Phase two of the council’s Learning Estate Review pre-consultation has opened with a website drawing together detailed information on East Lothian’s existing school buildings.
The plan will set out the authority’s future priorities for its schools to ensure that all facilities support high quality teaching and learning. It will also consider how school buildings can support community use.
Phase one of the pre-consultation was an online information-gathering exercise where people were invited to complete a questionnaire sharing their opinions on the council’s existing school buildings. People were asked for their views on the condition of the buildings and how well they supported children and young people to learn. Over 380 responses were received and the feedback will form part of a final report.
For phase two a website has been developed with maps showing the location of all of the council’s schools and other facilities, information on the buildings’ condition and suitability, school capacity details and projections. This has been shared to ensure that communities have a broad range of information about the council’s existing school estate at school, catchment and county level. Members of the public can share their feedback by:
- Completing an online survey available at www.eastlothian.gov.uk/ler
- Emailing the Learning Estate team
- Attending an online drop-in session to give their views directly. Six sessions have been planned across three evenings from 30 November-2 December 2021 – one for each cluster area. Details are available online.
Cabinet member for Education and Children’s Services Councillor Fiona Dugdale said:
“We’re asking people for their views on our current estate and what they think is required to provide facilities that support and enhance learning opportunities. In order for us to do that, it’s important that we see our communities as partners and share the relevant information that informs the development of a Learning Estate Investment Plan.
“We know from phase one of this process that people care about their schools and gathering their insight into how our buildings look, feel and work is vital to this process. We’re grateful to everyone who has taken part so far and hope they will continue to engage with us in this latest stage.”
Phase two of the pre-consultation will run from 17 November until 10 December 2021 at www.eastlothian.gov.uk/ler