The issue was debated last Friday at the seminar The School as the Hub of the Community, organised by Children in Scotland and aimed at drawing together the experiences of practitioners and sharing best practice.
A mapping exercise is being completed to establish the extent to which schools in rural areas are already acting as a hub for services, and a study visit is planned next month to the Asker community in Borgen, Norway, where a campus has been built comprising a school, church, health centre and kindergarten.
The Growing Up in Rural Scotland report to accompany the conference, by Sarah Gillen, early years policy manager at Children in Scotland, said that the Dundonald Primary school in South Ayrshire had been constructed on similar lines, with its new building attached to an existing activity centre. The complex includes a community library as well as sporting and kitchen facilities, which are used by the school during the day and are open for public use after 4pm.
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