Councillors agree to axe all rural secondary schools 26/8/08

Western Isles education councillors have voted unanimously to abolish the island’s unique rural two-year secondary system.

This afternoon councillors agreed to shut all seven year secondary schools.

A last minute motion by Lochs councillor Annie Macdonald to keep them open until a new high school was built on Lewis was withdrawn just minutes after it was lodged.

But a final attempt to delay shutting the schools is expected at next week’s full council meeting.

Otherwise Bayble, Daliburgh, Lochs, Paible, Back, Lionel and Shawbost secondaries will shut for good.

Millions of pounds of savings would be poured into a private public partnership to build five new centralised schools on Lewis and Harris.

Other closure factors include government cuts, falling pupil numbers and the subsequent drops in finance from Edinburgh.

Councillors were told that they could lose £ 1.2 million of savings if the schools were kept open for another two years.

But Norman A Macdonald pointed out the money was already budgeted and a new Stornoway high school could be completed in two years allowing closures then - a move some parents prefer as they maintain the aging Nicolson Institute has poorer quality facilities than rural schools.

Vice convenor Angus Campbell highlighted the need for savings to progress the “vision” to build five centralised modern schools and “correct the years of neglect.”

He said: “We have not sold that vision and by delaying by we did the last time we damaged that process more. Now we have to get on with it.”

Stornoway councillor Murdo Macleod said: “My desire would be to do nothing until we get the new Nicolson in place but I am desperately worried that won’t come in my time frame.

Part of the debate focused on a new school for Stornoway prompting North Uist councillor Archie Campbell to warned: “What would be beyond comprehension …is to close the two Uist schools and now move to keep the Lewis schools.”

He stressed there was “no possible way” he would back that route.

Councillor Angus McCormack warned: “Cllr Macdonald has set a hare running and we ought to back in it cage.”

He slammed parents who he said criticised the Nicolson Institute and “created a stushie” about closing S2 schools but happily sent S3 pupils there.

The long running closure process has been a rollercoaster of twists, farce and U-turns.

In June the schools were repreived to examine the implications of teaching the new national curriculum.

But upgrading the schools to third-year units would cost an extra £ 6.5 million, need 18 more teachers and result in less subject choice for pupils according to one of Scotland’s top educational experts.

The local authority claims that the two-year rural schools which are unique in Scotland are not compatible with the government’s own plans for the changing curriculum.

The secondary units are mainly found in the Western Isles and educate pupils up to S2.

Source: Hebrides News