Council bosses are considering a shake-up of the catchment areas for four of Perth’s five secondary schools
Officials say occupancy rates need to be “rebalanced” following the opening of Bertha Park School.
They are proposing a review of pupil numbers and catchment boundaries at Perth Academy, Perth Grammar and Perth High School, as well as Bertha Park.
St John’s RC Academy is excluded due to its denominational status.
The review would also take into account the money that Perth and Kinross Council is likely to have to spend on the schools in the future.
Perth and Kinross councillors will be asked to approve the move next week.
A report to Monday’s full council meeting reveals Bertha Park has 645 pupils and capacity for 1,100.
The city’s newest secondary school opened in 2019 at a cost of £32.5 million.
It welcomed pupils who had spent their first year at Perth Grammar, along with pupils who finished P7 at Auchtergaven, Dunbarney, Forgandenny, Logiealmond, Methven, Pitcairn and Ruthvenfield primary schools.
Elsewhere Perth Academy has 1,011 pupils and space for 1,218.
Perth Grammar School has 728 students, and room for 1,182.
And Perth High School has a roll of 1,487 with capacity for 1,546.
New Perth High swallowing up secondary school investment
All three of the older schools are deemed to be in poorer condition and less suitable than Bertha Park.
However, a new Perth High School is under construction.
Work on the £80 million replacement school started a year ago.
It is being built on the western area of the existing school grounds and is expected to become operational in 2025.
The current Oakbank Road school – which was built in 1971 – is due to be demolished once the new school opens its doors.
Perth High is responsible for the bulk of the council’s current investment in schools – £80.2M of the £93.2M total over the next five years.
Views of pupils, parents and staff will be sought
The proposed review will take into account other factors, such as the impact of the Cross Tay Link Road, additional support needs provision and transport arrangements.
The report to the full council says pupils, parents and staff should be consulted at an early stage.
Councillors will be told informal engagement, before a proposal is fully developed, is recommended in the Statutory Guidance on the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.
“It is therefore proposed that the views of key stakeholders are sought in considering the future of the secondary learning estate in Perth City in the longer term,” the report to Monday’s meeting says.
“These stakeholders will include pupils, parents, staff, communities and other partners as appropriate.”
The 19 primary schools well below capacity
Officials also looked at the catchments of Perth and Kinross primaries operating at under 60% occupancy.
However, they determined there was no action they could take which would not cause harm.
The 19 primary schools are Abernethy, Abernyte, Alyth, Breadalbane, Collace, Coupar Angus, Errol, Glendelvine, Glenlyon, Guildtown, Invergowrie, Kenmore, Kinloch Rannoch, Logiealmond, Logierait, Meigle, Royal School of Dunkeld, Stanley and St. Ninian’s Episcopal Primary.
The report says: “The analysis of the 19 schools… showed that there were no identified solutions involving catchment change that could improve the situation without a level of detriment.
“This is due to several factors such as no neighbouring schools with roll pressures, lack
of actual pupil numbers living in the school catchments and travel distances to more populated areas.”
Conversation