A small primary school in Milngavie has become a test case for Scottish education.
Parents have launched a bold plan to make St Joseph’s the first community-led school in Scotland. They want to break free from council control and harness the talents of the whole community for the benefit of their children’s education. It is a campaign that Kezia Dugdale, who looks likely to be Scottish Labour’s next leader, should be supporting.
Scottish education was once regarded as the best in the world, but our relative international position has slipped. A recent study found that the reading ability of eight and nine-year-olds has fallen by five per cent since 2012.
As a result, education is now at the top of the political agenda, dominating first minister’s questions in the Scottish parliament week after week. But, nobody is talking about who actually runs and operates schools.
The St Joseph’s campaign started out with the limited ambition of saving a popular school from closure. Parents lobbied councillors, organised petitions and protested in their hundreds. As time went on, the refusal of councillors to listen or engage with the community prompted new questions. Why should town halls enjoy a monopoly on power? Should parents not have a bigger say in where their children go to school?
At St Joseph’s parent volunteers already run the school choir and a variety of after-school clubs from netball to chess. Football training on Thursday nights attracts 50 boys and girls throughout the season, with former pupils coming back to help. St Joseph’s parent council believes that tapping into the expertise of the local community can help drive-up standards in the classroom.
They want St Joseph’s premises to be transferred to a community trust and the school to be funded by a direct grant from the Scottish government in the same way as Jordanhill School, in Glasgow, which was historically run by Jordanhill College of Education. It is no coincidence that Jordanhill, the only state-funded school in Scotland outside of council control, regularly claims the title of the country’s best performing secondary school.
Scottish education is the last remaining stronghold of centralised post-war planning. It might have been right for the 1950s, but the idea that ‘councillors know best’ offers a jarring contrast with the democratic revolution which is taking place in other areas of Scottish public life.
Land reform is the best example of how putting real power in the hands of people can be transformative. Legislation passed by Labour in the Scottish parliament gave communities the right to buy their land when the owner puts it up for sale, and crofting communities have the right to buy even without the consent of the landlord. There is a lot more to be done, but community-owned estates now cover 500,000 acres of Scotland, mainly in the West Highlands and Islands. nIt has given communities the chance to become the masters of their own destiny. In South Uist, the Loch Carnan community wind farm, which began generating in 2013, is projected to pump £20m into the local economy.
A similar revolt against corporate power is taking place on the terraces at Scottish football clubs. Newly promoted Hearts FC show what can be achieved when fans are given a seat in the board room. The club have set an example to much wealthier clubs by becoming a living wage employer and striking a deal with Save the Children to promote the charity on their shirts.
People power has been good for the West Highlands. It is good for Scottish football, and it can be good for our schools. Itis a theme that could reinvigorate Labour politics in Scotland.
Kezia Dugdale should launch her leadership campaign in Milngavie and make it clear that whenever communities demand a bigger say over important decisions, she will be on their side.
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Andrew McFadyen is a parent at St Joseph’s primary in Milngavie
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