A report into a proposal to close Menzieshill High School has been branded as “having the structure of a playground joke”.
Councillor Laurie Bidwell told the education committee it was akin to someone saying: “I have good news and bad news for parents and carers in Dundee.
“The good news is that we are proposing to build a new shared campus primary school in Whitfield … and the bad news is that we will close Menzieshill High School and gamble that we have enough secondary school places for children in the combined catchment area.”
Mr Bidwell described the education department report as “flimsy”, saying: “All the report reveals is that the school roll has gone down by 10 pupils in the last year and 57 pupils in the last four years. That’s the sum total of the evidence brought forward to support closure of a secondary school.”
He proposed an amendment demanding a “comprehensive report” on the outlook for schools in the area.
He added that projections show that the under-15 population is set to increase by 20% over the 20-year period to 2032 and asked how that would impact on school rolls.
“Menzieshill High School is closer to the Western Gateway and that development should not fall into the catchment area for Baldragon,” he said.
Education convener Stewart Hunter replied, saying the catchment area for the Western Gateway was decided before he was convener and before his predecessor.
He said: “It was under the convenership of Councillor Bidwell, so I find his comments rather bizarre.”
A fuller report will be presented to councillors on Friday.
Mr Hunter added: “We thought it was important to bring this to committee as soon as possible and then bring it back to committee in December with a more detailed report.”
Labour leader Kevin Keenan asked what the effect would be on pupils from the Carse of Gowrie area who traditionally see Harris as their school.
He was told that Invergowrie Primary School, which has always been an associated school for Harris, would continue to be so, however the situation for other primary schools in Angus which sit just outside the Dundee boundary and currently feed into Menzieshill High School will be reviewed.
Mr Wood told members: “There are currently 151 pupils going to Harris Academy who should be going to Menzieshill and if they were we would be having a different conversation tonight.”
Mr Bidwell’s amendment was defeated by 21 votes to 10 and the education department will now move towards consultation on the schools estate as a whole, including the possible closure of Menzieshill.
A full report will be brought before the education committee on December 12.