Fears over capacity of primary school if new housing gets go-ahead

More than 1,500 homes and 630 pupils are bound for the Balmedie Primary School area in the next decade.

Although Aberdeenshire Council believes the school will reach capacity by 2025, there are no firm plans for expansion.

Planned housing developments have been slow to materialise and council officers said this gives them time to explore options. These include a new school or an expansion of existing grounds.

But a local campaigner, who first raised the issue as a councillor in 2008, said there’s no room on Balmedie’s already crowded campus.

He says a new school is the only option and is worried time is running out. Last autumn, Allan Hendry launched a campaign to urge the council to pick a site for a new Balmedie primary.

Former councillor Mr Hendry has been advocating a new school in the area since 2008. He also referenced a 2013 meeting in which councillors learned the school roll would hit 582 by 2021. The capacity at the time was 415.

Despite the bleak projections, the school’s growth didn’t match those early estimates. A council spokeswoman said that disparity is partly because houses didn’t come as quickly as expected. The capacity is now 484, while the roll has fallen to 398.

But that could change soon. The council spokeswoman said there could be as many as 1,577 properties over nine sites built between now and 2028. According to the council’s formula, these homes could bring in 630 pupils to the Balmedie Primary School area.

School rolls fluctuate every year. Older pupils move on to secondary school, nursery students move into primary and the distribution across each grade level changes.

This can have an impact on the school’s capacity. Each grade level has a different maximum class size, ranging from 25 at P1 to 33 for P4 and higher.

That means having fewer younger pupils frees up classroom space, but having more P1-P3 pupils might tie up more of the building and limit the capacity.

The pandemic delayed major projects in and around Aberdeen. Although development in Balmedie hasn’t kept pace with expectations, there’s little to suggest the homes won’t come eventually.

Take, for example, the fact that developers are honouring their agreements to contribute to local infrastructure.

To date, developers Kirkwood Homes have paid the council £279,572 for primary education. And they’re expected to give more – to the tune of £3,274,650.

That’s on top of millions more from other developers: £1,644,335 from Trump International and £636,914 from Castlehill Housing Association and the council.

Council officers have pinned any hopes for a solution in Balmedie on the new Local Development Plan. During recent meetings of the Education and Children’s Services and Formartine Area committees, councillors discussed overcrowding at Balmedie. They were advised to wait for the publication of the development plan before laying out specific options.

But Mr Hendry said any further delays could prove costly. It takes years to select a site, get the necessary approvals, plan and build a new school.

He’s worried that unless the council makes a plan soon, more houses will go up and any new school will be playing a losing game of catch-up with the demands of new residents.

SPACE RACE: Campaigner Allan Hendry fears Balmedie Primary School will not be able to keep pace with demand for places.