Participation or manipulation?

Sorry for leaving you hanging over the weekend. I did see the consultation responses, but I've been mulling over whether to reveal my thoughts on what I saw. I think I've found the 4% who supported the closures.

Flicking through the responses, there were a large number from children at recieving schools. I've no problem with young people giving their views and being involved, but it has to be meaningful. I don't think this was true of younger children.

One child wrote:
1. I like my school
2. I like sooperman and spiderman
3. I like football

This will sit alongside the most well-researched counter-argument as an equally valid response.

The consultation responses are being held in a room in Wheatley House, and members of the public can view them on weekdays between 9 and 4. I recommend you take a look.

Public consultation

The consultation meeting at St James' tonight was ace. The place was packed - at least eighty people turned out to make their voice heard. Excellent questions were put, some of which couldn't be answered.

One which really had parents concerned was bus provision. There's no direct bus from the Calton to Alexandra Parade, so it had been suggested that buses might be provided to take pupils the 1.3 miles between the schools. Fine and dandy, you might think, until it was revealed that there would be no supervision of pupils on the bus (other than from the bus driver, who ought to have his eyes elsewhere!). Parents were understandably worried about their children - some as young as four - being left to their own devices for the trip, and made it quite clear that they felt that was unacceptable.

I was very pleased at the quality of the questioning; officials were left in no doubt why the community opposes this proposal.