Plans for school ‘clusters’ in Argyll and Bute have been rebranded as ‘collectives’ as a public consultation is launched.
The proposals have sparked concerns among parents and have been labelled ‘a cost-cutting exercise’ by the teachers union EIS.
But the council says teachers will be ’empowered’ by the restructure, which it says is designed ‘to protect local schools, build a stronger team of educators and enhance the education of pupils’.
In June councillors voted to ‘pause’ the clusters plan, saying it was ‘very controversial’ and that their inboxes were full of emails from concerned parents.
But the process was revived in the autumn, and now the consultation has been formally opened, with a new website being launched.
A statement today said: “Schools in Argyll and Bute face falling pupil numbers and challenges in recruiting staff. Scotland-wide education reform is on the way and it is vital that local school leaders are ready and resourced appropriately.
“Argyll and Bute Council proposes a new ‘collective’ model for school leadership in the authority, empowering schools to work more effectively together and share resources for the benefit of all pupils.
“These proposals have been developed with ongoing input from Argyll and Bute Head Teachers and education professionals. The changes are proposed to protect local schools, build a stronger team of educators and enhance the education of pupils.”
Read more: Parents fear their children ‘will just become numbers’
New diagrams cite the council’s own research in claiming that the number of people applying for leadership roles in Argyll and Bute is low.
In statement which seems unlikely to assuage teachers’ concerns, they also claim: “Inexperienced people are being fast-tracked into leadership.”
They add that that if headteachers spend 70% of their teaching it is not cost-effective.
It states that four to six schools would be the norm for a collective, but that the model is flexible.
The presentation also states that there would be no school closures, and that pupil/teacher contact and ratios would not be reduced, adding that there would be ‘no removal of unique school identities’.
The previously proposed structure has now been dropped and replaced with a system where each school would have a ‘head of school’ rather than a headteacher.
The heads of school would each have to have a specialism, such as early years or assessment – but the people filling these roles would not do any teaching.
“This gives school leaders the time they need to lead the whole collective effectively, while taking on their own specialism,” the presentation states, adding that schools would also be connected at the ‘highest level’ – meaning the council’s senior officials:
“Executive headteachers bridge the gap between schools and the service that develops education policy.
“As things stand, nobody is positioned to be active both in the school and in the central education team.
“This change would give local schools and communities representation at the highest level.”
The consultation website is here. The presentation can be downloaded as a PDF here: AB_Public_Presentation
Argyll and Bute Council’s policy lead for education Yvonne McNeilly, said: “The best outcomes for our young people are at the heart of all our work.
“We are a council that listens to our communities and this proactive engagement programme is at the core of our decision-making.”
I’ve made my views known on this publicly and out in the public domain – I will stand against the proposal and stand shoulder to shoulder with headteachers, staff and parents to ensure this proposal goes no further.
I do wonder why A&B create these types of “consultations” for the general population. The only opinions that matter are those of the Education professionals whom are already aware of the pros and cons of the current system. As a lay person, i expect the changes are driven by the seemingly continuous drive to save money as budgets are cut by central government in Edinburgh. But that’s what people voted for, right?