The island split over where to build a new high school
Residents on a Scottish island are facing an almost impossible dilemma as their council debates the location for a new multi-million-pound secondary school.
What should be a milestone of progress for the Isle of Mull's infrastructure has created tensions between the community and the local authority.
Parents in the north of the island want the new school to be built on the site of the current High School in Tobermory, in order to save their primary school.
But those in the south want a school closer to them so their children will no longer have to be sent to Oban - at the age of 11 - on the mainland, where they have to board in hostels during the week.
Argyll and Bute Council has shortlisted four options for the location of the new school, but has recommended the new school be built in Tobermory.
The local authority is expected to pause a vote on the location of the high school, which was scheduled for Thursday, until 7 March.
The isle of Mull is the fourth largest Scottish island and has an area of 338 square miles.
Currently, Mull's only high school is in Tobermory, the most populated town on the island, and encompasses a nursery and primary school.
But it is in a state of disrepair.
Many islanders are calling for the new school to be built in a more central location, such as Craignure, which is home to the main ferry port and the island's hospital.
This would would mean children from the Ross of Mull, who currently live out with Tobermory High School's catchment area, could attend school on the island.
At present, these children need to attend high school in Oban, on the Argyll mainland, and stay in a hostel during the week.
The council's preferred option is to build a replacement school in Tobermory but the "like-for-like" element of the funding means the island's capital would then lose its early years and primary provisions.
Many community members had hoped that a "split option" would be made available allowing a central high school to built as well a new primary school and nursery for the community of Tobermory, but the council says that is too expensive.
Marion MacLean lives in Tobermory and her two daughters currently attend the high school.
While the decision won't directly impact on her family, Marion feels this is the "one chance to get it right for every child that lives on the island".
While she feels its important not be "remiss of the feelings" of families in the Ross of Mull, she has concerns about the impact on the village she has called home all her life.
She told BBC Scotland News: "Tobermory can't lose it's primary school.
"It would have a huge impact on the businesses on the high street, and I think we would lose that community feel of having the children around the town during the day."
Four miles off the main road through the Ross of Mull is the village of Carsaig, which is home to Amy Simpson and her daughters Daisy, six, and Rosie, four.
Amy said that if the council's preferred option of a new school in Tobermory is selected she would feel forced to leave her village, when her kids reach secondary school age, rather than be separated from them if they had to board in Oban.
She added: "We love our life here, we have become an integral part of our community.
"We don't want to leave and we don't want to take our kids out of this community, this is where they were born and where they are growing up."
Fifty-miles south of Tobermory, a journey which takes around an hour and a half in a car due to the single track roads, is the village of Bunessan.
Rob Claxton-Ingham, who lives on a croft with his husband, said the future was uncertain as he doesn't know where his foster child will attend secondary school.
As things stand she faces travelling and boarding in Oban every week - like all children on the south of the island.
He told BBC Scotland News: "As a foster-carer, our child has faced separation and loss already from her birth family and has had to transition to us as her substitute carers
"The thought of her transitioning again at the age of 11 to a school, over the sea, where she has to get a ferry, where she won't get our day-to-day support, is hard."
Rob said high school has always been "an issue" for the community, and people have "learned to be as ok as they can be with it".
"But this situation is developing something new and it really hurts that Argyll and Bute council could develop something new and, actually while doing that plan, to continue excluding people at this end of the island," he added.
Rebekah MacLean and her four kids, also live in the village of Bunessan.
Her youngest children attend the local primary school, but for her secondary aged children things are a little bit more complicated.
She said: "For me, what I am seeking is equality across the island for all children whether that's primary age, early education or secondary students.
"One key aspect of that is the secondary school being centrally based, so all the children can attend and no child has to be put in the position of choosing between education and family."
Rebekah has managed to make arrangements with her son, Jude, 15, to stay with a family friend in Tobermory during the week so he is slightly closer to home, while her daughter, Acacia, 14, is home-schooled.
Jude is also in favour of a centrally-located school so that when it comes to his sibling's time to go to high school, they can stay at home and have a less uninterrupted education than him.
He said: "I do worry that because I have to travel so far, I have less time in school.
"I want to be an engineer, that requires straight A's.
"I worry I won't be able to get those because I have to travel so much and I'm maybe behind in class."
It is clear that the debate on where the new school should be built is an issue that in consuming islanders.
Everywhere you go, everyone has an opinion on it.
Argyll and Bute council said: "Building a new 2-18 campus on Mull is Argyll and Bute Council's single biggest investment estimated at £43m.
"Following extensive community engagement and detailed assessments, Councillors will consider a report recommending a preferred site on 27 February with a motion already tabled to hold a special meeting to consider the issue on 7 March."
Council to push ahead with £100m Mull school plan
Consultation on new secondary school for Mull

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump plans memorial to his mother on new Scottish golf course
Donald Trump is creating a memorial garden to his Scottish mother on the site of his new golf course in Aberdeenshire. The main feature of the garden will be a tribute carved in stone imported from Mary Anne Trump's birthplace, the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The announcement of Mr Trump's tribute to his mother came as Trump International Scotland unveiled the layout for a new course alongside the existing links course on his Menie estate. It is set to formally open this summer. Known officially as the Old and the New, the courses will combine to create what the company describes as ' the greatest 36 holes in golf' on the Aberdeenshire coast. The US president's mother was born Mary Anne MacLeod on Lewis, but emigrated to New York in 1930 when she was 18. She was one of tens of thousands of Scots who travelled to the US and Canada in the early years of the last century looking to escape economic hardship at home. She was hired as a domestic servant at the Carnegie Mansion on New York's Fifth Avenue and six years later married Frederick Trump, the successful property developer son of German migrants, and one of the most eligible men in New York. The US president was the fourth of the couple's five children. Mr Trump has spoken fondly of his mother, who died in 2000, aged 88. He said in an interview last year: 'The Scottish very great people, they're tough people. They're good fighters. [My mother] was funny, she had a great sense of humour.' Sarah Malone, the executive vice-president of Trump International, said: 'With the New course opening now fast approaching, we are delighted to share the final layout of this extraordinary links and the completion of The Greatest 36 Holes. 'It has been a phenomenal journey to create two truly exceptional world-class championship golf courses, across this magnificent stretch of North Sea coastline. 'The Trump family has a deep affection for Scotland, not only as the home of golf, but as the ancestral home of President Trump's beloved mother, Mary Anne MacLeod.' The plans for the second course were approved in 2019 alongside proposals for 550 new homes, shops, offices and restaurants. Planners received 2,921 valid representations from the public about the plan, 2,918 of which were objections and just 3 supported the Trump Organisation application. But despite the significant local opposition, Aberdeenshire council approved the £150 million plan. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
CNN Reporter Mocked For Noting 'The Smell Of Weed Is In The Air' At LA ICE Protests
A CNN reporter is going viral for an offhand comment he made Tuesday about cannabis while covering protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Trump administration's harsh immigration policies in Los Angeles. During a segment at a protest site, reporter Nick Watt described the scene for viewers, claiming at one point that he saw 'some people who I would suggest might be interested in causing some trouble a little later on,' who were in masks and swimming goggles 'for the tear gas.' The Scottish-born Watt also noted graffiti reading 'F Trump' on a building being guarded by National Guardsmen and noted that 'the mood in the crowd is getting more agitated' as the clock moved closer to the 8 p.m. curfew declared by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. But it was his next comment that lit a fire on social media' 'The smell of weed is in the air,' he said. 'People are not looking at all, Abby, like they are gonna abide by this curfew and get out of here,' he said. Watt's weed comments were mocked on social media because marijuana has been legal in California since 2016 and ― like it or not ― it's common to smell it even in places where there aren't massive protests. Also, while Watt's comments may have sounded as if he were hinting that tensions between protesters and the Guardsmen might lead to violence, many people pointed out that cannabis just tends to make people really mellow. HuffPost reached out to Watt for comment, but he did not immediately respond. However, his cannabis comments lit a fire on social media. Cannabis Industry Cautiously Optimistic It Won't Be Burned By Trump LA Police Swiftly Enforce Downtown Curfew As Protests Against Trump's Immigration Crackdown Continue Dozens Of Journalists Targeted, Shot, Detained While Covering LA Protests, Press Org Says
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Spend every penny of increased cash on affordable housing, charity urges
Scottish ministers have been urged to fully pass on a funding increase caused by a boost in housing spend by the UK Government. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced on Wednesday £39 billion would be spent over the next decade on housing. The cash will result in an increase in funding for Scotland, though the Treasury has as yet been unable to say how much extra cash will come north of the border. The announcement comes as the Scottish Government has been dealing with a housing emergency in the country for more than a year and as Mairi McAllan was appointed Housing Secretary on Wednesday. Shelter Scotland – a key housing charity north of the border – has urged ministers to ensure every penny provided to the Scottish Government as a result of the boost goes towards affordable homes. 'The UK Government has finally recognised the importance of social housing and placed it at the heart of the Chancellor's plans,' the charity's director, Alison Watson, said. 'If additional funding is made available, only the Scottish Government can decide how it is allocated. But if the First Minister is serious about tackling the housing emergency and ending child poverty, housing must be a priority. 'We demand that any consequentials arising from this investment in housing in England are passed directly to Scotland's affordable housing supply programme. 'This is already the case with NHS spending – housing should be no different. After all, home is everything. 'We know that building more social homes is the only way to tackle the housing emergency. 'It is the only way we can move the 10,360 children currently in temporary accommodation into secure, permanent homes.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'As part of his reshuffle, the First Minister has put tackling the housing emergency at the heart of his Cabinet by appointing Mairi McAllan as Cabinet Secretary for Housing. 'This financial year, we have increased the Affordable Housing Supply Programme budget by £200 million to £768 million, including £40m targeted towards acquisitions to support the local authorities with the most sustained homelessness and temporary accommodation pressures. 'The full implications of the UK spending review, which outlined spending on housing in the next 10 years, are still being considered.'