Nithsdale and Newark Nurseries on the March

Parents across the city are up in arms at the proposals by Glasgow City Council to close and amalgamate 13 primary schools and 12 nurseries at a saving of £3.5m a year to address sub-standard buildings and under-occupancy. Around 2000 children would be moved to new locations. A six week consultation is in process with the City Executive’s final decision expected on Good Friday – 17 April. The full Council would ratify it on Thursday 23 April. Agreed mergers would take effect from August 2009. Steven Purcell, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: ‘This is not financially driven. It makes no sense to manage half-empty buildings. Every penny saved by this exercise will be reinvested in the establishments the pupils transfer to.’

Braving the rain, more than 300 parents, children and supporters pushed buggies from Nithsdale Road nursery in Dumbreck and Newark Drive Nursery to Pollokshields Primary Annexe in Melville Street on the Southside to protest against the proposed closure of Nithsdale Road and Newark Drive Nursery Schools.
The protestors say the 1.5 miles they’d have to walk to the new nursery school location in Melville Street, is too far to push a baby buggy and is outwith the walking range promised by the Council.

They were accompanied the entire 1.5miles by local MSP Nicola Sturgeon who also attended a protest meeting earlier in the week and called the Glasgow City Council’s consultation procedures a ‘sham’ and a ‘shambles.’
None of the City’s Labour Councillors who voted for the changes were on the march but opponents of the changes, Councillor David Meikle (Conservative) and Councillor Khalil Malik (SNP) were.
Marchers kept their spirits up by singing songs and nursery rhymes and were greeted with supportive horn blasts by passing drivers.
At Melville Street, the united thong sang more songs and chanted ‘Save Our Nursery.’

Asked by the LOCAL NEWS if the Scottish Government would call in any decision made by the Council, Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘I hope it doesn’t come to that. The consultation has been a sham and the Council has not demonstrated the educational benefits of the proposed closures.’

Proposed Scottish Government legislation – the Schools (Consultation) Bill – sets out a rigorous process for a local authority to follow when it wants to close a school. It includes six weeks of term time consultation, a report from her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education and an extended list of mandatory consultees, including staff and pupils. If passed, the proposals could be in place by next year.
A few days before the ‘buggy march’ a consultation meeting was held in Bellahouston Academy by Glasgow City Council officials for the three nursery schools scheduled to merge in Melville Street. Children currently attending Newark Drive, Nithsdale Road and Pollokshields Nurseries should transfer to a new, early years centre at Pollokshields Primary Annexe in Melville Street.

Parents were adamant that the distance from the Nithsdale Road Nursery to the intended site at Melville Street was too far to walk. Many said they had no car and pointed out that the 59 bus was not reliable enough to provide guaranteed transport. In any case, the buses are restricted to carrying only two baby buggies at a time.
Council officials apologised for errors in the consultation document – the condition of the Nithsdale Road Nursery building was listed as ‘C’ (poor) when it is ‘B’ (satisfactory). Parents were encouraged by the officials to submit response forms but did not get direct answers to most of their questions on the night.
Local MSP Nicola Sturgeon was present as was Councillor Stephen Curran from Newlands and Councillors David Meikle, Irfan Rabbani and Khalil Malik.

Nicola Sturgeon said that Glasgow City Council had allocated a small proportion of their capital budget to school and nursery buildings compared to other local authorities such as South Lanarkshire. Councillor Stephen Curran responded by saying that it was not the time to score political points. Several people in the audience called for him to ‘be quiet’ since Nithsdale Road Nursery is not in his ward.

At a consultation meeting at Victoria Primary in Govanhill, Bailie James Scanlon was shouted down when he addressed the angry parents of Victoria Primary School. He was told in no uncertain terms to ‘shut up!’ amid claims that he had refused to help them keep their school open. Campaigner Cathy Wotherspoon told the LOCAL NEWS: ‘We approached Bailie Scanlon and he told us Govanhill was not in his area. He also didn’t show up at other meetings.’
Of 22 schools slated for closure by Glasgow City Council, Victoria Primary and Nursery is the only one where the pupils would be sent to two separate schools – Annette Street and Cuthbertson Primary.

Council officials at the meeting promised £70,000 in funding for the receiving primary schools if Victoria Primary and Nursery closed. A further £25,000 was promised for Govanhill Nursery where the 67 nursery pupils are destined to go if the school closes. Parents were promised free transport for any child travelling more than one mile to school. Parents speaking out in support of their school – sometimes through interpreters – were vociferous in their opposition to closure.
Victoria Primary has a roll of 83 pupils and a capacity of 463 giving an occupancy rate of only 18%. The 83 pupils are spread across four composite classes.
Pupils Sophie Mackinnon (11) and Kayleigh Wotherspoon (11) read out a poem of their feelings on the planned closure.
‘Friends of Victoria’
I’ve played I’ve sang, we have fell out
Sometimes we even shout
We will moan we will groan, but we will stay good friends
At Victoria today
Split us up and we won’t see our friends from Victoria any day
Different schools we’ll have to go across the street we’ll say ‘cheerio’
Hi and bye we’ve known since primary
We’ll have to go we’ll have no choice
The children’s charter says we have a voice
We’ll have to go we’ll have no choice
I keeping with the charter we’ll make lots of noise
Friends of the Victoria we’ll have a say
Someone will listen to us today
Keep our school so friends can play
Friends of Victoria say ‘good day’