Still waiting...

From 12th September it has been the duty of East Dunbartonshire Education authority to promote the setting up of Parent Councils, all education authorities must provide parents with the opportunity to discuss and decide on arrangement for their school.

This new legislation places the arrangements for parent representation in the hands of parents, as members of the Parent Forum.

From 12th September, ALL parents with a child at a local authority school AUTOMATICALLY became a member of the Parent Forum for their school.

Have the Education authority informed you of this situation?

HMI report on Bishopbriggs High

On 21st of November the HMI published their 'follow up' report on Bishopbriggs High.

This report is available here
Download Follow Up Report Published 21/11/2006

Including under section 3.6 this sentence...

However, several parents and staff felt that they had received too little information about the amalgamation of
the two schools and proposals for the new building.

Thomas Muir High has not been reported on since 1998.

New school plans cause concern

CONCERNS over plans for two new high schools in Bishopbriggs have been raised with the council.

More here Bishopbriggs Herald

Let's hope someone listens

See attached comment...

With the casting vote at the meeting the Liberal Democrats could pass any decision.

Meanwhile we have the pupils from a Kirkintilloch school being educated at Thomas Muir while Bishopbriggs pupils are being educated in 'huts' for up to two years!

View the plans here

You will have to download the pdf documents

HMI report - East Dunbartonshire - poor

I see the HMI report on the performance of local education authorities leaves ED next to the Borders in terms of poor performance- 2nd bottom, with NOTHING rated as good or very good!

The full report of the HMI is at
download pdf file

Page 37 (of 39) has the graph showing how poor ED has been. You are best to rotate this page to see it more clearly

Scottish Executive reply on School board

Have had a reply from the Scottish Executive on the position of the school board.

Interesting - Let's see what the council do about it.

I'm not giving too much away just yet....

What's happening with the Interim School Board?

We're now approaching December and the Interim School Board is still in place.

I understand the Scottish Executive have made a ruling - parent have to be told (it's the law).

When was this decision made and why are parents still in the dark?

Watch this space for more amazing revelations on the operation of the school boards associated with Bishopbriggs Secondary Schools.

Fair deal for Bishopbriggs?

The site that was not suitable for a school?


At the end of this term St Ninian's will close it doors and move to the old Thomas Muir School while their new school is built on their existing site.

Points to note...

St Ninian's was NOT included in the original council schools PPP plan.
The developers WANTED to build the new St Ninian's on an alternative site.
East Dunbartonshire council REJECTED this proposal and voted to keep it on its original site.
To accomplish this the council HAD to move the pupils to Thomas Muir - the original plan was to move the Academy pupils here while the Academy was built on the High School site.

Did Bishopbriggs get a fair deal?

The decision to decant the pupils from Thomas Muir to Bishopbriggs High was made BEFORE the July council PPP meeting.

Decants are part of the PPP contract and are paid for by the DEVELOPERS they would have to have agreed BEFORE knowing the council decision.

Was the decision on the fate of Bishopbriggs Academy made before the meeting?

St Ninian's were rewarded with a new school, a school NOT in the original plans. Built on their chosen site the developers alternative was rejected, unlike in Bishopbriggs. A full decant to a Bishopbriggs School, previously scheduled to be used by the amalgamated Thomas Muir and Bishopbriggs High pupils had to be agreed.


The public consultation decided the new Bishopbriggs Academy should be built on the High School site - this was rejected by the council using the Liberal Democrat Provost's casting vote.

Did Bishopbriggs get a fair deal.

As this article in the Kirkintilloch Herald says...

Thanks to determined efforts from the school board and staff, it was included in the revised plans.

Did Bishopbriggs get a fair deal?

PPP to generate "substantial value" for amec

Some information from amec web site...

In addition to its equity investment of around £3.5 million, AMEC will benefit from contracts to design and construct the schools, redevelop surplus land on five sites and provide estate management services over the concession period, with a total value over £125 million. Financial close is targeted for December 2006, with construction beginning immediately thereafter and full completion scheduled for mid-2009.

More from inspirED partner amec

The group, InspirED, is comprised of amec, John Laing and Innisfree. Amec plans to invest £3.5 million of equity into the £125 million scheme.

"This is another important step forward in our strategy of carefully selected investment in complex PPP schemes," said Sir Peter Mason, Chief Executive of amec.

He also cited PPPs as a means of generating "substantial value in the future".

More 'surplus' land to be sold at Turnbull site

Two applications have been made to use 'Surplus Land' - developers description.

An application has been made (TP/ED/06/1209) to use 'surplus' land at Turnbull High School site for 'residential development in outline'

Ward - 19 Kenmure and Baldernock

Previously it was believed the land used for Turnbull School was part of 'green belt' land and permission was given, only for education.

An application has been made (TP/ED/06/1212) to use 'surplus' land at Thomas Muir High School site for 'residential development in outline'. This is the site of the new Bishopbriggs Academy.

Just remember that that Bishopbriggs will now hold 1200 pupils - larger than any school previously in Bishopbriggs.
Yet, the council and developers are building this 'super school' on a SMALLER plot of land than the existing Thomas Muir school that accommodated only 655 pupils in 2001 (Bishopbriggs High - 1036 pupils).

Ward - 24 Woodhill East

Maybe the house will be complete before the school?

It would appear that new schools can now be built on smaller plots of land.

Thomas Muir High School site - Surplus land being sold off
Bishopbriggs High School site - Entire site to be sold off?
Turnbull High School site - Surplus land being sold off

I wonder how much inspirED will make from the sale of this land?

The plans for the new school have also been lodged (TP/ED/06/1224) interested parties should view them at the council offices.

Why is this land not being used for council housing if the council own it?

For information the Bishopbriggs Academy plans reference is (TP/ED/06/1199)

Check the teacher rating at Bishopbriggs Academy...

Rate my teacher web site

Please note they have both a 'Student' and "Parent' option

Visit the site here

Another educational advantage?

After the front page story in the local press about traffic management at the new Bishopbriggs Academy.

The Council may decide that the reduced bin collection - refuse trucks will only call 'once a fortnight' at the new school, could this be called an 'Educational Advantage"?

Scottish education update

Half of Scotland's 16-year-olds are paid to stay at school - Not mine!

Nearly half of all 16-year-olds in Scotland are now being paid to stay on at school in a scheme which last year cost the taxpayer £30m.

The hand-outs are part of a ministerial plan supposed to help youngsters being forced to leave education early because of the need to earn money.

More from The Herald

Scottish Education Minister, Peter Peacock resigns

Just a few months before next May's Holyrood election, Peter Peacock announced his resignation as Education Minister "with immediate effect".

More from The Herald

Scottish Executive have ruled on Interim School Board

John Simmons (head of education) has written to tell me the Scottish Executive have decided on the fate of the Interim School Board.

He didn't explain what their decision was but that parents would be informed by letter.

I look forward to his letter...

Meanwhile the number of visitors to the site continues to climb - up again this week.

Please send me any comments or update - you can remain anonymous if you use the comments link at the end of each post.

Thanks again for your support - I will continue to stand up for the pupils and parents of Bishopbriggs

Lib Dems voted for cheaper schools option

John Morrison - Liberal Democrat Council Leader has admitted his party opted for the cheaper option in the PPP new schools project.

This option included moving the site of Bishopbriggs Academy (against the decision of public consolation) from the preferred site of Bishopbriggs High School to the Thomas Muir site.

The council said at the time this option provided a better school on education grounds, their reasons can be found here.

If the council want to save money, I think, our children's education is the last place they should be looking for savings.

Access the school plans on the Internet

View the Planning documents relating to the new Bishopbriggs Academy here...

Use this link then select 'Applications of Particular Interest' (at the bottom) - Again the bottom link - 'TP/ED/1199 - Bishopbriggs Academy (Thomas Muir Site)' to see the plans.

You may want to check the 'Good Neighbour Agreement'

You cannot link directly to this page!

If after reviewing the above documents, you require help or want to object. (Since the Council advert in the Herald did NOT include any address for objection)

Contact :

Planning, Development & Property Assets
The Triangle
Kirkintilloch Road
Bishopbriggs
G64 2TR

Tel: 0141 578 8600

E-mail: Partnership and Planning

You can use this link to the Woodhill Residents site - where you will find a link to their 'draft letter of objection'.

Marks & Spencer looking for sites

Marks & Spencer will open at least five new Scottish stores.

They said:

"We are actively seeking sites in Scotland"

The company has also bought more Somerfields stores.

Interim School Board should be replaced

Under the 'School Boards (Scotland) Act 1988', there should have been elections for the new school board as soon as the Academy was established.

Section 1 - (5) A School Board shall cease to exist when the school for which they are established is discontinued.

Section 2 - (9) In relation to schools (including combined schools) which come into existence after the commencement of section 1 of this Act, the first elections under this Act shall (subject to section 20) be held as soon as is practicable after pupils first attend the school.

Section 7 - (4) An Interim Board shall cease to exist when a School Board have been established for the combined school.

I am aware that 'The Parental Involvement Act' became law on 12th September 2006 and there is a transition period.

Currently, the make-up of the Interim board is not allowed under the 'School Boards (Scotland) Act 1988' as it has too many members per pupil count.

Also the Act states - it is the duty of the board to...

...ascertain the views of parents on matters which are the responsibility of the Board.

This did not happen - when the Council planned to vote on moving the Academy site away from that chosen by public consultation parents were not consulted.

The current Interim board joint chairs wrote a letter, that other board members and parents did not see, that the Council later quoted in a press release to support their decision to build the school on the Thomas Muir site (against public consultation). The letter had been written before that vote and, to this day, I cannot understand how you can agree with a decision before it was made (behind closed doors).

It is my view that the current board are not working within the Act and should be replaced.

The School Board Act (Scotland) 1988

The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 this is a pdf download

Public see new school presentation

Busy evening at the unveiling of the Bishopbriggs Academy plans, to the public, last night at the former High school.

I felt sorry for the architects, they were shocked at the response of visitors, not to the school design, but the Council decision to move its location, against public consultation. The inspirED staff, I spoke to, had yet to meet anyone who agreed with the Council decision (apart from the council employees).

Safety

On a safety question, why are goods vehicle using the main entrance to the school when the 'goods in' access is only meters from the road at the side of the school? I was told that no vehicle entrance could be made here because Caledonian Estates own the strip of land between the school and the road.
Why was money not made available to purchase this land to create a safe entrance for goods?

Design

I pointed out that the first design for a school at Thomas Muir was almost identical to the design for the High school, that was rejected. The architects then provided at least two more designs for Thomas Muir. Why were the architects asked to re-designed for the Thomas Muir site - were they asked to re-design for the High school site? Apparently the Council view was they couldn't re-design on the High school site due to site restrictions - why? The same design, rejected at both the High school and Thomas Muir sites, is being built on the St Ninians site! The architects, like myself, were happy with the design at the High school. For anyone who didn't see it, the design was a fantastic modern school (sadly rejected) but you'll see a similar school being built at St Ninians.

Bishopbriggs will now have a design that, due to site restrictions (architects statement) will be built on land the public decided against. Look back over this site and decide if Bishopbriggs received the best possible outcome.

Last night was the first chance I had to see the schools' new crest - what did you think?

Council CANNOT grant planning permission for new schools

East Dunbartonshire Council cannot grant itself planning permission for the new schools. They have to apply to the Scottish Executive.

If you have any objections, make sure the Scottish Executive are aware of them.

I'm still waiting to find out from the Head of Education the result of his 'legal' enquires if the Interim school board is legal.

As of 12th September the 'Parental Involvement' act has been law and both schools are now one.

Woodhill residents reaction to planning application

Academy design on public display

Try and make it along to the old Bishopbriggs High school site on Monday 6th November between 4.30pm to 8.30pm.

On display in the assembly hall will be the designs for the new Bishopbriggs Academy to be built on the 'cropped' Thomas Muir school site.

This will be the first chance that parents, pupils and staff will have the chance to view the plans and watch a presentation on the new school building.

You may get a chance to meet your interim school board, councillors, MPs and MSPs who have all been invited.

In attendance will be the PPP team, the schools senior management team and the education directorate.

Go along and ask some questions....

Better = Smaller?

It would appear that the solution, on better 'educational' grounds, that the developers used to persuade the council that they could built a 'better' school at Thomas Muir involved the advantage of the Thomas Muir site being larger than the High school site.

They're building a school to accomodate more pupils than the exisiting Thomas Muir school on that site.
The school they are building is actually TWO schools combined. it will accommodate 1,200 pupils plus staff In school roll terms this will make it the largest school ever in Bishopbriggs

But...

The developers are going to build it on a smaller plot of land than the existing school occupies!

Bigger school on a smaller plot of land = land to sell for other development = profit


I wonder if the interim school board will still say they agreed to this now that they know the actual facts?

inpirED to sell of part of Thomas Muir site

Comment to post below...

The big sell off hasn't finished.

The developers are now planning to sell off part of the THOMAS MUIR site.

Go down to the Triangle Council offices (first floor), at the cross, between 9am and 5pm for the next week or so and ask the planning dept to show you document EDC-2.3-P40 and at the bottom of page three you'll see their plan.

Also have a look at document AED-2.3-P00 which appears to suggest that a proper Transport Assesment for the new school will not be carried out before the planning board look into this....and No Travel Plan has been drawn up.

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The developers have also included the pitch that was part of Woodhill Primary as part of the 'new' school site....



The application also details the previous proposals of school designs for the Thomas Muir site.
Remarkably the first design is almost identical to the design rejected on the Bishopbriggs High site...



In fact the final design was only one of a least three proposed designs in the application.

It would be interesting to see the time scale of these previous designs alongside a time scale of the recommendations to built on the site NOT favoured by the public consultation.

The developers indicate that the completion of the sports pitches is expected to take up to 12 months after the new school is completed.

Use of the new school...

The times are included for community use of the 'new' school -

During term time

Day Use
Mon-Fri 8am to 6pm
Extended use
Mon-Fri 6pm to 10pm
Sat - Sun 9am to 5pm

Out with term time they expect the school facilities will be accessible for community lets.