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Court row over school closures               9/2/11

 

 

 

 

 

Many island councillors back going for a judicial review to challenge Scottish education minister Mike Russell’s decision to reprieve four schools.

 

Carloway Primary, and Shawbost and Lionel secondaries on Lewis as well as Seilebost Primary on Harris were saved from the axe last month after intervention from Scottish education minister, Mike Russell.

 

He vetoed the council’s school closure bid saying it had failed to properly evaluate the negative impacts under the new education laws.

 

On Tuesday, education councillors agreed to seek advocate’s advice immediately, at a cost up to £3000, over reversing the reprieves.

 

The council points out the Scottish Government effectively sanctioned the closure of seven other schools which went through the exact same process and many raised similar controversies in each community. It is puzzled what is different about the saved four.

 

Cllr Iain Morrison urged the council to drop the issue saying: “Where is the democracy if we keep on.

 

“This is the second time Shawbost and Lionel schools were rejected. Leave this alone - these two schools anyway.”

 

But council leader Angus Campbell believes the council made all closures decision fairly and in good faith

 

He said: “It sticks in my craw that we are told as politicians we have to take financial reasonability for out actions” but the Scottish Government is not underwriting the expense of propping up excess schools.

 

He added: “We have to take £1 million from the education budget which is robbing 100% from all pupils in these islands.”

 

He maintains the Lionel and Shawbost rural S2 schools are not the best educational provision.

 

Cllr Angus McCormack slammed the “extraordinary thin arguments“ from Mike Russell, believing it would not stand up in a court of law.

 

He added: “ It is difficult to believe an official in Scottish Government put their name to these letters, they are so poor.

 

“It disappoints me when a government take this way of getting out of a situation as they see it”

 

“It is a reprehensible decision. This is not the way to run education in Scotland.”

 

The Scottish Government says the authority did not fully considered more radical alternatives for Lionel and Shawbost.

 

Nor did it properly look at the effect the longer travelling times - over an hour by bus in some cases - on 11 to 14 year-old pupils. Though older pupils undertook the same journey, the council gave “ insufficient recognition” of the more significant effect on younger pupils according to the Scottish Government.

 

The council also took limited regard in assessing Lionel and Shawbost schools becoming satellite campuses of the main Lewis 6th year secondary schools, the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway, says the government.

 

The council says it is puzzled by the reprieve of Carloway School which down to the effect its loss would have on the community which uses the building for its annual Agricultural Society. Council education officials say there was only one booking last year which was not related to school use.

 

However, they do not mention that closure would make the village Gaelic playgroup homeless and also deny bookings for the attached village hall.

 

The council should have considered a five-year reprieve for the Seilebost School which is the only school on the west Harris coast. A bid to increase pupil numbers, attract more families and regenerate the district by the newly founded community trust which has taken over the land should have been examined more closely says the government.