Hugely controversial plans to group schools across Argyll and Bute into ‘collectives’ or ‘clusters’ have been dropped.
The plans, which have been overwhelmingly opposed by parents, were expected to be discussed at a meeting in Lochgilphead next Thursday.
But it has just been revealed that officials have backtracked on the proposals, recommending that councillors ‘agree that the proposals as consulted on are not progressed’.
There were protests against the plans when pupils returned to school this week – these pictures are from Dalmally, Kilmodan and Kirn primaries.
Cllr Mark Irvine, who campaigned against the ‘Empowering our educators’ programme, said he was ‘delighted’ that the council officials and its ruling administration had bowed to public opinion, adding hat the consultation process was ‘fundamentally flawed’.
He added: “I recognise that we face some serious challenges but this proposal was never going to be the answer and I am pleased that we can now all sit down and work together as a group of elected members, and with the officers of Argyll and Bute, and draw upon what has been learned from the process to ensure the best outcome for the future of our children.
“There is no doubt that Argyll and Bute faces some unique challenges in our network of schools, by sheer nature of the geography, but the education of our children comes first and a one-size-fits-all policy was never going to be the solution.
“We all know that budgets are being squeezed tighter than ever before and the eye-watering rise in inflation, and the soaring cost of living, have magnified the need for savings, but these should not be at the expense of our children’s education.
“I hope that the current administration will take notice of the incredible amount of work done by parent councils, community councils, parents, teachers, teachers unions and of course those elected members across the whole of Argyll and Bute, who have all worked tirelessly to lobby for this proposed policy to be halted.
“All of that hard work and determination shows that this process has been a catalyst for bringing people together and has created a network of groups that should be seen as a positive platform to build upon for any future consultation process in education.
“I am personally looking forward to working collaboratively with my fellow councillors and officers, regardless of politics, to focus on the challenges we face and identify solutions that we can all agree upon and that, through appropriate consultation, can be implemented effectively.”
In June politicians expressed ‘great concern’ when Freedom of Information requests revealed that the proposals were expected to save £675,000 – despite the public being told they would be ‘cost-neutral’.
The council had also denied that potential collectives had been identified – but this was also contradicted by the documents that were released.
Teachers’ union EIS said 85% of its members were against the proposals, while it was revealed here that the council had paid consultants £65,000 to try and promote the project.
The agenda for the meeting is available here.
Leave a Reply