I was interested to read the claims in the letter from PFANS' chair (We're big PFANS of council's school plan) that "a few [of the council candidates for the Portobello/Craigmillar ward] want to delay even further the prospect of giving the children and the community the school they deserve".
To my knowledge, none of the candidates have stated this aim in their election literature, but the comment may have been provoked by a letter from the former chair of the school board which suggested that no-one should object to any plans for the new school, implying that it was acceptable to bypass local democracy in the rush to procure the new school.
Everyone in this area wants a new school as soon as possible but one sticking point is where it should be located. The majority of people in the community believe that we should not have to sacrifice our green space for a new school and that we should be able to have both. Far from being completely unsuitable, as has been portrayed, the current school site has been acknowledged as being a viable alternative to the park by one of our existing councillors.
Mr Watters has been selective in his reading of the HMIE report, as it says elsewhere in the report that "Pupils had a considerable range of opportunities to develop effective social skills, promote their health and fitness and exercise responsibility". Almost three-quarters of parents felt that the school buildings were not kept in good order - hardly a ringing endorsement of the maintenance schedule for the school.
The built environment of the school is a weakness but PFANS should not dismiss alternatives for overcoming this by holding on to the belief that building on green space is the only option. It is this belief that could delay the prospect of giving the children and community the school they deserve.
R Sutherland, chair, Portobello Park Action Group
