Heads call for closure of schools instead of cuts

Published on Monday 18 January 2010 21:45

HEADTEACHERS in Edinburgh say some schools should close instead of forcing every primary and secondary to make a 2.5 per cent budget cut.

All of the city's 23 secondary headteachers have written to the council calling on the local authority to rethink the swingeing cutbacks, which the heads say would damage education.

In 2007, Edinburgh City Council tried to close 22 under-occupied nurseries and schools but plans were scaled back in the face of protests.

Jack Hamilton, headteacher of Boroughmuir High School in the city, is secretary of the secondary heads' group in Edinburgh.

He said the letter described the proposed cuts as "untenable."

Mr Hamilton said: "Every one of the 23 high school headteachers agreed the council should be looking at a managed closure system in order to offset big cuts."

That would involve looking at every school in the city and examining whether they were making full use of their capacity. However, Mr Hamilton agreed it was important to ensure communities retained education provision.

He said: "But if there are very few youngsters in a school then is that a real comprehensive?"

And he added: "If we had a budget to keep all the schools open and run the schools at the level we believe they should be, we would keep them all open. We don't believe we can do that with a 2.5 per cent cut which could impact on the curriculum we can offer."

The cut would take effect in 2010-11 with much larger cutbacks predicted in future years for the schools. Four schools have already been earmarked for closure in Edinburgh, as they are running at only 33 per cent to 41 per cent capacity.

Council figures showed that the average occupancy rate in primary schools was 74 per cent, and 86 per cent in secondary schools.

The same figures showed there were 8,429 spare places in primary and 2,699 secondary places in schools in the city.

Tina Woolnough, of city group Parents in Partnership, said parents understood cuts had to be made.

But she added: "What we disagree with is the idea that school closures are an allround panacea to budget cuts."

A council spokeswoman said: "It is significant that during the current unprecedented financial crisis, headteachers and parents are having to consider some previously unpalatable choices.

"The council continues to work hard with them to elicit their views and suggestions on how to make the best possible use of the school estate."

LIST OF CLOSURES

IN AUGUST 2007 Edinburgh City Council announced plans to close 22 schools in a bid to save 10 million.

The list included six nurseries – Cameron House, Grassmarket, High School Yards, Princess Elizabeth, Victoria Park Child and Family Centre and Westfield Court.

Primaries at Abbeyhill, Bonnington, Burdiehouse, Craigentinny, Dalmeny, Drumbrae, Hillwood, Lismore, St Cuthbert's, St Catherine's, Stockbridge, Victoria and Westburn were also on the list. Secondaries Castlebrae High, Wester Hailes Education Centre and Drummond High were also threatened.

Since then Bonnington and Lismore primaries closed in December 2008 and Westburn primary in July 2009.

Burdiehouse, Drumbrae, Fort and Royston primaries are all due to close in July this year following the council decision on 17 December which the local authority says will save 1m a year.