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Aberdeenshire primary school merger trigger clarification
SG Benzie made this Freedom of Information request to Aberdeenshire Council
The request was refused by Aberdeenshire Council.
From: SG Benzie
12 September 2011
Dear Aberdeenshire Council,
Taken from the EDUCATION, LEARNING & LEISURE COMMITTEE – 19 MAY
2011
SCHOOL ESTATE REVIEW – STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS
“It is suggested that any individual school operating below 66%
capacity within a town whose primary schools overall are operating
below 75% capacity should be carefully scrutinised in order to
identify whether any meaningful merger proposals could be brought
forward.”
In order to avoid confusion could the Council provide a list of
primary schools which fall into the definition of “within a town”
providing in effect a list of schools for each town?
Yours faithfully,
SG Benzie
Aberdeenshire Council
12 September 2011
Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your email or website enquiry. We aim to reply to you in the
first instance within 5 working days.
Please do not reply to this email. If you need to contact us again please
email [Aberdeenshire Council request email] quoting the
reference number at the foot of this email in the subject line.
Regards,
Aberdeenshire Freedom of Information Enquiries
Please include '[ACE/373915] Freedom of Information request - Aberdeenshire
primary school merger trigger clarification' In the subject line of any
further e-mail correspondence.
This will aid our automated e-mail system reference your previous e-mail.
****************************************************************************
This e-mail may contain privileged information intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error, please accept our apologies and notify the sender, deleting the e-mail afterwards. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the e-mail's author and do not necessarily represent those of Aberdeenshire Council.
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk
****************************************************************************
Aberdeenshire Council
13 September 2011
Please find attached, acknowledgement to your request for information under
the Freedom for Information Act
Kind regards,
Aberdeenshire Council
Education, Learning & Leisure
show quoted sections
Aberdeenshire Council
3 October 2011
Please find attached, a response to your request for information under the
Freedom for Information Act
Kind regards,
Aberdeenshire Council
Education, Learning & Leisure
show quoted sections
From: SG Benzie
13 October 2011
Dear Aberdeenshire Council,
Very pleased you have clarified the position of which primaries
should be grouped together when their roll drops below 66% of
capacity.
I have, however, been unable to find the section of the report
which you referred to in your response.
"the report mentioned, when considering schools within a town, the
definition of a town was taken to be the 17 major settlements in
Aberdeenshire which currently host an academy."
I would be further grateful if you could navigate me to this part
of the report.
Yours faithfully,
SG Benzie
Aberdeenshire Council
17 October 2011
Dear Mr Benzie,
Sorry for any confusion caused. The definition was not in the report, we
were explaining that when we wrote the report (that you refer to in your
original request), that the definition we were using of a town was the 17
settlements with an academy.
I should also point out that the list provided is simply the schools within
these settlements as you requested originally, and it is not schools which
‘should be grouped together when their roll drops below 66% of capacity.
Regards,
Aberdeenshire Council
Education, Learning & Leisure Service.
show quoted sections
From: SG Benzie
9 November 2011
Dear Aberdeenshire Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Aberdeenshire
Council's handling of my FOI request 'Aberdeenshire primary school
merger trigger clarification'.
I believe any reasonable person would understand from my request
that I was seeking to clarify which schools were to be included
together for review purposes when an individual school role fell
below 66% of its capacity.
My request
Taken from the EDUCATION, LEARNING & LEISURE COMMITTEE – 19 MAY
2011 SCHOOL ESTATE REVIEW – STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS
“It is suggested that any individual school operating below 66%
capacity within a town whose primary schools overall are operating
below 75% capacity should be carefully scrutinised in order to
identify whether any meaningful merger proposals could be brought
forward.” In order to avoid confusion could the Council provide a
list of primary schools which fall into the definition of “within a
town” providing in effect a list of schools for each town?
In the last correspondence received from the Council it appears
evident that the officials responding to my request were quite
clear as to what was being sought and their highlighting of the
difference between this and the information provided demonstrates
this.
Aberdeenshire Council
17 October 2011
Dear Mr Benzie,
Sorry for any confusion caused. The definition was not in the
report, we were explaining that when we wrote the report (that you
refer to in your original request), that the definition we were
using of a town was the 17 settlements with an academy.
I should also point out that the list provided is simply the
schools within these settlements as you requested originally, and
it is not schools which
‘should be grouped together when their roll drops below 66% of
capacity.
Regards,
Aberdeenshire Council
Education, Learning & Leisure Service.
Also clear from this correspondence is that officials have chosen a
definition of “town” not widely accepted and further haven’t
published this definition in the report or in the subsequent
Consultation exercise carried out.
Q8. Any town school operating with pupil numbers below 66% of its
current capacity within a town whose primary schools overall are
also operating at less than 75% capacity for pupil numbers should
be carefully scrutinised.
This request has been difficult, unexpectedly, due to the use of
terms without definition and when the peculiar definition is
explained it is wrongly stated that the definition was in the
report.
“For the report mentioned, when considering schools within a town,
the definition of a town was taken to be the 17 major settlements
in Aberdeenshire which currently host an academy”
Finally, it is unfortunate, having had the closure of Clatt and
Logie Coldstone Primaries refused by the Scottish Government on
grounds of both consultations being “flawed”, that this
consultation on the School Estate across the whole of Aberdeenshire
should start with a consultation where there remains confusion
about proposals.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ab...
Yours faithfully,
SG Benzie
Aberdeenshire Council
9 November 2011
Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your email or website enquiry. We aim to reply to you in the
first instance within 5 working days.
Please do not reply to this email. If you need to contact us again please
email [Aberdeenshire Council request email] quoting the
reference number at the foot of this email in the subject line.
Regards,
Aberdeenshire Freedom of Information Enquiries
Please include '[ACE/385561] Internal review of Freedom of Information
request - Aberdeenshire primary school merger trigger clarification' In the
subject line of any further e-mail correspondence.
This will aid our automated e-mail system reference your previous e-mail.
****************************************************************************
This e-mail may contain privileged information intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error, please accept our apologies and notify the sender, deleting the e-mail afterwards. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the e-mail's author and do not necessarily represent those of Aberdeenshire Council.
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk
****************************************************************************
SG Benzie left an annotation (10 November 2011)
I've requested an internal review because it is still not clear which primaries are to be grouped together. The Council's reply stating that the list of schools "within a town" is not the schools which will be grouped together makes it clear that there is a different list from the list of schools within a town which is being considered.
Despite running a consultation exercise referring to "schools within a town".
Two previous attempts at school merger/closure were thrown out by the Scottish Government due to the consultations being "flawed".
I've been in touch with a few School Councils regarding this, but am finding it hard to get contact details for all as Council Officials seem more interested is questioning who I am and why I want the details.
Many site Data Protection, others advise its on their website and some pass the information on.
Interestingly a Senior Council Officer has been contacted and has asked the who and why questions.
This officer is responsible for School Councils. As I once asked not through this site for details of Schools with School Councils and was advised the Council held no central record, perhaps I should ask again.
Aberdeenshire Council
17 November 2011
Dear Mr Benzie
I acknowledge receipt of your FOI review request. The Review Panel
considers written submissions from both sides and you are invited to
provide any further comments in addition to those made in your review
request. Any comments should be sent by Monday 28 November.
The decision of the Review Panel will be sent to you by 8 December.
Yours sincerely
Alastair Nicol
Principal Committee Officer
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This e-mail may contain privileged information intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error, please accept our apologies and notify the sender, deleting the e-mail afterwards. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the e-mail's author and do not necessarily represent those of Aberdeenshire Council.
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk
****************************************************************************
Aberdeenshire Council
17 November 2011
Dear Mr Benzie,
I refer to your e-mail of 9th November 2011 relating to the above matter.
The Review Panel will meet to consider this matter after 25th November
2011 - date to be confirmed.
The Review Panel meeting takes place on the basis of written submissions.
I have a copy of your initial request, a copy of the response and your
request for a review. If there is any further information or documentation
that you wish to put forward in support of your request, please forward
this to me so that I have it by 5pm on Friday 25th November 2011. If there
is nothing further you wish to add, it would be helpful if you could let
me know.
The decision of the Review Panel will be communicated to you after the
meeting.
It would be appreciated if you could acknowledge receipt of this
notification.
If you have any queries regarding this, please let me know.
Thanks,
Robin Taylor.
Robin Taylor
Principal Solicitor
Legal & Governance
Corporate Services
Aberdeenshire Council
Woodhill House
Westburn Road
Aberdeen
AB16 5GB
Telephone 01224 665175 (Internal 5175)
Blackberry 07798 580327
E-mail [email address]
Fax: 01224 664618
****************************************************************************
This e-mail may contain privileged information intended solely for the use of
the individual to whom it is addressed. If you have received this e-mail in
error, please accept our apologies and notify the sender, deleting the e-mail
afterwards. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the e-mail's
author and do not necessarily represent those of Aberdeenshire Council.
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk
****************************************************************************
Aberdeenshire Council
7 December 2011
Dear Mr Benzie
Please find attached a response to your FOI Review Request.
Yours sincerely
Alastair Nicol
Principal Committee Officer
****************************************************************************
This e-mail may contain privileged information intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error, please accept our apologies and notify the sender, deleting the e-mail afterwards. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the e-mail's author and do not necessarily represent those of Aberdeenshire Council.
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk
****************************************************************************
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence
SG Benzie left an annotation ( 3 October 2011)
It is now possible to determine how at risk individual primaries are under this formula.
Link to this