An Inverness school pupil has become an online hit after making a heartfelt plea to education bosses not to cut her beloved music and PE classes during their swingeing budget cuts.
Cradlehall Primary schoolgirl Annie-Kirsty MacLeod, 11, fears that her favourite subjects may suffer as the local authority seeks to save £64million over the next four years.
A public consultation on the cuts ends today.
A film of Annie’s two minute monologue has now racked up more than 3,000 views since it went online on Wednesday morning.
She was inspired to speak out after being told about the council’s budget consultation during a pupil council meeting.
Mother Lorraine Cullen said her daughter came home from school “in floods of tears” about possible changes.
Annie said: “I was very upset about it. I just thought that I had to do something to try and let other people know about what might happen.
“I had the idea of the video so I got my mum to help me write a script.”
Highland Council is consulting on whether to reduce the primary school week from 25 hours to 22.5 hours to save money.
They have also asked a question in their consultation on reducing teacher costs in order to save £127,000 annually.
Annie’s mother said: “As a parent I’m right behind her. I can’t stand the idea of cutting back education for younger kids.
“These are the subjects which shape children expressively and socially.
“Not every child can be academic. Annie thrives in sport and music and there will be plenty of others out here in the Highlands in the same boat.”
She added: “I was upset to see my daughter upset by this. I think its worthy of a big outcry to get it stopped.”
A council spokeswoman said: “The proposal is to reduce the primary school week from 25 hours to 22.5 hours.
“If the proposal is agreed, we would continue to have a curriculum that includes music, PE, drama etc, and there would be consultation on the detail of how any reduction might be made.
“The purpose of our consultation is to identify how the proposals would impact on individuals and communities.
“Responses to the consultation will be taken into account and a report will go to the Highland Council in December for decisions on which proposals can be taken forward to meet our statutory obligation to close the budget gap, whilst causing least impact on people.”