Plans to close Menzieshill High and widen the catchment area for Harris Academy will have an impact on all Dundee’s secondary schools, councillors have heard.
Dundee City Council’s education committee voted to approve the proposals in principle and throw open the debate to the public, who are being asked to make their voices heard through a consultation process.
However, Monday’s decision to press ahead to the consultation stage saw councillors divided and questions were raised over capacity at Harris Academy, the impact on traffic along Perth Road and the needs for new bus routes to take some pupils to the new school.
Councillor Richard McCready said: “There are knock-on effects for every secondary school in the city. Pupils from Perth and Kinross who come to schools in Dundee and even some pupils in Angus will also be affected.”
Councillor Fraser Macpherson said capacity is the number one concern for the parents of current Harris Academy pupils and said there should not be a situation where the school operates at over its 1,309 capacity.
He said: “Every single constituent who has contacted me, and there have been many, are all concerned about the capacity issue.
“Parents want assurances that the school will be capped at its capacity level and we will not have a situation like we had at one of our primaries where it was running at 115%.”
He also raised concerns about bus routes as currently Harris Academy is not directly connected by bus to the northern part of the proposed new catchment area.
Officers said the department will be talking to National Express to look into the possibility of extending some of its routes.
Councillor Norma McGovern compared the situation to a ‘takeover’ by Harris Academy, arguing Menzieshill pupils will lose their school identity while pupil representative member of the committee, Alix Findlayson, of Harris Academy, suggested there may be clashes between Harris pupils and incoming Menzieshill pupils.
She also asked for some of the £1.8 million in savings the council expects to make from closing Menzieshill to be put back into taking care of the pupils in the joined Harris.
Education convener Stewart Hunter also reiterated a pledge that there will be a place for every catchment pupil, but said placement pupils would miss out as places become tight at Harris Academy.
Kevin Keenan raised issues of a potential staffing crisis at Menzieshill, saying if jobs are uncertain teachers may jump ship to look for alternative employment, which could affect pupils’ education.
Baldragon Academy will become the associated Dundee secondary school for Longforgan, Inchture, Abernyte, Auchterhouse, Birkhill and Liff primary schools, with Rosebank Primary transferred from Harris Academy to Morgan Academy and Roman Catholic primaries St Luke’s and St Matthew’s as well as St Vincent’s will be incorporated into a new RC school in Whitfield.
The public consultation will begin in the new year and everyone with an interest in Dundee schools is being urged to take part.