Question reference: S4W-10648
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 29 October 2012
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Current status: Answered by Michael Russell on 7 November 2012
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the criteria are for determining whether or not a school is classified as rural under the terms of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.
Answer
The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 requires Scottish Ministers to maintain a list of rural schools. Section 14 of the 2010 Act states that in determining the question of rurality when considering whether a school falls to be included in or excluded from the list of rural schools, the Scottish Ministers are to have regard (in particular) to—
(a) the population of the community (or settlement) in which the school is located,
(b) the geographical circumstances of that community (or settlement) including its
relative remoteness or inaccessibility.
The Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification, provides a standard definition of rural areas in Scotland. The rural school list is prepared using this classification system with 3 different classifications for rural school (Accessible Rural, Remote Rural and Very Remote Rural). These classifications are based on the settlement size where the school is located and also by the drive time to another settlement. The detail of the classification criteria is set out in the following table.
| Accessible Rural | Settlements of fewer than 3,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more. |
| Remote Rural | Settlements of fewer than 3,000 people and with a drive time of between 30 and 60 minutes to a settlement of 10,000 or more. |
| Very Remote Rural | Settlements of fewer than 3,000 people and with a drive time of over 60 minutes to a settlement of 10,000 or more. |