The new £50 million replacement for Madras College in St Andrews is on course for a 2020/21 opening after the preferred site at Langlands received overwhelming public backing.
Councillors on the Fife education and children’s services committee have formally approved the proposal to relocate Madras from the existing school sites at South Street and Kilrymont Road to a new single site adjacent to the University of St Andrews.
While the community has previously been split on where to house the new school in recent years, 98.1% of respondents to the consultation on the Langlands proposal were supportive.
A new report with further details about the outcome of the six-week consultation revealed a total of 322 written representations were received, with most respondents telling council officials they wanted the new school built as soon as possible.
HMI Education Scotland concurred, stressing the plan would deliver “clear educational benefit”, albeit also asking the council to address the notion of “consultation fatigue” expressed by stakeholders.
Committee convener Councillor Fay Sinclair described reaching the latest milestone in the process as “wonderful” and added: “I wanted to highlight the number of people who have been supportive — 98.1% — as I certainly have never heard of that level of support for a proposal as part of a consultation before.
“I think that’s testament to the amount of work that’s gone into the project and the continued engagement to get something that Fife Council can be proud of and that parents, pupils and staff can be proud of.”
Shelagh McLean, head of Fife’s education and children’s services, confirmed the capacity of the school will be 1450, although she added the option to extend exists.
“Should there be a change in projected numbers then we are using flexibility in the design of the building so we can respond to that,” she explained.
Ms McLean added repair and maintenance work on the existing buildings would continue in the interim period and had been agreed with the parent council, following a significant programme of works at South Street and Kilrymont in the summer of 2016.
Kirkcaldy Labour councillor Alistair Cameron queried whether the new Madras would be a full community-use school after failing to secure such assurances in the past.
Ms McLean replied: “As with all of our buildings we would want them to be fully accessible to the community.”
The consultation findings also revealed most of the children in Madras’ associated primary schools are “excited” by the prospect of a new secondary school and the facilities anticipated.
