Objection by parents to plan to alter Harris Academy catchment

Parents at a school which is at the centre of controversial rezoning proposals have formally objected to the plans.

Dundee City Council is consulting on plans which would mean children from Invergowrie would no longer be able to attend Harris Academy in the West End.

The authority claims the academy can no longer cast its net outside the city because of capacity issues.

This has provoked a strong reaction from parents who fear children who attend feeder primary schools will now be split up.

Now Harris parents have formally objected to the plans, which they claim will have a detrimental impact on the community while also failing to solve the capacity issues at the school.

Parent council chairman Graham McKay said: “One of the main reasons for this was concerns that the changes would do nothing to solve the problem of over-capacity at Harris.

“It is oversubscribed and it will remain oversubscribed after the catchment area changes. There was also significant concern among parents that children who had been together since nursery school would be split when they moved up to secondary school, which would have a major impact on social and community links.”

Under the proposals, pupils from Invergowrie Primary School, which falls within Perth and Kinross Council, will now have to attend Perth Academy, around 20 miles away.

Currently pupils living in Invergowrie have a choice between Harris Academy and Perth High. If the plans are approved Ancrum Road, Blackness, Camperdown, Tayview and Victoria Park primary schools would all have their zones realigned.

A council spokesman said: “No decisions will be made until a full report on the consultation is considered by the children and families service committee in June.”

A meeting about the proposals was chaired by Carse of Gowrie councillor Angus Forbes on Thursday night.

He has arranged a follow-up meeting with Stewart Hunter, Dundee City Council’s convener of children and family services, on Tuesday.