NL kids still in Glasgow school zone

Residents in a housing estate transferred into the North Lanarkshire Council area have discovered that their children are still zoned to attend a

Glasgow primary school located five miles away.

Dunlop Close and eight surrounding streets on an estate in Cardowan were officially moved between the two local authorities in 2019, becoming part of the Stepps, Chryston & Muirhead ward – but their catchment primary remains Aultmore Park, across the M8.

They have to submit placing requests for a chance to attend already over-capacity Stepps and Chryston primaries despite living much closer to the two North Lanarkshire facilities, and have now lodged an official complaint.

Local authority officials say they intend to rezone the estate following next year’s planned completion of an enlarged new Chryston Primary building – but insist“there is no direct correlation” between council boundaries and school catchments.

Cardowan mum Thipnatee Sansawatt said she was“shocked”to learn about the zoning when she attempted to register four-year-old son Maxwell for school.

She said:“i wasn’t aware of the catchment area issue as I thought it was settled when our estate was transferred to North Lanarkshire. It was only when I applied for my son to attend Chryston that I was told.”

The review which moved the streets into North Lanarkshire was requested by residents, with the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland noting:“the majority of respondents cited proximate access to schools to support the change.

“Residents must pass two North Lanarkshire schools before reaching the nearest [in] Glasgow. A number stated that positive placing requests were infrequent and only by being resident in North Lanarkshire could access to local schools be guaranteed.”

NLC told the same consultation that“they anticipate having to decline placing requests and would be unable to place any pupils from the development within a North Lanarkshire school now or in the near future”.

A spokesperson for the local authority said:“we are working to provide a long-term solution for schooling for this development. Work has started on a replacement Chryston Primary, expected to complete by autumn 2023, and homes in this development will be rezoned to this school.

“Some residents have applied for placing requests to Stepps Primary. These have been granted where there has been availability, [but] capacity is under extreme pressure and we are currently unable to accommodate all.”