Argyll Rural Schools Network

[Anne Baird]

ARSN has published a list of candidates who have supported the following statement:

“I support the call by ARSN for the opening of dialogue between Argyll and Bute Council, ARSN, councillors and other appropriate bodies with a view to drawing up a new vision of rural education in Argyll & Bute. I believe there should be a presumption against rural school closure and that the Council should adopt such a presumption as a foundation policy for education in the area.”

The list can be found at-

http://arsn.org/councillors-supporting-arsn-statement/


This is important not just for villages, but also for the town. If we cram ever more children into the same classrooms, each of them loses teacher time. Where schools close and villages decline, the town loses trade. It has an impact on everyone.

[WC1]

I think, Anne, it's a matter of huge regret that ARSN has its focus so exclusively on the preservation of small rural primaries. There are massive issues for rural secondaries which aren't even being given a look by this organisation, but which have even more crucial consequences for young people in places like Argyll.

[Anne Baird]

I think, Anne, it's a matter of huge regret that ARSN has its focus so exclusively on the preservation of small rural primaries. There are massive issues for rural secondaries which aren't even being given a look by this organisation, but which have even more crucial consequences for young people in places like Argyll.

ARSN was born and its profile was raised during the school closure proposals but that's not all they do. Rural secondaries are on the agenda too. We're waiting for the evidence from the Commission for the Delivery of Rural Education, on which I'm the ARSN representative, to be made public but the crux of it is that rural secondaries struggle to provide a broad curriculum because of limited teacher numbers and there's work to be done on how IT might alleviate that, perhaps in conjunction with local colleges. That depends on infrastructure but the number of rural secondaries is not such that the cost of infrastructure should be prohibitive. Timetabling it presents its own challenges but that could be overcome if there was a genuine will.

There's also an issue with attracting staff to rural areas but we're of the opinion that several simple steps could be taken to alleviate that, not least ensuring that when prospective staff google "schools, argyll" they don't come up with pages of proposals to close schools! It's a big step for someone to move to a new area. A guarantee of employment for a minimum term and assistance with housing would smooth the way. Argyll & Bute is a beautiful area with a great deal to offer in terms of lifestyle. The council should be working at selling that, not just to teachers but also to employers.

It's ARSN's belief that Argyll & Bute could be a leader in developing solutions to the problems of delivering education in areas with sparce populations and retaining more of its young people in the area. To do that well, it needs to look at the whole system from pre-school through to college and university.

When the evidence from the Commission is public we'll be looking for a few more secondary teachers who will discuss it with us, so if you know of any who are keen, please let us know.

[argylltourist]

If we want rural communities to survive, then an all-encompassing package is required. Totally agree with Anne Baird and the ARSN committment to finding the right balance of sustainability which includes schools, jobs and housing.

You know, Scotland could show the way in giving rural areas a fighting chance. There are many places in the developed world which have the same, or similar concerns of depopulation in rural areas for eg. Australia.

Without schools people don't settle. Then there would be no need for housing etc. I think you can see where I'm going with this! Everthing is connected, take a piece out, and like jenga it all eventually collapses.
I for one reckon Kintyre could do better.

[D.H]

I agree argylltourist. I have used the Jenga analogy myself several times when describing the importance of amenities to the survival and prosperity of remote and rural communities.

I also agree with Anne on the valuable role that ARSN has played in showing that the whole educational policy for nursery and primary schools has to be rethought, which is opening up discussion on secondary, further and higher level learning also. This can only be a good thing for building healthy and thriving communities for the future. It is worth bearing in mind that ARSN is less than 18 months old, with no funding, and is run by volunteers who are mainly parents across Argyll & Bute, unlike the Council.

[Anne Baird]

It is worth bearing in mind that ARSN is less than 18 months old, with no funding, and is run by volunteers who are mainly parents across Argyll & Bute, unlike the Council.

It's also worth noting that Deirdre has made a contribution to the collective effort. ARSN is the sum of its many parts.