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Pensioner dies on Waverley Bridge – Community Access to Schools – RSNO Season Finale! Symphony of a Thousand – Meadows Festival – Hidden Door Art Auction

A 76 year-old pensioner died yesterday evening on Waverley Bridge after being struck by a car near the pedestrian ramp entrance to the railway station.

Police are asking for any witnesses to the incident to come forward with any information.

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When the Education Committee meets today they will focus their attention on the community access to schools. The Ā eight community high schools across the city are designed to be used by people in the local community ‘after hours’, but now the council wants to introduce primary school buildings into that letting arrangement.

The council has been examining ways of increasing the use of school buildings outwith normal school hours. The buildings are already used by adult education classes but it was hoped this review might unearth some other possibilities. At present the council support given to the community high schools is Ā£3.2m against income generated of Ā£1.87m.

The council will put extra staffing in place to cope with these community programmes, and in view of the extra staff any allowances made to head teachers of community high schools will no longer be paid. The council will consult with the trade unions on the proposed new arrangements and employing new staff. They have developed an online booking system which is currently being tested to make it an easy task to book a school for your event, and a scale of charges has been devised.

This scale of charges means that if you hire a sport hall from the council it might cost Ā£35 in future as opposed to around Ā£31 now, although other charges such as the hire of a gym or pool will reduce by a small margin. The council estimate that they will generate about Ā£1.04m of income in future years by levelling out all of the charges and ensuring that they are the same across the city.

Charges for adult education classes are also to be set this morning. A course at Drummond Community High School for example will cost Ā£58 this year but rise to Ā£60 next year.

From 2016 the cost for all courses at all schools will be the same and the full feeĀ payableĀ will be Ā£60.

 

Other items on the agenda include new classrooms for certain primary schools where overcrowding is envisaged. The council expect to be educating 31,000 pupils in 2019, and so is introducing a recommendation to build standalone classrooms such as those already constructed at Granton, Wardie and Trinity Primary Schools which the council consider to have beenĀ well received.Ā Ā 

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On Friday 30 May 2014 | 7.30pm The RSNO will play theĀ MahlerĀ Symphony No8 Symphony of a Thousand

Peter OundjianĀ (CONDUCTOR)
Erin WallĀ (SOPRANO I)
Elizabeth LlewellynĀ (SOPRANO II)
Sarah TynanĀ (SOPRANO III)
Caitlin HulcupĀ (MEZZO-SOPRANO I)
Susan PlattsĀ (MEZZO-SOPRANO II)
Simon Oā€™NeillĀ (TENOR)
Luthando QaveĀ (BARITONE)
Jonathan LemaluĀ (BARITONE)

RSNO Chorus
RSNO Junior Chorus
Royal Scottish National Orchestra

More information and tickets here.

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A reminder about the Meadows Festival which takes place on 7 and 8 June – and yes it takes place in The Meadows!

Live music, food stalls, football and many other family attractions. They are looking for volunteers to help them set up.

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Save the date!
The Hidden Door Fundraiser Art Auction
Saturday the 31st of May 2014
Leith School of Art, 25 North Junction Street, Edinburgh
From 6.30pm until late
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Come along, have a drink, bid on something amazing and support Edinburgh’s own DIY art revolution.

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.