Every child in the Borders deserves a good local nursery and school, with appropriate social and educational support, and every family deserves a fair hearing. But recent years have seen declining provision across our local authority area.
What’s happening
- Maladministration at Scottish Borders Council. In 2025, our local authority consulted the public on the closure of nurseries at Channelkirk, Cockburnspath, Ednam, Walkerburn and Yetholm. But in mid-2026, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman found that the consultation was unreasonable and amounted to maladministration. The closures were reversed.
- Rural schools are under pressure. Eddleston Primary’s closure was approved in July 2026, and Fountainhall Primary is now under statutory consultation. At the same time, the Scottish Borders has declining outcomes for the most underprivileged children, especially those who are in care or have experience of being in care.
Our position on schools
- Honest consultation. Clear, properly recorded, and lawful. Families shouldn’t need the Ombudsman to be heard.
- Keep rural schools open wherever they are viable, and treat small schools as community assets.
- More teachers, smaller classes. Move temporary teachers onto permanent contracts and work towards classes of 20.
- Better conditions for Additional Support Needs (ASN) staff. More specialist ASN teachers and proper pay for those who deliver direct support to children with additional needs.
- Free breakfast clubs in every primary school.
- Mental health counselling in every secondary school.
Our position on childcare
- 1,140 funded hours from the week after a child turns two.
- 570 funded hours for every child aged six months to two years.
- Rural base funding so village nurseries and childminders can stay open.
- Wraparound and holiday care that fits shift work and rural school days.
The Scottish Greens are fighting for these changes in Holyrood, where our South Scotland MSP, Laura Moodie, serves as the party’s education spokesperson. We’ll fight for them at the local level, too, if we can win more wards in the council elections in May 2027.
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