Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Dundee school merger concerns remain

It is proposed to combine Hillside Primary, Gowriehill Primary and a nursery school in Menzieshill.
It is proposed to combine Hillside Primary, Gowriehill Primary and a nursery school in Menzieshill.

Parents and staff still need reassurances over a proposed school merger, inspectors have said.

Education Scotland wants Dundee City Council to address concerns about the siting of the £11.5 million replacement for Hillside and Gowriehill primaries and a nursery school in Menzieshill.

Its inspectors have found people are worried about road safety around the new school, which would occupy a site between Dickson Avenue and Ninewells Hospital, and the way it would be staffed.

Education Scotland monitored the council’s consultation with parents and staff at all three affected schools.

It said that, overall, staff were positive about the proposal, especially the improved facilities on offer compared to those in the near 50-year-old primaries.

The inspectors added: “Staff and parents in all three establishments note concerns over traffic management. Their concerns include the proximity to a busy road and narrow streets surrounding the proposed school, which are already congested with hospital parking.

“Staff from both primary schools have raised reasonable concerns about the impact of the proximity of a busy public house and chemist, and the number of people who may be using these establishments, on the safety of children.”

Most Hillside parents were said to be positive about the merger but some felt strongly that other sites had not been given due consideration, and also complained that parents and pupils from the eastern end of the catchment would have to travel further.

City council education director Michael Wood said: “Road safety will be a priority in the area around the new site to ensure the safety of children and to promote ease of access.

“The establishment of a project board to oversee the development of the new campus model will include representation from staff, pupils and parents, and will ensure their direct contribution from the concept design stage through to the project completion.

“This will reflect and address issues raised in relation to the nature of the accommodation and the design brief, the provision of quality outdoor play areas, parking and travel arrangements, the management of shared facilities and the need to preserve and maintain the unique identity of each establishment.”