Grand vision for future of education in Dumfries and Galloway

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Education chiefs have revealed ambitious plans to transform the schools estate in Dumfries and Galloway.This would most likely lead to some school closures and fewer buildings overall, however there would be the creation of new campuses and significant refurbishments to provide a much better learning experience for pupils.The proposal is to have “fewer and more flexible and adaptable buildings”, along with “new learning campuses” across the region.These outline plans have been drawn up by council education officers as part of their ‘Dumfries and Galloway Learning Estate Strategy’, however much work is still to be done and councillors will have the final say on whether or not the vision becomes a reality.The Dumfries and Galloway Learning Estate Strategy document will be discussed at the council’s education committee on Thursday.It reads: “The capital investment plan outlines the key investments for new, replacement builds, extensions, refurbishment and planned improvements to the school estate.“The school estate management plan will shape the demand for investment in the estate, providing guidance for priority projects and investment.“Both of these documents will allow for practical steps to be taken to achieve the vision as described in the learning estate strategy.“The vision of having fewer and more flexible and adaptable buildings, and creating new learning campuses across the authority, will have to be agreed.“In order to achieve this strategic vision, we need to review and reduce the size of our estate and remove buildings from the asset class to improve the quality and sustainability of those buildings that we retain.”The report adds that engaging with all stakeholders, such as parent councils and teaching trade