Issue - meetings

Consider report by Interim Service Director Children & Young People (copy attached).

With reference to paragraph 5 of the Minute of 7 November 2017, there had been circulated copies of a report by the Interim Service Director, Children and Young People,  proposing to amend the catchment areas of Yarrow Primary School and Philiphaugh Community School, Selkirk.  Ms Munro explained that a key outcome of the School Estate Review, commenced in February 2016, was to proactively support schools with a roll under 50 to become more sustainable.  Following a decline in pupil numbers at Yarrow Primary School, Council officers had been meeting with parents to agree strategies to increase the roll and improve the sustainability of the school. One of the options identified was to consider increasing the size of the catchment area. Officers held an informal drop-in session in Yarrowford Village Hall in December 2018, where views were expressed for the Yarrowford and Broadmeadows area to be included in the catchment for Yarrow Primary School. This area was currently part of the Philiphaugh Community School catchment area. It was therefore proposed that a statutory consultation process was commenced to establish whether there was support for this amendment to both catchment areas.  A copy of the draft Proposal Paper for the consultation was attached as an appendix to the report.  If there was a positive response to the proposal, and a formal recommendation was made to Councillors to amend the catchment, it was proposed that pupils from the Yarrowford and Broadmeadows area, currently attending Philiphaugh, could decide which school they would like to attend and Council funded transport would be provided.  This arrangement would also apply to any future siblings.  Based on the number of children currently in the area proposed for consultation it was estimated that a contract for one additional vehicle would be required to transport the children to Yarrow Primary School at an additional cost of £15,000 per annum.  In the discussion that followed Members emphasised the importance of retaining Yarrow Primary School if possible and were supportive of the proposal outlined in the report.

            DECISION

            AGREED to approve the commencement of a Statutory Consultation to obtain views on the proposal to amend the catchment areas of Yarrow Primary School and Philiphaugh Primary School.