The background to this particular story starts back in 2009 when Angus Council announced an informal consultation exercise looking into the school estate in Arbroath and its immediate hinterland.
This review involved 3 rural schools and 7 town schools.
It was clear from the start that Angus Council expected the exercise to end with a considerably smaller number of schools than currently existed – on this occasion with the prospect of new schools costing over £40 million – yes, £40 million.
Two public meetings were held. It was clear from them that there was considerable opposition to some of the amalgamation proposals; that there were concerns on school roll statistics; and more than considerable doubt about where the finance was to come from.
On the matter of school rolls statistics, many of the Council’s assumptions were predicated on falling school rolls at a time when the birth rate in Arbroath had risen by 18%; and 3 of the 7 urban schools were already effectively full.
Two of the schools had so little room that they were team teaching very young children in very large class groups. In one the playgroup had to vacate the school because the Head Teacher could not spare the room.
In the annual financial report from the Director of Corporate Services there were serious warnings that Angus Council was already stretched on capital projects but, regardless, what was entitled The Arbroath Schools Project was moved on to the next stage.
This next phase involved consulting the public via surveys.
NOTE: Read the detail for yourself
The lead story, of which this is an investigation detail, is: Miles more on Myles: Angus Council, FOI and Arbroath Schools Review.
Choose which other parts of this investigation you wish to read in detail and in what order. Most are short – but for obvious reasons the piece on the FOI revelations on the two ‘public surveys” is more extensive.
- The Arbroath School Estate Review
- The scandal of the public opinion surveys
- Costs and funding of the proposed new school
- The educational benefit of a primary ‘superschool‘ of 500 pupils
- Cheaper and more cost effective alternatives
- Traffic risk to small children on the Westway town bypass
- Council determination to proceed with this project at all costs
- The political situation at Angus Council
It does seem that a lot of council’s employ tactics like inviting you to a ‘workshop’ or ‘informal consultation’ then use it against you at a later date.
We had one situation where all the schools in our burgh were given different survey sheets and only the two in the west were asked: ‘Would you like a new school in the west of Arbroath?’ It was never made clear that this school would be at the expense of the closure of two and the question was never offered to other schools.
Then, following a seemingly ‘sabotaged’ survey where online forms were met by four multiple responding computers registering over 1,000 votes we were told: ‘There appears to be a general agreement for the need of a new school in the west of Arbroath as phase one of the project.’
Try telling that to those in the east who are in over-crowded and rundown schools. I bet they wouldn’t be turkeys voting for Christmas had they been given an option!
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It does seem that a lot of councils employ tactics like inviting you to a ‘workshop’ or ‘informal consultation’ then use it against you at a later date.
We had one situation where all the schools in our burgh were given different survey sheets and only the two in the west were asked: ‘Would you like a new school in the west of Arbroath?’ It was never made clear that this school would be at the expense of the closure of two and the question was never offered to other schools.
Then, following a seemingly ‘sabotaged’ survey where online forms were met by four multiple responding computers registering over 1,000 votes we were told: ‘There appears to be a general agreement for the need of a new school in the west of Arbroath as phase one of the project.’
Try telling that to those in the east who are in over-crowded and rundown schools. I bet they wouldn’t be turkeys voting for Christmas had they been given an option!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0