Parents in Partnership Chair Tina Woolnough reports on the Education, Children and Families Committee Meeting, Tues 28 August 2007, 10am to 1.20pm
• Five deputations (from Lismore PS, Parents in Partnership, St Cuthbert’s, Westfield Court Nursery, Grassmarket Nursery) were allowed to speak to the Committee – but were only allowed to make general points and were not allowed to refer to specific schools or nurseries. They all did a brilliant job at speaking out for all affected families, schools, nurseries and communities across the city.
The importance of continuity of care, community context, the role of children and families in a sustainable future for Edinburgh were all emphasized. As a child-centred approach is the current national educational mantra, no-one in the public gallery was persuaded by the argument that these cuts are not about money.
• A timetabled programme of deputations and public meetings will be held for batches, or “tranches” as Cllr Maclaren calls them, of threatened establishments (Timetable).
• The Education Committee (which is a cross-party committee of councillors with five additional church/lay representatives) will hear all deputations from a “batch/tranche” and will then send a report to full Council after each batch/tranche . It is not yet decided whether this report will summarise the outcome of consultation process, or whether it will recommend closure or retention, based on the consultation outcomes. Either way, full Council will make the final decisions (full Council meets on 22 November and 20 December, although it is not yet confirmed that school closures will be agenda items). Nor has it been decided whether further deputations will be heard (probably unlikely, but this will mean councillors not on the Education Committee will NOT have heard the cases of campaigning schools.)
• The process of gathering nurseries/schools into “tranches” is that it will either disadvantage those establishments who are scheduled to be heard later in the “rationalisation” process – if early deputations are persuasive – or this process suggests that certain schools/nurseries in each batch are already (secretly) ear-marked for closure, Otherwise, if each establishment makes a convincing case and persuades the committee against closure, we could end up with all 22 being saved (and therefore no budget saving).
• Convenor of the Education Committee, Cllr Marilyne Maclaren said of the role of deputations in the future: “We are open to persuasive argument”.
• Cllr Maclaren held the previous Labour administration responsible for setting a budget which required cuts of £9m over three years from the Children and Families department. A deficit had also been left of £14m.
• The new Director of Children and Families, Gillian Tee, spoke of putting the “financial realities on the table” and that “good quality consultation” was imperative.
• Relations between the Labour councillors on the Committee and the administration parties (particularly the Lib Dems) were bad-tempered to say the least. In this context, parents and committee representatives who wish to make deputations should be wary of forming any close political allegiances as part of your campaign.
Yesterday’s meeting agreed to launch the consultations for eight Children and Families establishments. These are: Princess Elizabeth Nursery School, Cameron House Nursery School, Westfield Court Nursery School, Grassmarket Nursery School and Gorgie War Memorial Hall Community Centre , St Ann’s Community Centre, Riddles’ Court Community Centre, Bingham Community Centre. (Timetable).
Organisations who wish to make deputations on 24 Sept (to be confirmed) need to read and respond to the relevant reports which went to the Education Committee yesterday. There is a generic report for each sector (Community Centres, Early Years establishments (both published) and Primary Schools and Secondary Schools (still awaited).
Parents in Partnership will shortly post a Campaign Toolkit, including “How to Make a Successful Deputation”.
