10 days Left to Respond to Consultation on Eastern Primary School Move

The City Council's Education Department propose to move Eastern Primary School from its present site in Whinny Brae to the buildings previously used by Grove Academy on the south side of Camperdown Street with effect from August 2011. These buildings were previously earmarked for conversion into office accommodation for Council staff.

There are only ten days left for members of the public or parents to send in their comments about these proposals to the Education Department.

Click on this link to read or download the full proposal paper.

Written responses to these proposals should be sent to
Mrs Lina Waghorn
Head of Primary and Early Years Education
Floor 8, Tayside House
28 Crichton Street,
Dundee, DD1 3RJ
lina.waghorn@dundeecity.gov.uk

by the close of consultation on Tuesday 28 September 2010

Consultative Meetings - Proposed Relocation of Eastern Primary School

In the coming week there are two important opportunities for public consultation in Broughty Ferry about the proposed permanent relocation of Eastern Primary School. The City Council's Education Department propose to move Eastern Primary School from its present site in Whinny Brae to the buildings previously used by Grove Academy on the south side of Camperdown Street with effect from August 2011.These buildings were previously earmarked for conversion into office accommodation for Council staff.

The two meetings are as follows:
Monday 30th August beginning at 7pm at Eastern Primary School
Tuesday 31st August beginning at 7pm at Grove Academy

Parents and any interested member of the community may attend either or both meetings. Jim Collins, Director of Education will be on hand to explain the proposals and answer questions. Plans for the proposed rooms and facilities in the old Grove buildings will be available for inspection.

Click on this link to read or download the full proposal.

Written responses to these proposals should be sent to
Mrs Lina Waghorn
Head of Primary and Early Years Education
Floor 8, Tayside House
28 Crichton Street,
Dundee, DD1 3RJ
lina.waghorn@dundeecity.gov.uk
by the close of consultation on Tuesday 28 September 2010

Too much is at stake to divert any more time from the real issues

Whilst awaiting an apology, I have taken time to reflect and consider the comments made about me in the Dundee Courier and Evening Telegraph by Mrs Fordyce, the Education Convener of the City Council. I now recognise that an apology from her will not be forthcoming. I think this is regrettable.

I also think that such an outburst about me was an attempt to divert attention from the fact that she had been losing the debate at the Education Committee meeting on Monday 28 June. After that meeting, I was approached by several Councillors, including a member from the SNP Group, who expressed their disapproval of the manner in which Mrs Fordyce had chaired the meeting.

It is very important that this matter is put behind us. In the next few months the Council will be considering the £15 million worth of cuts caused by the shortfall in the settlement from the Scottish Government.

A taste of things to come is currently evident in my own ward, where there is a rushed consultation into the proposed move of Eastern Primary School to the old Grove Academy site. This change will, it is claimed, produce savings in overheads and a capital receipt for the Council from the eventual sale of the Eastern Primary School site. It also disguises the fact that the council no longer needs additional offices in Grove, because it plans considerable reductions in council staff in order to cut costs. Too much is at stake to divert any more time from the real issues and choices affecting our children and communities.

Eastern Primary School Move – Questions Remaining to be Clarified

At last night's Education Committee, when we discussed the potential move of Eastern Primary School to the buildings formerly used by Grove Academy, I was not allowed to speak in support of my amendment where I was requesting a deferral of this report until the next meeting of the Education Committee in August.

Here is what I would have said had I been given the democratic opportunity by the Chair of the meeting. Education Convener, SNP Councillor Liz Fordyce.

This proposal is hurried and the report before us is incomplete. It does not contain key details that are required by the people to be consulted and it is skimpy on the detail which we require to make a judgement as to whether or not to approve such a proposal. It is not that I am necessarily against this proposal but I need to be convinced that what we have before us is robust and well thought through and will be of benefit for current and future pupils of Eastern Primary School. Given the history of chopping and changing on the future use of the former Grove Academy buildings and the rush to bring this to the Education committee late, I think I am right to be cautious. In my experience in life and on the council, rushed decisions are often ones we live to regret.

More specifically, here are as yet the unresolved matters I think are significant for us as a Committee.

Firstly, moving Eastern Primary School to the Grove site will mean that it would sit at the western extremity of its catchment area. Will this mean that the catchment area will need to be changed?

Secondly, the report offers the future option of providing classroom space for expansion making Eastern Primary School, three rather than two form entry. The bottle neck in primary classes however is in the north eastern part of the Ferry at Barnhill Primary school whose catchment area includes current and future house building developments. It's a long distance from expansion areas such as Balmossie Brae to Camperdown Street. If primary school places were to be expanded in the relocated Eastern Primary School, I think the catchment areas of at least two primary schools would need to be altered.

Thirdly, this proposal is skimpy about the standard to which the old Grove buildings are being improved apparently at less cost than the office conversion proposed. If so little work is required, by comparison with other school moves, why is the schedule of accommodation that will be available for the school not specified?

I understand that the number of office staff going in to share this building has yet to be tied down. Furthermore, I understand from the Director of Education that the portion of the building where these office staff are to be accommodated has yet to be identified. These are crucial details.

Fourthly, if space is abundant inside the old Grove Academy, space is certainly very constrained outside. I presume that the tarmac old playground and staff car park on the south side of the old Grove buildings is the only outside space for play, sports and games? Because of these constraints, I very much doubt that this area of ground will comply with the requirements of the School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967. If, as I suspect, the new site will not meet those requirements, will the Director of Education need to apply to Scottish Ministers for dispensation from the regulations, which was the case with the West End and Lochee schools proposals?

Fifthly, the previous plans for the Grove House offices for council staff were controversial because of road safety concerns in the vicinity of Grove Academy and because of increased pressure on parking in the streets surrounding the school. This proposal does not solve those issues. If, as we are led to presume, the tarmac area of land to the south of the old Grove buildings will be the new playground for Eastern Primary School then where, but the surrounding streets, will the near to a hundred staff from the school and the offices park? This proposal will make for a net increase in parking by the office and school staff. Dropping off and picking up will also generate more road traffic and pedestrian movements in the streets surrounding the adjacent Grove Academy and Eastern Primary School.

Sixthly, this is the first time that the Education Department have undertaken a consultation with the wider range of stakeholders required by the provisions of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. In addition to teachers and parents, the community and pupils are to be consulted as well. How is this to be accomplished? As we embark on a new process of consultation, should we not expect more detail to be laid before us before offering our approval?

In conclusion, this is a rushed proposal and one that lacks key details. I suggest that it is premature to give our approval tonight. I ask you to support a deferral until the next meeting of the Education Committee scheduled on 23rd August.

Eastern Primary School Move - More Information

Many parents and residents have contacted me about the 'Review of Grove Office and Eastern Primary School' (Item 4.b) concurrently on the Agendas of tonight's Education and Policy & Resources Committees. This seeks approval to consult parents, teachers, children and the community on permanently relocating Eastern Primary School from its current site on Whinnybrae to the old Grove Academy site in Camperdown Street.

This was a late addition to the Agendas of both of tonight's Education and Policy & Resources Committees and was issued, apparently on the grounds of urgency, on lunch time on Wednesday 23rd June.

To help parents and residents engage with this issue I have assembled links to the relevant papers and reports:

4(b) REVIEW OF GROVE OFFICE AND EASTERN PRIMARY SCHOOL
The paper issued to the Education & Policy & Resources Committees

The process of closing or relocating a school is covered by new legal protections contained in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 which came into force in April.

There is a leaflet that you may find helpful which explains these provisions:
Proposed Changes to your Child's School: Guide to the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

The Act of the Scottish Parliament
The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

The Explanatory Notes that accompany the Act (not legally binding)

Statutory Guidance to Local Councils on the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010


The ‘Changes to School Estate’ page on the Scottish Government
website


Information on individual consultations and opportunities for public involvement should be sought from the relevant local authority - in this case:
Dundee City Council
Director of Education, Jim Collins
Email
jim.collins@dundeecity.gov.uk

To request Scottish Ministers to call in a flawed school closure
decision e-mail
schoolestates@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

or write to
James Newman, School Estates Team, Scottish Government,
2-D (S) Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ

Community Opposition to Planning Permission for Grove Offices

Monday evening's Development Quality Committee (15 March 2010) of the City Council considered the 'Grove House' Office development. On a vote, the Council granted itself planning permission for this substantial office development. This will see more than 350 council staff relocated to converted offices in the buildings formerly used by Grove Academy on the south side of Camperdown Street. These premises were vacated by the school when they moved to their new buildings on the opposite side of Camperdown Street in November last year. The relocated staff, chiefly from Education and Social Work are concerned with staff training and quality improvement in schools and social work services. It follows that many of the staff based at Grove House will be coming and going to establishments all over Dundee in their day to day work.

The Committee heard from two deputation of objectors and had before them over a dozen written representations from residents opposed to the development. Objectors were chiefly those living in the vicinity of the new offices and anticipating more competition for on street parking. There were also serious concerns expressed about road safety, especially for the 1000+ pupils attending Grove Academy.

Much of the debate turned on whether measures to reduce journeys by private car proposed in two reports by external consultants were feasible and practicable. A flaw in the consultants' reports was they omitted to consider the considerable number of journeys generated to and from these premises by staff (other than those based at Grove House) attending training events and meetings. The plans clearly indicate the provision of space for training and meeting rooms.

I was disappointed in the undue haste of the Council as developer and planning authority wanting to push this planning application through. Had the developer (The Council) come forward with more thoroughly developed proposals, backed up with resources, to reduce the negative impacts of this development on environmental quality and road safety, I would have been prepared to support the motion of the Development Quality Convener, Rod Wallace. While councillors on the Development Quality Committee are meant to come to the meeting and make up their minds individually on the balance of all of the evidence presented, I did notice that Leader of the Administration, Ken Guild (also a Ferry Councillor) and all of his SNP group of councillors voted unanimously to support the proposal.

I assure my constituents that I shall continue to represent their views about road safety and parking at the working group that will be established to monitor progress introducing travel plan measures connected with this development. While I appreciate the wider community benefits for the shops and services in Broughty Ferry from more potential customers working in the area and the retention of the Centenary Sport Hall as a recreational facility, I hope this will not need to be at the undue expense of the residents living in the streets close to the Grove Offices. Primarily, I hope these changes will not need to be at the cost of a decline in the road safety of our young people attending Grove Academy.