Agenda item

(A)        In terms of Standing Order 10(2), the Committee received a deputation from Ms Stephanie Brock, on behalf of the Parent Council of St Peter’s RC Primary School.

On behalf of the Parent Council of St Peter’s RC Primary School, Ms Brock thanked the Committee for its consideration of the proposed changes to primary education in the Tillydrone/Old Aberdeen area, and its continued pursuit of the best possible outcome for St Peter’s RC Primary School.

Ms Brock provided an overview of the long history St Peter’s RC Primary School had at its current site and highlighted that the reputation and location of St Peter’s had attracted more and more pupils, with the result that St Peter’s had been operating at 130% capacity. Thereafter, she reminded the Committee that St Peter’s RC School was one of only two Grade C or ‘Poor’ condition schools in Aberdeen City and she provided examples of the condition of the accommodation and the impact this had on the allocation of Pupil Support Assistants.

In terms of the recommendation in respect of St Peter’s RC School contained in the report before the Committee, she explained that the Parent Council had proactively engaged both with its school community and with Aberdeen City Council’s officers since 11 March 2016 to reach the recommendation proposed and that the Parent Council felt this reflected the needs of the children and school staff better than the options which were formally consulted on in November/December 2016.

However, the Parent Council was disappointed with the lack of concrete detail relating to the school’s future contained in the proposal, specifically about the processes needed to make the recommendation contained therein a reality. Therefore, the Parent Council urgently requested more detail on how exactly the short-term capacity issues at St Peter’s Primary School would be addressed, as well as how the other structural improvements promised to be undertaken for August 2016, would be in place when the school returns in August 2017.

The Parent Council also asked that Committee commission a budget and a schedule for the necessary short-term improvements to be carried out as a matter of urgent priority and emphasised that the onus was on the Council officers, instructed by the Committee, to progress the vision so that parents would know by the summer term in binding detail (a) the scope of the works to be completed over the summer holidays; and (b) a programme for 2017 to progress the long-term plans for the delivery of a new school after 2020.

The Committee asked a number of questions of Ms Brock and thereafter thanked Ms Brock for her contribution.

(B)       With reference to article 10 of the minute of the meeting of full Council of 6 October 2016, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education and Children’s Services which presented the outcome of a recent statutory consultation on the proposals to create new primary school provision with early education and childcare facilities in Tillydrone.

The report recommended –

that the Committee agree to instruct the Director of Education and Children’s Committee to implement the following proposals:

1.         that a new 3 stream non-denominational school building with early education and childcare facilities was constructed on the site of the former St Machar School and former Tillydrone School, and to relocate Riverbank School to this new building;

2.         that the new school building would become operational with effect from January 2020, or as soon as possible thereafter;

3.         that St Peter’s School remain at its present site and officers to assess how best to alleviate short term capacity pressures at St Peter’s School; and

4.         that officers carry out an options appraisal to determine the long term future of education provision at the existing St Peter’s School site and the possibility of building a new St Peter’s School on a new location, subject to a suitable site being identified in the school zone and sufficient capital funding becoming available. Further, that officers present the findings of the options appraisal exercise to a future meeting of the Education and Children’s Services Committee in 2017.

The Committee resolved:

(i)            to instruct the Director of Education and Children’s Services to implement the proposal for a new 3 stream non-denominational school building with early education and childcare facilities to be constructed on the site of the former St Machar School and former Tillydrone School, and to relocate Riverbank School to this new building, with a view to the new school building becoming operational with effect from January 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter;

(ii)          to instruct the Director of Education and Children’s Services to write to the Scottish Government inviting them to contribute 100% funding towards the early learning and child care provisions of the project;

(iii)         to instruct the Director of Education and Children’s Services to submit a report to the next meeting of the Education and Children’s Services Committee on how the Directorate intended to alleviate short term capacity pressures at St Peter’s School;

(iv)         to instruct the Director of Education and Children’s Services to submit an option appraisal report to the Education and Children’s Services Committee to determine the long term future of education provision at the existing St Peter’s School; and

(v)          to instruct the Director of Education and Children’s Services to submit an option appraisal report to the Education and Children’s Services Committee before the end of 2017 to consider the potential future uses of the existing Riverbank School site, which should take into account the current and future needs of the communities in the area of the city with regards to education, social care and early learning and childcare provision.