January 16, 2015
Convener appointed to School Closure Review Panel
The appointment of Iain Nisbet as the first Convener of the School Closure Review Panels has been confirmed.
Until now, school closure proposals that have been called in under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 have been determined by the Scottish Ministers. Amendments made by the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 will change that process so that school closure proposals that are called in by Scottish Ministers will be referred to the Convener of the School Closure Review Panels. The Convener will be required to constitute a School Closure Review Panel to determine each individual case.
Mr Nisbet - is the Head of Education Law at Govan Law Centre, where he advises and provides training for parents, schools and education authorities on all aspects of education law. He is the Chair of the advisory group on Additional Support for Learning, and a former Non-Executive Director with Education Scotland. He was until recently, a member of the Parent Council of his local school.
This appointment will be for five years and will run from January 12, 2015 to January 11, 2020.
This appointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £200 per day for a time commitment of up to 40 days per year.
Mr Nisbet currently holds no other public appointments.
This appointment is regulated by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland.
All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public. Mr Nisbet canvassed on behalf of or helped at elections of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.