Fight to keep the ‘community’ in Community High School
Craigroyston Community Centre, the adult education wing of Craigroyston Community High School, has appealed to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for her support in retaining a full adult education service at the school.
Adult students have been at loggerheads with the school over space within the High School building for some weeks.
The situation was further complicated when Craigroyston Primary School moved into the Community Wing when their own building was closed, forcing the adult students to find other meeting places.
The adult students fear their accommodation will be lost when Craigroyston Primary school returns to it’s own building after the summer holidays. It’s understood the school sees the school roll rising for the new school year and accommodation is also required for business administration.
Last month adult students staged a protest outside the school, but attempts to arrange talks with school management and education department chiefs to resolve the impasse have so far come to nothing.
Vanessa Cousins, Chair of Craigroyston Community Centre, took the opportunity of yesterday’s visit by senior politicians and education chiefs to write to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon seeking help to save the school’s adult learning classes.
Ms Cousins wrote:
My name is Vanessa Cousins Chairperson of Craigroyston Community Committee. I understand you are visiting the Community School tomorrow. Can I please advise you that the Head Teacher is presently pushing to take over our community wing without any discussion with ourselves. Not only do we provide day and night adult education classes but we are a great resource to local community groups. We presently have Councillors and MSP’s involved to try to save our 3 rooms in the Community wing.
If you support Community School’s then I would appreciate you informing the Head Teacher that working closely with the community is an essential part of a child’s experience of School by way of breaking down barriers and enhancing communication between adults and children. This works perfectly well at Craigroyston Community High School but is dangerously under threat if the Head Teacher gets his way.
I would appreciate to know your thoughts and feelings on this matter.
The adult learners received a swift response from the First Minister’s office, expressing the government’s commitment to lifelong learning but adding that the Craigroyston situation must be resolved by the local authority. It reads:
“Thank you for drawing this issue to the attention of the First Minister. She looks forward to hearing about the full use of the community school tomorrow. She will of course make the headteacher aware that you have been in touch.
“Opening up schools to ensure that children, parents and the wider community can make the most of the fantastic asset they are is very important to the Scottish Government, but I hope you will appreciate that this is ultimately a matter for City of Edinburgh Council.”
It’s hoped the situation can be resolved urgently – the adult education classes programme is now being finaliased for the new school year.
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