Consulatation Reports Published on Proposed New Schools in Coldside, Menzieshill and Strathmartine

The Education Department has recently been consulting on three proposals in line with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

The proposals were:

• to relocate Rosebank Primary School, Our Lady’s Primary School and Frances Wright Pre-School Centre to a new shared campus site with shared community facilities in the Coldside area;
• to discontinue Hillside and Gowriehill Primary Schools and build a new 3 stream primary school incorporating a provision to replace Menzieshill Nursery School; and
• to build a community campus on the site of the existing Baldragon Academy on a phased basis to include Baldragon Academy, Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School.

As part of the process, the authority must publish a report after the end of the consultation period which must contain:

• an explanation of how the proposal has been reviewed;
• the full text of the Education Scotland (HMIe) report which considers the educational aspects of the proposal;
• a summary of the points raised during the proposal (written and oral) and the authority’s response to them;
• a statement explaining how the authority has reviewed the proposal in the light of representations and the Education Scotland (HMIe) report.

The Consultation Reports are available to download below:

• Coldside Area Consultation Report (124KB MS Word doc)
• Menzieshill Area Consultation Report (145KB MS Word doc)
• Strathmartine Area Consultation Report (99KB MS Word doc)

They will be available on the council’s website from Monday 22 April for a period of four weeks. Paper copies of the report will be available to in the reception area of each establishment involved in the consultation process. In addition, a copy will be available at Customer Services Reception, Dundee House, 50 North Lindsay Street, Dundee.

At the end of the consultation period, a final decision will be taken on each proposal and a report taken to the Education Committee and Policy and Resources Committee on Monday 24 June 2013.

Dundee Labour's Call for Commitment to Rebuild Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School is Answered

I welcome the announcement by the City Council that it is now committed to funding Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School as part of the proposed Strathmartine Campus along with Baldragon Academy. 

On 2 October, Strathmartine Councillor Kevin Keenan joined me in calling for such a commitment. To ensure that this issue was aired, I placed this item on the Agenda of the next Education Committee later this month. I am pleased to have received a positive response from David Dorward, the Council's Chief Executive late on Tuesday afternoon.

I note that the current intention is to rebuild Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School after the rebuilding of Baldragon Academy. This would be disappointing as the new Baldragon is to be rebuilt on the north side of its current campus close to Harestane Road. This should allow the rebuilding of Baldragon to take place with minimal disruption to the education of the current pupils. If the rebuilding of Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School takes place later on as the Education Convener claims, there will be a building site next door to the new Baldragon Academy for a couple of years. 

These are of course questions Councillor Keenan and I will pursue at the Education Committee and also at the Policy and Resources Committee when the Capital Plan is revised to find room for the the Council's share of funding these three new schools.

Dundee City Council General Services Capital Plan 2012-16

Note there is no provision in the exiting approved capital plan for any of the Council's costs for rebuilding Baldragon Academy, Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School.

Calling for a Commitment from the Council to Rebuild Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School

Last week I was delighted to hear about the success of the Council's bid to the Scottish Future's Trust (SFT) for funding towards the cost of rebuilding Baldragon Academy. In about five years time pupils and teachers should be moving into their new Baldragon subject to a number of important formalities such as local consultations and gaining planning permission.

The Council's Education Committee approved a bid at their meeting on 25 June 2012 for 'a new build programme and shared campus in the Strathmartine area to include:

• a new Baldragon Academy and

• a new Sidlaw View Primary School, integrated with Jessie Porter Nursery School.'

Unfortunately, only part of the Council's bid was approved; that part for Baldragon Academy.

So while those folk associated with Baldragon Academy will have been feeling upbeat on hearing their positive news, it must have been very disappointing for those associated with Jessie Porter Nursery School and Sidlaw View Primary School to hear that their schools had lost out.

But I don't think we can just leave it there. 

I have written to the Education Convener, Stewart Hunter and Education Director, Michael Wood, to ask that they report back to the Education Committee at our next meeting in October. I think we are under an obligation to work out how we will fund that part of the Strathmartine Campus which has not been supported by the Scottish Government. 

Welcome for Funding Commitment for Rebuilding Baldragon Academy

I welcome the announcement made yesterday, by the Scottish Government, that the rebuilding of Baldragon Academy has been approved as part of the Schools for the Future programme. I know this will be welcomed by the Baldragon staff, pupils and  parents.

The current Baldragon Academy buildings are over 50 years old and pupils in the North West of the city deserve a Secondary School that is fit for the 21st Century. The original proposal by the Council included the replacement of Sidlaw View Primary School on the same campus and I hope that is part of what has been approved as well.

This really is a school for the future announcement as the government's letter makes it clear that Baldragon will not be among those schools with an accelerated start over the next 18 months. That might have been possible as the rebuilding of the school will be on another part of the Baldragon site. Unlike Harris Academy, there will be no need to decant pupils during the building of the replacement Baldragon Academy.

Ward Councillor Kevin Keenan said:

"As a local Councillor, I am very pleased that a new build Baldragon Academy received the approval of the Education Minister yesterday as part of the Government's Schools for The Future programme.

"I am, however, a little disappointed this Project is not within the first phase of funding, which would have seen a construction start within 12 to 18 months - delivering much needed jobs for Dundee's construction workers.

"It remains great news for the pupils, staff and parents along with the wider community as this new build will deliver a much improved learning environment and is therefore very welcome."

Cautious Welcome for Proposals for New Schools and Community Facilities

Model of one of the 6 PPP funded Primary
Schools already built in the city

Background
Three of the reports appearing on the agenda of the Education Committee on Monday 25 June are about proposals for future school building projects. This includes initiating formal consultations on a new primary school, nursery and linked community facilities in both the Coldside and Menzieshill areas. As both areas involve potential school mergers, a formal consultation process is the next step. Appearing on the same agenda is a report advising the Committee of a bid for possible government funding towards a replacement Baldragon Academy, Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery on the Baldragon Academy site.


Labour's Education Spokesperson, Councillor Laurie Bidwell said:
Its positive news for parents, carers, pupils and teachers in Menzieshill and Coldside. They will all be pleased that the proposals for a new primary school in each of these areas with linked nursery school and possible community facilities is moving towards the formal public consultation stage. In both Menzieshill and Coldside parents, carers and teachers will need to be consulted on the potential merger of their local primary schools and the best site for the merged schools. For service users of all ages who use community centres and projects in both areas there are issues about possible co-location of community facilities with schools to resolve. Certainly, the demolition of multi-storey flats has made available centrally located sites in both these areas of the city for the potential new schools and community facilities. The consultations will allow all those with an interest to be involved in selecting the best option available including the most suitable site and the best mix of schools, nursery and community facilities.


Starthmartine Councillor Kevin Keenan said:I am encouraged to learn that there is now recognition that three of the schools in the Strathmartine ward need replacement - these schools being Baldragon Academy, Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery. New schools are something that I believe would have the full support and backing of teachers, pupils, staff, parents and the wider community. I hope the Council will be successful with its bid to the Scottish Futures Trust. If the Council's need any additional indicator of community support for these new schools,  I would be the first to put my name to any petition.

Labour's Education Spokesperson, Councillor Laurie Bidwell also said:
While the proposals for a bid for additional funding for new schools is positive, I do have some concerns. 
Just four months ago in February 2012 when the new 2012-17 capital plan was brought forward, Councillor Keenan and I queried why there were no new proposals for comprehensively refurbishing or replacing any of our secondary schools, especially Baldragon Academy whose buildings are over 50 years old. It's good that the Council has changed its mind but this decision calls into question the thoroughness of their analysis in the school estate review. 
A bid for funding is no guarantee of government support. Dundee lost out in the second round of new schools to be built with funding from the Scottish Futures Trust so let's hope it will be third time lucky. Unfortunately, any replacement schools in the Strathmartine ward are probably a long way off. Funding for Harris Academy comes from the same source and its funding was announced in September 2009 and their pupils and teachers are not due to move into their new school until 2016.


Starthmartine Councillor Kevin Keenan also said:
The Council's contribution to funding the possible new schools in the Strathmartine area is likely to be £10 - £15M. There is no provision for this in the new capital plan 2012-17. I hope that the Council will not be faced with deciding which of its other new schools to delay in order to progress these new schools in my ward.
I hope that all the Scottish Futures Trust's teething problems and red tape that delayed the rebuilding of Harris Academy are sorted out, allowing the next phase of their developments to hit the ground quickly, delivering new schools for our children and helping the local construction industry.