SNP blasted for voting on Notre Dame debate ahead of report
A LABOUR councillor has slammed Glasgow’s SNP group for voting on the future of Scotland’s last state funded all-girls school before seeing a final report on proposals to open the secondary to boys.
The city’s ruling SNP group announced earlier this week it has voted in favour of axing single sex education at Notre Dame High School.
This means a majority of councillors will be in favour of making the high-performing West End school mixed sex.
But a formal decision is still to be taken at a committee meeting on November 28 – and councillors have still not had sight of a committee paper giving full details of responses to a public consultation.
Local councillor Soryia Siddique said: “I am very surprised the SNP minority administration had not waited for a paper that was to come to all groups, and which includes an equality impact assessment and Education Scotland’s response.
“This is a paper that is meant to analyse the consultation in detail and ensure that everyone’s voice is heard.
“Once that paper is available, the Labour Group will discuss the paper and come to a decision on that basis.
“Why would the administration launch a consultation and then not wait for the process to complete.
“Why have a consultation at all?”
If councillors vote for co-education on November 28 it will end single sex schooling in Scotland.
The contentious issue of the future of Notre Dame High has seen campaign groups formed by parents and local residents to fight for both sides in the debate.
A consultation on the future of the school attracted nearly 5000 responses, with respondents asked to vote on three options, including one option to alter the catchment area of the school.
Some 45.9 per cent voted to make the school mixed sex while 39.9 per cent voted to keep the status quo and 13.4 per cent voted to keep the school single sex and expand the catchment area.
One reading of the results was that the option to open the school to male pupils received the most votes.
Opponents take the results to show the largest appetite is to retain the school as femaleonly, if the two other options are combined to give 54 per cent for retain the school’s current status.
Councillor Chris Cunningham, city convener for education, skills and early years, said: “The SNP group took a position on a longstanding and high-profile issue which is due to come to the City Administration Committee next month. “This is how group democracy works. “The options were in the consultation paper and briefings on the findings of the consultation were given to all political groups by the education director. “The final decision will be taken by all members of the committee at the end of next month.”