Education, Learning & Leisure Response to Petition PE1267 The impact the proposed closures of schools and nurseries by local authorities has on education policies, class sizes, children’s health and safety, social inclusion , jobs and whether the process of consulting with parents and wider communities on the provision of education complies with local authorities statutory duties and democratic principles. Impact on Education Policies – When the roll at a school has fallen below what is optimal in terms of educational opportunity, choice and flexibility, then the educational benefits of closing the school must be considered. The educational benefits to young people if moved to a school with a higher roll are based on Aberdeenshire’s commitment to deliver entitlements to learners in the 21st century according to the Curriculum Framework 3-18 as ratified by the Education Learning & Leisure (EL&L) Committee in December 2008. The particular educational issues considered are: Personal, social and emotional well-being Learning to learn, live and work with a larger cohort of similar age and stage children provides a richer environment in which to develop; opportunities become more relevant, engaging and progressive. Clear links between all aspects of learning leads to extended activities which can be directed towards more challenging goals for our children. Skills developed through personal, social and emotional aspects can be more readily transferred to other areas of learning:- for example the art of negotiation, debate and conversation. Curriculum, Learning and Teaching • Literacy and Numeracy Working with children of similar age and stage facilitates a level of challenge both from and within such a peer group. This includes: - agility with mental maths - problem solving - enterprise activity - enjoyment of language – reading, poetry, writing - opportunities for sharing ideas, thoughts, feelings and opinions • PE and Sport - Realistic challenge/competitive and ambitious qualities are more readily developed. Page 1 of 10 • Art, Drama, Music - A greater variety of opportunities which will engender creativity and confidence for children. • Cultural visits to and from school - will be more appropriately targeted to age and stage • Global Citizenship - A greater range of issues can be explored with similar age children. Impact on Class sizes – When assessing the options for any proposed school closure, the size of classes will always be taken into consideration in line with any future planning developments. The geography and demography of Aberdeenshire means that there are many of our rural schools under capacity. Impact on Children’s health and safety The health and safety of all children in our care is key. A carefully managed transition to a new school will minimise stress and the benefits of learning with a larger group of peers has clear benefits for emotional wellbeing. In terms of physical health and safety, school transport provisions will be included in any proposals to ensure that children are not endangered by having to travel further to school. Impact on Social inclusion – When a school is closed due to falling school roll the option for the children to then be in larger groups of their peers would be an advantage. The children will be able to develop their social skills. In terms of social inclusion for the community, we would seek to allow community groups to access a school after closure where this is practicable. We appreciate that often the school is the heart of a village and this would be a factor in the development of any plans. Impact on Jobs – The closure of a school need not impact upon local employment. When a school is closed for due to falling school roll the number of employees at the school will be minimal. All permanent employees of Aberdeenshire Council are covered by the authority’s redeployment policy and would be offered alternative employment wherever possible. In what way will the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Bill address the concerns raised by the petitioner and provide improvements? In many respects the Bill will be building on the good practice already in place within Aberdeenshire. We already consult with relevant stakeholders and hold Public Meetings as part of the consultation process. We also already include pupils in the discussions. A benefit statement is provided in the consultation document. In general the Bill will improve the transparency of the process and should ease fears that a decision has already been made, with the consultation merely paying lip service to parents and the wider community. Page 2 of 10 Relevant action your organisation is taking to address these (the Committee is interested in specifics e.g. what is the action, how is it relevant, why is it being taken, when). As an example, in early 2009 the falling school roll at New Aberdour school in North Aberdeenshire made the subject of rural school closures a very real issue for Aberdeenshire Council. The EL&L service undertook a comprehensive assessment and consultation process in order to reach a considered and informed decision, which was to close the school. This proposal was approved by the EL&L Committee in May 2009 and the school was subsequently closed at the end of the summer term. What mechanisms are in place to seek, reflect on and factor in the views of local residents and parents and how does the council apply this mechanism? The school closure and rezoning proposal for New Aberdour (and any other closure proposals) was advertised in the local newspapers of the areas affected. This was extended to cover all of the newspapers from which the school rolls were drawn. The consultation paper was made available on the Aberdeenshire Council website and through the area education office. This is appended for your interest. Written responses to the consultation paper were welcomed. As part of the 6 week consultation period, a public meeting was held to allow the community to raise their concerns with the Director of EL&L and the Chair of the EL&L Committee present to provide responses. Members of staff at the school were advised of the proposals at an early stage. Comments were also sought from the pupils affected, both at New Aberdour school and at the potential recipient schools. The minutes of the meeting and an analysis of the consultation responses were submitted to the EL&L committee along with the final proposal report to allow the committee to make the most informed decision possible. What lessons have been learned from the process used to close schools in Glasgow and how will this be improved for future decisions? Aberdeenshire Council will not be embarking on a large programme of school closures. We continually monitor school rolls and capacity with a view to future infrastructure requirements. Any school which could be a candidate for closure will be assessed on an individual basis with full discussions being held with the community. Bruce Robertson, OBE Director of Education, Learning & Leisure Response prepared by: Rachael Cowin, Information Communication & Records Management Officer Date: 20 October 2009 Page 3 of 10 Item: 4 Page: 9 Appendix 1 Aberdeenshire Council PROPOSAL FOR THE FUTURE PROVISION OF EDUCATION IN THE NEW ABERDOUR AREA, FRASERBURGH THIS IS A CONSULTATIVE PAPER PREPARED IN TERMS OF THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY’S AGREED PROCEDURE TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE EDUCATION SCOTLAND ACT 1980 Item: 4 Page: 10 Education, Learning & Leisure Appendix 1 FORMAL CONSULTATION PAPER ON PROPOSALS TO CONSIDER PROVISION OF EDUCATION IN NEW ABERDOUR UNDER THE TERMS OF THE EDUCATION AUTHORITY’S AGREED PROCEDURE TO MEET THE RELEVANT STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS OF THE EDUCATION SCOTLAND ACT 1980. 1. Background 1.1 It is essential that the Council regularly reviews the pattern of educational provision across all establishments, with a particular focus on school rolls, accommodation and quality of education. 1.2 New Aberdour Primary School is situated in the village of New Aberdour, 8 miles from Fraserburgh. The primary school catchment area comprises the villages of New Aberdour and Pennan and the surrounding rural area. 1.3 The roll of New Aberdour Primary School has decreased significantly over the last decade and the new school at Rosehearty was built with the capacity to cater for pupils in the current New Aberdour Primary School catchment area. Rosehearty Primary School is 4.5 miles from New Aberdour School. 2. The Current Position 2.1 The current roll of New Aberdour Primary School is 7 pupils, all are in zone. The current roll is configured as follows: P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 2.2 Although the school covers the full seven years primary age range it is notable that in 5 of these age groups there is only one pupil. The combination of a very small roll and the spread throughout the school makes it very difficult to offer pupils comparable curricular opportunities to those enjoyed by pupils at other local primary schools. 2.3 There are seven pre-school pupils living in the New Aberdour Primary School zone. 2.4 New Aberdour School rates as C for fitness for purpose and C in terms of condition as outlined in the Core Facts returns that go to the Scottish Government as part of our School Estate Management Plan. 2.5 The current roll of Rosehearty Primary School is 129 and its capacity (at September 2008) was 177. The roll was therefore 73% of its published capacity at that time. A revised capacity of 170 has since been established reflecting the reduction in class size in P1. The current roll is therefore 76% of its current capacity. 2.6 Rosehearty Primary School has sufficient additional capacity to accommodate not only the six pupils who would be on the roll at New Aberdour Primary School in August 2009, but Page 10 of 10 Item: 4 Page: 11 also any other pupils who may register at the school, or move into the current catchment area of New Aberdour Primary School.