Iain Nisbet, the Convener of School Closure Review Panels, has announced that eleven members will be drawn on to constitute the new School Closure Review Panels.
School closure proposals from local authorities that have been called in under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 are currently determined by the Scottish Ministers, who review whether or not the statutory obligations have been met and determine the school closure. Amendments made by the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 will change that process so that school closure proposals that are called in by Scottish Ministers will be referred to the Convener of the School Closure Review Panels. The Convener will be required to constitute a School Closure Review Panel to determine each individual case. So, from 30 March, panels of three, drawn from the eleven members, will be responsible for determining reviews of school closure decisions in Scotland.
Mr Nisbet, who accepted the public appointment of Convener to the Panels in January, announced that the following people have been selected to sit on the panels.
Dr Charles Bestwick
John Russell Ellerby
Professor Donald Gillies
Helen McGhee
Forbes Mitchell
Alex Nicoll
Patricia Susan Quigley
Dr Catriona Waddington
Sally Wainwright
Lesley Ward
George Justin Willey
The Convener said:
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Scotland’s first school closure review panel members. This is an important issue for education authorities and local communities alike, and I am looking forward to working with the panel members to deliver a fair, transparent and independent review process.”
Convener of School Closure Review Panels