More potentially worrying news concerning Glasgow schools today with the announcement that in excess of 2,000 schoolchildren in Glasgow could be adversely affected by Glasgow City Council proposals to close 13 city primary schools and 12 nurseries. The council has indicated that a full consultation process will take place involving parents, staff and unions before any move takes place in August this year.

The BBC however reported that concerned parents had contacted the news corporation accusing the council of acting in an "underhand" manner, with some expressing the opinion that the proposed consultation would be "a sham".

Parent Agnes Green from Glasgow said:

Parent Paul McMillan from Glasgow said:

The council said that it had spent £550m on school building improvement over the past 10 years - building 64 new schools and refurbishing five others, mainly using the PPP financing scheme.

Steven Purcell, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said:

Councillor Patricia Gibson, education spokeswoman for the SNP, said:

Full story at the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgo...est/7839664.stm

GG.

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The schools affected are:

Glasgow City Council Schools' Closure and Merger Plans
Closing School	Receiving School	Merged School	Saving
Sighthill Primary	Royston Primary	Royston Primary	£186,372
St Gilbert's Primary	St Philomena's Primary	St Philomena's Primary	£238,287
Barmulloch Primary	St Gilbert's Primary	Barmulloch Primary	As above
Victoria Primary	Annette St. Primary/ Cuthbertson Primary	Annette St. Primary/ Cuthbertson Primary	£207,721
Bellahouston Primary	Ibrox Primary	Ibrox Primary	£194,999
Albert Primary	Elmvale Primary	Elmvale Primary	£241,380
St Agnes' Primary	St Blane's Primary	St Blane's Primary	£186,140
St Aloysius' Primary	St Stephen's Primary	St Stephen's Primary	£198,845
St Gregory's Primary	St Mary's Primary	St Mary's Primary	£234,498
Wyndford Primary	Parkview Primary	Parkview Primary	£219,082
St James' Primary	Alexandra Parade Primary	Alexandra Parade Primary	£208,698
Ruchill Primary	Westercommon Primary	Westercommon Primary	£226,601
Our Lady of the Assumption Primary	St Cuthbert's Primary	St Cuthbert's Primary	£165,281
Shawbridge Nursery	Pollokshaws Day Nursery	Pollokshaws Day Nursery	£180,652
Kinning Park Nursery	Festival Park Nursery	Festival Park Nursery	£70,860
Merrylee Nursery Class	Holmlea Day Nursery	Holmlea Day Nursery	£32,445
Mile End Nursery	Bridgeton FLC	Bridgeton FLC	£111,161
Garscube Nursery	Cowcaddens Day Nursery	Cowcaddens Day Nursery	£72,535
Craigielea Nursery/ Broompark Day Nursery	St Denis' Primary	New Early Years' Centre	£255,230
Anderston Nursery Class	Anderson St. Nursery	Anderson St. Nursery	£77,184
Queen Mary St. Nursery	London Road Nursery	London Road Nursery	£244,067
Newark Dr. Nursery/ Nithsdale Rd. Nursery/ Pollokshields Nursery Class	New Early Years' Centre in Pollokshields Primary Anxe	New Early Years' Centre in Pollokshields Primary Anxe	£169,721

What a horrendous prospect for the poorly educated children being churned out by our schools -- not only the worst-qualified kids in the country, but they will be saddled with an obscene combination of local debt from local Labour folly in school building, as well as paying their part for the huge national debts accumulated for them by the national Labour party funding of illegal foreign wars and grotesquely costly bail-outs of a failing banking system!

I attended a public meeting/consultation on the proposed closure of Crookston Castle secondary, a few years ago now . I have to admit , i felt at the time it was a waste of an evening .I got the feeling the decision had already been made , and the meeting was just to make it look like things had been done 'by the book' . Now there is a brand new ,nursery/primary combined on this site . Children from quite a distance have to travel there , as three , that i know of , primaries were closed ,and all diverted to this one school . Not fair on the children having to walk so far in my opinion. I think a bit more thought should go into what is being done , i feel that a lot of hasty decisions are being made . Then the schools that are closed down , dont get used for anything else , just demolished , more money wasted .

The school next to us closed a few years back when a new one was built and it was a nightmare, let me tell you that our local shop closed, the site was a frequent target for fire bugs and drug users, not to mention becoming a drinking den for local teenagers running riot at the weekend. Eventually they knocked it down and it has now become a huge garbage tip for people to travel to and dump beds, sofas, weights benches, ironing boards, you name it!!!

I don't understand what all the fuss is about? If the schools are old and decaying then moving pupils into better accommodation and using the money saved to improve the standard of education is just what is required, it may be unpopular, but it is also progress IMHO.

Guest Gert , You are totally right regarding old school buildings being closed , and pupils transferred . However , there are some of these school buildings not that old at all , i find that a waste , when there are so many homeless and single people looking for housing . Surely it would make more sense ,to convert the better buildings into single apartments to help these people , it would get their feet on the first rung of the ladder to building their lives again . Surely putting money into futures would be a better way to go? as it costs money anyway to demolish , refurbishment of some of these buildings would be a win ,win situation for so many. I just feel the council dont consider the longer term results of what they are doing .

As a very concerned parent at one of the schools facing the chop, I must express my serious concerns that what is being done will ultimately be of any material benefit to our children. Time and time again I have read that Glasgow's schools are improving and getting additional 'Brownie' stars from government inspectors, however the reality could not be more different!

Glasgow schools - as the SNP council education spokeswoman said this week - are the worst in the country in terms of allowing our children to attain the qualifications they so badly need in today's highly-competitive jobs' market... and it is not just this year, or last year, but for decades. To suggest that somehow closing a few schools will change Glasgow's poor, poor attainment record is simply a nonsense... in fact the very real threat is that by causing more disruption and confusion our children's education will suffer further.

Also it is ridiculous to say that all the teaching buildings involved are half empty, crumbling schools... take St Gilbert's Primary School for instance, the school's motto is "St Gilbert's, where anything is possible". The school is the beating heart of the resurgent Germiston community with long-established local connections where children are encouraged to live up to its proud history and overcome the social and economic problems which surround it. It is a good school, producing good children in very challenging circumstances, to abandon it in this despicable and reprehensible way is not just a disgrace, but a betrayal of the local community and of the futures of our children.

I went to Wyndford Primary School during the 70's and this school was relatively new then, having been built for the new 'Wyndford Estate.' It was the nearest to a shared campus for many years that I had ever come to see in the West of Scotland. Wyndford (non-denominational) and St Gregory's (RC) lived side by side in harmony. Of course in terms of shared campus, they only shared the same proximity - no shared playground, dining or sports and sadly in those days it was still segregated.

Both schools are not outstanding in beauty but they do appear to be in good order, warm, and well used. If they really had to save money - why not merge both these schools and use the one building? Of course that comes down to the problem of the religious education and segregated schools, which is as always a highly emotive and sensitive issue on any forum.

Let's see if common sense can prevail over religious views on this one. Wyndford would move to Parkview in Summerston and St Gregory would go to St Mary's in Kilmun Street. Ok, are they going to provide buses? Are they seriously suggesting that little kids are shuttled around the area, especially if the parents have a younger child at the nearby Nursery? How do they manage the logistics of it? This hasn't been thought out well at all, but no doubt will be rubber stamped and closure will follow and communities torn asunder.

Well done GCC!

The local School for my g'children is St. John Ogilvie in Easterhouse.
This meant having to take a bus that runs one every half hour and is not reliable. I can safely say that as I used that bus for 14 yrs going to work and spent a fortune on taxi's.

My son lives around the corner from us in Springhill, Baillieston. The nearest school is St. Bridget's which is a 2/3 minute walk away. Yet we are in the Placement area and he is not.

But when these house's were built the Council decided for some crazy reason to send the children all the way to Easterhouse and never offered to put on a bus, it was up to the parents to take the children.
At the same time the Council were busing children from Carmyle to St. Bridget's in Baillieston. Crazy or what.

So the parents had to apply for a Placement in St. Bridget's and go for an interview and explain why the children should not travel to Easterhouse.
Once one child in the family was attending St. Bridget's it was easier for the other children in the family go there.

As far as I know the situation has settled as there have many more private house's built in the area.

The Council have their own agenda for closing schools and I do not trust them as they probably want to sell off the land to Private Developers .
All the more money for their useless trips abroad.

There is no Catholic High School in our area so the children travel out to Coatbridge. My g'son goes by train as the Station is nearer for him. The bus the Council run only goes from the Main Street.

Thomas, here's an SNP press release which mentions Wyndford:

GG.

...and Mr Doris's quote to the BBC on the matter after a demo at Glasgow City Chambers:

Full story here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotlan...est/7847546.stm

GG.

Anger in Glasgow at attack on education



Full story at the Socialist Worker online:
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=16976

GG.

The decision to close Glasgow schools was passed by the Executive Committee of Glasgow City Council on Friday 23rd January:

Labour - 12 voted for, one was absent.
Lib Dems - abstained.
SNP - voted against the school closures.
Scottish Greens - voted against the school closures.

As Labour councillors account for 13 of 20 on the committee the motion was passed, and so yet again the education of Glasgow schoolchildren is destined to be damaged because of Glasgow City Council's shockingly poor performance in contingency planning ... of course the council's planners, managers and councillors will still be coining it in regardless, although the jobs of some teaching assistants, teachers and jannies may go!

For My Local School St Agnes Primary Cadder, Glasgow. we also found out about these underhand dealings in the media and by letter, we as parents are furious that the council have not even planned these proposals properly and rushed them through, they say it's not a money saving exercise but does the phrase commomwealth games spring to anyones mind, I wonder where the money is coming from???? If Local to school or have any connection look at:

http://www.savestagnesprimary.co.uk

and sign our petition which we will take to the council and higher to stop this.

and the one labour councillor i bet who was missing was from the maryhill area last i heard he was just back from holiday