Published on:
21
March 2024
A consultation is to take place into the permanent relocation of St Mungo’s RC Primary to the Alloa Campus, following a decision at a Council meeting today (21 March).
St Mungo’s was decanted to Alloa Academy in April 2018, as a result of concerns about an ongoing issue with damp, and the Council agreed in November of that year that the school should remain in Alloa Academy in the medium term.
Councillors today heard that since moving into the Alloa campus, a considerable amount of adaptations have continued to be introduced to ensure both schools can run smoothly and best support their learning communities. Adaptations have included investment in playground resources, separate secure access, toilets, office space and additional partitioning to give both schools their own internal space.
Any proposed changes to a school estate including a relocation requires Statutory Public Consultation in terms of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, in which Education Scotland will be involved. This will take place with an online consultation and public meeting. The consultation involves the parents/carers/children and staff of both St Mungo’s and Alloa Academy, as well as all other key stakeholders associated with the schools, including the Roman Catholic Church.
Council has previously agreed that to demolish and rebuild at the existing Forth Crescent would not be economically viable. The report to Council today added that, in considering any potential new sites for St Mungo’s, various sites were evaluated and footprint tested for a new build six classroom school with maximum 150 pupils.
Comparison costs provided to the Council based on current market rates indicate that a capital investment of between £6.8m and £7.6m would be required.
The option to permanently co-locate at the Alloa Campus secures top grade condition and suitability solutions for education provision. Pupils attending St Mungo’s are able to benefit from the additional facilities that a large modern secondary school has that would not be available in a small primary school.
Councillor Graham Lindsay, spokesperson for education, said: “The whole school community at both St Mungo’s and Alloa Academy has worked closely together to help ensure the children and young people have access to first class educational experiences.
“The Alloa Academy campus has the space required to accommodate St Mungo’s on a permanent basis and provides an excellent learning environment for the young people and staff. Additionally, this is also a more efficient and sustainable use of the Council’s learning estate.
“As part of the statutory requirement associated with moving any school, Council needed to agree a single, permanent option to consult on and, following agreement today, a consultation led by Education Scotland will now be taken forward.
“I would encourage the local community to take part in the public consultation to have their views recorded.”