Schools’ review ‘deeply worrying’

Politicians call for clarity from council chiefs

Council chiefs have been warned by politicians that their review into the relevancy of rural schools must be halted and that they owe clarity to local communities .

The calls come as it was decided - by a single vote at PKC’s lifelong learning committee meeting on Wednesday 22 - to progress plans which could close Abernyte Primary School.

The five-year review, beginning in 2016, has seen at least 21 schools across the region at the risk of closure with low capacity or old schools at risk.

A mooted £145 million is to be spent on new school facilities and improvements.

Balhousie Primary, Blairingone Primary and Braco Primary are facing the chop as part of the review’s phase one. And currently mothballed Forteviot Primary School and Greenloaning Primary School are also in danger.

Phase two is set to start this month and end next May where Pitlochry High School will be under the microscope, along with Cleish, Grandtully, Logierait and Ruthvenfield primary schools.

The final phase will begin in 2019 and Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart anticipates this will include Balbeggie, Collace, Coupar Angus, Glendelvine, Kettins, Meigle and Stanley primary schools.

He described the plans as “deeply worrying for parents’’ and called for the local authority to come clean over whether it is planning to close a list of 12 schools, including Pitlochry High School.

Mr Wishart said: “Perth and Kinross Council Tory administration is picking up a reputation of being very quick to reach the option of closing a school.

“Parents have every right to be concerned by the latest list of five schools under threat of closure.

“What is also very concerning is the second list of seven schools which will have to wait until well into 2019 to hear their fate.

“That is really worrying for staff, parents and pupils.

“The Perth and Kinross Conservative administration have already backed plans to close Balhousie Primary.

“It is imperative that this review is halted and that parents get some clarity from the council.”

Commenting on the second phase of the review, Roseanna Cunningham, Perthshire South and Kinross-shire MSP, said this week: “First and foremost, staff, pupils, parents and the whole of the affected communities deserve clarity from the council about what this review could mean for the future of their schools.

“The Tories now in charge at Perth and Kinross Council have shown themselves to be very keen to close down schools and, if that is what is in their minds for these schools, people deserve to know that from the outset.

“This absolutely must not be a smoke and mirrors exercise, carried out to give a cloak of consultation to a decision that has already been taken behind closed doors.”