Gairloch High School Parent Council

The date of the next Parent Council meeting will be on 11^th January 2012 at 7pm in Gairloch High School.  All parents and carers welcome.

Gairloch High School Parent Council AGM

Wednesday 2^nd November, 7pm in Gairloch High School

Draft Minutes

Present: Gillian Morrison, John Port, Graham Milner, Jennifer Robertson, Lynne Whall, Nevis Hulme, Kenny Nelson, Marion Taylor, Anna Hulme, Lloyd Gudgeon, Karen Walker, Debbie Townsend, Tania MacKenzie, Huw Banister, Sam Banister, Richard Greene, Susan MacLean

Apologies: Lynn MacKenzie, Alison Grove, Sandi Urquhart, Fiona Downie, Alasdair Wright, Ruaridh Wright

Gillian welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The minutes of the AGM meeting 15^th November 2011 were approved by Jennifer Robertson and seconded by Lynne Whall.

Chair report – Gillian thanked Susan for her work as Chair in the first part of the year and as Secretary in the second half.  She then reported on Parent Council activities in the previous year.  The Parent Council lobbied Highland Council about the road conditions during adverse weather and the impact this had on the school and school transport.  Letters and emails were sent and we were encouraged that there was a review of the current roads policy and several promises have been made for this year, including that John will have access to weather and road information in the mornings which will help the decision making process.

The Parent Council also addressed concerns regarding the Lochcarron bus.  After corresponding with the garage and with Highland Council, the bus is now following the correct timetable.

The Parent Council have been very vocal in their concerns regarding staff cuts and the impact this will have on the wider community.  We wrote letters, lobbied our MP and MSP’s, Councillors and Community councils.  We have held open meetings which have been very well attended.  The Parent Council sub group “REAct” – Rural Education Action group – has been set up to take this forward.

Gillian thanked everyone for their part in fundraising this year.  We did the teas and baking for the S1 bring and buy sale, the opening of the new climbing wall, at parent’s nights throughout the year and at prize giving.  Our summer ceilidh was a huge success that we hope will become and annual event.  Anyone wanting to add their name to the fundraising sub group should give their name to Jennifer.

Our funds were put to good use this year.  After a request to school staff, we were asked to sponsor the new Dux trophy which was awarded to Anna Hulme, to fund the Harry Valentine trophy which was awarded to Rhoda Tippett for Citizenship, to fund a visit by author Lari Don to the school library and to purchase a new sound system which was used for the first time at the Comenius ceilidh.   Miss Hunter and Yasmeen the Librarian have expressed their thanks to the parent council.

Gillian thanked everyone who supported the parent council, the pupils or the school in any way.

Head teachers report – SQA results were good once again this year and some appeals have been recently granted.  Regarding staffing, John is in the middle of negotiations with the Highland Council and he thanked the Parent Council for their involvement and support for the pupils and the school.  There is a meeting tomorrow with other head teachers, Hugh Fraser and Calum MacSween to discuss the issues around small rural schools.  Gairloch pupils continue to achieve a good number of Duke of Edinburgh awards.  We have increased the number of partners working to help resurrect hospitality.  Graeme and others have been on health and hygiene courses and the cook bus recently visited the school.   Pupils recently visited Cairngorm National Park as part of this course.  The school was invited to display its wares at a national conference held in Glenmore Lodge.  This indicates that the school is still able to show its strengths and stand out above others.  The outdoors is increasingly being used in many subjects throughout the school eg geography, geology, growing vegetables etc. to enhance learning for the pupils.  All staff continue to provide the best possible education for the children during these times of austerity.

Thank you to the Parent Council and the Parent Forum in supporting the staff, school and pupils.

Treasurers Report – Thank you to Alison for her work as Treasurer over the past year.  The accounts were distributed prior to the meeting and were approved by Jennifer and seconded by Lynne.

REAct Report – Lloyd reported on behalf of the REAct sub group.  Representatives from REAct had met with Rob Gibson MSP who pledged his support and raised a question in the Scottish Parliament on our behalf.  Representatives also met with the Ward 6 Councillors, who also pledged their support.  We have since had correspondence from Richard Greene who has been speaking to people on our behalf.  Our aim now is to lobby the impact of staff cuts on the wider community to the Commission on Rural Education.   We will be writing letters as a group and also encouraging others to write as individuals.   People will be encouraged to complete a questionnaire on www.scotland.gov.uk/about/CommissionRuralEdcuation.

[The letter encouraging all parents to contribute to the debate was issued to all pupils on Wed 9th Nov 2011 and can be seen by clicking on this link.]

Response from Richard Greene – Richard has spoken to Drew Miller who said that what he actually said was that “education was not a priority for some councillors”.

There is a system working well in Caithness and Sutherland with regard to Winter weather procedures and Richard is going to push for the same system to be in place here.  It is hoped that this will be in place for this Winter.  There is to be a Ward meeting on Monday and Richard can confirm Ward representation on behalf of the school, including support from Jean Urquhart who was not present at our last meeting.  Richard’s focus is going to be on the impact of staff cuts on the wider community and he will put pressure on the Commission to come to Gairloch.

Richard was thanked for his support and help.

Parent Council stand down / new members – The current Parent Council stood down and the Parent Council for 2011 / 2012 were duly elected as follows:

Chairperson: Gillian Morrison (Proposed: Lynn, Seconded: Jennifer)

Secretary: Susan MacLean (Co-opted member) (Proposed: Lynn, Seconded: Jennifer)

Treasurer: Marion Taylor (Proposed: Gillian, Seconded: Lynn)

Parent Council Members: Jennifer Robertson, Debbie Townsend, Karen Walker, Tania MacKenzie, Nevis Hulme, Sam Banister, Huw Banister, Kenny Nelson

Teacher reps: Graham Milner, Lynn Whall

Pupil reps: Anna Hulme, Ruaridh Wright

AOB

Amendment to the Consititution: The wording will be changed regarding the date of the AGM to as follows “The AGM will take place after the summer term and before the end of that calender year”.  This was unanimously agreed.  Moira McCarrell to be informed.  Click here to see the constitution.

Date of Next Meeting – The date of the next Parent Council meeting will be on 11^th January 2012 at 7pm in Gairloch High School.  The meeting closed at 7.45pm

Monday 24^th October, 7pm, Poolewe Village Hall

Present: Richard Greene, Maurice McIntyre, Robbie Bain, Audrey Sinclair, Isabelle Campbell, John Port, Gillian Morrison, Jennifer Robertson, Kenny Nelson, Lyn Howard, Kirsty Vickerstaff, Debbie Townsend, Heather Widdows, Lloyd Gudgeon, Huw Banister, Lorna Nelson, Timothy Claydon, Tani Forbes Irving, Susan MacLean

Apologies: Calum MacSween, Jean Urquhart, Fiona Ross, Tania MacKenzie, Susan MacLean – Kinlochewe, Alasdair Wright

Richard thanked everyone for coming to the meeting, which was called by the REAct group who wanted to meet with their local councillors to discuss the situation regarding staff cuts at Gairloch High School.

Richard wanted to clear up some points from the meeting on the 24^th August – it was minuted that there was concern that there was no representation at the meeting by any of our local councillors.  Richard was notified at short notice about this meeting (the meeting was called only a week beforehand due to Mr MacSween being in the school on the 24^th and offering to stay on for a meeting in the evening) and he could not attend as he was going on leave.  He did apologise for not passing the information onto the other Councillors to give them the opportunity to attend in his absence.  It was agreed that all future correspondence would be sent to all 4 Councillors.  Richard also wanted it minuted that none of the 4 local councillors believe that “education was not a priority”.  The group were encouraged to hear this.

From the meeting on the 24^th August, the main points to be discussed are the formula and the Commission on Rural education.

The formula – This is on the Highland Council Senior Management team desk for discussion (Calum MacSween, Ian Murray, etc).  The formula will be looked at and can be changed if possible within existing resources.  Concern was raised that even if the formula is altered; stability – for staff or pupils – is still not assured.  The linear formula requires a stopping point where no further staff can be lost, regardless of the number of pupils in the school.

Regarding devolved school management – at present any savings made by Mr Port in heating and lighting for example, goes straight back into the central pot.  It would be more beneficial at a local level, if any savings were given to the SMT in schools to use where best needed locally eg staffing.

The commission  – Consultations should take place by 12^th December and the Rural Education Commission has to report back Spring 2012.

It was noted that the Headteachers of the other small schools (less than 300 pupils) are now concerned over similar issues and a meeting has been convened with Hugh Fraser (Director ECS) and Calum MacSween (Acting Head Education) on 3^rd November to discuss.

The Councillors  were urged to take back to their meetings that staff cuts have an impact on the wider community – people move into the area because of what the school can offer, people will not move in and others will move out if our curriculum is reduced.  People applying for work locally enquire about the High School.  This has a wider impact on health services etc.

The Parent Council have still not heard back from Drew Miller since the meeting in April.  Richard offered to chase this up.

Stability – pupils need to know that when they start a course that there will be a teacher in place until they sit their certificate exam.  Staff need full time jobs with job security as we have already lost a teacher (and subject) due to a 4 day week post being offered.  Richard said he would take this to Calum MacSween.

The Councillors said they would do what they could for REAct but there were more of their urban counterparts compared to them and this is not favourable in a voting situation.  They would ask for a fairer formula – they don’t want dying communities.

At present there are no minimum number of teachers required to keep a school running and no defined core curriculum.  It is hoped that these issues will also be addressed.  There is an allowance in Primary schools and not currently in Secondary schools.

Discussions are going on at present regarding the budget for the next financial year.  Councillors are involved in these budgetary meetings.

Conclusion:  The Councillors assured REAct that they will go back to Education, united in their support of Gairloch High School.  Jean Urquhart is an MSP and she can provide funding for rural schools.  They will do their best to fight our concerns and they will emphasise our remoteness.  Richard agreed to bring the matter to Councillors at their Ward 6 meeting on the 7^th November and to agree collectively a submission to the Rural Education Commission.

The Councillors have also noted that the Head teacher has worked hard to provide a wide curriculum within the contraints being made on him, also the flexibility of the school, the willingness of the staff to work hard to provide this curriculum plus extra activities beyond the school day and the parental co-operation to help out where needed.  The school now needs the full support of the Council to back up all that is being done.

Richard thanked everyone for attending.  The meeting closed at 8.45pm

Background:  The Gairloch High School Parent Council have set up an action group to try and save Gairloch High School from losing any more staff and to try and maintain as balanced and varied a curriculum as our children need and deserve.  Our action group is called,  REAct (Rural Education Action).

We have also decided to send a letter home to parents/carers inviting them to our next parent council meeting on Wednesday 24th August 2011 at 7pm in the High School. The letter was posted but is available for viewing here.

We are fortunate that the Head of Education, Calum MacSween is visiting the school on the 24th and has agreed to attend our meeting on Wednesday night. This meeting is open to the public and we hope that as many of the members of the community will come along as well.  As the future of Gairloch High school affects the whole community we are hoping for as much support as possible.

Meeting of Gairloch High School Parent Council, 7pm 24th August 2011 in Gairloch High School

Draft Minutes

Present: Approx 160 attended including members of the community, staff and members of the Parent Forum

In Attendance: Calum MacSween (Acting Head of Education), Maurice MacIntyre (Acting Area Education Manager for Skye, Lochaber and Wester Ross)

Apologies: Huw Banister, Andy Vickerstaff, Lynn MacKenzie, Jim Sutherland, Pat Gulliver, Viveca Port, Jess Dodd, Fiona MacMillan,

Gillian Morrison (Chair) welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced Mr MacSween and Mr MacIntyre

The minutes of the meeting 20^th June 2011 were approved by Jennifer Robertson and seconded by Sandi Urquhart.

Gillian thanked everyone for attending and explained that the purpose of this meeting was to give the wider Parent Forum and concerned members of the community an opportunity to meet with Mr MacSween and Mr McIntyre, in the hope of gaining some concrete assurances about the future of Gairloch High School.  A Parent Council sub group have set up the action group “REAct” (Rural education Action group).  The aim of this group is to stop the deterioration of the curriculum at Gairloch High School, to provide the pupils and staff with a stable and secure working environment and to protect Gairloch High School’s excellent reputation.

John Port (Head teacher) was encouraged to see so many people coming out to support the school.  There is a demographic problem in that the number of children has decreased and John manages the school budget to fit in with this demographic.   He has worked hard to manage the changes, keeping as much of the curriculum in place as possible.  In addition to the curriculum, he values the extra commitment of staff to provide a wide range of extra curricular activities to enable various skills to be delivered to pupils.  The formula used to determine staffing levels is based on the number of pupils in the school.  Home Economics and Business Studies have already been lost and this year he looked to preserve English and Maths and other subjects without losing more teaching staff.  It is known that Pat Gulliver is planning to retire next year and he is working with Mr MacSween to find ways to avoid losing art in the curriculum.  Next year there is a bigger intake of S1’s and a small S6 leaving, so the school roll should be higher in the next school year but it will fluctuate in following years.  He would like to come up with a 7 – 10 year plan with the Highland Council to stablise the situation.  The school is still doing very well and this year’s results were still very good.  John will endeavour to fight for the school.

Mr MacSween said that the turnout tonight was a clear indication of support and concern for the curriculum.  He has had long links with Gairloch High school originating back to Neil Wilkie’s time as Head teacher.  He suggested that Gairloch High school be recommended to be a case study for the new Commission on Rural Education, announced by Michael Russel MSP as the school meets the criteria, namely the delivery of rural education to maintain the life chances of children in rural communities, to consider funding issues around rural education and the link between rural education and rural communities.  He recommends that the school and Highland Council work together to petition the commission.

Questions then followed from the floor, which were mainly answered by Mr MacSween.

Questions from the floor regarding the formula and responses from Mr MacSween

• Why was the formula changed during the school holidays?

The formula before the holidays (4.6168 + (0.089451 x roll) did not reflect the impact of the cuts to budgets.  The formula as used now (4.4968 + (0.087125 x roll) reflects the results of  cuts to budgets.

• You cannot use the same formula for large and small schools.  Local efforts to provide a good education are to be admired

The Council uses three different formulae according to the size of school (roll less than 210, roll between 210 and 299 and roll of 300 +) to provide some kind of balance.  This is a Highland policy, not a national one, and is geared to put more support into smaller schools.

• GHS is unique, therefore the formula will not work here

To an extent all schools are unique. There are five other schools like Gairloch with rolls of less than 210. What is causing problems in Gairloch is the fact that the roll has fallen at the same time as staffing budgets have been cut.

• The formula is clearly not working here when we are not only losing staff but this means that we are losing subjects

Yes, I can see that. We spent time with John this afternoon trying to understand the reasons and we began a process of formulating a plan top address the issues.   We would like Parent Council members and local councillors to be involved in the discussions too.

• Can you influence changes to the formula?

The formula is not the work of any individual and, yes, I would be involved in any review of it. We would need to consult widely but, as things stand, the overall funding is fixed and we have to make alterations within it. If we change one formula, it will have an impact on the other two formulae. So there would need to be some negotiation.

• If you add the total number of pupils in the schools under 200 pupils, this number comes to less than the school roll in the large schools.  A 10% increase in budget would make a big difference to these small schools and a 1% drop in budget of the large schools would not affect them drastically.  This could be a solution.

That’s a good point and  can certainly be looked at.  We would need to sit down as an Education Management Team and look at the wider impact of changing one of the formulae.  Equally, it would be interesting to compare a school with the combined roll of the six smaller schools (approx 780) and see the difference in the staffing of the single school of 780 with the combined staffing of the six schools. I think that would show the benefits of the formulae for smaller schools but would not address the specific problem in Gairloch at the moment.  But we can look again at the formula.

Other questions from the floor:

• There has been a fight to keep English and Maths.  What about the non-academic children?

Every school as part of its Curriculum for Excellence plan is looking at how best to provide a curriculum that meets the needs of all learners. Literacy and numeracy are core but, you are right, we need to work with partners such as colleges, employers and voluntary groups to ensure that the curriculum has sufficient breadth to meet the needs of all.  For rural schools this is something that the Commission on Rural Education could look at.

• Does anyone have a budgetary discretion for GHS?

Councillors have a small discretionary budget in their wards that, as a one off, might help around the edges of the curriculum but couldn’t look at the core curriculum that is causing concern at the moment. Schools work with a devolved budget and the staffing budget is by far the biggest.  Any savings that can be made there can be used elsewhere but if the school is over-staffed, none of the other budgets are big enough to compensate. That’s part of the problem.

• The school is not meeting the needs of everyone – we do not have home economics or business studies.

Part of our discussion this afternoon was round that issue.  We need to formulate a plan involving West Highland College and local employers that allows for a broad curriculum to be followed. There may be some online options – but not for practical classes such as HE obviously. There could also be a way of keeping teachers in rural schools if they have a part-time contract for face to face teaching and also a contract for online teaching for students in other schools.

• Even if teachers were available, the school is not allowed to employ any more teachers

There can be some negotiation around this.

• There is a worry that a falling roll leads to a falling curriculum which will lead to less people coming into the area

Yes, I understand the worry that a downward spiral of fewer job opportunities locally leads to families moving away and the school roll reducing and then a reducing curriculum impacting on whether people move to the area. There is a role for the Commission here to see how local authorities can support schools in rural areas to maintain a broad curriculum.

• Once a subject goes, it is hard to get it back again.  We had to fight to get to 6^th year status and now subjects are under threat

Point taken. Every school wants to offer the widest and best curriculum for their pupils.  We are looking at ways of lifting the resources to provide the best curriculum and to make the most of what we have got.  The Council committed to building 6 year schools along the west coast. That has been achieved. Now we have to work together to ensure a breadth of curriculum is maintained. The battle is to maintain resources and develop academic and practical skills.  The battle should not be between GHS and Highland Council.  We should agree there is a problem and act together.

•  We were told that education is not a priority for councillors, where are they tonight?

I cannot comment on where they are tonight. But what I can say is that every councillor that I’ve come across is interested in education, not least in their own area. The local members should be included in any group that is set up to address the immediate problem and also in any approach to the Commission on Rural Education.

• Our children have to move away for employment and higher education.  They need a wide curriculum to give them equal opportunities with their urban counterparts

Yes, I totally agree. Rural schools are important in communities and pupils need access to the same chances as in urban and bigger schools.  We need to look at how best to ensure that access.

• Our children deserve face to face teaching and interaction with and motivation from their teachers.  Only some pupils are motivated for self study

Nobody is suggesting all, or even most, learning could be online. But it’s an option worth looking at for some individuals, in some subjects at some levels.  One of the strengths of smaller rural schools is that they often teach subjects at more levels – albeit often in the same class. In some bigger schools that flexibility doesn’t exist and can restrict the number of levels that can be taught in any one subject.

• Some courses have a practical element which cannot be done online

Agreed.   Online works for some subjects  and at some levels. It can only ever be one option amongst others.

• How much control does John Port have over his budget?

All schools are part of the same system. Budgets are based on school rolls and John is dealing with budget reductions at the same time as a falling roll. That is something of a challenge no matter which school you are in.

• Over the next 7 – 10 years the school roll is fluctuating, what is being done to even out this rollercoaster?

That needs to be part of the discussion in drawing up a plan that allows for some fluctuations – which are perfectly normal in a school.  It’s mainly when there are large fluctuations that problems are caused

• This used to be a 2 year secondary with the threat of downgrading to a primary only school.  There was a community uproar.  We need to fight to maintain the standards we have now.  We need support from our Councillors

The strength of support is evident in the turnout tonight. That must be hugely encouraging for the Parent Council and for the staff of the school. We are hear to listen and then  to work with the school and community on a plan for the immediate issues and, if you agree, on a joint submission to the Commission. Gairloch would make for a very good case study on the levels of resource needed to keep a broad curriculum going. This is not a one off visit. We’ll come back to a future meeting to update on progress.

• On upgrading the school, savings were made in not hostelling the pupils in Dingwall.  When the formula came in, the school roll dropped and are now being penalised as a result.  Why are small schools penalised?

All schools feel penalised when budgets tighten but I accept that smaller rural schools do not have the economies of scale , nor access to alternative provision that some of the larger, urban schools do.

• Is it true that if a teacher retires or resigns, that teacher will not be replaced?

No, not necessarily. It is not inevitable that Art will be lost at the end of the session.  Hence the importance of joint working on an agreed plan.

• Why is there not a projected 5 year plan based on projected figures of school rolls?  What groups can REAct lobby before the budgets are agreed in February?

There are too many budgetary uncertainties for us to be able to create a 5 year plan with any degree of confidence.  I hope REAct will quickly find that working with officials and local councillors will provide a way forward.

• Would like to see colleges such as West Highland College making allowances for small numbers of pupils wanting to take up courses

That would certainly be helpful. Colleges have their own budgetary pressures of course but we should look to see if there can be some kind of cross subsidy with more popular courses subsidising less popular ones.

• Are any subjects safe from cuts?

One of the first things that the working group should look at is what constitutes an appropriate curriculum for Gairloch. The Curriculum for Excellence identifies 8 curriculum areas so that provides a starting point. So you might start with English, Maths, two Social Subjects, three Sciences and so on building up the curriculum. No school ever has as may subjects as it might want but we should at least be able to agree an absolute core minimum.

• How sustainable is teaching more than one subject?

Dual qualified staff  certainly help smaller schools provide a wider curriculum.  But it may be difficult to recruit dual qualified staff in the future. Many of us who started in the 70s and 80s were dual qualified but it is not so common now. That’s definitely a point for the Commission to consider.

• If we got a probationer, would this be on temporary contract?

Yes – all probationer contracts are temporary for one year.

• Using teachers with a dual qualification means that the staff have less time to focus on their subjects and the pupils lose out on a specialised teacher for their subject

I don’t think there is any evidence for that.

The reply was backed by Mr Port.

Overall, despite everything, the school performs very well indeed, not just academically but in the range and quality of extra curricular opportunities staff provide. They don’t just go the extra mile, they go extra miles for staff. Gairloch High School is doing very well indeed and no one wants to see that change.

Response from John Port:

Our problem is remote rurality.  Other small schools have colleges nearby that can be accessed by pupils easily.  It was difficult to work out a timetable due to the staff cuts but grades have not suffered.  This demonstrates the effort staff are putting into giving the pupils the best education.  Although Graphic Comm is temporarily not available to some pupils, it will be available to them at other times in their school careers.

Conclusion:

The school would be happy to be considered in being a case study for the Commission.  Mr MacSween will put the next steps in place.  Gillian and 2 other members of REAct will work with John and Maurice MacIntyre on this.  Mr MacSween will take our concerns and suggestions regarding the formula back to the Education, Culture and Sport Senior Management meeting in the first instance.  He will also keep a close contact with the school and the parent council.

Mr MacIntyre gave his commitment to the school by looking at the long term solution to this emotive subject.

Gillian thanked everyone for attending.  John also wanted to express his thanks to everyone.

The next REAct meeting will be on Monday 29^th August at 7pm in Gairloch High School.

The next Parent Council meeting will be the AGM on Wednesday 2^nd November at 7pm in Gairloch High school.

The meeting closed at 9.15pm

Meeting of Gairloch High School Parent Council, 7pm 20^th June 2011 in Gairloch High School

Minutes

Present: Gillian Morrison, Belinda Polington, Jennifer Robertson, Lynn MacKenzie, Alison Grove, Christine MacLennan, Susan MacLean, John Port (Head teacher), Graham Milner (Teacher rep), Guy Polington (Parent Forum)

Apologies: Nevis Hulme, Sandi Urquhart, Fiona MacMillan, Kenny Nelson, Huw Banister, Jean Ross, Lynne Whall, Cllr Richard Greene

Gillian welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked everyone for coming at short notice.

Minutes of meeting 13^th April 2011: These were approved by Jennifer and seconded by Lynn.

Minutes of meeting 9^th May 2011: These were approved by Jennifer and seconded by Lynn. 

Education cuts update and Fujitsu: There has been no reply from Drew Miller yet regarding the question put to him regarding the size of classrooms.  Gillian will keep emailing him.  The cuts are continuing.

Fujitsu have the go ahead to start replacing computers.  All the Mac computers are to stay in place; they have been cleaned up and are running efficiently.  The PC’s will be upgraded and some training will be needed to use the new computers.

Review of Winter Maintenance Service: Gillian, Jennifer, Sandi, Lynne and John attended the Ward Forum meeting.  It was said that more salt would be ordered for next winter and there would also be better communication with the school through John.  There is concern over other roads that are not mentioned in the report, such as Inverasdale.

The integration of services was also discussed at the Ward Forum meeting.  ECS will have responsibility for under 18’s and NHS will have responsibility for those over 18.  It was felt that it would be good if any savings made were used to target specific cases in the West Coast and it would be good overall, if more things were joined up.

Update on spending suggestions:

• The Librarian has been in contact with an author who will possibly come in September to work with the pupils
• Beth Hunter is still to put in an order for the sound system for assemblies and shows.
• John has purchased the Dux trophy, also the Harry Valentine trophy which will be awarded for citizenship – for any pupil in the school who has shown an interest in a variety of things above and beyond class time.
• The leaver’s book has not been ordered yet.

Lochcarron Bus: Gillian has received a letter from Dorothy Gibb, who says there are sometimes delays in adverse weather conditions and the drivers know how many seats to keep on the buses for pupils travelling to school.  The service is now running exactly to time and there have been no more incidents.  Gillian to thank Dorothy Gibb for her reply.

Treasurer’s Report: There is £2212.52 in the bank.  Alison was thanked for all her work as Treasurer.  She is happy to do the books until the year end (August).  Huw will be asked if he would take over at the end of Alison’s term of office.

Fundraising update:

• The Ceilidh was a huge success and it is hoped that it will be an annual event.  £504 was raised for Parent Council funds.  It was noted that the pupils performed and danced very well on the evening.
• Highland Gathering – Despite numerous attempts, Susan has been unable to get enough help to be able to run the BBQ.    GA United will be asked if they will take it over as they had showed a previous interest.  If they cannot do, the Parent Council will run the BBQ for 3 hours in the afternoon.

Head Teacher’s Report: John would like to thank Alison, Jean and Christine for their time on the Parent Council.  He would also like to thank Mr Stewart (Computing) and Mr Ellis (English) for their contribution to the school, both in the classroom and in extra curricular activities.

The fact that the staff cuts are now having an effect on pupil subject choices was raised.  Six staff have been lost in the past 2 years, which means that not all pupils are going to be able to receive their first choice of subjects.  John is happy to meet with parents to discuss individual cases.  There is a concern that this will become a greater problem if further cuts are to be made.

AOB:

• All Parent Council members will try and encourage parents at the prizegiving to join the Parent Council next session.  John will mention the need for Parent Council members in his speech.
• A sub group of Gillian, Lynn, Jennifer, Belinda and Susan has been formed as the Parent Council wish to be proactive to save further staff losses as we are concerned that Councillors have said that education is not a priority.
• The S1’s have still to  decide which charity will receive money raised at the Bring and Buy sale
• Prizegiving arrangements.  Meet at 12 noon in the HE room.  Baking is required
• German night arrangements.  Jennifer, Gillian, Belinda and Alison to help with teas
• Thank you again to Alison, Christine and Jean for their contribution to the Parent Council.

Date of Next Meeting: The next meeting will be on Wednesday 24^th August at 7pm in Gairloch High school.  Gillian closed the meeting at 8.25pm.