Hillhead Primary - oversubscribed!

[msapplecider]

Hi, does anybody else on here have DC starting primary in August and registered at Hillhead Primary, and received a letter about oversubscription? We are in the catchment area so I thought my DD was going there for sure until yesterday when the letter arrived and told me that we no longer got in automatically due to not enough places being available… Am not sure what to do now, and just wanted to see if anybody else was in the same situation and had any more info on this. Thanks!

Given that nursery is at most 2 years and is often at a location other than the primary school, I would have thought that the least disruptive thing - looking at the whole school population, would be to move the the nursery.

Ds went to a primary school which had no on-site nursery. Even if there is an on-site nursery - does every P1 go to that nursery. The fact that that isn't the case, demonstrates that an on-site nursery is not a necessity. Sufficient nursery places within the catchment, yes, but on-site No.

I agree with TheBogQueen that it is a far greater disruption to make P7s effectively itinerant - and extremely unfair on them.

Re the GP rooms - that unfortunately is the nature of our schooling system. Unless and until gp rooms become mandated, they will always be commandeered to become classrooms. The only way around it in new builds would be to deliberately design gp rooms that were unsuitable as classrooms (too long/strange shape/too narrow)

In ds' primary school, the enrolment nearly doubled during his time there (no school closures in the vicinity, just a combination of birthrate and placing requests), so it progressively lost its noisy/quiet room, its computer room and finally its library - and also had to have staggered lunch and play times. Every single square inch of that school was used - sometimes many times over. Not everything could be stored inside so there was a container for books etc outside.

Visitors waiting to see the head teacher (or any other teacher) had a small bench outside the small office in an area which also doubled for structured play.

The space was so tight that if parents wanted to withdraw their kids from SHRE classes (which, as a school with a high Muslim population - some of whom were quite fundamentalist, was a likelihood) the head had to say that while it was within their rights to withdraw them from the class, the children would have to be picked up for the hour and returned afterwards, as there was literally nowhere in the school to put them while the SHRE class was going on.

Yes

The P7s are currently sharing the old library. There are 58 children in there. They have a cardboard partition which is head height so they can hear everything each of the two teachers say.
How can NT children learn effectively? Goodness knows what the SEN children make of it.

The nursery is an emotive issue - and one which has considerable celebrity and political support.

And yes Prettybird every inch of Hillhead is utilised. The council is capping numbers and shrinking the catchment but this will not solve the problem entirely.

Hillhead Primary situation seems to be going from bad to worse. I've heard that theres loads of catchment kids not getting a place because of the 75 cap and there's families being divided with kids possibly having to go to different schools. Anyone being affected?

I'm not that interested in the politics of it all, though, as said, GCC has made a complete mess of things. The decisions that have been made seem to be having such a wide spread, detrimental effect on so many families. I've heard it's something like 25 catchment kids that have been refused a place and about 10 more families whose kids can't get in who have siblings at the school. Also that Hillhead is pushing its overcrowding onto Hyndland with lots of the kids who are being refused a place going there instead.

You're absolutely right GCCPrimary1. There seem to be lots of examples of overcrowded schools, many of which seem to be down to poor planning. Crookston Castle primary was the merger of 3 schools, built in 2007 and was exceeding capacity by 2011. Merrylee primary was built in 2009 and was exceeding capacity by 2012. Hillhead has got a lot of attention partly because it's the biggest primary school in Glasgow - lots of voices! Something needs to be done nationally/ at government level to protect GP space else GCC can continue to build schools that are too small for their catchments and pack in as many children as they can, battery chicken style. Is that St Rose of Lima's EYC that they're using for their P1s?

Ds' old primary school, which has been bursting at the seams for years, is currently having a new school built. Although it IS being built bigger, the council explicitly said that it wasn't going to build for more than it needs NOW - despite a high birth rate locally and a whole load of new houses built just opposite which are currently occupied with young professionals.....

When asked about what would happen if/when the new school is overflowing, they just said "We'll change the catchment" - despite all the local primaries also being close to capacity and rising

Yes, prettybird. That's exactly what happened at Hillhead. The council were quite up front about it at all the public meetings. They are absolutely not obliged to consider any future need when building a new school, only what is required at that point in time.

So, the many, many indicators that the school was going to be too small within a couple of years (and to be honest the playground was too small from the off) were ignored.

This is clearly national policy, is affecting schools throughout the city, and must be changed.

GGC have scrapped their latest plan.

When will they stop planning and actually start building? How much has this all cost, and yet not an extra square foot of space has been created?

Very sad story in today's Evening Times about how local families are not getting into Hillhead. The worst thing is that after all the stressful consultation this remained this family's catchment school and STILL they are being denied a place. Why on earth the council did not move the Early Years Centre which serves families from all over Glasgow is illogical. I am a parent at Hillhead and my children continue to suffer daily overcrowding and all I am told is it will be better in 4 or 5 years time.

here

I agree Glazzamataz. Moving the nursery sounds like it would have avoided these problems and given the school a permanent, short and long term solution. Some inconvenience for some nursery parents with an extra mile for significantly subsidised nursery care. But didnt GCC also propose to increase places in other local nurseries? I can add to GCCPrimary1's rumour and speculation that a new nursery may be being built at st rose of Lima. Really pleased they may have a solution.

the save the nursery campaign at Hillhead was very well organised. But ime keeping it on site was the wrong decision

But GCC school and childcare provision is appalling generally. it seems to be so low priority when it is really important to keeping working parents (and their salaries) in the city - and not shifting out to the suburbs

The Hillhead story has actually rattled me. We were planning to move, still within the catchment but I think we will stay put as we are closer to the school