Issue - meetings

The Committee resolved:-

(i)             to note the outcomes of officers’ recent discussions with colleagues at Aberdeenshire Council, relating to proposals for making changes to school catchment areas for Dyce Academy and Dyce School;

(ii)            to note that the catchment area changes for Dyce Academy were proposed to re-balance pupil numbers between Bucksburn Academy and Dyce  Academy, due to the current and predicted over-capacity issues at Bucksburn;

(iii)          to instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to review the catchment areas for Bucksburn Academy, Dyce Academy and all primary schools within the Bucksburn and Dyce Associated Schools Groups (ASGs), in order to achieve the re-balancing of numbers between the two academies and in light of the proposed alignment of the Dyce Academy and Dyce School catchment areas to the City boundary;

(iv)          to instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to provide a holistic report to Committee with details of all proposed catchment area changes and recommended dates for statutory public consultation, as part of the annual School Estate Plan update report in September 2026; and

(v)           to instruct the Chief Officer – Education & Lifelong Learning to write to the parents of Dyce Academy, Bucksburn Academy and associated primary schools with an update on progress to date.

With reference to article 14 of the minute of the meeting of 24 June 2025, the Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director - Families & Communities, which presented the outcomes of recent discussions with officers at Aberdeenshire Council, in relation to proposals for making changes to school catchment areas for Dyce Academy and Dyce School, along with recommendations for the next steps.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)          notes the outcomes of officers’ recent discussions with colleagues at Aberdeenshire Council, relating to proposals for making changes to school catchment areas for Dyce Academy and Dyce School;

(b)          instructs the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to commence planning, in collaboration with Aberdeenshire Council, for a statutory public consultation to be held in Winter 2026/27, on proposals to adjust the catchment area boundaries for Dyce Academy and Dyce School, so that they align with the boundary line for the City, and with a view to these changes being implemented from August 2027;

(c)          instructs the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to review the catchment areas for all schools within the Bucksburn and Dyce Associated Schools Groups (ASGs), in light of the proposed alignment of the Dyce Academy and Dyce School catchment areas to the City boundary, and to draft proposals for any required further changes to catchment areas, to achieve an appropriate balance of pupil numbers within all schools in these ASGs in future years; and

(d)          instructs the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to report back to the Committee with details of all proposed catchment area changes and recommendations for statutory public consultation on these, as part of the annual School Estate Plan update report in Autumn 2026.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)             to note the outcomes of officers’ recent discussions with colleagues at Aberdeenshire Council, relating to proposals for making changes to school catchment areas for Dyce Academy and Dyce School;

(ii)            to note that the catchment area changes for Dyce Academy were proposed to re-balance pupil numbers between Bucksburn Academy and Dyce  Academy, due to the current and predicted over-capacity issues at Bucksburn;

(iii)          to instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to review the catchment areas for Bucksburn Academy, Dyce Academy and all primary schools within the Bucksburn and Dyce Associated Schools Groups (ASGs), in order to achieve the re-balancing of numbers between the two academies and in light of the proposed alignment of the Dyce Academy and Dyce School catchment areas to the City boundary;

(iv)          to instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to provide a holistic report to Committee with details of all proposed catchment area changes and recommended dates for statutory public consultation, as part of the annual School Estate Plan update report in September 2026; and

(v)           to instruct the Chief Officer – Education & Lifelong Learning to write to the parents of Dyce Academy, Bucksburn Academy and associated primary schools with an update on progress to date.