A review of rural education in the Glenkens

This report reviews the links between education and the sustainability of rural communities. The review focuses on opportunities and challenges for educational provision in the Glenkens, a dynamic and engaged rural community in Dumfries and Galloway (D&G). The research reviewed some of the latest national and international research, and created case studies of practical strategies for delivering education in rural areas. The researchers also facilitated community sessions and interviewed people with relevant insights.

Hearing the voices of local people led to an emerging vision for education in the Glenkens: to create an educational hub at the heart of the community to deliver rural place-based learning from cradle to grave. The hub could become a centre of excellence for relevant rural skills, for example for the land-based and renewable energy sectors.

This review was commissioned by the Glenkens and District Trust to set out options for educational provision to support the goal within the local Community Action Plan “to be an area where people will want to live, work, bring up their families and grow old.”

The review was delivered by CoDeL, a social enterprise based in the Outer Hebrides with knowledge and experience in rural and island issues across Scotland and internationally, including depopulation and education.

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