Interactive: Plenty of life left for education in city's old schools

Published on Saturday 3 October 2009 11:15

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MANY of parents will sympathise with Willie Wilson of Portobello High School's Parent Council (Winners and Losers in a two-tier school system, News, 30 September) when he talks of reluctance to highlight problems with one's own school, for fear that it tarnishes its name.

I can think of many occasions when parents have bitten their tongues about some problem that really needs airing for exactly that reason.

But it is also worth challenging what can seem like an endless diet of negative stories. We hear a lot of the clich "crumbling Victorian schools" as if old always means decrepit. But I know from my own school that a "poor" rating, on its last building survey in 2003, bears no relation to the experience that children have in the wonderful airy, high-ceilinged classrooms.

Sure, it is 106 years old but no older than the tenements next to it and they seem to be lasting OK. Many of our older school buildings have years left in them with a bit of proper maintenance and investment in modern facilities.

More broadly, we should not forget all the fantastic things that happen in Edinburgh's schools every single day. At the last meeting of Edinburgh Parent Councils Network, parents from different schools brought along countless practical examples of positive things that we can all learn from. These are being compiled in a good news "casebank".

So, with a more balanced canvas of all these positive initiatives, parents, and everyone else who is passionate about education, can feel more confident about speaking out when things do occasionally go wrong.

Gavin Corbett, chair of Craiglockhart PS Parent Council, Briarbank Terrace, Edinburgh

Bottom of class for parking, teachers

HAVING suffered years of inconsiderate parking by the staff of Murrayburn Primary School in Edinburgh I note with interest the presence of both police and parking enforcers over the last few weeks, patrolling Sighthill Loan at School finishing time. I watched with a horrified amusement as the cars double parked, large delivery motors thundered by small children and the police stood by, observed but did nothing.

I have contacted the school on many occasions and have been rudely told that the parking problems are caused by the parents and not the staff – however, whilst the parents certainly escalate the problems, the staff have no regard for local residents, and I now wonder if indeed there is a headteacher in post because they certainly never respond to my calls.

The area outside the school is a disgrace and I have complained so many times to no avail. Bottom of the class Murrayburn. The wrong school in the area was closed.

Tim Hart, Sighthill Loan, Edinburgh

Ancient artefacts belong on islands

WHILE it is fantastic to see 24 of the collection of 82 Lewis Chessmen currently held by the British Museum go on tour in Scotland next year, it is now time for the full return of the twelfth-century chessmen to the Western Isles.

The pieces, crafted from walrus ivory and whales' teeth, were unearthed in 1831 and of the 93 chessmen, 11 are in Edinburgh's National Museum of Scotland and 82 are in the British Museum.

It is simply not good enough that they are occasionally loaned back to the Western Isles, and ownership of the collection should pass to the people of these isles, where they were found, and where they should be put on permanent display, housed and looked after by the Western Islanders.

The economic benefit to the Isles would be immense, more so than that garnered by their partial display in the British Museum. And once returned the islanders, should they want, can then decide who to loan them to.

Alex Orr, Bryson Road, Edinburgh

Brown has little to offer for Scotland

COMMENTATORS have attributed the lack of policies for Scotland in Gordon Brown's conference speech to the consequences of devolution, but this masks the fact Scotland is a policy free zone for the Labour Party.

It seems the only new policy they have come up with is an extension of the council tax.

However, as their last big idea was one very expensive tramline, perhaps it is a good thing that they have no new policies.

Calum Stewart, Montague Street, Edinburgh

Nothing voluntary about new ID cards

IN YOUR leading article you welcome Gordon Brown's "long-overdue retreat on compulsory ID cards" (Brown's big speech: 'It seems Labour has no appetite for regicide', 30 September).

Unfortunately, Brown and his ministers are prone to indulge in outrageous doublespeak whenever they make any reference to ID cards.

For what Brown most certainly wasn't announcing in his speech at Brighton was the abolition of his ID cards programme – otherwise he would have clearly said so. So I'm afraid that it's still business as usual.

For the past five years the government has always insisted that ID cards will be introduced "on a voluntary basis". But the cards are to be "voluntary" only for those who have no wish to renew their passports, driving licences or any other documents the government decides to nominate.

Obviously then if you wish or need to travel abroad, for example, you will at some point be required to apply for or renew your passport. When you do so you will have your fingerprints compulsorily taken, and you will be automatically registered on the national identity database – the ID cards database. No choice.

You will be on this database for the rest of your life. And once you are on it you will not be allowed to leave it. It will electronically track your every move, and if you fail to update your record, say with a new address, you will be liable to a fine of up to 1000. It will be the most intrusive and expensive identity system anywhere in the world.

Gordon Brown and his ministers are happy to describe this as a voluntary ID card system. They are not telling the truth.

Dr John Welford, Boat Green, Edinburgh