Islanders raise thousands for court action against council
In order to meet the expected costs of the legal action, the Mull Campus Working Group opened a crowdfunder with the aim of raising £50,000 by 8 July 2025. More than half of this target was achieved in the first three days of the fundraising effort, with subsequent donations meaning that the group is more than 60 percent of the way to reaching their goal.
Argyll and Bute Council has faced significant criticism over its decision to locate the proposed new school in Tobermory, the main town on the island. The current school, also in Tobermory, incorporates a nursery, primary and secondary school, but surveys have shown that a majority supported moving the high school component to a central location in order to end the practice of some children being sent to board in Oban from the age of eleven.
Throughout the process, and despite seeking the support of families living in areas not served by the current high school, the council has insisted that only a single-site approach is viable, meaning that boarding in Oban would still be necessary for children from the south of the island. Officials ultimately recommended the new school be built on a site on the southern edge Tobermory, and this advice was accepted by councillors at a special sitting of the council in Lochgilphead.
READ MORE
The move to build a new school was originally referred to as the 'Mull Campus Project', but recent communication from council officials has stated that 'the Tobermory Campus project is focussed on creating an improved and enhanced learning environment for the pupils within the current Tobermory High School catchment area".
The situation has been described as an example of a 'wider democratic deficit' in Scotland, and islanders have told The Herald that the council has left them feeling 'silenced and belittled".
Local campaigner Tracy Mayo, who was previously vice-convener the island's Community Council, told The Herald that the group had 'smashed through the half-way mark', which she described as a 'phenomenal testament to the community backing this action.'
She added: 'We are one step closing to taking the council to court and securing education on Mull for all.
'The amazing Mull Community, and the generosity of our friends, knows no bounds. It has moved us to tears.
'The faster we reach our target of £50,000, the stronger the message to the council. The broader the variety of donors, the stronger our mandate.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Young Scots back UK Government decision to lower voting age
Of course, here in Scotland, 16 and 17-year-olds have been able to vote in Holyrood and council elections since 2016. So what do young Scots think about the decision to expand voting rights, and which party could benefit most? SNP activist Alex Gill said a "stronger youth voice" could convince the UK Government to pursue more progressive policies. The 22-year-old said: 'This will reshape the electorate and elevate issues that matter most to younger citizens such as action on climate change, access to affordable housing and opportunities for fulfilling work. 'Successive UK governments have shown little appetite for strategic, long-term policymaking, too often chasing short-term optics. With luck, a stronger youth voice will hopefully pressure them to start rectifying that failure. Read more: Shane Painter, a Scottish Conservative who was one of the youngest parliamentary candidates in 2024, is also in favour of expanding the franchise. He said: 'Lowering the voting age to 16 is a good move. It might finally force parties to speak to young people's concerns. In Scotland, 16-year-olds can already vote and they take it incredibly seriously. Painter had strong words for his own party's positions on young people, noting: 'Conservatives must stop being the party of pensioners, back housebuilding, scrap the triple lock & WFP, and invest in the future and young people if we ever want to be in government again.' Painter's position is somewhat unique among members of his party. Former Tory MP candidate Shane Painter. (Image: Aberdeen Conservatives) In the House of Commons on Thursday, Conservative shadow housing, communities and local government minister Paul Holmes told MPs: 'This strategy has finally revealed [Labour's] ambition for allowing a 16-year-old to vote in an election but not stand in it, probably because young people are being abandoned in droves by the Labour Party. 'So, why does this Government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they're voting in? That position was echoed by Joshua MacLeod, the chair of the Scottish Young Conservatives, who told The Herald: "This is just another rushed headline with no serious thought behind it. It's yet another case of Labour trying to rewrite the constitution to suit their own electoral interests. "If voting is meant to reflect adult responsibilities, then let's have a proper debate about adulthood. Not just a spontaneous change to mask their political weakness." Calum Mackinnon, who was unable to vote in the 2019 general election due to his age, says extending the franchise would be a step in the right direction. He told The Herald on Sunday: 'I was literally weeks away from turning 18. It felt like my almost 'mature enough' voice was going to be missed out on by about 60 days. In 2016, Brexit focussed my mind firmly towards independence, having been more sympathetic towards a No vote in 2014. 'Even as a young S2, I still remember 2014 so clearly and how it changed Scotland forever. Having lived and studied in the EU post-Brexit, I am a fierce advocate – despite its imperfectness, so I would have 100% voted in the 2019 general election.' Ellie Gomersall, the Scottish Greens activist and former president of the National Union of Students Scotland, also spoke out in support of the change, which she says is long overdue. Gomersall noted: 'From cracking down on their right to protest, to stripping them of their disability benefits, Westminster governments have consistently failed to represent the needs and interests of young people. 'This change means that young people will be able to have their say in the decisions Westminster takes that have a huge impact on their lives. However, Gomersall believes the government should go further, and introduce legislation to abolish 'the utterly undemocratic first past the post system' and 'replace the unelected – and overwhelmingly old and male – House of Lords.' Scottish Greens activist Ellie Gomersall. (Image: Ellie Gomersall) What about concerns raised by some that teenagers aren't mature enough to make informed decisions about who to vote for? Mackinnon, now 23, concedes that 'nuance' is often lacking at 16. 'It's a tough one,' he says. 'I think that nuance is difficult to obtain at 16/17. That being said, young people are always getting more and more aware and involved in our politics. 'I think, on balance, the young people who vote are probably interested enough to 'do the research' on what they want their politicians to achieve.' University student Caitlin Kelly, 20, shared similar thoughts. 'At 20 do I think differently than 16?' she queried. 'A bit less naive maybe but I largely vote the same. I think it is important to encourage young people to be part of the future of our country, and that is what voting at 16 does. 'When I was 16, the desire to vote was all the more prevalent except I then had the skills to read and research critically, and so being Scottish I was lucky enough to vote.' Fred Byrne, a student at the University of Aberdeen, agrees. 'Many 16 year olds have better informed political beliefs than their parents and grandparents,' he told The Herald. 'At 16, British youth can join the army or attend university, so it's only right they have been granted their long overdue right to vote. Young people are the biggest stakeholders in our future and will cast their votes for a just and sustainable world.' Will 16 and 17-year-olds be persuaded to vote for Keir Starmer's Labour? Hope Merriweather, who recently graduated from Dundee University with a degree in law, says she isn't sure if the change would boost voter turnout. 'I don't know if it would increase participation,' she told The Herald on Sunday, adding: 'I do think that the 16-year-olds that care should get to participate. 'I have some questions about 16-year-olds' ability to think critically, so I would want some level of education around it to prevent their parents from influencing their opinions too much. 'However, overall I think 16 and 17-year-olds have plenty of capacity to think and vote for themselves, as long as they are given the tools to do so. 'That goes for the entire population, the most important issue with voting right now is a lack of voter knowledge. If we could increase that across the board it would improve participation.' Will extending the franchise shift the balance of power, potentially giving Labour a bulwark from which to combat the rise of Reform among working class voters? A leading pollster believes it may. Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common told the Mail: 'Given young voters tend to lean to the left, we should expect the Greens and Labour to be the bigger winners of extending the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds, with Reform doing well among young men, and the Tories the big losers.' Read more: Meanwhile, Reform's Nigel Farage has hit out at the move, accusing Labour of attempting to 'rig the political system.' Gill believes that the lowering of the vote age could be a boon for the SNP. He said: 'The latest polling shows that 75% of Scots aged 16 to 29 back independence, and support is likely even stronger among 16 and 17-year-olds. "Therefore, expanding the franchise will certainly be a positive development for pro-independence parties.' Of course, with the next general election not scheduled until 2029, the UK's political parties will have ample time to court young people ahead of what could be one of this nation's most consequential electoral contests.
The Herald Scotland
21 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
'World-class' Scottish produce on Bute House stage
According to a Freedom of Information request submitted by [[The Herald]], 24 official events were held in Bute House between April 1, 2024 and April 17, 2025. On April 15, then-First Minister Humza Yousaf dined on braised lamb shoulder in a biryani sauce, alongside saffron-infused Scottish yogurt, aloo potato cakes, and 'micro coriander'. Guests enjoyed a 'dark chocolate and chilli tart' with Scottish cream and honey biscuit crumb. Former FM Humza Yousaf served guests saffron-infused yogurt, braised lamb, and micro coriander. (Image: PA) On April 29, the day Mr Yousaf announced his resignation as First Minister, he hosted members of Scotland's Sikh community for a Vaisakhi event, which celebrates the birth of a key order in the religious community. Around 40 people dined on chili broccoli salad, tabbouleh, courgette pakoras, carrot and parsnip bhajis, and tamatar-kheera salad. Mains included 'butter paneer curry, aloo gobi and jeera rice, confit tandoori chickpeas and dal,' with mango lassi and fresh fruit served for dessert. Mr Yousaf would depart Bute House a week later, and his successor, John Swinney, would not hold his first officially recorded event until August 7. Read more: Amid the bustle of the Fringe, Mr Swinney hosted an 'All Festivals Reception,' welcoming representatives from the arts community. The same day, staff served 'smoked paprika chicken with spiced seasonal vegetables and pea shoots,' Scottish pancakes with smoked salmon, cucumber and Scottish cream, as well as home made vegetarian haggis truffle with onion jam. Guests listen to a speech by Mr Swinney at the reception. (Image: Scottish Government) Two weeks later, a reception was held ahead of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Guests enjoyed 'chickpea, spinach, and almond butter seasonal vegetables' with warm in house made blackthorn focaccia bread, as well as 'mini Scottish beef burgers with Scottish cheddar cheese and inhouse made tomato sauce.' Chips and macaroni and cheese were also served, alongside 'bite sized' treats and Scottish vanilla ice cream with fresh fruit. In September, Mr Swinney held a special dinner to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament. Just 18 people were invited to the intimate event, including Mr Swinney's wife, Elizabeth Quigley, and son Matthew. Several Scottish politicians attended along with their partners; including Lord Wallace of Tankerness, Fiona Hyslop, Jackson Carlaw, and Alison Johnstone. Starters included a 'heritage tomato salad with Fife buffalo mozzarella,' Scottish gin curd smoked salmon, a Highland game, prune and baby leek terrine, vegetable piccalilli, and Scottish oatcakes. 'Pan seared Scottish salmon' was the first main course, alongside 'braised Scottish lamb shoulder served with Scottish Edinburgh butter fondant,' baked fillet of cod with a 'blackthorn Scottish sea salt and dill crust,' slow braised Scottish beef, and pan roasted chicken stuffed with local butcher haggis. Winter risotto and a seasonal vegetable tartlet (with peppery rocket) were offered to vegetarian guests. Scottish cranachan, an 'Edinburgh Ale dark chocolate tart', an almond sponge and a lemon posset were served for dessert, alongside a selection of Scottish cheeses, fruit, and oatcakes. Several days later, on October 1, guests to Bute House enjoyed vegetarian haggis truffles with onion jam, 'mini choux buns filled with an Isle of Mull cheddar mousse,' and caramel pecan éclairs served with candied orange. On October 24, an afternoon tea hosted for young carers and their companions brought out a different side of the Scottish Government's culinary expertise. Young carers enjoyed an afternoon tea with Mr Swinney. (Image: Scottish Government) Young people were served house made pork sausage rolls, poached chicken and mayonnaise scones, blue cheese and pickle buns; as well as roast chicken on focaccia, cheddar finger sandwiches, and brownie bites and mini carrot cakes. December at Bute House saw meals become heartier as the dark days of winter drew near. On December 10, Mr Swinney oversaw a reception consisting of mini beef burgers, panko chicken bites, mini pizzas, brownies, empire biscuits, and fresh fruit. Six days later, guests enjoyed haggis truffles with onion compote, a 'sticky shallot and almond parcel,' and a holiday favourite – mince pies. At an event toasting Scotland's 'senior culture sector representatives', in early January 2025, guests were served a tomato and mozzarella salad, Scottish baked cod with citrus potatoes and wild mushrooms, and winter risotto with pumpkin and squash. Attendees at the small affair included MSP Angus Robertson, BBC presenter Kirsty Wark, former Fringe boss Shona McCarthy, and Scottish Music Industry Association CEO Robert Kilpatrick. One attendee at the dinner, Culture Counts director Kathyrn Welch, posted on LinkedIn about the dinner, writing: 'A thoroughly memorable evening – dinner with First Minister John Swinney and Cab Sec Angus Robertson at Bute House in Edinburgh. Such a treat to be in the company of thoughtful and brilliant folk from across the culture sector, discussing what the future of a vibrant and ambitious sector would look like.' Read more: At an intimate dinner celebrating the retirements of Lord Justice Clerk Leeona Dorrian and Lord Justice General Colin Sutherland in February 2025, guests enjoyed smoked chicken with an 'Ayrshire ham and sultana terrine,' oven roasted North Sea halibut, winter baby vegetables, and a whisky crème brulee and Perthshire rhubarb. Multicultural fare returned in March, as Irn-Bru onion bhajis, lentil, coconut, and corn curry, slow cooked chicken madras, and lamb shoulder josh rogan were served at several Bute House receptions. A [[Scottish Government]] spokesperson praised the work of the Bute House kitchens, commenting: 'Events at Bute House, the First Minister's official residence, are an important way to showcase what Scotland has to offer, promoting jobs and investment to industry while engaging with representatives from around the world. 'The menus are carefully chosen to ensure ingredients are sustainable and sourced from Scottish producers – giving world class Scottish produce a platform on the global stage.'
The Herald Scotland
21 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
US researcher praises Scotland's LGBT-inclusive education
The Herald on Sunday's education writer speaks to Darek Ciszek, a Social Science and Comparative Education researcher at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) who has been studying the development and impact of LGBT-inclusive education in Scottish schools. Can you start by telling our readers a bit about your background and how an American academic became interested in Scotland's approach to LGBT inclusive education? I'm in a PhD program at UCLA in the School of Education and as I was thinking about my dissertation topic in 2022, Florida passed its Don't Say Gay law. To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. I am a former teacher as well, and I taught what would be the equivalent of lower secondary in Scotland – history in particular. When that law passed in Florida, I kind of thought back to my own experience being a teacher in the classroom and bringing up topics around inclusion. I wanted to do something about it, but I didn't quite know what to do without going to Florida and putting up a sign and starting to protest. But I realised that I could potentially do some research around inclusive education from an LGBTQ lens. So that led me to research states around the US that were hopefully going in a different direction in Florida, and I have to admit the search was very sobering. So then I decided to look a little bit wider. I did a Google search, literally, just a Google search of LGBT inclusive education around the world and different countries and things like that. And Scotland came up top of that list. And that is how you learned about Time for Inclusive Education? And at that point, I did not know anything about TIE. I did not know anything about the campaign and the policy around inclusion. I wanted to dig in a little bit more, so clicked on a few more websites which ultimately led me to a CNN or a BBC article or something and TIE was mentioned. I wanted to learn more about what was going on, what they were doing. How did they do this and what does this actually look like on the ground? So I found Liam and Jordan's emails and I contacted them and luckily they responded. We had a Zoom about a month later and I got some funding from UCLA to pursue this research and was out in Scotland that summer. Darek Ciszek (Image: Contributed) What did that first trip over here involve? What did you learn from the visit? By that point I had started to flesh out some research questions, but they were more open-ended because I really did not know what to expect. I knew I wanted to focus on implementation and see how TIE were actually rolling out the policy, and because I'm a former teacher, I wanted to know how they are supporting teachers in this process. So I got to observe some of their CPD sessions around curriculum development and was able to go to a few schools. There were a few teachers that were willing to have me interview them or, if I were back in Scotland, potentially come and observe some of their lessons. I've been out four times in total now. I ended up observing a couple of lessons at a primary school in the Greater Glasgow area. I also went up to another primary school a bit more north and was able to observe TIE's pupil workshops which really have been some of my favourite things that I've observed, not only because of the way that TIE structured it, but also because those workshops really do address some really important issues facing kids in schools around homophobia, language, stereotypes, and thinking about inclusion and diversity in a broader societal context. I went back to that school a couple of months later to observe another lesson that one of the school leaders there had crafted along with the teacher for a P7 class around inclusion. So I got to sort of see how they're implementing TIE's curriculum materials from the website that they have, for example the ready-made lessons, but how they also add a little bit of their own context and school perspective. I've been able to go to a couple of secondary schools as well. Those were more focused around like interviewing staff but I did observe a few lessons that were really interesting. These lessons have now been going on for a few years, but what was it about the learning that really stood out to you? By that point my research lens for the work had shifted more to look at how LGBTQ inclusive education helps facilitate students' social emotional learning. That really became my core question. I'm trying to gauge how the curriculum material - the actual language and the lesson plans and the selection of books - is speaking to social-emotional skills development. So for example, the workshops are fantastic for this because they use these vignettes or like scenario-based learning examples with fictional student characters. They have different scenarios with kids that are being made fun of for a variety of reasons in the school context. READ MORE Maybe it's a girl that wants to play football, and that doesn't fall within the sort of the gender stereotype for a female. Or it's a boy who's playing football and is concerned about coming out because he's gay, and how his friends and peers and teammates will react to that. When you present that material to a classroom of students you're asking them to engage in perspective-taking, to engage in emotional recognition, to develop empathy skills through those situational contexts. The wonderful thing about upper primary is that in every classroom I went into kids were just like raising their hands all the time. They just wanted to engage, they wanted to ask questions. So from what you've seen through your research, it's not as if these children, even fairly young ones, are being thrown into a topic that they're not ready for? They have quite a bit of knowledge going into that classroom to begin with from things that pick up from family and friends and social media et cetera. So it's not a blank slate in terms of information. But at least in this context, in these workshops, they had a safe, age-appropriate environment in which to engage in that conversation and have some of their questions answered with an adult, right? With an educator present. One theme that kind of bubbled up in my interviews was the secondary school staff telling me that this really has to happen at the primary level because by the time they move up it's twice as difficult – by then some of these habits and behavioural expectations, for example around what boys versus girls should be doing et cetera, are much more ingrained. With the primary school teachers that I observed, whenever they introduced a lesson that was LGBTQ inclusive, it was always in the context of a broader theme. So for example, it could be a week where they talked about different cultures. It could be building on something they talked about earlier in the year around like human rights, for example, or information about the United Nations or the Convention on the Rights of the Child. But the information wasn't so left field, so out of the blue, that the kids were like, wait, how did we get here? I could tell based on how they were asking questions, and the kinds of conversation happening at the classroom level, that this wasn't the first time that they were talking about inclusion in this context - it was just another opportunity to do it and get some more information or learn through a different book or a different kind of lesson. So is it really accurate to say that Scotland has established, and is implementing, a world-first LGBT-inclusive curriculum? Based on what I've seen, I would say it's accurate. I will caveat that a little bit though and say that I think in most cases the individuals leading the charge around this at those schools also happen to be a part of the LGBTQ community. On the one hand it makes sense to me because if I were a teacher in that context I would probably pick this up for my school and sort of be the main facilitator and coordinator, helping other teachers think about implementation, getting TIE to come out to our school, doing the CPD et cetera. But not every school in Scotland might have that individual to sort of lead the charge. And so there's an element of how do you make this more scalable and sustainable for individuals that are not a part of the community, and really do care about these issues, but for whatever reason may feel reluctant or concerned about taking that stuff on. One key thing is framing: what is the justification for LGBT inclusive education? And this is something I'm dealing with in my dissertation. There's a lot of literature out there around the justification being that it's about equality and about rights and those sorts of aspects. I totally agree, and have heard and adopted that argument for quite a long time. But I think where I'm not seeing as much focus is the social-emotional, skills development perspective. That really benefits not just LGBTQ kids who might be struggling emotionally and mentally, but also heterosexual students in terms of their own ability to engage with a diverse society. Based on your experiences, does Scotland's approach to this issue seem like something that is worth celebrating? Oh yeah, absolutely. I was just in Barcelona for an LGBTQ education conference, and it was a consortium of a whole bunch of different NGOs and non-profits, the Council of Europe, European Parliament, World Bank. What Scotland is doing is being eclipsed by the UK as a whole, and the UK as a whole is being represented by England. Not enough people around the world know what Scotland is doing. And they need to know.
