SNP candidate joins parents and children at council HQ protest
03/06/24
The parents and children of Tullynessle School near Alford, who face the threat of their school being mothballed, took time out today to protest at Aberdeenshire Council headquarters in Aberdeen.
The mothballing is set for August and follows the projected school roll falling below eight. This is despite the fact that the school’s nursery facility is well attended and provides an important local service to families.
In 2021, the council delegated decision-making over this kind of issue to the director of education, taking it out of the hands of democratically-elected councillors.
Glen Reynolds, SNP candidate for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, was with the parents and children as they journeyed to the council headquarters, Woodhill House.
Mr Reynolds said, “Having conversations on the coach with parents traveling into Woodhill House was a good indicator of the strength of feeling and the objections to the mothballing process for both the primary and nursery facilities.
“I was there to listen and understand their frustrations around the policy, also the feeling that they are simply not being listened to. Mothballing our rural schools is an option but should not be a default position.
“As with the U-turn on Largue School when it faced a similar situation last year, this campaign aims to change minds as there is too much emphasis on school rolls when the needs of the pupils should be paramount.
“Rural education must not be about quantity but about quality of provision,” added Mr Reynolds.
A number of SNP councillors came to speak to the families today at Woodhill House while Richard Thomson was also in attendance. Mr Thomson is contesting the new Gordon and Buchan constituency for the SNP at the forthcoming UK general election; Tullynessle falls within Gordon and Buchan.
Councillors from the ruling Tory-LibDem group on Aberdeenshire Council were conspicuous by their absence.
Photographs – two attachments
- Glen Reynolds at Tullynessle School protest, Woodhill House, Aberdeen
- The Tullynessle School protest, Woodhill House Aberdeen