From the windows in the old Arnwood Nursery in Castlemilk, Glasgow, the children could see only sky. The building, erected in the 1970s, had windows that were simply too high up for the three- to five-year-olds to enjoy the view over the city. But Arnwood Nursery recently moved into a new purpose-built facility where the windows are at child height which, says headteacher Richard Robinson, has made a world of difference.
Arnwood is not the only new nursery in Glasgow. In 2004, five new pre-12 schools, incorporating nurseries and primary schools, opened in the city.
By the end of 2006 a further nine schools will be up and running. And more will follow - all part of the city's ambitious and radical plans to provide state-of-the-art education accommodation for its young people.
Like many other cities, Glasgow has a rapidly declining number of children.
In 1970 it had 110,600 pupils on its primary school roll. By 1994 this figure had fallen to 51,000, which reduced again, by 2004, to 42,600. By 2006 it is expected to drop to just over 39,000 pupils. Yet, between 1990 and 2003 just 12 primary schools had closed, which meant there were 63 primaries with fewer than 150 pupils. At the time, this figure was expected to rise to 81 primaries by August 2006.
At the same time, the maintenance bill for Glasgow's schools was on the increase: in 2001 it was 120m for primaries and 14m for pre-five establishments. Many schools and nurseries were housed in crumbling Victorian buildings, substandard 1950s prefabs or hastily built concrete blocks from the 1960s and 1970s.
For these reasons, and because the council wanted to develop education provision that prevented an abrupt transfer between the pre-five and primary school sectors, with consequential changes in organisation, approach and methodology, it formulated a radical plan that is now coming to fruition.
The five new pre-12 schools that opened in the city last year include Keppoch Campus, Glasgow's first purpose-built, multi-faith, nursery, primary and special educational needs school, and Haghill Primary, which includes an integrated, state-of-the-art 1.5m sports facility. The new buildings are also designed for out-of-school care and community use.
Better learning One of the key aims of the council's pre-12 strategy is to integrate, within the same site, primary schools, nursery schools and provision for children with special educational needs, says Steven Purcell, Glasgow councillor and convener of the authority's education services committee.
'We also want to stop parents with more than one child having to visit two or three different sites during the school run each day,' he says.
Now that phase one is complete and has been judged a success the council has moved on to the next stage, which will see nine more pre-12 schools up and running by August 2006. This will be followed by a further four new schools in 2007 and a fourth phase will be announced soon. Staff are already telling the council that they love working in the new buildings and there is evidence that the children are having better learning experiences, says Cllr Purcell. 'As politicians this gives us the courage to be even braver as we look at further phases. We now want to move faster, to maximise rationalisation and reinvestment.'
He acknowledges that the closure of schools and nurseries is an emotive subject. 'But we were able to present our scheme as about investment and regeneration, rather than closure. People were generally aware that something needed to be done about the state of the schools. The debate focused largely on where the schools were going to be.'
An on-line consultation, which involved live webchats with councillors and officers, gave parents more faith in the strategy, he adds. 'It was a chance for us to explain directly to parents the thinking behind the strategy.'
In phase three, the 65-place St Martin's Day Care Nursery, provided by a voluntary sector organisation but funded by the council's Childcare Strategy and Castlemilk Social Inclusion Partnership, is scheduled to join one of the campuses. The council is also considering provision for children aged under three by a voluntary or private sector provider at another site, says Marian Hodgson, Glasgow's childcare strategy manager.
Inez Murray, managing director of the Four Seasons Nurseries in Glasgow, represents the private sector on Glasgow's Childcare and Education Partnership Board and sits on the Childcare Strategy sub-group. 'I am very aware of Glasgow's plans for the development of children's services across the city,' says Ms Murray. 'There is a commitment to work in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors to provide for those children whose parents require quality childcare, and there will be opportunities in the not-too-distant future for those interested in tendering for these planned services to meet the needs of local communities.'
RESTRUCTURING - THE STORY SO FAR
The restructuring of Glasgow's pre-12 educational provision involves closing 48 primary schools and nurseries and building nine new combined facilities to replace them.
Phase one cost about 50m, but by sharing resources, energy bills and support staff across the new sites, the council expects to make efficiency savings of 1.9m once the restructuring programme has been completed.
Some of the older schools were running at less than 30 per cent capacity.
Phase one involved the construction of:
* Castleton Primary School, Castlemilk, to replace the old Castleton Primary, Netherton Primary, Arnwood Nursery and Castle Kids out-of-school care
* St Clare's Primary, Drumchapel, to replace the old St Clare's Primary, St Pius' Primary, Drumchapel Family Learning Centre and St Clare's out-of-school care
* Keppoch Campus, Possilpark, to replace Saracen Primary, Hawthorn Primary, St Theresa's Primary, Keppoch Nursery, Broomlea School, Stepping Stones Family Centre and Keppoch out-of-school care
* Haghill Primary, Dennistoun, to replace the old Haghill Primary and the Alexandra Sports Hall
* St Benedict's Primary, Easterhouse, to replace the old St Benedict's Primary, St Clare's (Easterhouse) Primary, St Colette's Primary and Westerhouse Nursery, and to create the Westerhouse Family Centre.
Secondary school provision
Project 2002, the UK's biggest school construction project, involved rebuilding 11 of the city's 29 secondary schools and refurbishing and upgrading the remaining 18, many with major extensions.
The 30-year 1.5bn public-private partnership deal has transformed Glasgow's secondary schools.
THE HEADTEACHER'S VIEW
Arnwood Nursery in Castlemilk, which is one of the largest housing estates in Scotland, originally opened in the early 1970s in a purpose-built, flat-roofed building that suffered badly in the rain-drenched climate of the west of Scotland.
The nursery was also open-plan, which meant noise levels were fairly high, says Richard Robinson, headteacher at Arnwood for more than 14 years. Now the nursery is housed in new premises linked to Castleton Primary School, which means the nursery children can use the school's facilities, including the dining hall, media library and the gym. 'Our children are able to have yoga and dance activities in the gym,' says Mr Robinson. 'This is a huge bonus for us.'
There are four large playrooms in the new nursery, which provides plenty of space and reduces the level of noise. And being cheek-by-jowl with Castleton Primary School means far less trauma for youngsters transferring from nursery to primary school, Mr Robinson adds.
The nursery currently caters for the same number of three- to five-year-olds as before - 70 per session, although more space means it could increase to 80 per session if necessary. There are 10 teaching staff and four ancillary staff, the latter also shared with Castleton Primary School.
Mr Robinson, his staff, and the parents and children, were all consulted over plans for the new building.
'The process of construction was also a great learning experience for the children,' he points out. 'From our old building we could watch the new one take shape and staff from Balfour Beatty Construction came in on several occasions to talk to the children about what was happening.' The result is a bright, light, airy building with great facilities, he says.
Mr Robinson has also noticed a definite improvement in staff morale. 'Staff have remarked on the real enjoyment they get from coming to work in such a nice building and parents, too, have said how delighted they are.'
The only drawback has been the loss of the old nursery's prize-winning garden, he concludes. 'We have less outdoor space than we used to, but we will make the most of it and hope to win prizes again in the future.'
