Save Our School campaigners on Luing are optimistic about a visit from Scotland’s education minister.
Jenny Gilruth had expressed an interest in coming to Luing herself after lead campaigner Norrie Bissell quizzed her, and the First Minister Humza Yousaf, at a travelling cabinet question-and-answer session in Inverary earlier this month.
Mr Bissell said he was “greatly encouraged” by the encounter and the Save Our School campaign was “optimistic” after the response from ministers at the public event.
“They seemed to be sympathetic to the plight of a small island school and recognised the importance of having a school in terms of attracting younger families and working people,” he said.
It was confirmed at the travelling cabinet event that the potential closure would be “called in” for a final say at ministerial level if Argyll and Bute Council pushed ahead with its favoured option of shutting the school for good next year. Because Luing school is a rural school, the presumption is against closure.
Business secretary Neil Gray expressed an interest in Luing Community Trust’s development plans for small-scale slate extraction which would create more jobs and said Luing’s situation reminded him of his father campaigning to save a primary school on Orkney.
Culture minister Angus Robertson had visited Luing as a young boy and also seemed sympathetic to the island’s cause and social justice minister Shirley-Anne Somerville, a former education cabinet secretary, was interested in finding out more about the importance of continuing the school’s mothballing until it is ready to reopen with more children, said Mr Bissell who spoke with them.
Argyll and Bute MSP Jenni Minto’s office confirmed papers containing the island’s concerns had been sent to all those ministers, including the First Minister.
The papers from Isle of Luing Community Trust, Luing Community Council and the Save Our School campaign were about “inaccuracies and omissions” in Argyll & Bute Council’s Proposal Document on the future of Luing Primary School.
The papers “demonstrate how seriously flawed is the council’s procedure and proposed closure of Luing Primary School on 31 May 2024,” said Mr Bissell who requested Jenni Minto invited the education minister to visit the island.
A spokesman for the MSP said: “Jenni wrote to the Cabinet Secretary to extend this invitation as per Mr Bissell’s request and we await her response.”