Relocate the existing nurseries into the primary schools. Use three classrooms in each school (including St. Lucy’s) for pre-5, pre-4 and one for other activities. Make one headteacher responsible for the Whitelees / St. Lucy’s nursery and one responsible for the Glenhead / Abronhill nursery. This proposal would utilise the available space but would allow for further expansion of school rolls if required. Savings could be made by returning the existing nursery buildings at Cedar Road to Housing and Property. These properties could be used for housing and could generate additional nursery and primary school children. 3.4.2 Councillor E. Irvine submitted a response in which the following points were raised:- @ All schools within Abronhill should remain open. The proposals will result in Whitelees being at 91 % capacity and Abronhill Primary being at 90% capacity. This will reduce the provision for activities such as drama and music etc. The proposed catchment areas will result in children passing each other on their way to the two remaining non-denominational schools 113 Walking routes are long and through woodlands and badly lit underpasses. Have these routes undergone a risk assessment ? School transport is unsupervised and children are dropped off at bus stops, not at the school Nursery provision in Abronhill should be available in all primary schools to ensure delivery of the Government’s aim of provision for all 3 and 4 year old children The Education Department’s proposals for Cumbernauld as a whole should be reconsidered since they are fundamentally flawed Schools form a focal point for a variety of community activities. Cumbernauld will be ripped apart by these proposals 3.4.3 Councillor F. Glavin highlighted her concerns in her response. These are summarised below. 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 Some of the children who will be affected by these proposals are from the most deprived areas of Cumbemauld North Lanarkshire Council’s plans are out of step with the Government’s future plans for education Available space in schools should be allocated to community use and pre-4 and pre-5 provision.