Education Department Got Their Maths Wrong Counting up 30 Consultation Days

Earlier this week the Director of Education advised Councillors that the official date for the end of the formal consultation on the proposals for new schools in Menzieshill and Coldside had been extended. 

It is clear that the original date that had been notified in letters last month had been miscalculated. Apparently staff had not taken account of the closure days for the half term holiday and Continuous Professional Development days when calculating the exact minimum period for the legally defined period of consultation. Getting the maths wrong on a simple calculation is an embarrassing mistake for the Education Department to make.

"The Director of Education's separate letter for each of the three clusters of schools very formally reads:

'Addendum

Please note that the closing date for the consultation period is Thursday 14 March 2013.

This will ensure full compliance with the 30 day term period in line with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.' 

This is also an expensive mistake. To comply with government regulations, I understand that every parent and carer in each of the schools affected will have had to have been written to again by letter. As a second class tamp costs 50p this will cost hundreds of pounds. This is a most unwelcome waste of cash from the budget for schools which should have been avoided. 

Finally, given that the letter had to be sent out, I think the space left on the page could have been usefully used to remind parents and carers and others consulted that they had more time to send in their views to the Education Department and how to do this. Clarity in communication should be the hallmark of letters and reports from the Education Department and these letters are not a good example.

Clearly the Education Department's Report Card should read, 'must do better'.

Consultation on New Schools in Strathmartine, Menzieshill and Coldside - Have Your Say

At its meeting on 26 November 2012, Dundee City Education Committee made and agreed to publish and consult on proposals for new schools in three areas in Dundee:

Strahmartine,
Menzieshill and
Coldside.

These three proposals include:

1. the permanent relocation of Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School to a new shared campus site;
2. to discontinue Hillside and Gowriehill Primary Schools and build a new 3 stream primary school incorporating a nursery provision to replace Menzieshill Nursery School;
3. the permanent relocation of Our Lady's RC Primary School, Rosebank Primary School and Frances Wright Pre-School Centre to a new shared campus site.

Read or download the proposals:

• Strathmartine Proposal (88KB PDF)
• Menzieshill Proposal (126KB PDF)
• Coldside Proposal (270KB PDF)

Written representations on the proposals may be submitted to Mr Michael Wood, Director of Education, Floor 2, Dundee House, 50 North Lindsay Street, Dundee, DD1 1NL Email michael.wood@dundeecity.gov.uk


The last day of the consultation period is Monday 11 March 2013. This is the last day by which representations must be received for the Council to take them into account.

SNP Councillors Halved the Representation of Parents in the Planning of New City Schools

I was disappointed that at the Policy and Resources Committee on Monday night, SNP Councillors conspired to vote for a reduction in parental representation on the Project Boards that will be planning the new schools in Coldside, Menzieshill and Strathmartine. I think it is really important to have strong parental voices in these Planning Boards.

At the Policy and Resources Committee, I argued that we should retain having two members of the Parent Council of each school in the relevant Project Planning Board for the replacement schools and community facilities. This would have been in line with what has been the practice at the Project Planning Boards for the Balgarthno (Lochee-Charleston) and West End shared campus replacement primary schools. I was disappointed that what had been proposed in the report to the committee was a reduction to one Parent Council member per school. Despite my offering a constructive alternative to their proposal they would not budge.

I also pointed out to the Committee that when it comes to the appointment of head teachers, the law of Scotland provides that Parent Councils have a right to two members on an appointment committee selecting a new Head Teacher for their school. So if it is good enough for head teacher appointments it should also be the continuing standard of representation for the Project Boards planning our new schools in the city.

I was pleased that the Committee agreed with my proposal to involve pupil council members of the project boards but I remain puzzled why the non Labour members of the Committee should want to reduce the participation of parents.

While the Committee Convener said that the Project Boards can use their discretion to bring more people on, I have my doubts that they will do this if so many Councillors have expressed this level of resistance to my proposal.

Barnhill Primary School Extension - Alternative Site Access

Narrow entrance roadway to
Barnhill Primary School

At the Education Committee on Monday evening 29 October, we considered a report on the proposed £1.9 million extension to Barnhill Primary School. This report spelled out the improvements to the school in addition to the original four classrooms that had been proposed.

I welcomed this report because I had backed the Parent Council in advocating that to adequately raise the capacity of this school, the Council would need to add more than four classrooms. I am delighted therefore that this report provides more nursery places and expansion to other facilities such as the dining hall which would otherwise be pinch points in a school with a higher intake.

While this is very satisfactory, I wanted to make a plea about safe access to the building site during the contract period. This had been informed by my prior meeting with the City Architect.

The entrance to Barnhill Primary School is on Falkland Crescent. The only current vehicular access to the school site is from Falkland Crescent and comprises a narrow roadway about the same width as a domestic driveway with just room for one car travelling one way. It runs parallel with a pathway for pedestrians which is fenced off. The roadway is currently used by staff to access their car parking spaces, the Janitor accessing his house, visitors to the school and parents dropping off children at the nursery. The pathway is the principal pedestrian access point for pupils and their parents/carers. The plan was apparently to also use this narrow road for the construction site access during the building works.

I requested that, in the interests of pupil safety, the design team should explore the feasibility of an alternative separate vehicular access to the building site in order to meet best practice advice arising from The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.

The Education Convener agreed that this would be explored. 

Dundee Labour's Call for Commitment to Rebuild Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School is Answered

I welcome the announcement by the City Council that it is now committed to funding Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School as part of the proposed Strathmartine Campus along with Baldragon Academy. 

On 2 October, Strathmartine Councillor Kevin Keenan joined me in calling for such a commitment. To ensure that this issue was aired, I placed this item on the Agenda of the next Education Committee later this month. I am pleased to have received a positive response from David Dorward, the Council's Chief Executive late on Tuesday afternoon.

I note that the current intention is to rebuild Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School after the rebuilding of Baldragon Academy. This would be disappointing as the new Baldragon is to be rebuilt on the north side of its current campus close to Harestane Road. This should allow the rebuilding of Baldragon to take place with minimal disruption to the education of the current pupils. If the rebuilding of Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School takes place later on as the Education Convener claims, there will be a building site next door to the new Baldragon Academy for a couple of years. 

These are of course questions Councillor Keenan and I will pursue at the Education Committee and also at the Policy and Resources Committee when the Capital Plan is revised to find room for the the Council's share of funding these three new schools.

Dundee City Council General Services Capital Plan 2012-16

Note there is no provision in the exiting approved capital plan for any of the Council's costs for rebuilding Baldragon Academy, Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School.

Calling for a Commitment from the Council to Rebuild Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School

Last week I was delighted to hear about the success of the Council's bid to the Scottish Future's Trust (SFT) for funding towards the cost of rebuilding Baldragon Academy. In about five years time pupils and teachers should be moving into their new Baldragon subject to a number of important formalities such as local consultations and gaining planning permission.

The Council's Education Committee approved a bid at their meeting on 25 June 2012 for 'a new build programme and shared campus in the Strathmartine area to include:

• a new Baldragon Academy and

• a new Sidlaw View Primary School, integrated with Jessie Porter Nursery School.'

Unfortunately, only part of the Council's bid was approved; that part for Baldragon Academy.

So while those folk associated with Baldragon Academy will have been feeling upbeat on hearing their positive news, it must have been very disappointing for those associated with Jessie Porter Nursery School and Sidlaw View Primary School to hear that their schools had lost out.

But I don't think we can just leave it there. 

I have written to the Education Convener, Stewart Hunter and Education Director, Michael Wood, to ask that they report back to the Education Committee at our next meeting in October. I think we are under an obligation to work out how we will fund that part of the Strathmartine Campus which has not been supported by the Scottish Government. 

Welcome for Funding Commitment for Rebuilding Baldragon Academy

I welcome the announcement made yesterday, by the Scottish Government, that the rebuilding of Baldragon Academy has been approved as part of the Schools for the Future programme. I know this will be welcomed by the Baldragon staff, pupils and  parents.

The current Baldragon Academy buildings are over 50 years old and pupils in the North West of the city deserve a Secondary School that is fit for the 21st Century. The original proposal by the Council included the replacement of Sidlaw View Primary School on the same campus and I hope that is part of what has been approved as well.

This really is a school for the future announcement as the government's letter makes it clear that Baldragon will not be among those schools with an accelerated start over the next 18 months. That might have been possible as the rebuilding of the school will be on another part of the Baldragon site. Unlike Harris Academy, there will be no need to decant pupils during the building of the replacement Baldragon Academy.

Ward Councillor Kevin Keenan said:

"As a local Councillor, I am very pleased that a new build Baldragon Academy received the approval of the Education Minister yesterday as part of the Government's Schools for The Future programme.

"I am, however, a little disappointed this Project is not within the first phase of funding, which would have seen a construction start within 12 to 18 months - delivering much needed jobs for Dundee's construction workers.

"It remains great news for the pupils, staff and parents along with the wider community as this new build will deliver a much improved learning environment and is therefore very welcome."

No Extra Budget Cash for School Building in Dundee in 2013/14

In his Budget statement last Thursday, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance announced an additional £80 million for school building. This would, he claimed, boost the school building programme in Scotland by delivering 69 schools – 12 more than previously planned, and earlier than scheduled. At the same time as building more schools this would he claimed be a boost for jobs, especially in the construction industry.

This gave me the hopeful impression that some almost shovel ready school building projects in Dundee might be brought forward to the next financial year 1 April 2013- 31 March 2014. I had hoped that this would also have helped find jobs for those construction workers in our city who lost their jobs when Brown Construction went into receivership.

But research carried out by the independent Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) has cast doubt on this part of John Swinney's spending plans. They say:
 “This involves an acceleration of Non Profit Distribution investment originally planned for 2015-16 and 2016-17 into 2014-15, and will not impact on capital investment in 2013-14."

It would now appear that getting an earlier start to construction of the replacement Harris Academy will not now be feasible. 

Cautious Welcome for Proposals for New Schools and Community Facilities

Model of one of the 6 PPP funded Primary
Schools already built in the city

Background
Three of the reports appearing on the agenda of the Education Committee on Monday 25 June are about proposals for future school building projects. This includes initiating formal consultations on a new primary school, nursery and linked community facilities in both the Coldside and Menzieshill areas. As both areas involve potential school mergers, a formal consultation process is the next step. Appearing on the same agenda is a report advising the Committee of a bid for possible government funding towards a replacement Baldragon Academy, Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery on the Baldragon Academy site.


Labour's Education Spokesperson, Councillor Laurie Bidwell said:
Its positive news for parents, carers, pupils and teachers in Menzieshill and Coldside. They will all be pleased that the proposals for a new primary school in each of these areas with linked nursery school and possible community facilities is moving towards the formal public consultation stage. In both Menzieshill and Coldside parents, carers and teachers will need to be consulted on the potential merger of their local primary schools and the best site for the merged schools. For service users of all ages who use community centres and projects in both areas there are issues about possible co-location of community facilities with schools to resolve. Certainly, the demolition of multi-storey flats has made available centrally located sites in both these areas of the city for the potential new schools and community facilities. The consultations will allow all those with an interest to be involved in selecting the best option available including the most suitable site and the best mix of schools, nursery and community facilities.


Starthmartine Councillor Kevin Keenan said:I am encouraged to learn that there is now recognition that three of the schools in the Strathmartine ward need replacement - these schools being Baldragon Academy, Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery. New schools are something that I believe would have the full support and backing of teachers, pupils, staff, parents and the wider community. I hope the Council will be successful with its bid to the Scottish Futures Trust. If the Council's need any additional indicator of community support for these new schools,  I would be the first to put my name to any petition.

Labour's Education Spokesperson, Councillor Laurie Bidwell also said:
While the proposals for a bid for additional funding for new schools is positive, I do have some concerns. 
Just four months ago in February 2012 when the new 2012-17 capital plan was brought forward, Councillor Keenan and I queried why there were no new proposals for comprehensively refurbishing or replacing any of our secondary schools, especially Baldragon Academy whose buildings are over 50 years old. It's good that the Council has changed its mind but this decision calls into question the thoroughness of their analysis in the school estate review. 
A bid for funding is no guarantee of government support. Dundee lost out in the second round of new schools to be built with funding from the Scottish Futures Trust so let's hope it will be third time lucky. Unfortunately, any replacement schools in the Strathmartine ward are probably a long way off. Funding for Harris Academy comes from the same source and its funding was announced in September 2009 and their pupils and teachers are not due to move into their new school until 2016.


Starthmartine Councillor Kevin Keenan also said:
The Council's contribution to funding the possible new schools in the Strathmartine area is likely to be £10 - £15M. There is no provision for this in the new capital plan 2012-17. I hope that the Council will not be faced with deciding which of its other new schools to delay in order to progress these new schools in my ward.
I hope that all the Scottish Futures Trust's teething problems and red tape that delayed the rebuilding of Harris Academy are sorted out, allowing the next phase of their developments to hit the ground quickly, delivering new schools for our children and helping the local construction industry.

First Day at Magnificent new Ballumbie Primary School

I feel privileged to have to have joined parents carers, teachers and of course the pupils of Ballumbie Primary School on Wednesday morning to join the procession from their two former school sites to their brand new school building.

During my time as Education Convener (May 2007-April 2009), Labour brought forward plans for a Council funded programme of school building which comprised another six new schools. This included a replacement Primary School in Whitfield. It was therefore great to see what had started with a proposal described in a committee paper progress to this magnificent new school building on the new Lothian Crescent spine road.

I had three outstanding impressions from my morning visit, apart from the quality of the new facilities for the pupils and the community.
Firstly the very impressive level of support from parents and carers who had turned out to join their children in the processions from the former Newfields and Whitfield Primary School sites to the new school. This support was warmly acknowledged by the Head Teacher, Kim Flynn, in her formal welcome in the new school hall. 

Secondly, the careful thought and time that had gone into the process of merging the two schools and bringing them together on one site with the Community Nursery. Successful transitions like this don't just happen. 

Thirdly, a determination as a Councillor to continue our efforts to renew our school buildings in Dundee so that all our pupils can be in classrooms fit for the 21st century.

Labour Councillors Respond to Council's School Building Programme

The Council's Draft Capital Plan was circulated on Tuesday afternoon and will be part of the Budget Meeting to be approved in two weeks time. This report spells out the school building programme including new schools and refurbishments of existing schools.

Labour's Education Spokesperson in the City, Councillor Laurie Bidwell said: 

"The intention to build two new Primary schools, extend another and refurbish seven further primary schools in the City is welcomed. But clearly we need more detail to know what is planned. I hope an early report to the Education Committee will help clarify which schools are involved and to what the planned programme spend will cover."

Coldside Labour Councillors, Mohammed Asif and Helen Wright said:

"We are right behind the proposal to build a new Primary School with Community Facilities in our ward which we have called for. Parents and carers will welcome the new investment in the Education of their children. We hope the inclusion of community facilities will replace the Highwayman and help put the heart back into the community. We also welcome the inclusion of Dens Road Primary School in the refurbishment programme. Of course it's early days but like our constituents we will need to know which of our Coldside schools is to be replaced by the new build school and where this is to be built."

Lochee Labour Councillor Tom Ferguson said:

"I welcome the proposal for a replacement Primary School with community facilities in Menzieshill. Co-housing a new Primary School with community facilities will be advantageous for the community of Menzieshill. I also welcome the inclusion of Ancrum Road and St Mary's RC School in the refurbishment programme. Of course the report is short on detail at the moment. We need to know which primary school will be replaced and whether the new community facilities will be additional or a replacement for the existing Community Centre and Library. I will be talking to parents, constituents and Head Teachers and the Community Centre staff about this in the coming weeks."

Councillor Laurie Bidwell said: 

"The inclusion of £1m for a 4 classroom extension to and refurbishment of Barnhill Primary School is welcome. Parents and carers in Barnhill, Panmurefield and Balmossie Brae with pre-school children will be relieved that the school will be able to cope with the rising pre-school population in the school's catchment area."

Commenting on the Announcement that the Council is Seeking to Build Extra Classrooms at Kingspark School

I was utterly amazed to be notified on Tuesday that the Council has put in for planning permission for extra classrooms to be built as an extension to Kingspark School. My surprise is that there was no mention of this in the report on the School Estate (buildings and facilities)  to the Education Committee only ten days previously on Monday 12 December. 


More significantly, when that report was considered by the Education Committee, questions from opposition Councillors like me focused on the insufficiency of classroom accommodation in schools such as Craigowl and Barnhill Primary Schools and Morgan Academy. This was on the basis of the figures in the report. There are no such statistics about overcrowded or insufficient accommodation at Kingspark School in that report.

I want to make it clear that I shall be supporting this proposed spend at Kingspark School. If we need more classroom accommodation in the city for children with learning difficulties and many of those with additional physical disabilities, the Council should respond positively. But I think it is wrong that there is no previous reference at any Council Committee about what must amount to a spend of £1 million.

Doubts were raised at the Education Committee on 12 December about the competence of the report about the School Estate (buildings and facilities). This announcement about Kingspark School, does not give me confidence the Estate Review would be a sound basis to guide the future direction of investment in school buildings in Dundee. 

In addition, I think senior Council staff and the Education Convener have answers to provide about why they have have not brought this to the attention of the Education Committee before seeking planning consent. 

I  have asked the Director of Legal Services to investigate my concerns about whether this is an acceptable way for the Council to proceed.

Disappointing Review of School Estate in Dundee Leaves Many Questions

At Monday's Education Committee meeting, the committee were asked to consider the Review of the School Estate in Dundee. 

In comments and questions last night I and my Labour Colleagues raised the following issues:


"The important achievements in this report are as a direct result of the ambitious capital school building and school refurbishment programmes that Labour led councils between 2003 - 2009 brought forward. Unfortunately the new SNP administration have dawdled since they took over leading the council in April 2009 and this shows up in this report.

Looking forward this report makes for disappointing reading. It also is raises a number of questions and issues that I will be pursuing before and at the Education Committee on Monday.

This review is disappointing because its ambitions are so limited. 

A vision of new or refurbished schools fit for the 21st century has been a mantra repeated by the former Director of Education and the Education Convener at every opening of a new school in the city since 2007. Disappointingly, no priorities for new or refurbished schools are identified in this review. That is put off for another year. This review focuses on cyclical maintenance such as heating system replacement and auditing schools rolls where schools are running well under capacity. With no immediate extension of the capital building programme, that I brought forward when I was Education Convener, we will soon find the Council's school building programme slowing down which will take years to crank up again.

It's disappointing therefore if you are a pupil or a teacher in a school which is waiting for a major refurbishment or replacement, apart from Harris Academy, because future plans are on hold.

It's disappointing news for parents and carers with children at the stand alone nursery schools because clearly the Council plans to downgrade them to nursery classes and move them into existing schools with space available.

It will be disappointing if you work in the building industry because as it stands this review won't sustain nearly as many construction jobs in the city as has been the case as the Labour commissioned schools have been built.

As to questions, here are my major ones:

While parent and carers would of course expect that a school would be be in a reasonable physical condition and it would not be overcrowded, are square metres and school condition the only factors the Council should take into account? For example, what about facilities such as access to a games hall?

While the report addresses under occupancy of school buildings, it does not identify over occupancy as an issue in the City. Yet, Craigowl Primary School at 106.9% and Morgan Academy at 103.9% stand out. Is this acceptable? How will this be managed?

Barnhill Primary School in my ward is at 95.6% which is also busting at the seams. Schools are not like hotels because a rising number of school age children in an area will take time to work their way up through a school. More children wanting to enter at P1 can't be shoe horned into spare places in P7. We need more information about the P1 entry figures over a period than this report provides. The only answer provided in this report is to redraw catchment areas. In March this year, I submitted a motion to ask that the £5 million pounds in the capital programme earmarked for the extension and refurbishment of Barnhill Primary School was brought forward and a feasibility study prepared. That seems to have been forgotten and no figures are produced in relation to development pressures in the North East in Barnhill Primary School's catchment area where new housing developments are underway or have been planned.

So for marks out of 10, I would give this report five and a summary comment, 'Incomplete work, you should try harder to respond to all the questions. You also need a positive conclusion to your report'."

Dundee Education Convener Confirms that the SNP have no Plans for New Schools in the City Beyond Labour's Blueprint

In an article in the Dundee Courier on Wednesday,  Education Convener Liz Fordyce confirmed that the SNP have no plans for new schools in the City beyond the plans that Labour initiated during 2007/9 when they they led the coalition running the council.

During my time as Education Convener, I brought forward plans for a Council funded programme of school building which comprised six new schools. This included a replacement Kingspark School, a replacement Primary School in Whitfield and replacement joint campus Primary Schools in the West End and Lochee - Charleston. During this time, a feasibility study was also carried out on the refurbishment or the replacement of Harris Academy. 

This followed Labour's Scottish Government funded Public Private Partnership (PPP) school building programme that built 2 secondary schools (Grove and St Paul's) and six primary schools and nurseries (Claypotts Castle, Downfield, Craigowl, Rowantree, Fintry and St Andrew's). 

Liz Fordyce said:

"It was impossible for the council to commit to building more new schools beyond those already programmed because of the difficult financial climate."

Significantly, she did not mention her party's broken promises on a largely government funded school building. In their May 2007 manifesto for the Holyrood elections, the SNP claimed that they would 'match Labour's PPP programme brick for brick'. While the financial crisis began in summer 2009, it doesn't explain the two wasted years while her party running the Holyrood government and not commissioning one new school.

I think Liz Fordyce's statement extinguishes hope for the those schools waiting their turn for refurbishment or replacement in Dundee. In my own constituency in the Ferry, I think this puts paid to any hope of the SNP bringing forward plans for a refurbishment and extension of Barhill Primary School.

Barnhill Primary School Extension and Refurbishment Blocked

At the Education Committee on Monday 28 March, Councillor Ken Guild Leader of the Council and also a Ferry Councillor, led moves to block the extension and refurbishment of Barnhill Primary School.

I had formally

asked the Education Committee to agree to the preparation of a feasibility study for the extension and refurbishment of Barnhill Primary School with a report back to Committee by November 2011. This was supported by evidence of rising numbers of parental requests for places in P1, accommodation in the school under pressure, a nursery accommodated in huts and many more planning permissions pending for new homes in the school's catchment area. There was also £5 million already earmarked for Barnhill Primary School in the Council's capital plan for future development.

Despite the support of three out of the four Ferry Councillors, the

Education Convener Councillor Fordyce amendment was voted through for the Director of Education "to carry out an extensive review of the whole Schools and Nurseries Estate in Dundee. This will include all schools and nurseries in the West End of the City, Central and Eastern areas, schools North and South of the Kingsway and all of Broughty Ferry, in order to achieve a complete picture of how we can provide the best possible educational facilities for the children of Dundee." This review, we were told, will be brought back to the Education Committee by the end of November.

I shall continue to advocate the development of public services in Broughty Ferry so that schools and other services have the capacity to meet the needs of our rising population arising from new housing developments.

Extension and Refurbishment of Barnhill Primary School - Education Committee 28 January

Extracts from my contribution to the debate at the Education Committee last night - Monday 28 March

"I have asked for this item to be brought to the Education Committee because, 'as it says on the tin', I want you to agree tonight to the preparation of a feasibility study for the extension and refurbishment of Barnhill Primary School with a report back to Committee by November 2011.

With confirmed demand for school places a growing issue in the catchment area of Barnhill Primary School, it makes sense for the council to revive its plans to refurbish and extend the school in a manner similar to the recent extension and refurbishment of Forthill Primary School. This could not only expand the capacity of the school to cope with an growing demand for places for children who live in the catchment area but also upgrade facilities in the school that are already stretched.

The catchment area of Barnhill Primary School includes the recently completed, Balmossie Brae development north of the Arbroath Road and Panmurefield up to the seven arches viaduct and old Dundee – Monikie, Forfar railway embankment. The catchment area map shows that there is a large portion of undeveloped north of the Arbroath Road. This is currently with an agricultural use but all lying within an area designated for future development, designated at the instance of this council. So we need to provide the services necessary to cope with demands for Nursery, Primary and then Secondary Education. In fact we have already extracted a considerable income stream from from section 75 agreements we entered into with developers in order to help fund primary schools. This is right and proper since Primary Education is valued as a locally accessed service which is in reasonable distance for children and their parents and carers to access.

Apart from the growing volume of housing in the catchment area, there are two other reasons why I believe that demand for places is growing.

• Firstly the unique option of parents in Barnhill, sending their children to Grange Primary School in Angus with a guaranteed option of then progressing to Grove Academy has come to an end. Parents living at an address inside the Dundee boundary that might previously have considered this option, would be wary of ending up with their children leaving Grange Primary School and having neither a guaranteed place at Grove Academy in Dundee nor a guaranteed place at Monifieth High School in Angus.
• Secondly, as President Clinton, famously said, ”It's the economy stupid”. When I was convener figures were produced by the Directorate with a High School Of Dundee discount. That is that is was expected that some children that might otherwise have entered our schools would go private. But given the economic uncertainties, I think that this is now much less likely. I am also politically of the view that public services, shouldn't be second rate nor a last resort if you can't afford to go private.

What about the current accommodation in Barnhill Primary School? Well the nursery classes are accommodated in temporary huts which is unusual in Dundee Schools. And the current Dining Hall is stretched by current numbers. Of course much has changed since the school was built forty years ago. Now what I am asking for was contemplated by the Council in the past. In fact Barnhill was in the original PPP school building programme scheme but dropped out at some point like other schools such as Park Place Primary School and Kingspark School. Interestingly, we have already recognised their shortcomings and their replacement schools are under development or are already built by the council. In fact the council applied for and received outline planning consent for such a development (as I am advocating) in Spring 2002. In this planning application permission, in outline, was sought for:

'an extension to school with accommodation for educational and community use and replacement of temporary nursery unit at Barnhill Primary School, Falkland Crescent, Broughty Ferry, Dundee. The proposals for this school and nursery are to accommodate the forecast expansion of population in the east end of the city.'
Unfortunately this outline planning permission lapsed.

But, £5 million continues to allocated for Barnhill Primary School in the council's Capital Plans including the current plan for 20011/12. It just needs to be shifted out of limbo in the 'future years' column of the plan and given a definite timescale. I think parents living in or moving into the catchment area of Barnhill Primary School will expect the Council to plan ahead and revive these plans as a matter of urgency. I am therefore asking that a feasibility study is prepared and then brought back to the Education Committee later this year. I am also recommending to the committee that this is not just a technical appraisal but also involves the Head Teacher and the Chair of the Parent Council. Of course this will not provide an immediate solution to the capacity concerns that arose earlier this year but might reassure families living in or contemplating moving into the Barnhill Primary School catchment area that the council will have a longer term rather than makeshift solution to primary school capacity at Barnhill Primary School. Progressing my proposal would also help to reduce fears that public services in Broughty Ferry will not be able to cope with the planned growth in population principally in the north eastern part of The Ferry.
I hope that what I am asking for is uncontroversial and will be supported by all sides. We all want the city to prosper and that requires new developments including housing and the public and private services to support these.

My proposal recognizes that now is the time to decide to prepare and bring forward a feasibility study for the extension and refurbishment of Barnhill Primary School."

Extension and Refurbishment of Barnhill Primary School

I have placed the following item on the Agenda of the Education Committee next Monday.

'Item 2 - Extension and Re-furbishment of Barnhill Primary School

This item has been placed on the agenda at the request of Councillor Bidwell.

He will ask the Education Committee to agree to the preparation of a feasibility study for the extension and refurbishment of Barnhill Primary School with a report back to Committee by November 2011.'

With confirmed demand for school places a growing issue in the catchment area of Barnhill Primary School, it makes sense for the council to revive its plans to refurbish and extend the school in a manner similar to the recent extension and refurbishment of Forthill Primary School. This could not only expand the capacity of the school to cope with an growing demand for places from parents who live in the catchment area but also upgrade facilities in the school that are already stretched. For example, the nursery classes are accommodated in temporary huts which is unusual in Dundee Schools.

In fact the council applied for and received outline planning consent for such a development in Spring 2002. In this planning application permission, in outline, was sought for:

'an extension to school with accommodation for educational and community use and replacement of temporary nursery unit at Barnhill Primary School, Falkland Crescent, Broughty Ferry, Dundee. The proposals for this school and nursery are to accommodate the forecast expansion of population in the east end of the city.'

Since letting this permission lapse in 2005, a considerable amount of house building has taken place within the school's catchment area and more land is zoned for large scale future housing developments. And the nursery is still in the huts.

I think parents living in or moving into the catchment area of Barnhill Primary School will expect the Council to plan ahead and revive these plans as a matter of urgency. I am therefore asking that a feasibility study is prepared and then brought back to the Education Committee later this year. I shall be recommending to the committee that this is not just a technical appraisal but also involves Head Teacher Pam Nesbitt and her staff and the Parent Council and Forum.

Of course this will not provide an immediate solution to the capacity concerns that arose earlier this year but might reassure families living in or moving into the Barnhill Primary School catchment area that that the council will have a longer term rather than makeshift solution to school capacity within the catchment area of Barnhill Primary School. Progressing my proposal would also help to reduce fears that public services in Broughty Ferry will not be able to cope with the planned growth in population principally in the north eastern part of The Ferry.

Opening of Kingspark School - Credit Where Credit is Due

I attended the official opening of the new replacement Kingspark School on Friday 18 February.

Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning unveiled the opening plaque. The real stars of the event were the children who performed in a concert for the assembled invited guests, parents and a majority of the pupils. The programme was introduced by Mrs Laura Smith, the Head Teacher. It included spirited performances by the Kingspark choir and instrumental groups. I particularly enjoyed their singing of Calendonia as well as their rendition of Mhairi's Wedding that accompanied children dancing on the stage.

The children's performances gave some indication to the remarkable capabilities and life skills that the school nurtures amongst pupils with a range of disabilities and learning difficulties. After the ceremony, guests were taken on a conducted tour of the school. The positivity of the school 's ethos permeated all that I observed.

I am proud to have been the Education Convener when the planning of this school was undertaken and sanctioned by the Council. This is another one of the legacy achievements of the then Labour led administration of the City Council that built six new Primary Schools and two new secondary schools under the auspices of its PPP building programme. Kingspark was in the next part of the Labour led council's ambitious capital plan which also included the replacement Whitfield Primary School and the two new twin campus primary schools in the Westend and Lochee/Charleston.

When delivering his speech, Mike Russell, suffered from political amnesia counting the new Kingspark School as though it was part of the SNP's school building programme. The school was in fact built with a mixture of local funding and prudential borrowing by the City Council.

So while celebrating another success of our Administration's legacy of new school building and school refurbishment in the city, it's difficult to identify the SNP school building legacy apart from Harris Academy whose construction is projected to begin in 2012/13. I hope for the sake of children being educated in unimproved schools that the SNP administration will indeed will indeed conjure up a school building programme, as they promised in May 2007, 'to match Labour's PPP programme brick for brick'.

Half Measures Won't Do for Eastern Primary School Move

Since the papers for tonight's Education committee were released last Monday, I have been contacted by a stream of constituents who are very concerned about the half measures in the report about the Proposed Relocation of Eastern Primary School to the Old Grove buildings. Their concerns are not only about road safety in the vicinity of the Grove Academy campus but also about the enduring educational benefits of the proposed move.

Parents and community objectors are disappointed that many of the concerns they expressed, during the public consultation, about pupil safety have been ignored in the Report to the Education Committee tonight. There were already strong concerns expressed at the meetings of the Grove Academy Parent Council well before the Eastern Primary School proposal arose in June. Two of the Grove Parent Council members produced an Audit of Traffic and Pedestrian Safety in the vicinity of Grove Academy. Both of these members are very well informed with one working as a Senior Police Officer in the Traffic Division of Tayside Police and the other working in the Transport Division of Perth & Kinross Council. Recommendations in their report about modifications to the narrow section of Seafield Road between its junction with Davidson Street and the service entrance of Grove were missing from the final report about the Eastern move. Of course this same area would be shared by many parents dropping off and collecting children from Eastern Primary School, its after School Club and its Nursery.

The education benefits of the move of Eastern Primary School are largely based on the superior quantity of indoor classroom space in the old Grove building such as the provision of a dedicated Art Room and a Computer Suite. But the benefits to the Eastern Primary pupils would be short lived, if the school expands. The option mentioned in the report, of moving from two form to three form entry could only be accommodated by using these specialist rooms as mainstream classrooms. The Director of Education writes in his report there are no plans for introducing three form entry at the relocated Eastern Primary School. But the Education Convener let the cat out of the bag on Friday. Commenting on the pressure on primary school places in the The Ferry arising from proposed new housing developments north of the Arbroath Road, Councillor Fordyce said:

"Of course the schools will be able to cope. If the council agrees on Monday night and Eastern Primary goes into the old Grove, there will be more room."
(quoted in the Courier on Friday 19 November)

Since the roll of Eastern Primary School has not been under pressure in the last few years, it would need a change of its catchment area with Forthill and Barnhill Primary Schools to draw in more pupils zoned to Eastern. But this was brushed aside by the Education Convener who

“... rejected the suggestion school catchment areas may need to be adjusted to accommodate more children.”
(quoted in the Courier on Friday 19 November)

If Councillor Fordyce looks at the map of the catchment large scale private housing developments, that will generate growth in pupil numbers, are north of the Arbroath Road and the schools currently zoned for these areas are Forthill and Barnhill Primary Schools and not Eastern Primary School.

If the Education Convener wants to avoid the conclusion that SNP Councillors in the city are prepared to dole out half measures for the Ferry Schools, she will need to think again about how this project will be progressed.