Can Council Force You To Put Your Children To School And Live Away From Home At 13???

[stevie_mac]

Where I stay the council are wanting to close many high schools in country areas. They want to build a hostel in the nearest town, build an overly and expensive high school which isn't needed and make our children live away from home from Sunday night to Friday night in the hostel so they can live in the hostel from Secondary 3, age 13/14

For some children this is a big commute and can be up to 1-2 hours traveling to get to the hostel which is a big thing for a 13 year old. I could go into this more but would like to keep it short to see peoples thoughts. All the high schools have full classes and the country areas are always getting bigger. If they close the schools now what will happen in years to come

What are your thoughts on this and can this even be allowed at the age of 13?

[boxtops]

I've never heard of anything remotely like this - where do you live?

[pixie373]

Neither have I. Are you saying you'll get no choice? Or very limited choice?

[Cloverjo]

I don't like the sound of it. I'm guessing you are in Scotland, possibly remote area. By "country areas getting bigger", do you mean the classes there are getting bigger? If so, how can they justify closing the schools? I can't believe they can do this.

[stevie_mac]

Its in the Scottish islands.

The lady behind it all, when asked if she would send her children away for a week wouldn't answer the question. They think its a brilliant idea for a 13 year old to be living away from home for a whole week not seeing famile

[pixie373]

It can't be forced, surely? Will you have any other options?

[stevie_mac]

The classes are getting bigger every year. If there is a year with low numbers they classes together e.g primary 4 in with 5. So they have already made cut backs in the schools.

Even the cost of getting children in and out and then a hostel with en-suite rooms for 13 years olds is madness.

[Meg]

A ridiculous question!

[craft1948]

You could always do home tutoring..........

[sunny-dave]

Surely "weekly boarding" has always been a fact of school life in parts of the Highlands and Islands?

There's nothing wrong with boarding per se (just look at how many people pay for their children to got to boarding school).

The removal of choice and reduction in total places doesn't seem too clever though - those are the grounds you should be challenging on.

[Meg]

Sorry didn't read the question properly, one of my DIL's is from Lewis, I will ask her about it. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Yearx

[bednobs]

I don't really understand why you say the school isn't need ed if there are scant places. I also would have thought that weekly boarding was nothing new for people in remote areas

[bednobs]

Also i guess you always have a choice.

[sherrardk]

Whilst boarding might not be new it is one thing to enter the education system knowing that boarding is something that will happen, completely different to suddenly have boarding become something that might happen but that wasn't something you expected for your child.

[Mosaic]

It sounds like an appalling disregard for family life and parental choice. It would be cheaper to install rural broadband using radio transmission as was done in Cumbria, enabling families that want to to access courses remotely.