OIC convener to be part of commission on rural education

Local authority representatives – including OIC convener Stephen Hagan – parents, headteachers and experts will make up a new commission on rural education.

The commission, chaired by Sheriff David Sutherland from Tain, will examine how the delivery of rural education can maximise the attainment and life chances of young people in rural areas, and the link between rural education and rural communities.

The commission will also review the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and its application, and make recommendations on the delivery of all aspects of education in rural areas.

Councillor Hagan said: “I was happy to accept the invite to be part of the commission – its findings should provide important guidance for local authorities in future.

“I have been invited to sit on the commission as a local authority representative and I’m pleased to commit to this as it’s clearly an important issue.

“We’ll be reporting back next year with a number of recommendations, which inevitably will have some bearing on the future of education services in Scotland.”