The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Parents say town needs new school
Pupils ‘don’t want change’
Calls have been made for a new school in a fastgrowing Aberdeenshire town – just two years after the last one opened.
The £10 million Uryside School in Inverurie opened in 2017, but schools in the town are still struggling with overcrowding.
Now the council is considering rezoning Kellands School, Strathburn School and Uryside School and has carried out a consultation.
But although councillors are being urged to back the rezoning, parents in their responses have suggested a new school is the answer.
With scores of new houses planned for Inverurie, Kellands School has been predicted to be over capacity by 2020, with the roll at Strathburn School also expected to rise.
Uryside is also expected to be affected.
In a report to Garioch area committee, director of education Laurence Findlay tells members: “Some of the schools within the cluster are operating close to capacity which results in less space being available for pupils and imposes restrictions in delivering the curriculum.
“The proposed changes address the issues to an extent and over time will provide the additional learning space for pupils in schools.”
The changes to the catchments include a rezone of the area adjacent to North Street from Uryside School to Strathburn School, a rezone of the area in between Blackhall Road and Middlemuir Road to Strathburn School from Kellands School and a rezone of the area north west of Blackhall Road to Strathburn School.
But many parents who have been consulted in recent months stressed that rather than rezoning future pupils, another new school should be considered and stated: “New school needed.”
In other consultation responses, parents raised concerns about longer distances to walk, and how each school would cope with more children in the long run with another stating: “Another primary school (should be) built for the growing size of Inverurie.” Meanwhile, confused pupils who were consulted – and who were assured they themselves would not be sent to a different school in the foreseeable future – said: “We don’t want to change,” and said rezoning would “split up friends”.
However pupils at Strathburn School did think it felt “crowded” in their playground and lunch hall. Councillors will consider the report on Tuesday, before it goes to education committee for a final decision.