Education councillors are being asked to put a roll cap on a state-of-the-art Arbroath primary which officially opened just three months ago.
Timmergreens school has already been branded “not fit for purpose” by one local councillor after it emerged that it was operating at 106% capacity in the first day of the new school year.
Despite criticism that general purpose accommodation was being used as classroom space, the primary was described as an “inspirational learning environment” when the ribbon was cut on the building in November.
On Tuesday, Angus children and learning committee councillors will be recommended to cap Timmergreens at 210 pupils – seven below the projected 2017/18 roll.
The Arbroath school is one of five primaries across Angus contained within a primary school capacities document which also contains recommendations that caps should be lifted at three other schools.
Head of quality and performance, Les Hutchinson, states: “Timmergreens has a maximum working capacity of 254 for session 2017/18.
“This is based on using a general purpose room as a classroom. If all the designated classrooms were used only the working capacity would be 217.”
The official adds: “It is our intention to manage the roll down so that the school can benefit from using all general purpose rooms for their original purpose.”
With a retention of seven places for pupils moving into the Timmergreens catchment, the recommendation is to cap the roll at 210.
Officials say that will mean category three placing requests – pupils outwith the catchment with no siblings at the school – would be refused.
Whitehills Primary in Forfar is also a cap target, with an intention to cap the roll there at 427 places.
The school’s project roll is 429, but Whitehills also includes the Gaelic medium unit and officials say the impact of that will reduce the working capacity by around eight pupils.
The committee will also be asked to agree to the removal of caps at Inverbrothock and St Thomas primary schools in Arbroath, as well as Woodlands, Carnoustie, which are forecast to be at 88.2%, 92.8% and 92.2% working capacity next session.
