Jobs fears as north school rolls plummet
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THE number of pupils attending schools in Caithness has fallen dramatically in the last two decades strengthening claims that the young population is giving way to an older demographic.
Figures released by Highland Council show there are almost 25 per cent fewer primary and secondary school pupils in the county since 1995. Over this period, the total has plummeted from 4375 to 3333.
The reduction has been particularly felt at secondary schools in the region with Thurso High experiencing a drop from 1015 pupils in 2007 to 840 in 2012, a 17 per cent fall. Wick High has also seen a significant drop in the last five years from 841 to 672, a fall of 20 per cent.
In the next 15 years, Highland Council predicts the total primary and secondary roll to fall to 3101 with Thurso High estimated to have 683 pupils and Wick High 653 pupils by 2027.
Wick councillor and adult and children services committee member Bill Fernie said the issue of an ageing population in the county has been a problem for the last 20 years and admitted it could be detrimental to jobs in the education sector.
“It’s not a surprise that this is the case as it has been apparent that this was going to be happening for quite a long time,” he said.
“A few years ago there was a noticeable drop in primary school numbers and now this has come through to the secondary schools.
“Eventually it will have an impact on teaching jobs as head teachers are allocated a budget according to the number of pupils they have.
“Secondary schools in particular will have to look more carefully at their teaching numbers in relation to the budget they have been allocated.”
“The renewable industry may improve the local economy, but it will only improve student numbers if people move their families here and there is no guarantee that will happen.
“It’s about long-term stability and people need to know that they have a long-term future before they would be prepared to make that move.”
The chronic rundown has been attributed to changes in the economy, notably the decommissioning of Dounreay.
But with developments in the renewables industry, companies have already made significant moves to create new jobs in the county.
However, the real impact of renewables is not expected to be felt for at least a decade and it is feared that some workers may not be prepared to wait.
Alasdair Fraser, chairman of the adult and children services committee, said pupil numbers have always determined the amount of teaching provision.
“The council education department monitors all trends and movements of all schools across the authority,” he said.
“Budgets are delegated by the amount of pupils that attend each individual school which calculates how many teachers are required.
“We are continually looking at schools which have a fluctuation in the total number of students. However, most of the schools in the Highlands tend to remain static year on year.
“Trends where there is a significant reduction in the amount of students in larger schools would be more significant compared to rural schools in terms of teaching staff.
“Often in rural schools, teachers tend to work in more than one school, so we are confident at the present time there would be no need for the loss of jobs in Caithness.”
Wick is set to receive a new high school and two new primary schools which will be merged from the existing four in 2016.
At a public meeting held last year, council officials said it would be reviewing the current primary teaching provision within Wick which may result in the loss of jobs.
