Scottish Government

Safeguarding our rural schools and improving school consultation procedures: proposals for changes to legislation.

Thank you for taking the time to contribute to this Consultation.

You do not need to answer all of the questions.

All responses will be considered.

Please complete the details on the Respondent Information Form below. This will help ensure we handle your response appropriately.

Do you support the proposal to require local authorities to have regard to certain matters before they can proceed to consultation on the closure of a rural school?

Please provide comments

Do you agree with the four matters we propose requiring that authorities should have regard to before proposing a rural school closure? These are:

• Alternatives to the closure of the school
• Likely overall impact of the schools closure on the communities which it serves
• Likely impact of closure specifically on the community's subsequent use of the school's building facilities and grounds
• Likely impact that new travel to school patterns and arrangements would have on pupils and other school users and the enviornment

Please provide comments

Do you agree that it is not appropriate to set-up a rural schools fund?

Yes
No

Please provide any comments you may have

Do you agree with the proposed definition of "rural schools"?

Yes
No

Please provide any comments you may have

Do you support requiring local authorities to publish a statement setting out the educational benefit of the school closure proposal?

Yes
No

Please provide any comments you may have

Do you agree that it should be left to the authority as to how is sets out an educational benefit statement?

Yes
No

Please provide any comments you may have

Do you agree that HMIE's views should be sought in all cases?

Yes
No

Please provide any comments you may have

Do you support the proposed changes to the way consultations should be conducted? These are:

• Introducing a requirement that a consultation paper should be published containing certain information
• Establishing a mechanism for addressing allegations of factual inaccuracies in a consultation paper
• Extending the list of people who must be consulted
• Updating the way consultations are publicised
• Updating how people can repsond to a consultation
• Extending the minimum consultation period to 6 weeks of term time
• Introducing a requirement that the authority publish a Consultation Report, 28 days before the final decision is to be taken

Please provide comments

Do you agree that Ministers should take a power to issue 'statutory guidance' to which authorities would have to regard?

Yes
No

Please provide any comments you may have

Are you content with the present system of referrals of closure cases to Ministers?

Yes
No

Please provide any comments you may have

If not, what changes would you wish to see made and why?

Please provide comments

Do you agree with the proposal to place the responsibility on authorities to satisfy themselves regarding the provision of denominational education? If so do you agree with the proposal to continue to allow referral to Ministers if the Church or denominational body has an objection

Please provide comments

Do you agree with our proposal that in future only school closure cases should be referable to Ministers?

Yes
No

Please provide any comments you may have

If you have any other comments or suggestions to make on, or any addition to, the proposals set out in this consultation paper, please include these in your repsonse.

Please provide comments