The Convener of School Closure Review Panels is now recruiting persons who will be eligible to be Panel Members.

The Convener and Panels were established by, and have prescribed powers and duties under, the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 (legislation.gov.uk)Legislation is supported by statutory guidance which supports local authorities when they consult on changes to schools (including nursery) such as closing, relocating or opening a new school. Supporting documents - Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010: guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

School Closure Review Panels are independent statutory bodies which have been created to enhance and strengthen the process of local authority school closures in Scotland. On 30th March 2015 the Convener and Panels took over responsibility from the Scottish Ministers for reviewing and determining local authority school closure decisions which are called-in by Ministers.

Scottish Ministers can call in a proposal when the education authority may have failed in a significant regard to comply with the requirements imposed on it by the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 so far as they are relevant to the closure proposal, or to take proper account of a material consideration relevant to its decision to implement the proposal.

Duties and responsibilities

The Convener is responsible for appointing and maintaining a pool of persons who will be eligible to be Panel Members. Once a school closure decision is called in by Scottish Ministers, the Convener is required to select three individuals from the pool of persons eligible to be Panel Members to form a Panel to determine each case, and to identify a Chair for each Panel.

Once a Panel is established, responsibility for the review of a closure proposal and for its determination lies with the Panel. The Convener is not involved in Panel decisions.

Administrative support, organised by the Convener, is provided to the Panels. The Convener has engaged the Scottish Arbitration Centre to provide administrative support to the Convener and the Panels.

It is difficult to predict the number of school closure decisions that will be called in by Scottish Ministers. The original estimated was five or six proposals a year, but since 2015 only six Panels have been established to review decisions. The last Panel convened was in 2021.

For more on the work of SCRP: Schools Closure Review Panel (scrp.scot)

Skills, knowledge and experience required

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

· Evidence of managing tasks involving reading complex written documents and working to deadlines.

· Experience of making effective and reasoned decisions.

· The ability to produce high quality written work.

· Good verbal communication skills.

· The ability to work well with others as part of a team.

Desirable, but not essential would be:

· Awareness of the issues involved in school closure consultations in Scotland.

· Awareness of the issues involved in the provision of education in Scotland’s rural communities.

· Legal knowledge and experience.

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and wish to particularly encourage applications from disabled applicants and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic applicants.

Remuneration

Remuneration of £226.92 per day (which is non-pensionable) is payable. Expenses for travel and subsistence relating to the Panels will be reimbursed.

Time commitment

Ideally, should you be asked to sit on a Panel, you should be able to make a firm commitment to spend up to ten days per year on Panel business. You will also be asked to attend a Panel member training day one day each year.

Location of meetings

Administrative support for the Panels is based in Edinburgh, and induction and other training is likely to take place in Edinburgh or online. Much of the work of any Panel can be performed remotely, with support from the administrative team.

Additional information

You are disqualified from being appointed as a Panel Member if you are a member of the Scottish Parliament; a Local Authority Councillor; a member of the House of Commons or House of Lords.

If you have any initial questions or requests for clarification, please email juliet@scrp.scot

ABOUT EAST LOTHIAN COMMUNITY RAIL PARTNERSHIP

Community Rail Partnerships (CRP) were first established in England in the 1990s as a formal mechanism to reinvigorate local and rural railways. CRP status provides a framework for community involvement in strategic planning, development and operation of a specific railway line.

Since 2014, the East Lothian Community Rail Partnership has been pulling together a wide range of local organisations with an interest in communities and sustainable transport, to fix the link between railway stations, town centres and the surrounding areas, and realise an integrated transport network accessible to all. We work with four train operators (ScotRail, LNER, TransPennine Express, and Cross Country), Transport Scotland, East Lothian Council, the Regional Transport Partnership (SEStran), local businesses and community groups towards the following aims:

• Supporting the local economy by promoting rail use and rail facilities
• Actively promoting the use of rail and other public and low carbon-emitting transport
• Supporting safety, security and access initiatives relating to railway use
• Working with ‘station adopters’ (individuals and groups) to provide a more pleasant environment within the station areas.

ABOUT THE VACANCY

Harry Barker has been chairing East Lothian CRP since its inception in 2014 and is now preparing to pass on the reins of a well-established and respected organisation. In addition the time is right to expand the Board and also appoint a vice chair. Examples of projects completed to date include:

• restored the murals at Prestonpans Station (best community project 2023)
• improved signage to stations
• provided information boards for display in stations promoting local attractions and historical information
• supported many local events in the North Berwick and Dunbar areas
• producing a line guide and leaflets to encourage tourism
• working with bus operators to improve integration between bus and rail

Projects have always been dependent on external funding which to date has not proved problematical, and, as such, the incoming Chair will have the flexibility to pursue their own agenda. The CRP is financially sound and new ways of operating are being explored by The Community Rail Network and the new Chair will be well placed to provide input to these.

East Lothian CRP has no paid staff, and projects are led by volunteers under direction from the Board, and therefore the amount of work involved can vary but can be expected to be around 10 hours per month for the Chair.

DUTIES OF THE CHAIR

Responsibilities include:

• Ensuring that the CRP is run in accordance with the constitution
• Guiding and encouraging projects that will be undertaken from time to time
• Ensuring that the Action Plan is kept up to date
• Chairing four meetings per year, including the AGM (normally held in November)
• Producing an annual report for the AGM
• Ensuring that the activities of the CRP are within the guidelines produced by the Train Operating Companies in all respects particularly including safely

BENEFITS

You will receive a ‘staff’ rail pass from ScotRail permitting free rail travel throughout Scotland when travelling on ScotRail trains.

Reasonable expenses will be paid if required to travel on other rail services and/or stay overnight.

REQUIREMENTS

The successful applicant will be expected to support public transport in general, with a keen interest in integration between modes such as buses, active travel and rail.

A willingness of Board members to attend committees and conferences is essential (expenses will be covered) and these will give valuable access to professional railway staff and management on the front line, where your views can be heard. These include:

• the local ‘Rail Forum’ involving MSPs, Councillors and Train Operating Companies - twice a year, usually virtually
• in-person or virtual annual conferences of the four local Train Operating Companies (ScotRail, Cross Country Trains, TransPennine Express, and LNER) which may be held anywhere in the UK
• An annual event in Scotland sponsored by Modern Railways magazine which is attended by many high profile railway managers and senior representation from Transport Scotland
• Virtual attendance (via Zoom) at the national Community Rail Network meetings
• In-person Community Rail Networks Awards ceremony, if the CRP is short listed for an Award – this year’s was in Swansea over three days
• Six Community Area Partnership ‘On the Move’ groups consider local transport in East Lothian – CRP representation on one or more of these groups is important for a full appreciation of issues surrounding each station. Each On the Move Group meets every two months

A knowledge of railways and their workings is desirable but not essential.

Living in East Lothian and using the county’s rail services from time to time would be advantageous.

You will be expected to liaise with the station adoption groups from time to time. They have a separate relationship with ScotRail.

You will be expected to be pro-active in instructing the website to be kept up to date via the CRP’s appointed webmaster, and in responding to public enquiries which come via the website. You will not be required to answer complaints from the travelling public but direct these to ScotRail for attention.

From time to time it may be necessary to communicate with the local Press (East Lothian Courier and occasionally Edinburgh Evening News).

Join us as a Charity Trustee on our Board of Directors for Held in our Hearts – a charity with a big heart and big ambitions.

Are you passionate about supporting individuals and families who have experienced baby loss across Scotland, and do you have a background or expertise of fundraising and building sustainable giving relationships in a charity context?

Do you have the skills and experience to support the growth of our charity as we embark on our next stage of expansion? If so, we invite you to join our Board of Trustees and play a crucial role in shaping the future and building the resilience of our charity.

More about us

Held in our Hearts is a small but mighty and growing Scottish charity providing baby loss counselling and peer support to families. We have over 40 years’ experience of offering compassionate bereavement care to individuals and families and working closely with a range of partners including the NHS, Scottish Government and the third sector.

Our values of empathy, connection and love underpin all that we do and guide us as Board members, charity colleagues and volunteers as we continue to grow and expand our services and reach. With an innovative approach to early intervention, our fabulous Chief Executive and her team now provide support through our Hospital to Home service in four NHS Boards across Scotland.

Our charity vision is to ensure a minimum framework of bereavement care in Scotland, and we are therefore seeking a committed and experienced charity growth and fundraising colleague to join our Board of Trustees.

Role: Trustee/Board Director.

• Key Responsibilities:

- As a volunteer, support the Chair to provide strategic direction and oversight to the charity.

- Collectively ensure the charity operates within its charitable governance and accountabilities.

- As a Board member, regularly monitor financial performance and work collectively to ensure future financial health.

- Support the development of fundraising initiatives and community engagement, including corporate partnerships and events.

- Attend regular Board meetings every 6-8 weeks, and where possible participate in themed or focussed sub meetings or conversations as needed.

• What We’re Looking For:

- Passion for our vision, values and work. Whilst we are keen to consider applicants from a range of backgrounds, as this is a sensitive area of support, we would encourage interested parties to consider the context and nature of our work before applying. More information can be found on our website at heldinourhearts.org.uk

- We are particularly keen to recruit a skilled individual with experience in the following areas: fundraising through event planning, corporate giving, grant application & management, and marketing & stakeholder communications.

- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the desire and ability to work collaboratively on a Board and with members of the Held in our Hearts team.

- Ability to think strategically, to initiate and lead solutions and to be an ambassador for the work of the charity.

- Commitment to devoting time, expertise, networks and effort to the role.

Why Join Us?

- Make a significant impact on the work of this important charity providing compassionate bereavement care for individuals and families across Scotland.

- Build valuable experience supporting the work of this charity as we move to the next stage of our ambitious strategy.

- Work with a team of dedicated and inspiring colleagues in the charity and network with colleagues on the Board from a diverse range of backgrounds.

The Ripple Project is seeking a chair and board members to help the community of Restalrig, Lochend and Craigentinny to flourish.

We are a company limited by guarantee and charity that both serves and works with its local community to tackle poverty and inequality by responding to local priorities, circumstances and needs in a sustainable way.

The Ripple is looking forward over the next 5 years to build our capacity to respond to the increasing needs within our community. This is an exciting opportunity for board members and an experienced chair to help make a genuine difference in a community that is struggling but strong.

We are seeking both an experienced chair and board members.

We are particularly interested in people who have knowledge and experience in the following areas:

• Role of Chair

• Role of Vice Chair

• Funding and Investment

• HR

• Communications

If you share our ambition and vision for better lives for local people and their communities we would love to hear from you.