Highland parents have hit out at "stock" responses from the council and government to their campaign to save rural schools from a staffing crisis.
After lobbying Highland Council for years to change its staffing formula – which they say has "disproportionate impacts" on small, rural schools – parents at Farr, Gairloch, Kinlochbervie and Ullapool High Schools launched a national campaign to save their schools.
With less than 400 pupils between all four schools, the parents' open letter to Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth and Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner has gathered more than 600 signatures in less than a week.
Citing "immense pressure", "under-resourcing", and a staffing formula that they said is "getting it wrong for every rural child", the parents have spoken out to say that the "stock responses" they have received from leaders so far are not acceptable.
The Highland Council declined to comment for this story.
Seoras Burnett, Chair of Ullapool High School Parent Council, said that their open letter met with emotional responses from parents facing similar issues at other schools across the country.
Decision-makers need to respond in kind and start proposing solutions, she said.
“Raymond Bremner, the Highland Council Convenor, has replied to us highlighting what Highland Council is already doing but saying nothing about what the Council will do to respond to our demands.
"We’re still waiting to hear from Jenny Gilruth at the Scottish Government.
“Across the country, small rural schools have been writing to us saying the issues are the same for them, that they are also struggling to provide basic education and learning support to their pupils.
"We’ve had Councillors, community councils, parents and community officials get in touch with us saying they support our campaign.
"These issues can no longer be swept under the carpet.”
Read more: Campaigners call for council to delay decision on mothballing local school
The parents said that staffing shortages, budget cuts and the council's staffing formula are disadvantaging students at rural schools. In some cases, they describe schools having to cobble together timetables that rely on teachers working extra hours, even while some on part-time contracts.
Despite the extra efforts of staff, schools are still not able to offer a full complement of courses and students are not able to take the classes that they need.
As part of their campaign, the parent councils have compiled 13 pages of background information on the situation that each school faces. In each case, the parents describe courses that students are unable to take, a lack of resources for students with additional support needs, and teachers and students struggling with their schedules.
This is causing some families to transfer schools and move out of the communities.
Parents worry that declining rolls and decreasing staff are putting schools on a path towards closing.
Read more: Rural schools everywhere are fighting for their futures
Denise MacDonald, from Kinlochbervie High School Parent Council, said that the parent councils feel that their schools are being overlooked and their cause not taken seriously.
“We are asking for real, tangible action as a result of this campaign. For too long, we have been told to get creative with the current system and officials have passed the buck between different levels of government.
“This isn’t hyperbole, these are facts. The information in our Briefing Notes demonstrates how dire the situation is. Education and learning support provision in our schools is simply not comparable to larger, urban schools.
“We would like the opportunity to sit around a table with Cabinet Education Secretary Gilruth and Councillor Bremner to discuss these issues so that they recognise that this is bigger than just a tweak here, or a tweak there.
"The current system is failing our young people.”
Fiona Mackenzie, Co-chair of Gairloch High School Parent Council, said that the parent councils have been fighting the same battle against short-staffing for years.
After years of talks with the council, she said that schools are now at a "breaking point" and the time has come to make their case more forcefully.
“After years of writing letters, petitioning, and considerately requesting that these critical issues be addressed, we are left with no choice but to start shouting very loudly. We are heartened that so many people - from near and far - have backed our call for change.”
“We hope that raising awareness publically of the impossible situation of understaffing in small rural schools, and how it is affecting not just pupils and staff but the wider community, will focus attention in the coming budget negotiations.
“There needs to be a system-wide change in the approach to how education is resourced in small schools like ours. The current staffing formula is getting it wrong for every rural child. Our schools are at breaking point. All we want is equity for school pupils across Scotland.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said that Ms Gilruth has received the parents' letter and plans to respond "in due course".
The spokesperson added:
“It is important that we recognise the specific context of our rural schools, which is why local councils currently have the autonomy to provide incentives to attract teachers to their area. It is right that any decision to do so is taken at a local level given that local authorities are responsible for the recruitment and deployment of their staff. To support them, we are providing local authorities with £145.5 million in this year's budget to protect teacher numbers.”
“Councils are able to extend subject choice through school-college partnerships, digital platforms and collaborative approaches to timetabling. This includes accessing e-Sgoil who provide a range of online provision for national courses.”
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