LETTER TO MSP IAIN SMITH AND FIFE COUNCILLORS

Dear Mr Smith / Councillor

We are writing to ask for your support for the possible redevelopment of Madras on a single site provided by St Andrews University.

On 6 February 2007, Professor Peter McKiernan, Chairman of the Madras School Board, released information on a proposal from St Andrews University. Briefly, this proposal offers to provide funds to build a new secondary school in St Andrews on the North Haugh adjacent to the University.

We recognise that there are many secondary schools in Fife that need rebuilding or refurbishing in order to bring them up to an acceptable condition. The Children’s Services Committee has already agreed that both Viewforth HS and Dunfermline HS are below par and need direct attention soon, possibly before anything is done for Madras. The CSC has also stated that there are no funds available until after 2011 and even then, the funds could be spent on projects other than Madras. We regard the problem of the split site at Madras as more pressing than this timescale addresses, and there are a number of proposals for overcoming the problem:

a. Building two new schools, one in St Andrews and another in the Taybridgehead area, each with its own catchment area.

Although the preferred option for many, the building of two new schools for the North East of Fife would be expensive and, in the present financial situation, unrealistic. It will be well into the subsequent series of PPP spending before there is money to consider a two-school option and that is likely to be 2015 or later.

b. Building a school at Taybridgehead now and building a new Madras later.

If a Taybridgehead school for the children of Tayport, Newport, Wormit, Balmerino, Leuchars and possibly Ballmullo and Guardbridge was built first, it would leave the children from the rest of the Madras feeder schools in a unacceptable situation. South Street does not have the capacity to house all these students, therefore the only option for them would be a half-full, dilapidated and unsatisfactory Kilrymont building as their school. This solution, we suggest, would be unacceptable to staff, pupils and parents.

c. Building a single site school in St Andrews, on a new Council owned site, with Council Funds.

The CSC has asked the Education officers to investigate this option. Even if they identify that it is a viable option, the funds for such a school will not be available until 2011 at the earliest. The cost to Fife Council will be £27M (cost of school) - £12.5M (revenue from sale of South St & Kilrymont) = £14.5M.

d. Building a single site school in St Andrews, on the North Haugh, with funds from St Andrews University

This proposal conforms to the option presently being investigated by the Education Officers, in that it is a single site school in St Andrews. The North Haugh is next to St Andrews University Athletic Union on which the University intend to build multiple sports facilities that could be used by the school, and this site is also adjacent to the school sports grounds on Station Park. There will be no immediate need for Fife Council to provide funds at present, as the funds for the school will come from St Andrews University. The South Street and Kilrymont sites would be given to the University with the “A listed” front of the South Street site being retained by the University for educational use and the Kilrymont site possibly used for affordable housing. The only time constraint on this proposal is the time taken fully to consider the option and accept it. The cost to Fife Council would be zero

In light of the options detailed above, are you willing to give your support for the possible redevelopment of Madras on a single site provided by St Andrews University? If you are not, would you please explain which option you are supporting and why? With impending Council and parliamentary elections, the public should be made aware which of these options you will be supporting if you are re-elected in May.

Thank you for your attention.

Yours

Phillip and Lisa Williams