The decision by Fife Council’s executive committee to rezone parts of the Masterton, Canmore and Pitreavie Primary School catchment areas in Dunfermline from August will keep siblings apart and be “logistically impossible” for parents.
Campaigners have set up a Facebook page, Masterton Siblings, that has gained considerable support and a number of families protested outside Masterton Primary School.
Fife firefighter James Traynor, 33, and his wife Katie are two parents who have been affected. The couple, who have two young children, moved to their current home in the Masterton Park estate six years ago. Six year-old Vaila is in P2. But when three-year-old Jamie starts school next year, he will potentially face a one-hour journey while his sister goes to school just 300 metres away.
Mrs Traynor, 32, a primary teacher in East Lothian, said: “The result is that our three-year-old son will now be out of catchment when he starts school in August 2015 and we will be forced to have our children at different schools.
“This is logistically impossible for parents. The preferred option of Fife’s head of education is that we move our oldest child out of Masterton to go to the same school as her brother.
“Ourselves and many other parents feel it is brutally unfair to even suggest that a child should have to change schools because Fife Council have moved the goalposts once again.”
Shelagh McLean, Fife Council directorate resources manager, said: “Each year parents living in the Masterton PS catchment area are advised to enrol their children at Masterton Primary School; however, at the time of enrolment, they are also told a place may not be available due to the fact there are too many pupils for the number of places.
“This situation will get worse as more pupils arrive from the housing sites in the area. The changes proposed provide the most effective way to ensure all children can be given a place at their catchment school.
“There is a small number of families who already have older children at Masterton whose younger children will not automatically get in to the school should the decision to rezone go ahead.
“The changes mean that their addresses will now be in the catchments for Canmore or Pitreavie. All the children in the family will be eligible to attend one of those two schools.
“The older children can move from Masterton to the new school with their siblings. Some parents may not want to move their older children and in these cases we will work with the families in whatever way we can.
“The executive committee’s decision on Masterton has been called in to the scrutiny committee and will be considered at the next meeting, on April 29. We will be in touch with all families as soon as possible after this, whatever the decision.”
Picture by David Wardle