Nicolson Institute

The island’s secondary school has a new building, a prominent edifice along Sandwick Road next to the Council offices. The builders handed it over yesterday, 30 July, and pupils will be entering it on August 16th. Stornoway Historical Society have an exhibition on the history of the school was opened in Stornoway Town Hall, which is well worth a visit. Of the old buildings making up the ‘Nic’, only the Pentland Building and the Matheson Hall will be retained. The other premises are to be demolished before the end of the year.

Clocktower

Main entrance

Service entrance

Matheson Hall

Revolving doors (continuing)

And with another twist in the turning doors of the schools closure muddle, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has decided to close Carloway and Seilebost primaries as well as the secondary section of Shawbost, but to keep open the secondary section of Lionel school in Ness. The closures are to take effect as of June 2013. If memory serves, the Scottish Government is still minded to lodge an appeal against the legal ruling that the Comhairle could close all four schools. I don’t think we’re any the wiser tonight, because we still do not know where we stand. Will those three schools actually close, or not?

Both the Scottish Government and the local council should hang their heads in shame over this disgraceful mess.

Revolving doors

Your blogger is experiencing some digital vertigo, with yet another revolving door in operation in these islands. The closure of the two primary schools in Seilebost (Harris) and Carloway (Lewis), as well as the junior secondary departments at Shawbost and Lionel (both in Lewis).

In 2010, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar decided to shut these four schools, but their decision was overturned by the Scottish Education Secretary. The Comhairle appealed in a court of law, and the closure was upheld very recently.

Now, the Scottish Education Secretary will appeal again, pleading that the judge erred in law.

Leaving the legal arguments to one side, all this to-ing and fro-ing leaves parents and children in a great deal of uncertainty. Will they be bussing to Stornoway (as in the case of the S1/S2 departments in Ness and the West Side), or move to schools in Tarbert (as in the case of Seilebost) or Shawbost (as for Carloway).

Another point is that the latest date for closure, without causing even more rumpus, is June 28th, a fortnight away (at time of posting). Schools that were closed at an earlier stage had the opportunity to collate their history and mount a community event. That will not be possible for the 4 schools currently under threat.
I’m not impressed.

Schools to be closed

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar have won a court battle against the Scottish Government to close four rural schools, two primaries (Seilebost and Carloway) and the secondary sections of the schools at Lionel (Ness) and Shawbost (West Side). Although the Council appears to be happy, I don’t think the folks in the affected areas are happy.

I know for a fact that particularly the people of Carloway and Seilebost (and environs) fought very hard to keep their wee schools open. A school is very much a focal point of the community, and particularly the Seilebost school was seen as a way to reverse the fortunes of the community of West Harris.They will now receive their education in Tarbert, 10 miles away.

Whilst acknowledging the financial constraints, and the costs involved in maintaining aging school buildings, I do question whether the economics of closing the schools tally with the demographics of losing a school. Aren’t we heading for further depopulation of rural Harris and Lewis, with more homes turning into self-catering houses, standing empty in winter?

Nicolson Institute

Just sharing a few images of the area around the Nicolson Institute on Springfield Road in Stornoway. The Pink School, Springfield South, has been knocked down - this is one of the necessities for the building of a new Nic. As the pictures show, this permits some novel views. For a while, at any rate.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Springfield North, Nicolson Institute"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="The demolished Pink School with the Comhairle offices behind"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Springfield North seen over the remains of Springfield South"][/caption]

Castlebay School row

The row between parents and students on the one side, and the management of Castlebay School and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar on the other, continues to escalate. Today, about 20 pupils walked out in protest against the failing education standards. They only went back into class after a schooltrip to Barcelona, due to take place later this year, was threatened to be cancelled.

Last week, the parents passed a vote of no confidence in CnES as an education authority, following talks with the head of schools of said authority. The island's councillor has declared his own council to be unfit for purpose. Parents have called on the Scottish education minister, Mike Russell, to step in and sort out the mess. Reading the reports on Hebrides News, it appears that the Chair of the Education Committee and the Parent Council of Castlebay School reside on different planets.

I sincerely do hope that all parties concerned, rather than rolling about the streets of Castlebay in an unseemly brawl, stick their heads together to sort out this mess. It is the pupils' future that is at stake, which should supersede all other considerations.

Castlebay School

A ferocious row is going on in the Isle of Barra, 120 miles south of Stornoway. The school in the main town, Castlebay, has been receiving less than favourable reports from Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education, now for 3 years in a row. Parents are concerned and so are the pupils. A local internet blog highlighting the issue received 100 comments, whereas commonly the number of comments on its entries is around a dozen or so. More remarkable is that the Council blocked access to the blog from computers at the school in Castlebay.

In spite of a visitation by a senior education official, parents' and students' fears are by no means allayed, and a move could be afoot to wrench control of the school from the council to the community. This would require the consent of the Scottish Government.

800 years ago

According to Hebrides News, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is aiming to have new school premises ready at Tarbert, Stornoway and Balivanich by 1212. If you spot the mistake, all I can say is well done. Hardly anybody spotted it by the look of it. Certainly not the journalists at the Press and Journal newspaper, who do a regular copy and paste job on newsitems from Hebrides News, without rechecking facts themselves. You can see that for yourself.

I rarely have cause to complain about our local and regional news media, but this is a bit of an editorial failure.

Fly me to school

After following a link from Fletcher Saga (Stronsay) about inter-island flights in Orkney, my jaw dropped. S1/S2 pupils from Eday are flown to school on Mondays on a dedicated flight. Similarly, itinerant teachers are flown round the islands on dedicated flights as well. Oh well, go to Orkney for unusual air movements...

T/S Gunilla

Just after 6pm on Wednesday evening (3 June), the Swedish trainingship Gunilla entered Stornoway harbour under engine power. I am stressing that last fact, as we are talking about this magnificent three-master.



Gunilla is connected to a senior high school in Öckerö, Sweden. The ship sails the seas of the world, and is currently midway through a 51-day journey, which will end at Oostende, Belgium, in July. It is not known to me how long Gunilla will remain tied up at Stornoway, but anyone interested can access the ship's website. Please note the link provides an automatic translation from the original Swedish, so it's a bit clunky here and there.

Tombstoning

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has started a campaign to warn against the danger of Tombstoning. This is a craze that has been around for some years, and involves (young) people jumping off cliffs or other high points into the water below. If you don't know what lies below the water's surface, you are literally playing with your life.

Mike Bill from Humber Coastguard said,

This sad loss [of a 17-year old on the coast near Humberside, AL] highlights the dangers of tombstoning and pier-jumping and our sympathies are with the family. Coastguard figures show this is the ninth coastal death in just two years but hundreds of incidents happen every year and many end in severe permanent injuries.

We advise people never to tombstone or pier-jump. Jumping from height into water is dangerous because water depth alters with the tide and it might be shallower than it appears, submerged objects like rocks and structures may not be visible, the shock of cold water can make it difficult to swim, plus strong currents can sweep people away.

This activity is becoming increasingly popular and although we realise we cant stop everyone who wants to participate in this activity, we urge people to use common sense and consider the advice on offer:

Think before you jump:

• Be aware of the depth of the water. Remember tides go in and out very quickly – it may start off deep enough but can quickly become shallower
• Be aware of hazards in the water. Rocks, groynes or debris under the sea may not be visible through the surface
• Never jump from any object into the sea while under the influence of alcohol or peer pressure
• Consider the risk to others. Young children may be easily influenced by the behaviour they witness.

(End of quote).

Further advice can be obtained from this page on the MCA website.

Please relay.

Walls and schools

I don't have any kids, so should not really comment on the schools row that continues to smoulder like a moorland fire. However, I am just wondering what the object is of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar running against the brick wall that is the Scottish Government. If they say the review regarding closure of S1/S2 schools was not carried out correctly, then it wasn't carried out correctly? Why can't that just be accepted graciously? At the end of the day, the government is boss.

To rehash, CNES plans to close four rural secondary schools in Lewis. These offer first and second year secondary education, for later years the pupils go to the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway. The savings made by these closures are to be used for five new schools. There has been an ongoing row between the Scottish Education Minister and CNES, and the latter are now urged to go to court to seek a judicial review of the process. I'm not an expert on these matters, but it looks to me like a waste of money. If the procedures were not followed correctly by CNES, they were not followed correctly.

The last line in a report on Hebrides News (source for post) says it all - please note I am copying verbatim:

It does not make any rhythm or reason

Safety regulations

The Nicolson Institute along Springfield Road in Stornoway is due for replacement, as the buildings are at the end of their useful life. For the last few years, various locations have been proposed for a newbuild school. The latest plans (NB: PDF-file) have hit a snag. Apparently, they lie within the so-called blastzone for the gasholder, about a quarter of a mile away. The Health & Safety Executive have raised an objection for this reason.

The Comhairle are going to apply to the Scottish Government to overrule the HSE, as otherwise planning permission could be denied.

Now, I can see that the planned school, along Matheson Road and Sandwick Road, is further away from the gasholder than the Comhairle's own offices. You could even argue that the present day school is closer to it than the new proposals. However, after the explosion at the Buncefield Depot in Hertfordshire in December 2005, I feel that HSE should be listened to at the very least.

Schools

I don't have children going to school, but am only too aware of the 'problems' surrounding the provision of education to the island's youngsters. As I indicated in a previous post, I am totally lost as for the rationale behind the decisions being taken, only to be reversed within hours, by Western Isles Council. I had to bite back a sardonic cackle this evening when reading that 'hard decisions' would have to be taken. For goodness sakes, hard decisions were called for this summer, and were very effectively avoided.

Now I read that the provision of primary education is to be reviewed. All 38 primaries in the Western Isles catchment area (Barra to Butt) will come under close scrutiny. However, should the secondary segments (S1/S2) in outlying schools come to be closed (can't, for the muddle, tell whether or not that's the case), classrooms will start to lie empty, which could be used for primary education.

Confused? How DO you mean, confused?!

Back in the late 1980s, someone was employed by the Council to go round and axe schools, left, right and centre. He was the scapegoat and could safely leave the island, with all the impopularity on his unfortunate shoulders. Being electorally aware has, by the sound of things, made our councillors scared of making impopular decisions, only batting for their own wards. Fair enough, up to a point, but it's already led to insults from a parliamentary representative - something I don't agree with in itself - but it IS time Sandwick Road got its act together, made a firm decision and stuck to it. We've got a Butt of Lewis in our island, we don't need to be the Butt of Jokes.

September

Summer has long gone, although the mercury has stayed in the 60s these last number of days. The machair has now lost its carpet of flowers, the ferry comes in at 8pm with its lights on - the equinox draws nigh.

Found myself at Ness once more earlier this week, notching up my 4th visit there in about 6 weeks or so. The first one, which I reported on this blog, was for the purposes of gathering pictures of wargraves in both cemeteries at Habost. During the following two, I was showing overseas visitors round, who were most impressed with the coastal scenery north and west of Eoropie.

A debate has been raging about schools in recent times. Rural Lewis has several primary schools, to which is attached a two-year extension of secondary education. Examples of such schools can be found at Shawbost and Lionel. It means that the youngsters don't have to travel all the way into Stornoway (18 and 25 miles away respectively). Of course, it does have a cost implication. Apart from that, there is also a policy from the Scottish Government which would appear to preclude S1/S2 education anywhere but at the Nicolson Institute here in Stornoway.

Western Isles council are unable to agree whether to shut the S1/S2-schools outside Stornoway, sometimes changing their minds within an evening's debate. I am getting a bit dizzy watching the pendulum swing from 'going to close' to 'keeping them open', not to mention all the bluster that comes with that.

Education, education, education

Fellow Lewis Islandblogger Peatstack gave a nice summary of the debate, intricacies and opinions regarding the proposed closures of S1 and S2 units at several schools in Lewis. This would see all secondary education, from age 12 onwards, centralised at the Nicolson Institute in Stornoway, with the aforementioned units at Lionel, Shawbost, Back and Sgoil nan Loch closed. Several primary schools would also face permanent closure.

To quote the West Highland Free Press: the Education Minister in the Scottish Government threw a tantrum when she visited Stornoway and had those plans served alongside her cup of tea. The reasoning given by the Comhairle is that the new curriculum, coupled to falling schoolrolls, would make external S1/S2 units economically unviable.

On Tuesday morning, local radiostation Isles FM alerted us to plans to build a new Nicolson Institute on greenfield sites to the east of the urban centre of Stornoway, i.e. at Goathill Farm and Mossend. It's probably a good idea, bearing in mind that the current buildings go back to the 19th century in some cases.

I just scratch my head at the closure of a school like Sgoil nan Loch in 2009, which was built at great expense not much longer than 10 years ago. I thought the S1/S2 units had been implemented to spare young pupils hour long bus journeys to and from school each morning and evening, to allow them to stay in their communities longer. Rather than shelling out on a wholly new Nic, couldn't some of the money be used to maintain the external units?

Illegal dam and former health board chairman

Cliasmol School in Harris, which stands in splendid isolation along the Huisinis road, has been without water because its watersupply has been usurped by the home of the previous chairman of the Western Isles Health Board. He built a dam, without permission, to divert water from a stream to his home rather than to the school. Bowsers are now supplying the school with water for taps and toilets, and the Council has written to the ex-chairman to remove the dam.

No further comment necessary, I think.