The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Huge shake-up plans for schools in Dundee
Proposed merger of Braeview and Craigie and no new Western Gateway primary
Dundee City Council has unveiled plans for a radical overhaul of its school estate that includes merging two high schools.
But there are no proposals for a new primary school serving the Western Gateway.
Residents in the area say they feel they were “sold a lie” after paying a roof tax to help cover the cost of a new school.
Council leader John Alexander said there are too few children to justify building a new primary, although he did not rule out creating one in the future.
Mr Alexander also revealed the council wants to carry out a consultation on merging Braeview Academy and Craigie High School.
And the local authority also wants to redraw the catchment area for Harris Academy in the West End.
This could mean Invergowrie schoolchildren have to travel 20 miles to Perth Academy instead.
Plans to merge two high schools in the east of Dundee have been unveiled by the city council.
Council leader John Alexander said merging Braeview Academy and Craigie High School would benefit pupils.
A new £60 million school would be created on the site of the former St Saviour’s High School on Drumgeith Road, replacing the current buildings on Berwick Drive and Garnet Terrace.
The proposal also includes creating a senior phased education centre for pupils with additional support needs. This will be run in conjunction with Dundee and Angus College.
Mr Alexander said there are also ambitious plans to create a vocational partnership with the Michelin Innovation Parc.
He said the SNP authority has invested millions in its school estate but Braeview Academy, which was badly damaged by a fire in September 2018, and Craigie High School “stand out like a sore thumb”.
He said: “We know there is a real need in the east to address those issues.
“We’ve invested £160m since we came to power in 2009 in new schools and over and above that we’ve spent £36m on existing schools but we’ve still got those two schools that stand out.”
An informal consultation on the possibility of merging the schools was completed last year.
It found a majority of parents wanted to retain separate schools but children and families services convener Stewart Hunter said the small number of respondents meant the exercise had raised more questions than it answered.
Mr Alexander said the council now wants to consult on a full merger with “enhanced provision” for pupils.
“Circumstances changed significantly with the school fire that has presented a range of challenges, not just the logistical nightmare of having to put in temporary structures but also long-term future and what we do,” he said.
“The bottom line is if you look at the roll and the financial position we’re in, we can’t afford to build two brand new schools. The current funding model wouldn’t allow for that.
“So we’ve got to make sure what we’re doing is in the best interest of the children going to those schools now and in the future.
“Both schools are grade C in terms of quality, they both need upgrading but also looking at the roll and financial elements, we can’t do both.
“Our priorities are absolutely on the east of the city and we can’t have Braeview Academy sitting for the next decade in portable cabins; that is not acceptable.
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The bottom line is if you look at the roll and the financial position we’re in, we can’t afford to build two brand new schools. JOHN ALEXANDER, DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL LEADER
“We’re bringing this proposal forward to get the views of parents and pupils but it’s about what’s in the best interest of the pupils.”
If councillors agree, the consultation will begin on February 10 and will run until the end of March.
“We have two schools that are not where we want them to be and the only way we can get them up to the wanted standard is through this potential model,” said Mr Alexander.
“The alternative is we aren’t in a position to address the issues at those two schools. I think this brings a unique opportunity.
“Circumstances are such that we have a half-burned down school and have to do something that is in the best interest of pupils.”
According to a report to go before the children and families services committee, the new school would deliver revenue savings of approximately £78,000 in 2024-25, rising to £400,000 in 2025-26 and £735,000 the following year.
The new school would have a roll of around 1,800 pupils.
The catchment area for the new campus would be the same as those for the two current schools with the exception of Craigiebarns Primary, which would be added to the Grove Academy catchment area from 2024-25.