The success of two pilot community school projects - at Inverness High School and Alness Academy and their feeder primary schools - has enabled The Highland Council to attract a further £2.37 million worth of funding over the next two financial years to extend the scheme to every community in the area.

The Council has attracted the third highest spending allocation in Scotland - £1,021,440 in 2002/2003 and £1,149,120 in 2003/4, as well as £200,000 of existing pilot funding for 2002/2003. And there are hopes that the Council can add to this by tapping into funding which is available via the Changing Children’s Services Fund and the Discipline Task Force Fund as well as the existing Social Inclusion Partnership funds.

It has been agreed that all schools in Highland should be included in core aspects of the New Community Schools approach, allowing funding to be directed to children in need, wherever they live in Highland. Features to be developed are pre-school and child care for all; improved curriculum opportunities; improved health and health education opportunities; improved family support; enhanced use of school and community based resources and early interventions as a principle and practice.

In selected schools – based on two nationally accepted indicators of disadvantage - there will be additional targeted support. These are: - Inverness High School; Culloden Academy; Inverness Royal Academy; Alness Academy; Invergordon Academy; Tain Royal Academy; Dingwall Academy; Nairn Academy; Lochaber High School; Thurso High School, and Wick High School.

Recognising the particular disadvantages created by rurality and remoteness, additional funding will be directed towards schools and communities in Ardnamurchan, Badenoch and Strathspey, Skye and Lochalsh, Sutherland and Wester Ross. Funding will be directed to schools with the greatest need in providing improved educational achievement, particularly for the lower performing pupils; improved health; improved social inclusion and improved child, family and community support. 

Final plans will be presented to the Council’s eight Area Committees and the Joint Committee for Children and Young People for comments. The strategic direction of the Highland wide roll out, including financial allocations, will lie with the Education Culture and Sport Committee. It is hoped to have plans in place for August to allow project work to commence.

Councillor Andy Anderson, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee, said: "There is no doubt that the success of the two pilots schemes in Inverness and Alness have paved the way for the additional funding which will allow us to extend the scheme to all schools in Highland. We will be using the grant, and other funding streams, to maximise the opportunities currently available to the council and its partners."

The philosophy of the Community School is to give children the right to maximise their potential and remove barriers to learning through educational, health, family and community support.