Look at the future of the west side. Let us hope that the legacy of the Commonwealth Games is an investment in the emotional, cultural and sporting development of these bairns within the community that values and nurtures them. The last few days have again brought the threat of closure to all Junior Highs. With scant discussion or challenge, the education department’s recommendations to go for consultation were accepted. We dispute the foundations of this decision. We challenge this distortion of Education Scotlands actual statement regarding S1-S4 . The S1-S4 model is perfectly viable & the SIC have accepted that with the present timetable of transfer to the new Anderson High means that S1-S4 will continue to be the successful model of delivery of CfE for at least the nest 4 years. We called for the comparison of secondary pupil costs to be made public. Part of the information is now in the public domain , but not all the information. We welcome the decision to further investigate the claimed individual secondary Pupil Costs. The arguments of the closure lobby have been exposed to be inaccurate. JHS are not the financial problem this group claim them to be. Aith is actually significantly cheaper than Orkney average ( £9780) coming in at £7800 per child using the figures in this report. Did we miss the apology for false representation of the financial arguments? All the population projections end at 2018/19 when we know that for Aith there is a 30 pupil increase between 2016 & 2022 rising to 92 children. Nationally there is now a higher level of scrutiny and this is to be welcomed. Mismanagement of budgets over the years has been exposed - now we need to move forward with openness, transparency and full debate. We have the new legislation but do we have a new commitment from the council to listen and hear the communities views? If not then we cannot get the education equality that is the right of every child in this photograph. £367,594 on Blueprint in 2012/13 – how much in 2014/15 with all these consultations. National scrutiny is now guaranteed as these consultations will potentially form new Scottish case law. We ask for written evidence of the claims made about education Scotland statements. We then ask for full debate on where Shetland wants her future to be. Photo of Queens Baton visiting AJH with Aith & Whalsay pupils revelling in the sunshine.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 21:01:35 +0000