Clackmannanshire Council Online

Plans for new school in Tullibody progress

An informal public consultation on three options for a new, purpose-built Abercromby Primary School is set to take place.

The consultation will ask for opinions on three options:

• Building a new Abercromby Primary School on a new site with associated community facilities
• Building a new Abercromby Primary School and St Bernadette's Primary School on a new joint campus with associated community facilities
• Building a new Abercromby Primary School and St Bernadette's and St Mungo's on a new joint campus with associated community facilities.

The consultation was agreed at today's meeting of the Council.

The Scottish Government's Schools for the Future Programme has offered funding for the replacement of Abercromby Primary School, which was built in 1951. The funding would be for up to 50% of the cost, with the Council funding the balance, with building expected to be completed by 2020.

The proposals provide an excellent opportunity to bring together education and communities services in a planned way, that take forward the principles of Making Clackmannanshire Better.

The consultation also presents the option of building a new St Bernadette's, which would continue to operate as a separate school maintaining a distinct identity, on a joint campus with Abercromby. This option has potential educational benefits for the pupils at both schools. The chance to improve the educational opportunities for the wider denominational community by including St Mungo's as a potential partner in this process is included at option three.

Education Convener Ellen Forson said: "We want to ensure that young people in Clackmannanshire benefit from the exciting opportunities that 21st century learning facilities can deliver. It's clear that we need to replace Abercromby Primary School's buildings to help meet our high aspirations for the future, and I'm delighted that we have been able to get initial agreement for funding from Schools for the Future.

"Clackmannanshire Council has been successful in bidding for money under the schools programme, and the recently opened Redwell Primary shows just what fantastic and innovative facilities we can deliver for our children as part of the Making Clackmannanshire Better programme. This consultation will allow parents to consider the options of opening up this opportunity to St Bernadette's and St Mungo's pupils. This informal consultation, which will run until June, will allow a range of interested parties to have their say on the three options. A formal consultation on a single option will be held later in the year."