Poor turnout at Lerwick school meeting

A DISAPPOINTING turn out at Wednesday night’s meeting in Anderson High School meant a lacklustre debate about the impact of pupils from Scalloway and Skerries streaming into the Knab road building if the council’s closure plan goes ahead.

Following lively debates in Skerries on Monday and Scalloway on Tuesday with a large attendance from the threatened communities, only around 25 people turned up at the Lerwick meeting on the council’s Blueprint for Education proposals.

Though the meeting was designed to discuss how Lerwick folk felt about an influx from their neighbouring communities, the vast majority of those attending were from Scalloway itself.

Some AHS pupils were there to raise their concerns about the poor facilities at the Lerwick establishment, particularly in the toilets and the social areas.

A handful of Lerwick parents asked questions and spoke up about similar concerns, though they were assured by the council representatives that improvements were being made.

Scalloway parents’ council vice chair Karen Eunson did attend and said she was disappointed at the lack of Lerwick parents taking the opportunity to discuss the proposals.

“There were some folk from Lerwick that were asking a few questions, but the meeting probably ended up being more about Scalloway, and though that is understandable it is a pity that it wasn’t more about the receiving school,” she said.

Her feelings were echoed by Lerwick South member Allan Wishart, who said: “I was disappointed that there were not more people there. It was well enough advertised, but those people who may have a comment to make do have other ways of submitting their views.”

Mr Wishart pointed out that the public meetings during the planning stage to build the new Anderson High School were also poorly attended and it was only when the builders were ready to start work last summer that a campaign was unleashed that saw the entire project dropped in favour of a new site at Staney Hill.