Council / Councillor warns SIC might have to look at school estate ‘very closely’
AN ELECTED member has claimed Shetland Islands Council (SIC) will need to re-look at the “sizeable” school estate if the local education system is to be fit for purpose.
The warning was sounded by Lerwick South councillor John Fraser, who noted long-standing challenges with the availability of teachers.
The topic was discussed at a meeting of the SIC’s education and families committee on Monday as members discussed a children’s services directorate report for January to March.
While the report was praised, as was the activity during the period, some challenges facing education were raised in questioning and debate.
This included the staffing resource, the attainment gap and availability of digital devices.
Fraser honed in on the school estate, questioning whether officials are being asked to spread a “limited resource” over a network of buildings that is too large.
Director of children’s services Samantha Flaws said there is a large school estate, and that it is staffed well.
“I think that what we’re probably finding ourselves in is the situation that we have a reducing school roll, so therefore the number of classes that we’re staffing is reducing, and therefore we have to consider what that means for staff members,” she said.
Flaws added that the size of the estate, reducing roll and availability of workforce makes it “quite a complex situation”.
Shetland has two high schools, five junior highs and 20 primary schools, with another four primaries currently mothballed
During debate Fraser noted the challenges within the education system and highlighted that in his view the council may have to be “brave and take risks”.
“Let’s be under no illusion, that if we are going to ensure that we have an education system in Shetland that is fit for purpose, where we have an equitable distribution of the teaching resource and we provide the modern technologies that are required in a modern teaching age, and ensure that there is no attainment gap,” Fraser said, “then we are going to have to need to be brave and take risks, and this committee and the wider council is going to have to look at that sizeable school estate very, very closely and very, very soon.”
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