Council is urged to stop ‘flawed’ schools shake-up

Argyll and Bute Council leaders are being urged to stop a plan to axe head teachers following a ‘flawed’ consultation.

 

Mid Argyll councillor Doguie Philand has also called on the administration to ‘listen and act upon’ communities’ views.

 

The changes in education management, called the Collective Leadership Model, would see ‘executive head teachers’ in charge of clusters of schools across Argyll and Bute.

 

The council’s community services committee decided in June 2021 to pause the proposals amid concern over how the public was being consulted.

 

A consultation, titled Empowering Our Educators, was then carried out in early 2022.

 

The results are due to go before the committee on Thursday August 25.

 

In June, ‘new information’ was released by the council under Freedom of Information legislation, after the consultation closed on March 31.

 

Since then, Argyll and Bute’s 12 SNP councillors have voiced their opposition, saying they are ‘deeply concerned by the information’.

 

‘The public consultation process which councillors had to fight for, appears to be completely flawed,’ a spokesperson said.

 

‘What we clearly see before us in the documents is a one-size-fits-all business model, with no clear educational benefit to pupils.

 

‘It is now evident the council employed a marketing company to influence our views on the proposals and our votes.

 

‘This undermines the fair and democratic ethos of community consultation and is completely unacceptable.

 

‘The stress and anxiety caused to parent groups and the wider community by this process has long been clear and must now cease.’

 

Councillor Philand, independent, said there were ‘real concerns’ from parent councils all over Argyll.

 

‘Whilst there is an acknowledgement from all that we cannot continue with the status quo for a number of well documented reasons, the manner in which this has been consulted with has thrown up serious concerns which have been circulated via freedom of information requests made by parent councils,’ he said.

 

‘We must be alert and listen to the parent councils’ concerns to build up trust when

 

implementing plans for the future which in its present form are not supported by our communities.

 

‘I would urge the administration of the council to listen and act upon the serious views which our communities have taken the time to research and express and stop this process and learn that for the future work with the parent councils to develop a model which is mutually agreeable.’

 

Tracy Mayo, a founder of education campaign group for the area Wise4All, has written to the council’s executive director Douglas Hendry asking: ‘Will you learn from your mistakes or is it full steam ahead?’

 

Ms Mayo wrote: ‘In January, parent councils, 29 at the time, wrote to you about their concern about the validity of the process.

 

‘It seems their request for a pause and to discuss the process fell on deaf ears, and the process continued, and at all costs, resulting in the trust in the education team, who participated in this process, and the leadership of the council hitting an all-time low, some stating ‘all confidence’ is gone.’

 

Calls to ‘stop this mess’ have reached a high pitch, she added. ‘Time would be better spent listening to the communities’ concerns and moving forward.

 

‘I am not sure if that is realistic, given the marketing brief which indicates this was always going to be ‘a tick box exercise’, ‘a token engagement’ or a ‘fait accompli’.

 

‘Alarm is growing that this is being slipped in the back door in light of recent appointments, perhaps ‘operational’ in nature by your standards, while others may see them as ‘provocative’.’

 

She concluded the council’s leadership ‘seems to be in a bubble of self-denial, as the disquiet simply rises and rises’.

 

A council spokesperson said: ‘Our priority is to ensure that our children and young people benefit from a sustainable education service that works for every pupil.

 

‘To do that we must take action to address the area’s unique set of challenges, such as rural settings, declining populations, and competition in recruiting teaching skills.

 

‘Thank you to everyone who gave feedback on initial ideas for action.

 

‘We will report on this feedback to the council’s Community Services Committee so that the views of our communities are part of the overall presentation to elected members, to allow them to take informed decisions on the long-term future of education in Argyll and Bute.’