Controversial school catchment changes which could affect hundreds of west Fife families have been recommended for approval, despite serious concerns from parents, pupils and education inspectors.
Members of the education and children’s services committee will be asked on Tuesday to rubber-stamp the proposal to rezone the secondary catchment areas of Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, Queen Anne and Woodmill High Schools following a lengthy consultation process which attracted more than 900 representations.
Documents stretching to 563 pages have been seen by The Courier, with education officials concluding the approach tabled will tackle capacity issues in the area in the short-term.
However, the council’s stance continues to divide the community and many people harbour fears about the impact changes could have on them.
Objectors believe younger siblings may now not be able to attend the same school as older brothers or sisters, while transport costs and road safety issues have also been highlighted.
Areport by Carrie Lindsay, education and children’s services executive director, suggests the plans on the table are the best way forward.
“Fife Council remains convinced that, on basis of the principles outlined in the proposal paper, the rezoning of the secondary catchment areas of Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, Queen Anne and Woodmill High Schools is the most effective way to provide an equitable, sustainable, secondary education provision across Dunfermline and West Fife in the short term and that this would support the future vision for the education and children’s services directorate,” she said.
“Fife Council acknowledges that for a number of parents, if the proposal is approved, there may be an impact on their personal circumstances where younger siblings are not guaranteed a place at the current catchment school.
“However, the education service believes that educational benefit for the pupils and the wider community will be demonstrated as a result of the rezoning of the catchment areas.”
Under the plans, addresses within the Camdean Primary and Kings Road Primary school catchment areas in Rosyth will be rezoned from Dunfermline High to Inverkeithing High, while addresses within the Masterton Primary and Limekilns Primary catchments will be rezoned from Woodmill High to Dunfermline High.
Homes within the Torryburn Primary catchment will be rezoned from Inverkeithing High to Queen Anne High, while Tulliallan Primary will be rezoned from Dunfermline High to Queen Anne High.
There will also be a rezoning of Canmore Primary, Pitreavie Primary and Commercial Primary addresses currently within the Woodmill High catchment to Dunfermline High, while addresses in the Commercial Primary catchment which are currently within the Queen Anne High catchment will be rezoned to Dunfermline High.
The changest, if approved, will happen from August 2019.
However, HM Inspectors from Education Scotland have urged the council to address the “reasonable and legitimate” concerns raised by parents and children of the Rosyth communities of Camdean and Kings Road Primary Schools during the consultation process.
“Significant elements of Fife Council’s proposal to rezone the catchment areas of the four secondary schools of Queen Anne, Woodmill, Dunfermline and Inverkeithing High schools have clear educational benefit but this is not the case for all aspects of the proposal,” HM Inspectors warned.
