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Education Services Millennium Conclusions
On the question on increasing our skills and qualifications, 123 people felt that training in computing, craft or trade skills (92) or professional or managerial training (55) would be most useful. Ivybridge would be more than twice as popular as a centre for adult courses than either Totnes or Plymouth, but over half of respondents would not consider attending classes (but 7% currently do), and have no opinion about current provision.
"Staff to have up-to-date, appropriate qualifications for under 5 age group. Under 5’s not in reception class..."
"Extending the school to give the children better sporting facilities, a hall, library and less overcrowding keeping class sizes under 30"
"The OFSTED inspectorate should provide inspections unannounced to give a more realistic report. More should be spent on facilities rather than teachers’ wages"
More local classes (e.g. in village halls) might attract the 100 or so people who have some interest or intention of future attendance on courses.
Just over 160 people gave an opinion on pre-school provision in the Parish and satisfied people outnumbered those dissatisfied by 5:1.
200 people expressed opinion on the issue of Primary School buildings, and 62% thought the current site should be redeveloped; only 18 would wish to see the school relocated and 59 thought there should be no change. The opinions were quite uniform across all areas of the Parish and all age groups. Reduced class sizes would be the biggest development that could improve the school although few suggestions were given. 91% of those responding were in favour of school facilities being made more available to the public.
Our Parish, District and County Councils, and the Dartmoor National Park Authority get a uniformly ‘reasonable’ rating for their services. The County Council is a little less popular than the other bodies; but about 30% gave no opinion.
"Do not know which service is provided by which Council"
"A few more pounds for the parish would enable more to be done locally"
"Taxes should always be kept as low as possible… parish requirements should be well vetted and worthwhile before money is spent"
Of all the Health, Care and Emergency services that were highlighted our distance from hospitals and the consequent problems with both emergency and public transport was by far the greatest cause for concern. The relative inaccessibility of doctors, chemists, dentists and the Social Services office is clearly always a problem in a rural parish.
"Feeling ill and having to travel by bus to Health Centres and waiting at bus stops when weather is cold and wet. Doctors unwilling to visit if patient is at all ambulant"
"Our dentist retired and we could not get an NHS dentist without going to Plymouth or Newton Abbot…"
"Enormous cost – travel to Plymouth, then to Derriford and then reverse – there used to be a special round-the-hospitals bus"
58% (397 People) would support a celebratory project for the Millennium, although a fifth of the total returns had no opinion on this. Half the people replying (312 people) would contribute time and/or money, but a firm majority would not wish to see an increase in the Parish Precept, that is an element of Council Tax; two to one were against this!
Currently favoured options are:-
|
New Year’s Eve Party |
194 people |
|
Bittaford/Ugborough footpath |
166 people |
|
Parish Map |
118 people |
|
Public open space |
95 people |
|
Church floodlighting |
93 people |
"Torchlight procession after New Year’s Eve church service to light a beacon"
"Create a meeting place as on the continent, a sitting area with a special tree or flowers or a water garden"
"Flood lighting the viaduct in Bittaford"
"Millennium project – certainly not!"
Other suggestions included:-
Parish Video
Community Photograph.
In conclusion, we should return to an earlier theme: the Environment and the Community were ‘most important features of the Parish’ for over 85% of those who returned the Appraisal forms.
"Good neighbours"
Thank you for enabling the Steering Group to compile a picture that can be used to give weight to social and political concerns. You will be most welcome to help create recommendations at the January meeting and to talk to the representatives of the public authorities. We hope to run the meeting so that everyone feels able to contribute, if they wish - and the minority who were ‘not sure’ of their response on this concluding question really MUST attend!!
So we recommend this report to you and hope it forms the basis of many new beginnings. We are:
| Sara Wormald | Elayne Downing | Graham English |
| Dave Price | Paul Whiteley | Denise Cooper |
| Val Mucrone | Graham Wilson | John Perry |
| Meryl Docker | Peter Fawn | John Trend |
January 1999
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