Shetland Health Impact Assessment Tool · Shetland Health Impact Assessment Tool 1 This tool is designed for use both in developing policies and in evaluating projects and policies

Shetland Health Impact Assessment Tool

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This tool is designed for use both in developing policies and in evaluating projects and policies during development and delivery. It should help to stimulate dialogue, generate new ideas and encourage ‘joined-up’ thinking. This tool is designed to help us think about the potential impact the outcomes of the project or policy may have on the Health and Wellbeing of individuals and communities in Shetland

Health is much more than not being ill. It is a resource for everyday living and allows people to fulfil their potential. Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being – not just the absence of illness Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities. (WHO, 1984, 1986)

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Many factors combine together to affect the health of individuals and communities. Whether people are healthy or not is determined by their circumstances and environment. To a large extent, factors such as where we live, the state of our environment, genetics, our income and education level, and our relationships with friends and family all have considerable impacts on health, whereas the more commonly considered factors such as access and use of health care services often have less of an impact.

The determinants of health include the social and economic environment, the physical environment as well as the person’s individual characteristics and behaviours.

Part 1 completed by Representing Date

Elizabeth Robinson, Health Improvement Manager

NHS Shetland 2nd

November 2012

Appraisal Group Representing Date

Health Action Team NHS Shetland Shetland Islands Council Voluntary & Third Sector

27th

November 2012

Three Parent Council Chairs

Parent Councils

13th

December 2012

Checked by Representing Date

Approved by Representing Date

Please use the following scale when considering what impact the activity/policy/project may have on Health and Wellbeing:

SN Significant Negative – has a significant negative impact

NA Not Applicable – to Health and Wellbeing

MN Moderate Negative – has a moderate negative impact

MP Moderate Positive – has a moderate positive impact

N Nil – has no apparent impact at all

SP Significant Positive – has a significant positive impact


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Title of programme, policy or project:

Refresh of the Blueprint for Education Description (key aims and objectives):

A plan for school education in Shetland for the next five years

Section 1

1 What are you proposing to do? Close four junior high school secondary departments and five primary schools, including one nursery class.

2 Why are you proposing to do it? To generate the financial savings required by Shetland Islands Council whilst protecting the capacity of the school estate to deliver Curriculum for Excellence.

3 What evidence have you gained from best practice in Shetland and elsewhere?

The Commission on Rural Education in Scotland is due to report in January 2013, and the review undertakes to take these findings into account once published. The remit of the commission is:

To review the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and its application; and

To examine how the delivery of rural education can maximize attainment and outcomes to give pupils the best life chances, and to examine, where appropriate, how this can be applied more widely; and

To make recommendations on how to reflect best practice on the delivery of all aspects education in rural areas (pre-school through to higher & further education); and

To examine the links between rural education and the preservation, support and development of rural communities and to make recommendations on how these links might be strengthened if necessary; and

To examine and make recommendations on funding issues surrounding rural education.

It is noted that previous consultations have caused great upset in the community of Shetland.

4 Who has been involved in the development of this project or policy?

A number of consultations have taken place since 2008. See Para 2.4 Appendix 1 of Blueprint documentation.

5 What are the measures of success? Shetland Islands Council statement for Education 2012-2017: We will ensure the best quality for all our pupils to enable them to become successful learners, who are confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. We will achieve this through the highest standard of teaching and learning delivered in modern, well equipped school buildings which are financially sustainable. Plan states the belief that, within the resources which will be available to Children’s Services, the revised school estate in the proposed

plan offers the best possible opportunity for the greatest number of children in Shetland to:

Retain access to a variety of curricular opportunities


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Have access to a variety of teaching staff and support staff

Have access to a reasonable number of children of a similar age

Have class sizes which provide the best opportunities within Curriculum for Excellence to learn from each other and be active in their learning

6 How will the policy/project be implemented?

Phased programme of school closures over a three year period, commencing in 2013, with three or four statutory consultations per year.

7 How have you determined the extent of impact of any other related internal or external activities or proposed activities?

Not clear on links with

Transport Strategy

Local Development Plan

Digital Shetland Strategy

8 Who is best placed to deliver? Shetland Islands Council Schools Service

9 How much will it cost? Potential savings identified of £3,249,000 by the financial year 2016/17

10 What are the sources of finance? Table of potential savings provided, but some further explanation required to explain how these figures were arrived at. See Para 4.3.9 Appendix 1

11 What are the staffing implications? Approximately 54 full time equivalent secondary teaching staff will be affected. Of these potentially 41 will need to be transferred. Approximately 37 full time equivalent secondary support staff will be displaced, of these approximately 35 full time equivalent transfer options have been identified. Approximately eight full time equivalent primary teaching staff will be affected. Of these potentially all have transfer options identified. Approximately 7 full time equivalent primary support staff will be displaced, of these approximately 6 full time equivalent transfer options have been identified See para 3.1.23, Appendix 1 for more details. *Please note that Baltasound figures are still included within the staffing implications above.

12 What are the significant milestones? Phase 1

Closure Proposal Receiving School Statutory Consultation

Proposed Transfer Date

** Current Indicative Figures 2012/13

Aith Junior High School secondary department

Anderson High School 2013

August 2014

£715,941

Skerries School secondary department

Anderson High School 2013

August 2014

£81,404

Olnafirth Primary School Brae High School primary department

2013

August 2014

£167,098

Phase 2




Baltasound* Junior High School Mid Yell Junior High School

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secondary department secondary department 2014 August 2015 £520,371

Burravoe Primary School Mid Yell Junior High School primary department

2014

August 2015

£78,220

North Roe Primary School Ollaberry Primary School 2014

August 2015

Urafirth Primary School Ollaberry Primary School 2014

August 2015

£259,670

Urafirth Primary School – Nursery Class

Ollaberry Primary School 2014

August 2015

*Baltasound proposal has now been removed by council decision. Phase 3




Sandwick Junior High School secondary department

*Anderson High School 2015

August 2016

£907,790

Whalsay School secondary department

*Anderson High School 2015

August 2016

£704,784

Sandness Primary School Happyhansel Primary School 2015

August 2016

£123,128

13 What are the ongoing commitments? The agreed principles for Education in Shetland are:

To ensure strategic planning, effective leadership and quality assurance to bring about improvement;

To ensure effective partnership working;

To ensure that all families have access to quality early education and childcare provision;

To ensure all schools deliver Curriculum for Excellence, specifically, a broad curriculum, a breadth of experience, social interaction and learning experiences;

To ensure all learners experience smooth transitions between stages of learning, supported by the highest possible professional standards;

To ensure all learners in Shetland have equal opportunity throughout their educational experience to enable them to achieve their full potential;

To ensure that these principles are delivered within the Council’s budget Statements from Blueprint for Education 2012 – 2017 Paras 3.11.1 – 3.11.9 Primary education

We will provide primary education in all our remote isles with pre-school provision as and when required. We will organise primary education in establishments/schools which are viable both educationally and financially.

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Secondary education

We will organise secondary education to provide the breadth of curriculum to best develop a young person’s skills and particular interests in establishments/schools which are viable both educationally and financially.

Childcare Childcare provision will be developed in line with the Childcare Strategy. In the Sustainability section of the Childcare Strategy 2012-2015 it states that, where appropriate, Shetland Islands Council will make council owned premises (predominantly schools) available to out of school clubs and ‘wrap around’ childcare. We will work with voluntary and private sector providers to secure more integrated and flexible services that meet local need. In doing so, we will take account of best value principles for all.

Youth Strategy Approval is in place to develop a new Youth Strategy for Shetland. Provision of youth services in the Strategy will take account of any changes to the provision of school education which comes from the implementation of the Blueprint for Education 2012- 2017.

Catchment areas We will consult on any change to a school’s catchment area as part of any future statutory consultation process.

Travel times We will organise transport to ensure that, as far as possible, pupils will not travel for longer than the current maximum single journey time in 2011/12:

40 minutes for a primary pupil

65 minutes for a secondary pupil.

Transport We will ensure that school transport is given high priority.

Community involvement in schools We will work to ensure that:

Children’s community identity is protected;

Opportunities are put in place for them to participate in any new school community they are part of; and

The Youth Strategy is developed to enhance young people’s participation in communities they are part of. Use of buildings

We will ensure that the potential future use of school buildings will be part of the statutory consultation process. Other policies and strategies ‘We will place more effort on stimulating demand for living in the more remote areas of Shetland by ensuring that the ratio of

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jobs to people and housing is the same’. – Sustaining Shetland

14 What arrangements are in place for monitoring and evaluation?

National external scrutiny by Education Scotland Internal quality assurance processes Audit Scotland is undertaking an ongoing assessment of Shetland Islands Council, and Shetlands Islands Council will be inspected for Best Value sometime in 2013.

15 What are the significant risks associated with this activity and how will they be managed?

Report of Commission on Rural Schools due to report in January 2013 The Appeal in the Court of Session has been heard and is expected to report by the end of 2012. Local consultations may throw up more specific issues which may need to be overcome. Local authority may identify more stringent targets for savings

16 How have you considered the ways in which this project or policy might target specific areas and communities?

The programme of school closures specifically targets more remote and rural areas within Shetland. The school closure programme is mainly focused on smaller schools and departments which are, by their nature, usually more remote. Local communities are fearful that closure of a school or any part of a school will have a detrimental effect on the local community.

17 How will the activity impact unevenly on people or places?

As above

18 What are the long-term impacts and implications (25+ years) and how do we address these?

The Blueprint covers the period 2012 – 15, so the impact on the next 25 years isn’t clear. The paper states that school rolls are predicted to fall over the next couple of years and then rise again, and birthrate figures support a projected rise in school aged children over the next few years. One of the targets within Sustaining Shetland is to increase Shetland’s population to a level of 25000 from a current population of 22870 (GP Registration Data) by 2025.

19 What are the Scottish, UK, European and global implications for and of the project or policy?

Awaiting Report of Commission on Rural Schools and Appeal in the Court of Session

20 How does the project or policy enable the originator to develop a stronger role in preventing and addressing the root causes of unsustainable trends in society?

Not clear from documentation – some reference to school estate being unsustainable in its present form.

21 What consideration have you given to the need to conduct other forms of statutory assessments? (Please complete the ‘*Other Impact Assessments’ section below as far as possible.)

The Main paper, Paras 4.5 & 4.6 states that ‘An Equality Impact Assessment has been done and at this early stage in the process, there are no equalities, health & human rights impacts. An Environmental Impact Assessment has also been done, and there are not Environmental implications at this stage.’ Five previous statutory consultations which have been undertaken by the Schools Service have included socio-economic impact assessments. The schools service doesn’t routinely commission socio-economic impact assessments, except where these are requested by the community. The report of the Commission on Rural Education may have an impact on the Schools Consultation Act 2010

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Section 2

What contribution does this activity make to:

Expected effect of activity etc. Comments

1. Vulnerable Groups? SN MN N NA MP SP Supporting Evidence Suggestions for improvement

1a Age related groups (e.g. children and young people, adults 18-64, older people)

x x The proposal will have an impact on some children and young people – potentially positive or negative depending on the child and the changes as they affect each child. It will also have an impact on many families, communities, and school staff, both teaching and support.

Important to ensure transition related support tailored to individual children and young people. Community engagement and involvement in developing proposals as opposed to ‘consultation’. The Scottish Government states that smaller classes allow enhanced levels of pupil/teacher interaction which, in turn, contributes to giving Scotland’s young people better life chances by increasing their attainment and realising their ambition. There is no national guidance on minimum class sizes; however there would appear to be advantages of not being in a class/year group/school group which is so small that it doesn’t allow good levels of interaction, a range of subjects to be delivered etc.

1b Income related groups (e.g. on low income/economically inactive/unemployed/unable to work due to ill health)

x The closure of local schools/departments may mean that people who have been employed by the local school and who find it difficult to travel further distances may find it harder to find work. The document states that many of the support staff, in particular, may be part-time; it may not be economically viable for them to have to travel to find other work.

A socio-economic assessment would help to identify the impact of school/department closure on low income groups and the economic viability of communities and, if there are found to be negative impacts, suggest ways of ameliorating some of the impacts.

1d Groups who suffer x x Children and young people with severe and complex For children & young people with

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discrimination or other social disadvantage (e.g. people with disabilities/mental health groups/carers/refugee groups/people seeking asylum/travellers/single parent families/lesbian and gay people/ethnic, linguistic and cultural groups/religious groups)

additional support needs are already being asked to travel some of the longest distances in Shetland as the main ASN support base is in Lerwick. The argument for this central base is the ability to provide specialised services to all who currently need it. The proposal may provide a positive impact for groups who suffer discrimination – being able to mix with wider range of children/young people may provide more opportunity for young people to develop their own identities; on the other hand, it may be that children and young people who are, or feel ‘different’ find it much easier to integrate with a smaller group of peers, and are accepted, with an understanding of who they are. Young carers – the proposal has the potential to take them away from their caring role, which may be positive or negative.

disabilities, it would be important to think clearly about the support they would need if moving further away from home or if they are required to travel greater distances. Accepting that there is a need for savings to be made, is there any way of using the opportunities provided by the review of school education to reduce travelling times for all children with severe and complex additional support needs as well as those with less severe needs? In any case, use will continue to need to be made of escorts, adapted accommodation etc.

1c Geographical issues (e.g. people living in areas known to exhibit poor economic and/or health indicators/people living in isolated areas/people unable to access services and facilities)

x x Closures of local schools will potentially take a proportion of young people (and associated staff and parents who might be picking up/dropping off) out of the community for a period of the week, which may have an impact on the local economy, local shops or amenities Being in a bigger area may provide improved access to services for some people. The Blueprint for Education argues that there are educational benefits to providing education services over a smaller geographical area, where more rural junior highs have lost teachers in particular subjects, it is easier to maintain a service which is more concentrated in three areas rather than the current six.

Different issues for each of the sectors e.g.

Primary age travelling further

Secondary age hostel

Secondary age commuting

Adults displaced

Adults travelling further Probably a useful exercise to do further impact assessment on each of these groups. Is there a need to develop some criteria for when a small/rural school should be maintained, for example:

Strength of local community

Contribution of the community to the life of the school and vice versa

Difficulty and cost for pupils in travelling to alternate schools

Difficulty, cost and appropriateness of transferring staff to other schools.

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2. Individual Lifestyles? SN MN N NA MP SP Supporting evidence Suggestions for improvement

2a Diet x No obvious impact as long as children have opportunity to eat breakfast before leaving the house or breakfast club at school. School lunches will continue to be provided, in line with ‘Nutritional guidance for School Meals’.

Availability of breakfast clubs – some practical issues about how to make these available to all - would all children/young people travelling by bus have to arrive in time for breakfast clubs so that those who needed them could participate?

2b Physical activity x Potential increase in physical activity opportunities in terms of what is possible within bigger groups; for example there is more opportunity for team games where there are larger groups of young people of the same age. The opposite might also be true; in a small community any pupil who wants to be can be in the team because they are needed – more girls participation in football in small places, for example. Staying in hostel during week may provide more opportunities for after school activities, but reduces option of walking/cycling to school. Longer travel times for other students will reduce opportunities for physical activity – potentially 2 hours less time per day for many children. It can be argued that, given that many children currently don’t meet the national physical activity guidelines, longer travelling times will not have a negative impact on their physical activity. But we should be using any re-design of school services to make physical activity levels better, rather than make an already bad situation (low levels of physical activity for some pupils) worse.

Regular exercise walking or cycling to and from school has a positive influence on health. All children and young people should engage in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes and up to several hours every day.

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There has been an increase in obesity over recent years, and knowing the positive impact that physical activity has on self esteem and mental health makes it essential that clear thought is given to this area. Need to think carefully about how to offset the increased sedentary behaviour – a model which focuses less on centralisation might provide a better balance of travelling time, or utilising different sites for different specialisms, so that pupils travel to a particular school for a block of tuition on science for example.

There is an extensive literature on the health benefits of regular exercise (e.g. HEA 1996). Walking and cycling to school can provide this regular exercise and so can offer significant health benefits. Low levels of physical activity in children continue to be a cause for concern, falling well below the levels regarded as beneficial to good health. The sharp rise in obesity in children also signals growing health problems for the future, with increasing physical

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activity amongst children becoming a policy priority

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Minimising sedentary behaviour may include breaking up sedentary time such as swapping a long bus or car journey for walking part of the way

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The studies reported that exertion improves immediate cognitive functioning and reduces disruptive behaviour.

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Any assessment of what happens now compared to after the proposed changes are implemented, in order to measure overall impact? E.g. physical activity levels before and after Scalloway Junior High closure.

2c Use of alcohol, cigarettes, non-prescription drugs

x Different opportunities for both negative & positive interaction with regard to access to local shops. No evidence that use of alcohol, cigarettes and non-prescription drugs are any worse amongst young people in Lerwick/Brae than anywhere else in Shetland.

Some evidence that opportunities to travel independently influence perceptions of risk and allow young people to develop decision making skills around risk

2d Sexual activity x Potential for better/more effective sexual health & relationships education with larger numbers and fewer mixed age classes. Potentially far more opportunity to mix with other young people and more experimentation, but no evidence that this is more or less likely in a rural or urban setting.

Ensure sexual health & relationships education is delivered to a high standard and that young people have skills to negotiate what they need to keep them safe, regardless of the setting they are in.

2e Other risk-taking activity x ‘Protecting children – a shared responsibility’, gives guidance for education authorities on the potential risks and suggest mitigations for hostel based children.

Risk-taking activity is a part of growing up, and we should be aiming for young people to learn to manage risk appropriately. With appropriate risk-management strategies and supervision in place, unlikely to be increases in harm.

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3. Social & community influences on health?

SN MN N NA MP SP Supporting evidence Suggestions for improvement

3a Family organisation & roles x Potential disruption to role of the family; may be positive or negative depending on functioning of family...psychological impact on children where there has been an expectation of going to local school, but this is no longer an option The Children and Young Person’s Strategic Planning group is working hard to develop parenting skills and to re-assert the essential role of parents in children & young people’s lives. From a health perspective, we encourage conversations about alcohol, drugs, sexual health etc, and school-based education, while useful, is no substitute for these.

Need to think about how parents and families are involved in their children’s lives, education and school day when school is further away. Families/children and communities may need help to deal with loss and change, particularly those whose children would be using the Lerwick hostel, where there hadn’t always been this expectation. For some parents there is a great desire to ‘be there for our teens to model appropriate behaviour, impart values and to offer support and guidance’, rather than ’handing over this critical role to professionals, peers and random media inputs’. For other young people, the structure and routine of Hostel living might be welcome if their home lives are chaotic or disordered.

3b Citizen power & influence x Not clear from proposals how parents/communities will continue to be involved in the running of their schools or how trust will be re-gained where this has been lost.

Need to consider how parent councils are set up to ensure representation from outlying areas; opportunities to learn from successful previous school closures/amalgamations?

3c Wider social support, social networks and neighbourliness

x x Travel to school is an important part of children’s social experience. Solutions are only perceived as successful if they increase a child's sense of belonging. A DTLR survey showed that meeting and talking to friends was by far the most important positive factor in walking to school and that not meeting classmates was the fourth most important reason for not liking car travel to school (DTLR 2000).

vi What are the opportunities for re-creating

this through bus travel?

Bus drivers can also provide positive social experiences for children (Edwards and Johnston

Where local school has previously been seen as core part of the community, need to work to build strong school networks and sense of neighbourhood. There is evidence that children and young people love to build up social networks through travel to school. How can this opportunity be maintained, whatever the travel modes used? How much is the hostel engaged with the local community/interaction with different age groups?

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1977) but bus travel can be a threatening experience for many. The attitude of transport staff is described as one of the main reasons for children to feel alienated and poorly served by public transport. Satisfaction with bus drivers declines as children get older, with only 10% of 15 and 16 year olds describing staff as "usually helpful". (Crime Concern 1999)

Children are often aware of health promotion messages that walking and cycling are healthy but feel that they are unable to act on these messages in everyday life (Mackett 2001). Other constraints such as perceived traffic danger, personal security, and restrictions placed on children by adults often prove to be more important. (Davis 1996).

Good training, valuing the role of staff. Role models with reference to anti-social behaviour etc So again, need to put clear strategies in place to facilitate these...school buses stopping further from school for example, to allow for walking.

3d Community identity & sense of belonging

x Potential for losing sense of community identity...potential loss of opportunities for community school model of schools being integral to communities. For some pupils who will live in the hostel or travel long distances, there may be a loss of involvement in local cultural groups, evening activities, local dance and music groups, knitting groups; the number affected is dependent on how many young people currently do these things and would lose the opportunity to do so. Need to be clear that we don’t remove the ability to participate fully in school life, including the ability of parents to socialise, attend parents evenings etc.

Local authority, community planning partners will have to work hard to support community identities & sense of belonging If we agree that children and young people benefit from the intellectual stimulation of interaction with children of their own age and that one of the purposes of education is to develop children’s social skills, then there is an argument for schools of a size that can provide this.

3e Divisions in community & peer pressure

x x Formerly some division because of choice of school – i.e. the ones who left the islands to go to AHS and the ones who stayed behind to go to local school. The new proposals will mean that the choice will be removed – either all the children will go to a different school or not, so the possibility of division will no longer be there.

People feel very strongly about their local schools, and there is the potential that they feel discriminated against by these proposals, which may lead to a rural/urban division. Potential for more pupils with similar interests in a larger area?

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3f Social isolation x x More choice of friends in a bigger place, but possibility of increased isolation from family/community

Consider option of split sites; some education takes place in local hall, leisure centre, Further Education base, with travel to larger/central base for specific topics/more specialised teaching.

3g Cultural & spiritual ethos x x Potential increased diversity and therefore more opportunity for fitting in, meeting with other people with same/different cultures/interests/beliefs No evidence, however, that there is greater or lesser tolerance of different cultural or spiritual beliefs in small rural schools/departments in Shetland compared to bigger schools at present.

3h Racism x x Potential increased diversity and therefore more opportunity for fitting in, meeting with other people with same/different ethnicities? No evidence, however, that there is greater or lesser racism in small rural schools/departments in Shetland compared to bigger schools at present.

3i Other social exclusion



3. Living/environmental conditions affecting health?


4a Built environment and/or Neighbourhood design

x Assuming that school buildings/environment can accommodate pupils coming, there should be no negative impact.

4b Housing and/or Indoor environment

x Potential positive impact if existing school estate is unaffordable. Reduced estate would give more opportunities for upgrading etc.

4c Noise and/or Smell/odour x

4d Air and water quality x

4e Attractiveness of area x Some feeling that where people have chosen to live in an area because of the school provision for their children, removal of those schools might lead

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to de-population.

4f Community safety x No evidence of positive or negative impact on community safety.

4g Waste disposal x

4h Road hazards x Increased bus travel may lead to fewer cars on the roads in the vicinity of schools, which would be positive, although more positive still, from a health point of view, would be increased numbers of children and young people walking to school. Children who walk to school demonstrate awareness and understanding of road danger earlier than children less experienced with traffic (Lewis 1998). No evidence of harm to children in Shetland from walking to school. Implications of winter service review not yet known. 4.7.20

4i Injury hazards x

4j Quality and safety of play areas

x



5. Economic conditions affecting health?


5a Unemployment and/or Economic activity

x Potential impact on teaching and non-teaching staff, janitorial staff – possible relocation or redundancies Secure employment is a pre-requisite for health

Opportunities for re-deployment and using staff differently across split site with ‘centres of excellence’ e.g. Mid Yell specialising in science & Sandwick in music & arts, but all providing basic generic education.

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It is essential that support is provided to staff who are dealing with rapid change and potential unemployment.

5b Income As above As above

5c Type of employment As above As above

5e Workplace conditions As above As above



4. Access and quality of services? SN MN N NA MP SP Supporting evidence Suggestions for improvement

6a Medical & Healthcare services x x Potential impact on Lerwick Health Centre for secondary pupils moving to hostel, and access to services. May be easier or harder for young people to access appropriate services. More centralised service – easier for school nursing service because of numbers being more concentrated in fewer areas – would help to provide services such as drop ins Young people based at hostel or in and around Lerwick would be able to get to sexual health clinic much more easily Young people needing to go to own GP for particular issues would find it more difficult than it currently is.

6b Other caring services x More young people using hostel will have an impact on the house parent role

6c Careers advice x More centralised service – easier for careers service because of numbers being more concentrated in fewer areas – may be more opportunities for work experience for example; Blueprint gives this as an example, but clearly not insurmountable.

6d Shops and commercials x Rural shops that have traditionally depended on staff, children & young people for trade may struggle if schools are closed.

Poor economy has an impact on health; any decision taken should take into account impact on economy as well as drive for educational excellence. Not clear how support from economic development would recreate numbers of jobs lost from local areas.

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Would recommend detailed economic impact assessment, especially given drive within Sustaining Shetland and Single Outcome Agreement for decentralisation and maintaining and supporting rural communities.

6e Public amenities x Some concern that Shetland Recreational Trust facilities might struggle if local Junior Highs are closed

Would have to think about replacements in terms of physical activity opportunities if this was the case.

6f Transport x A review (EPPI 2001) of the impacts on mental health and cognitive and social development was undertaken for DTLR and identified many impacts of school travel including on:

Cognition

Different travel to school experiences led to the development of different skills.

Physical activity could have some positive effects on mental performance and self esteem in some situations.

Social behaviour and relationships

Difficult or long journeys could result in stress and problem behaviour.

Exercise has some positive effects on behaviour.

Each mode supports the development of particular social relationships.

Non car travel allowed more freedom of movement of children.

Exercise can improve the cognitive performance of children if taken mid-morning or early afternoon (McNaughten 1993), but there is no reliable evidence that walking or cycling at the start of the day as part of a journey to school has a

Have focused particularly on school buses as this is the focus in the Blueprint. It may be that other options are considered, but there are particular recommendations for involvement of interested parties in developing school transport that might make it more acceptable/successful.

Other studies on travel by bus were concerned with the effects of long journey times with outcome measures of stress and dissatisfaction and participation in school and other activities. All the studies reported negative effects such as children and young people feeling ill, lower academic achievement, and less participation in activities.

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Is it possible to estimate additional child travel hours per school day? This might be easier when doing individual school impact assessments.

Reid (1994) found that long school day, uncomfortable bus ride and inability to participate in extra curricular activities related to poor academic achievement.

Adler (1994) found many positive influences on children's social development as a result of car pooling [as opposed to bus travel]. This research found that the car pool environment was influenced by school, family, and peer group pressures. Children in the car pools displayed friendship and co-operation across normal

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similar effect (Craft 1983). Research is needed in this area to allow more conclusive findings but there is no evidence that exercise in itself can have negative effects.

Younger children who are wholly or partly responsible for directing their route to school by walking, perform better at tasks in the classroom that require spatial skills. (Foreman 1990).

Long journeys to school have a negative effect on children's educational performance. Long travel times in an uncomfortable bus or an inability to participate in extra curricular activities reduce academic achievement (EPPI 2001).

Focus groups suggested that children had improved their organisational skills including time and money management as a result of their independent travel to school (EPPI 2001).

In contrast it was suggested that the school bus could have negative influences on self image for children from low income groups (Reid 1994). Factors which reduced children's sense of belonging to a community were shown to be associated with poor academic achievement.

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boundaries of age and sex and parent drivers interacted with children in a variety of ways, widening social experiences of participants in the car pool. Children also derived status from the use of their family's car. Participants in any car pool often shared similar social values and norms and when these values were threatened the car pool often dissolved.

Appears that cycling to school, in particular allows strategies to be learnt by cyclists for self-pacing and coping with traffic (Foster and Ellis, 1974; Van Schagen and Brookhuis, 1994) What would help mitigate the increased sedentary activity – split bases, more use of information technology....? Local problems require local solutions and provided there is a dynamic and committed community based approach to planning, a managed approach to success will be achieved.

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Finally it must be of concern that very few of the positive features of school bus travel identified in the international research are reflected in the way buses are provided in Scotland. Eligibility for free travel is not clearly linked to need, buses and bus drivers do not reinforce positive messages about public transport, and current provision requires very substantial public funding. Bus travel to school needs to be re-invented as something for which children and parents can feel some ownership, rather than simply a transport mode of last resort or a free benefit.

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Research involving surveys of local authorities, parents and children (ATCO 1999, Atkins 2000, Edwards 1977, DTLR 2001) has identified some of the factors which could make public transport

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better and which users would perceive as making bus travel better. These include

Systematically planned greetings and farewell comments by bus drivers can significantly improve children's perception of school bus travel

Managing parental expectations through clear procedures, community planning and joint working

Use of suitable pick up points where practical

6g Education and training x x Proposal implies increased excellence in education, but not clear that it takes into account informal learning/community learning/traditional skills learnt from family/community members

6h Information technology x Additional use of information technology would require supervision for the pupil group from a member of staff who is competent in the use of video-conferencing equipment. Very little evidence, if any, for video-conferencing technology being used for regular remote teaching at school level

Would recommend more use of information technology than that outlines in 4.4.9 in App1 Use in other countries?



7. Macro-economic, environmental and sustainability factors?


7a Government policies x Shetland’s Single Outcome Agreement & Local Development Plan: Enhancing existing communities throughout Shetland by encouraging sustainable economic

Need to think about how Blueprint for Education fits in with/complements the Single Outcome Agreement and Local Development Plan

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development to create strong, healthy, vibrant communities where diversity is recognised and celebrated, ensuring they are attractive and inclusive places to live. Supporting new and existing sustainable economic opportunities, including employment, housing, transport, communications and community facilities.

Promoting the efficient and sustainable use of natural resources and material assets such as land, water, soil, buildings and infrastructure whilst minimising waste.

Conserving and promoting Shetland’s historic environment and cultural traditions, recognising their contribution to Shetland’s sustainable economic growth, and the quality of life of its people. Furthering the conservation of biodiversity and geodiversity throughout Shetland, including landscapes and seascapes. Encouraging new development of good quality that is environmentally sensitive, accessible to all, utilises sustainable design techniques and low carbon or renewable energy technologies. Protecting and enhancing areas for recreation. Supporting better access across the Islands, in particular supporting sustainable and active transport solutions, such as by foot, cycle and public transport, and enabling people to access services, employment and other opportunities. Ensuring policies reflect the Council’s commitment to the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 through encouraging measures to maintain good air quality, reduce carbon emissions and mitigate

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against or anticipate the effects of global climate change. Council has an agreed priority to operate within council budget and provide equal opportunities for all pupils.

7b Gross domestic product

7c Economic development (rural & urban)

Local Development Plan - Refer to socio-economic impact assessment

7d Social justice & Equality issues

7e Biological diversity x

7f Climate x

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Summary Comments: (Indicate that this is a general summary, but also indicate any significant disagreements that may have arisen during testing) This is a rapid impact assessment – we would recommend the use of the full integrated impact assessment which would include economic, equality & diversity, health when it comes to making final decisions. There is the potential for both negative & positive health impacts and we have tried to suggest ways of mitigating some of these. Really a health impact assessment should be conducted at an earlier stage of the process to help in drawing up the profiles. There are clear health and equality impacts – some of these will be potentially positive & some of these will be potentially negative, but we should work in partnership with Parent Councils, Community Councils and others to ensure mitigation of negative health impacts as far as possible.

References i World Health Organization. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Adopted at the First International Conference on Health Promotion, Ottawa, 21 November 1986 - WHO/HPR/HEP/95.1. ii Start Active, Stay Active: A report on physical activity for health from the four home countries’ Chief Medical Officers (2011) iii

PAHA iv ibid

v Gough D, Oliver S, Brunton G, Selai C, Schaumberg H (2001) The effect of travel modes on children’s mental health, cognitive

and social development; a systematic review. London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London vi DTLR 2000

vii Review of Research on School Travel

viii Gough D, Oliver S, Brunton G, Selai C, Schaumberg H (2001) The effect of travel modes on children’s mental health,

cognitive and social development; a systematic review. London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London ix Ibid

x Ibid

http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/index.html

Documents

Shetland Health Impact Assessment Tool · Shetland Health Impact Assessment Tool 1 This tool is designed for use both in developing policies and in evaluating projects and policies