Rosyth children face a treacherous route to school after controversial catchment area changes were approved.
Pupils from Camdean and Kings Road primary schools in Rosyth will now attend Inverkeithing High School instead of Dunfermline High School from August next year.
The move means a hazardous journey to school for some, with one suggested walking route crossing a slip road off the M90, an underpass and then another slip road off a roundabout onto the motorway.
Another route follows the M90 flyover from Castlandhill Road.
Sam Steele, SNP councillor for Rosyth, addressed the education and children’s services committee before the changes were rubber stamped.
After the meeting, she said she was very disappointed that Rosyth parents’ concerns had not been addressed.
“Neither of the routes are safe,” she said.
“I just feel this has not been given enough time and discussed properly.”
Responding to calls for subsidised buses to take pupils to school safely, Shelagh McLean, head of education and children’s services, said: “Bus providers do try, wherever possible, to respond to demand.”
However, earlier in the meeting she conceded: “We can’t guarantee there will be enough transport for all children to access it.”
Rosyth Labour councillor Andrew Verrecchia said the catchment changes risked creating a two tier system, with five zones in Rosyth among Scotland’s most deprived areas.
“These families will have to find money to afford transport to avoid walking these routes,” he said.
He said pupils attending Inverkeithing would also be penalised because they would have to be accommodated in prefabricated huts, at a cost of £1 million, from 2022 to 2027.
He said: “If it’s not acceptable for pupils from Dunfermline eastern expansion to be taught in huts, then why is it acceptable for pupils from Rosyth to be taught in huts?”
Concerns were also raised about disabled access at Inverkeithing High. It was revealed one youngster in a wheelchair recently had to be carried in his chair up a flight of stairs at the school.
Ms McLean said: “We are addressing accessibility issues across our school estate all the time. We look at individual pupils and where we can make adjustments to buildings we do that.
“If that’s not possible, we work with the parents to identify what is the most suitable secondary school based on their needs.”
The changes approved on Tuesday affect the catchment areas of Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, Queen Anne and Woodmill high schools.
It means addresses in the catchment areas for Camdean, Kings Road, Masterton, Limekilns, Torryburn, Tulliallan, Canmore, Pitreavie and Commerial primary schools have been rezoned.
The council said the move was necessary because Woodmill High School was oversubscribed, and £4.5m would have had to be spent on temporary accommodation there, compared to the £1m outlay at Inverkeithing.
SNP councillor and committee convener Fay Sinclair said: “This has been a long process which has caused some angst within our communities and we have tried, where possible, to find the best solution for the majority of people. Officers have consulted fully with parents and pupils and I believe that today’s decision is the right one.
“This decision provides some certainty and stability to the occupancy of schools in the area and gives our young people the security of knowing where they will be attending secondary school next year.
“I’m aware there may be some who will be disappointed with this decision but I hope that they will join us in helping make any transitions as smooth as possible for our children. We will work with our schools to help prepare our children for any changes and the necessary support will be in place within schools to ensure this.”
