The feedback from the session at Westhill Academy held on 10 January 2012 can now be viewed here:

http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/buildingimprovements/WesthillPresentation.pdf

It is clear that local authorities do not have the money available to provide all of the services they would like to due to depleting budgets. With increased wealth and quality of life, people’s expectations are also now higher. At the recent School Estate Consultation organised by Aberdeenshire Council, conflict between the two ideals was apparent.

While pupils and parents feel that more money should be spent on upgrading school buildings, toilets being a recurrent complaint, teachers remain committed to providing the educational stability for their charges but at the same time acknowledging that a pleasant environment is important to learning.

A balance therefore must be struck to meet increasing aspirations from a reducing pot of money.

Local authorities must work with local communities to pull out the stops which currently prevent groups such as Parent Councils who are keen to get involved to make improvements to their school. If such groups want to, for example, re-decorate classrooms during holiday periods, current Health & Safety requirements make it impossible to do this. I see no good reason why parents cannot be allowed to help improve their children’s learning environment. In many cases senior pupils are prevented from these activities for the same reasons. Perhaps even helping out with younger pupils’ after-school activities has too much red tape restricting volunteers getting involved.

Closing schools which are not cost-effective is an emotive subject. Every parent wants to choose which school their child attends. While local authorities look to find better ways to spend public money, communities need to be flexible and consider the concept that it might be unfair to other service users that a small group present a higher per-head cost to the education budget. It could be the case that if money is being spent on keeping small schools open, repairs and maintenance will not be possible in other schools. There are also the social benefits of learning within a larger group of peers to consider. Meanwhile, local authorities need to weigh up the loss of jobs for local school staff and the impact of a school closure on that community.

Whichever way the council decides to cut its cloth, it must be tailored with all these things in mind and a “one-size fits all” approach should not shape our children’s future.