Proposals and Consultation in respect of the establishment of the new Primary School at Bertha Park and the new Catchment Area

Publication of the Consultation Report

The next stage of the consultation process below is the publication of the report on the outcome and findings of the Statutory Consultation.  The Consultation Report (PDF, 799 KB) is published from Monday 26 September 2022 until Tuesday 1 November 2022.  This allows for a full three week review of the document prior to a final submission to the Learning and Families Committee on Wednesday 2 November 2022.   

On 22 June 2016, the Council allocated funding for a new primary school within the Composite Capital Programme (Report No. 16/277 refers).

Further approval was given by the Lifelong Learning Committee on 22 January 2020 (Report No. 20/18 refers) to build a new primary school at Bertha Park and options appraisals were to be undertaken in relation to both the catchment for a new school and the future of Ruthvenfield Primary School. 

Following this, Report No 21/136 was presented to the Lifelong Learning Committee on Wednesday 25 August 2021.  This report presented an Options Appraisal following informal pre-consultation in respect of the catchment for the proposed new Primary School at Bertha Park, and the future of Ruthvenfield Primary School.  As a result, this Committee approved to prepare and publish a Proposal Paper (PDF, 1 MB) and commence formal consultation on the following proposals: 

• provision of a new school to be built on a site adjacent to Bertha Park High School and a catchment area created for the new school school.  Ruthvenfield Primary School will continue to operate from its existing building with a new catchment area created and the condition improved. 

Formal consultation

The consultation was undertaken in line with the requirements of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

The consultation period ran from Monday 16 May 2022 until Wednesday 29 June 2022 which included a period of 31 school days. 

Public meetings

Two public meetings were held to discuss the proposals, and the proposal paper (PDF, 1 MB).  The meetings were an opportunity for interested parties to:

• Hear more about the proposals;
• Ask questions about the proposals; and 
• Have their views recorded so that they could be taken into account as part of the consultation process.

Anyone who wished to attend was invited to do so.

The public meetings were held as follows:

A note of questions and views was taken at the meetings. The notes are published above and a printed copy is available upon request to the Schools Consultation Team.

Interested parties were invited to respond to the proposal by making written, electronic or online submissions on the proposal by no later than close of business on 29 June 2022.

Publication of Consultation Report and Decision

The next stage in the Consultation Process was the publication of the outcome and findings of the Statutory Consultation.   This was prepared after Education Scotland completed their visits to schools and prepared their report on the proposals which was concluded by 9 September 2022. This Consultation Report  was published from Monday 26 September 2022  for 5 weeks before the proposal was considered and agreed by the Learning and Families Committee in November 2022, Report 22/265  refers.