Proposed Closure of Southend Primary School for Nov 2nd

[Isa]

If you were to take away the pupils who attend Drumlemble school how many would be left that are from the Drumlemble or Machrihanish area?

I would say that Southend is far more important to keep open than Drumlemble because of distance for pupils to travel.

[smokynuk]

Havent they tried to close Drumlemble in the past?

[John S]

I attended Southend Community Council tonight at which the Proposals for the school estate were discussed. The council has set up a special website for the consultations which will follow. - here it is

https://www.education.ea.argyll-bute.sc ... ultations/

I'm glad to say there is broad support from all 3 local councillors for the situation regarding Southend School.

[D.H]

If you use Facebook there is a link for the Save Southend Primary School page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Southend-Primary-School-Argyll/103244383079687

Please support us even if you don't live in Southend. This campaign is about what is the best for the children's education and wellbeing, as well as the Southend community as a whole.

[D.H]

To support the Save Southend Primary School campaign you can write directly to the Councilors or sign an online petition http://www.petitiononline.com/Oct2010/petition.html or look out for paper copies in Muneroys in Southend and other venues in the town.

[Lv87]

I heard a very interesting point regarding the travel times for southend children if they are forced to go to drumlemble...

Including the travel time to and from school as well as normal school hours, children from aged 4 will be effectively working a 42 hour week......
The current standard working hours for a council employee is 38!!!

Surely it is ridiculous to expect 4year olds to work longer than council employees and then stay awake and concentrate effectively after school when they are expected to complete homework??

[Annie M]

I would love to know how these people come to their decisions! Anyone with half an ounce of sense can see that it makes more sense to put the Clachan/Skipness kids to Tarbert and the Rhunoharione ones to Glenbarr!! And in the case of Southend it seems crazy to close it in favour of Drumlemble, why not close Drumlemble and keep Southend open! In both cases surely they are going to have to spend far more on transporting the children than they would with the 2 options I have suggested above! These proposals are obviously being made by people that dont know the area very well at all!!!

[D.H]

Please see the wording of the online and paper petition that we ask anyone interested in the education and welfare of children to sign. Petitions can be signed at Muneroys or the Argyll Hotel in Southend or online at http://www.petitiononline.com/Oct2010/petition.html . Please sign today!

Petition against the Proposed Closure of Southend Primary School
Southend Primary School is a good quality educational establishment, in a recently upgraded building,
catering for children between three and twelve years old, and the wider community of Southend,
Argyll.

Southend Primary School is now under threat of closure due to Argyll & Bute Council's Education
Department's cutbacks. The parents, carers, and wider community believe that the proposal to move
the children permanently to Drumlemble Primary School, which is ten miles from Southend Primary
School, is deeply flawed and not practical to ensure that the children become 'Successful Learners,
Confident Individuals, Responsible Citizens, Effective Contributors' to meet Argyll & Bute Council's
vision.

Points that have been highlighted include:

 Parents and carers of three and four year old children will not be able to access pre-school
provision unless they have a car, can drive, have the finances to pay for the fuel for
6,000miles of extra annual travelling to and from Drumlemble, and 300 extra hours a year.

 Children as young as four will be expected to travel an hour each way. There is no indication
that there will be any adult supervision during this travel to ensure that the children are
appropriately seatbelted in on booster seats if changing buses, or how children will access
toilet facilities during the journey, just after breakfast. Parents and carers are deeply
concerned that it is likely that younger children will wet themselves on these long journeys as
the driver of the transport could not be expected to stop the bus on a 60 mile an hour road,
with no pavement, and help a child to relieve themselves at the side of the road, in front of
their peers. Such traumatic incidents can only damage a child's ability to learn, and their
confidence.

 Children as young as four will most likely be put on a bus with young people as old as 18 who
they are likely not to know, unless they are related. It is not clear if any supervision is planned
to support younger children.

 If the current journey undertaken by Campbeltown Grammar School pupils is merged with the
proposed Drumlemble Primary School run it is likely that journey times that currently run at
30 minutes for Southend Primary pupils will increase to well over an hour in good weather. In
winter conditions this will increase further and for much of the year the children will be
travelling in the dark. Parents and carers are concerned that these journeys are not
appropriate for Primary aged children's age and stage of development. It is anticipated that
the children will be tired and may even have to be woken up to begin the school day or their
homework. This will clearly impact on their ability to learn.

 Southend Primary School is one of the biggest employers in the village, with most staff living
locally and having served the school for many years. This proposed loss will impact on the
village socially and economically.

 The Community of Southend is concerned that they will lose the connection with younger
members of their community. This isolation from each other will result in more older people
feeling an increased fear of crime and break down the good relations fostered by the
opportunities that are created through regular fundraisers and curriculum projects at
Southend Primary School that involve local volunteers.

 Currently, there is a vacancy for a Doctor and a Minister. With no Primary School in the village
it may be harder to fill these key positions. Younger couples and families will move out of the
village or choose not to locate to Southend.

[D.H]

You can download a poster and the petitions sheets from http://www.southendargyll.org.uk/news.asp

There should be a petition to sign in the Dentists in Campbeltown.

[John S]

The SNP Group on the council are pressing for the postponement of formal consultation and for the validation of the data used for all proposals particularly travel times. Watch this space.

[Kintyre Forum News]

We note the meeting tomorrow has been cancelled.

Perhaps wise if the Southend action group play their cards close to their chest so the Council are not aware of your line of argument?

http://forargyll.com/2010/11/schools-cl ... cancelled/

[John S]

The meeting is NOTcancelled

[Kintyre Forum News]

The meeting is not cancelled

Thanks for confirmation John.

[John S]

Argyll & Bute SNP Council Group Press Release

Schools consultation decision looks set to be postponed.The SNP Council group has confirmed tonight that they have been pressing the case for a continuation of the decision on the amalgamation of Argyll and Bute Schools.Following discussion today (Monday) with officers and coalition partners the SNP Group has pushed for a delay of a month and requested that oficers review and validate the accuracy of information contained in the proposals to close 26 schools.They have also asked that all the proposals are reviewed against validated information and those which don't fit be removed prior to the Consultation stage. This could be good news for some Schools provided that the Council agree on Tuesday.SNP group Leader Robert MacIntyre said " We felt that it is important that we get this right, rather than hit an arbitary timeline. We want to ensure that we go forward with robust and credible information which gives Councillors, Parents and Communities confidence in the process. That's why we have asked our officers to double check and validate information such as travelling times."The matter will be discussed at two special meetings of the executive and the Council Tuesday from 2pm at which "every" member has a vote. EndContact Ron Simon by return email Working Together To Make Scotland Better ron.simon@snp.orgronsimon@blackberryorange.co.uk for Council Matters contact ron.simon@argyll-bute.gov.uktel 01369 840518

[Mary G]

Yet again the Councillors blame the officials. Pitiful. Although a much smaller decision, this is the same the lame excuse they trotted out last year when they halted their own plans to stop school dinners at Skipness and some other small schools. Did they not learn that lesson? Accepted, the officials need to do their work properly, but the buck stops with the councillors.

These SNP Councillors saw the full consultation proposals before they became public last week. Either:

1. They didn't know how flawed the proposal was because they didn't read the paperwork, which would be shameful, or,
2. They did read it, but didn't understand the full impact, which would show a terrible lack of judgement, or,
3. They did read the papers, and realised the impact, but didn't care, which is disgraceful!

Which was it?

I take no comfort from this knight in shining armour stance they are adopting, getting the consultation cancelled. Welcome as that would be, the DAMAGE IS DONE. All the points made above by Deirdre are very well made and valid. A massive community one is the vacancy for the doctor and the minister, and the difficulty now in filling these posts. The Council, with its crass, careless, ill-informed and ill-judged consultation proposal have effectively blighted the community and its work to develop a sustainable future.