RELIEF FOR MSP AS WINDYGATES PUPILS ASSURED A SAFE ROUTE TO SCHOOL
Published date : 25 Oct 2016
Jenny Gilruth MSP has this week responded with relief to news that Fife Council is to reverse its previous position and provide free bus passes for pupils travelling from Windygates the new Levenmouth Academy.
Up until now it had been the case that, due to the fact much of Windygates lies within two miles of the gates of the new school, pupils were not going to be supplied with a bus pass and instead were going to be expected to walk to school. This raised the prospect of Windygates youngsters travelling along poorly lit, narrow footpaths and crossing the busy A915 with very little in the way of road crossing measures.
After contact from concerned parents, the Mid Fife and Glenrothes MSP took up the case with Fife Council and also wrote to the Minister for Education and Skills, John Swinney, in order to bring about a resolution. Commenting on Fife Council’s new position, Jenny Gilruth said:
“This situation has caused a lot of distress for the community in Windygates. As anyone familiar with the area will understand, the proposed walking route raised some very legitimate safety concerns in terms of its suitability as a daily walking route for youngsters. I am hugely relieved that Fife Council has now reversed its decision and listened to the concerns of parents with regard to this route.
She continued:
“It’s vitally important that every child in Mid Fife and Glenrothes, and across Scotland, has a route to school provided by the local authority that is safe and has the confidence of parents, the local community and the pupils themselves. That wasn’t the case for the community in Windygates until now and I’m glad that the focus for parents can be on supporting their children’s’ learning rather than worrying about the safety of the route to and from the school gates.”
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