Think about decision

My daughter is currently in her second year of higher education at Scalloway Junior High, following on from leaving Tingwall Primary School, as had many previous pupils in the past.

A lot has been made of the number of children in the area who go directly to the Anderson High School. I would like to make it clear that in the case of Tingwall this has been due to the highly-publicised uncertainty about the future of Scalloway junior high. Parents of children within Tingwall, who would have attended, have felt forced to opt out of Scalloway and send their children to the AHS.

I do not feel you can put a price on children receiving a first-class education in an environment where they are both secure and happy. Scalloway junior high since it opened has been integral to the community. To now take that away I feel jeopardises the future of our children and will cause serious disruption within the community.

My daughter is among a small group who have been rehearsing to play the fiddle at one of the care homes in Scalloway for Christmas, showing just one example of how the elderly community will be affected if they close the school.

At a time when there is a lot of change going on in the world for some children, it is important that they have a school like Scalloway. I would encourage all councillors to think very seriously about the decision they are about to make.

Fiona Farquhar
Tingwall.