Parent’s school plea
The chair of Abernyte Primary School’s parent council is calling on Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) to postpone closing the village school in July 2020 until a final decision on the school’s fate has been made.
In May 2019, PKC’s lifelong learning committee voted to close the school but Scottish ministers called in the decision in July 2019, referring the case on to the School Closure Review Panel, to determine whether appropriate action has been taken by the council.
But in an unprecedented move, PKC petitioned the Court of Session to suspend the call-in process before the independent review got fully underway.
The judicial review at the Court of Session commenced last week and Lady Wise may not make her decision until as late as May.
A motion was granted to pause the independent panel’s
(reporter’s) decision-making process until either the interim suspension is recalled or the outcome of the judicial review is known.
The school’s parent council chair Gerard McGoldrick told the PA:“As a community and a parent council, we are absolutely gutted that the decision has been delayed even further.”
He said what was“worse”was being unable to get“a firm commitment” from PKC’s head of education Sheena Devlin to delay closing the school, which he thinks is“no good for parents with kids at the school - or staff.”
He added:“What we need is for the council to extend the closure for one year so that everything that is going on can run its course.”
He believes the council is “calling in to question the whole legal framework for rural schools”and could easily have saved taxpayers’money by appealing to the sheriff court rather than going to the expense of taking it to the Court of Session, which he claims the council has done to“circumnavigate scrutiny”by the independent panel.
SNP education spokesperson for PKC Cllr John Rebbeck, who voted against the school’s closure, said he had a“very constructive”meeting with Sheena Devlin earlier this week.
He too is calling for PKC to delay the school’s closure, saying it“seems sensible that the council holds off on closing the school until the investigation has reached its conclusion.”
He told the PA:“It is very unsatisfactory for parents and staff alike that the future of Abernyte Primary hangs in the balance while we await a decision on the judicial review from Lady Wise.”
He added:“I am satisfied however that education and children’s services are on top of the situation.”
A spokesperson for PKC said: “Officers in our education and children’s service are currently considering all potential scenarios in relationship to Abernyte Primary School, in terms of timing of decisions, outcome and potential next steps. It is too early at this stage to determine it being necessary to consider postponing the proposed closure date of July 1, 2020.”