Cromarty bid to boost roll at revamped school 'stymied by council policy'; frustrated campaigners call for catchment area change
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A ROSS-SHIRE community waging a campaign to bolster its school roll is being stymied by a council policy which would separate children from the same family by forcing them to attend different primaries.
As things stand, Cromarty, included on a UK-wide listing of the best places to make a home, has space for just ONE more child at its 46-pupil, two-teacher primary – despite having capacity for up to 100 children at a school recently refurbished to the tune of £3.8 million.
A number of families have stated an interest in relocating but have understandably made clear they would only do so if their children could attend the same school.
The "utterly ludicrous" prospect of children potentially being bussed from Cromarty to close-to-capacity Avoch, whose catchment area is set to see 100-plus new homes built, has raised the spectre of pupils there being educated in temporary buildings while nearby state-of-the-art classrooms sit empty.
Parents at Cromarty, whose dipping roll saw the primary lose a highly rated teacher credited with guiding pupils towards national accolades in the in-demand science, technology and maths (STEM) subjects, are now pressing officials to consider redrawing catchment boundaries to ensure the Black Isle school estate is put to the best use.
But they fear the cash-strapped council will ultimately choose the cheaper option of transporting pupils rather than employing a third teacher, which would have the "corrosive" impact of deterring relocation.
Cromarty Parent Council chairman Denis Torley said local attempts to maintain population and services are "stymied" by the existing policy. While the school could potentially welcome five new pupils from families keen to relocate now, there's no prospect of adding a teacher until the next school term – by which time the loss of P7 pupils will see the roll once again dip. He said strengthening the roll now would support the GP service and maintain a higher base from which to grow.
Without a change in policy, he said, attempts to reverse the decline are "futile" "as why would families move to the town if the roll gets close to 47 to then see their children busses to Resolis, which is almost full, or in that event, Culbokie. Their remedy is simply avoiding Cromarty and moving to Avoch/Culbokie if they want to live on the Black Isle".
He wants a review of policy with input from local communities warning otherwise of a "corrosive" effect on efforts to attract young families.
Ingrid Rochford, a parent who runs the Families Love Cromarty social media campaign, said: "The cut-off for a third teacher was the end of August and now they won’t entertain a third teacher until the next summer holidays. They are not calling this capping but it is exactly what it is. This is devastating for us as a rural town as we are basically saying now that we would love to have families move to Cromarty but you can only move in in July or August to guarantee a place for your children in the school!"
Black Isle councillor Craig Fraser said Cromarty Primary has "much spare capacity" while Avoch will come under pressure from homes set to be built in the village and Rosemarkie. He said: "For me the logical answer is to use the spare capacity at Cromarty Primary. Why transport pupils around the Cromarty area to an over-capacity school? This in my opinion will put additional stress on teachers, pupils and parents."
Dr James Vance, interim head of education, has noted in correspondence that Highland Council last session "employed 39 teachers more than we required because we did not rigorously adhere to the agreed banding levels". That cost an estimated £1 million and meant some schools with the same number of pupils did not enjoy the same levels of staffing. He noted: "If we do not get our budget in order and allocate our staff fairly, our financial status will become even more challenging for all council services".
A spokesman for Highland Council confirmed Cromarty Primary has a roll of 46 "with space for one child, at the current teacher staffing level". He added: "As classes have been configured for the year, should there be further enrolments, plans will be drawn up to transport pupils to a suitable nearby school until such time that numbers warrant the addition of teaching staff."
He said Avoch Primary has a roll of 294 and a capacity of 309.
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