St Ninian's consultation

The Schools Consultation Act (2010) places an obligation on local authorities to consult all interested parties if they are proposing changes to schooling in their area.

East Renfrewshire council are following this act to the letter of the law and independent consultants will be canvassing pupils — including primary-aged children — for their opinions on the matter.

Nicola Garioch has two children at St Cadoc's. Tara (6) a primary three pupil and Caiden (5), a primary one pupil will both have their voices heard as part of the consultation exercise.

But Mrs Garicoh believes her children should be kept out of such a political issue because "it's far too complex for kids to understand".

Zia Hussain (39) has one daughter at St Angela's and he said: "These young pupils could tick a box, without really knowing why, and it could have a huge impact on their future.

"I don't think they'll understand the enormity of the process: a lot of grown adults don't".

A council spokesman said: "Our young people are citizens too and have a right to have their voice heard.

"To help that we've brought in some educational experts from outside of East Renfrewshire who know how to engage with young people in primary and secondary school".

David McCulloch (43) lives in Glasgow's Southpark village and is a parent of two children at St Angela's.

The engineer also serves as Chair of St Angela's school's parent council. Following a parent forum at St Ninian's on Tuesday night, he said: "a lot of parents feel unhappy about the situation as the issue has not been brought to the individual parent councils".

"With regards to the consultation we feel our views from the short-life working group are not being addressed".

However, the council stated "a whole range of opportunities for teachers, parents, pupils and anyone else with an interest to have their say have been set up".