Scalloway parents launch leaflet campaign in fight to save secondary school

Scalloway School Parent Council has started a campaign to leaflet houses across the Central Mainland to encourage parents and others in the community to make their views known about the proposed closure of the school’s secondary department.

The group has written, designed and printed 2,000 copies of a leaflet and now volunteers have begun distributing it around Burra, Tronda, Scalloway, Tingwall, Nesting and Whiteness and Weisdale.

The group wants to make sure that as many people as possible attend the public meeting at the school on 21st September and that they also write to the council’s schools service to express their opinion before the 10th October deadline.

The schools service published its proposal paper on Monday 30th August and this has been widely distributed to parents and community bodies. However the parent council is disappointed by the document.

“This proposal is a clearly biased document which tells us a lot about what the Anderson High has to offer but does not compare this with what our children and communities would lose if Scalloway was to shut,” said Karen Eunson, a spokeswoman for the group.

“We have been contacted by many parents who want to know what they can do to save the school and we are responding to this with our information campaign.”

The group’s activities so far include weekly meetings, speaking to community groups, setting up a website (www.savescallowayschool.org) and producing the leaflet. “This is not a done deal,” said Ms Eunson. “HMIe, the schools service and the councillors will have to take note of the strength of opposition to this closure and that is why it is important that everyone in the community takes part in this consultation.”