Progress being made to improve education
Councillors have welcomed progress being made to improve education in Highland Perthshire.
Work is progressing to deliver a new model for senior phase education and a new learning partnership.
An update on progress was given to Perth and Kinross Council’s lifelong learning committee on Wednesday, January 20.
Pitlochry High School, Breadalbane Academy and Perth College UHI are collaborating to“develop, share and sustain a dynamic and innovative learning offer in Highland Perthshire”.
In August 2020, four S5 pupils enrolled in the Foundation Apprenticeship in Social Services and Healthcare.
Due to the pandemic the course is being taught virtually but councillors were told some face-to-face interaction is planned with transport being arranged.
Digital learning has been advanced in Pitlochry High School, Breadalbane Academy and their associated primary schools. Highland Perthshire schools are being registered for the Digital Schools award.
Service manager Carol Taylor told councillors the property sub-group had been“quite hampered”in relation to the project.
A temporary space for the Perth College UHI hub was identified for August 2020 but Ms Taylor said both the school and Perth College UHI had agreed a different space would make“more sense”in the long term.
Seconding the report, Conservative Highland Perthshire councillor John Duff said: “When I was elected to the Highland Ward in 2018, the future of Pitlochry High School and education in Highland Perthshire was the subject of much debate and speculation.
“I believe that this administration’s proposal to develop the Highland Perthshire Learning Partnership was an innovative and forward thinking approach which has already borne fruit and which I believe will go from strength to strength.”
Independent Highland Perthshire councillor Xander McDade said it was “really positive”to see the work that had been done to improve the transition process for S5/S6 pupils moving from Pitlochry High School to Breadalbane “despite COVID”.
He said:“I think that’s a really positive to see a lot of the digital learning work that’s being done.”
Cllr McDade said he thought the pandemic had hastened the pace of digital developments.
He said:“I think that COVID has forced us into using the digital environment a lot more has perhaps enabled some of that movement.
“And again we - as elected members - previously were perhaps reluctant to do things electronically but we have been forced to do so and I think to be honest a lot of it is going to stay.”
SNP councillor John Rebbeck said: “Elected members have made a big fuss about education in Highland Perthshire and I’m pleased that we have.”
He added:“I think we were in a really difficult place two or three years ago and it’s down to officers and both parent councils and both communities beyond that that we’ve made improvements.
“We’ve made education in Highland Perthshire better.”