Education & Children’s Services

REPORT TO EDUCATION & CHILDREN’S SERVICES COMMITTEE – 26 AUGUST 2021

MERGER OF DALES PARK AND MEETHILL SCHOOLS

1 Reason for Report / Summary

1.1 Consider the consultation responses regarding the merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools, and the officer recommendation to continue engagement with stakeholders and the proposed merger of those schools into a new school at Peterhead Community Campus.

2 Recommendations

The Committee is recommended to:

2.1 Consider the formal consultation report attached as Appendix A regarding the Merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the Community Campus;

2.2 Consider the comments of Buchan Area Committee on 22 June 2021;

2.3 Acknowledge the recommendation within the consultation report at 9.1 that officers will continue to engage with stakeholders of Dales Park and Meethill Schools to address their concerns regarding road safety and safe walking routes to school; and

2.4 Make a recommendation for the consideration of Full Council on the officer recommendation within the consultation report at 9.2 to continue with the proposal to close both Dales Park and Meethill Schools and merge both schools at the new Community Campus at Kinmundy Road, Peterhead.

3 Purpose and Decision Making Route

Background

3.1 On 31 October 2013 Education, Learning and Leisure Committee approved the adoption of a set of principles in relation to the Learning Estate. It was agreed that a workshop should be held with elected members and stakeholders to apply strategic principles to the Peterhead network.

3.2 On 26 March 2015 the Learning Estates Strategy was presented at Education, Learning and Leisure Committee which stated the approach in Peterhead, following extensive local engagement, provides education and other benefits for pupils, parents and the wider community in a way which is sustainable in the longer term.

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3.3 Peterhead Community Campus project has been a Council priority since 2016 and has been a project within the Education & Children’s Services Service Plan 2016-2019.

3.4 Extensive engagement through stakeholder events has taken place since 2016 as part of the development process for the campus. In February 2017 Aberdeenshire Council agreed to bring the Peterhead Community Campus Project forward through the Asset Management Development Group and thereafter to Committee.

3.5 At Education and Children Committee and at Communities Committee in March 2017 it was agreed that two options would be further explored.

3.6 At the full meeting of Aberdeenshire Council on 8 February 2018, the new community campus at Peterhead was agreed for inclusion in Aberdeenshire Council’s Capital Plan, and at its meeting on 27 June 2019 the site at Kinmundy was approved.

Consultation Process

3.7 The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 requires that local authorities undertake a formal consultation process whenever changes are proposed to the location or catchment area of a school.

3.8 The consultation exercise regarding the merger of Dales Park and Meethill School at the new Peterhead Community Campus was approved at Education and Children’s Services Committee on 3 December 2020 and was launched on 7 December 2020. Buchan Area Committee’s views were sought at its meeting on 12 January 2021. The consultation concluded on 26 February 2021, this adequately covered the required minimum of 30 days term time consultation.

3.9 A virtual public meeting was held on 3 February 2021, which was attended by 41 people. Attendees expressed concerns that many pupils would be required to cross Meethill Road. The minutes of the meeting are attached as Appendix A2.

3.10 During the consultation period an online survey was available for stakeholders to complete. A total of 554 responses were received. On 16 February 2021, a “Save Meethill School” page was created on social media, receiving in excess of 400 followers. The page gave a link to the online survey, requesting supporters to help save Meethill School. The social media page was supported by some members of the community who reside out with the Peterhead area, who will not be affected by the result of the proposal. A full analysis of the survey is attached as Appendix A3.

3.11 Prior to the survey being shared on social media, 75 people had taken part in the survey, these participants have children at either Dales Park or Meethill School or have children that attended nursery.

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3.12 Of these 75 participants, 47 intimated that they support Dales Park School moving to the new community campus, 16 do not support the move, and 12 have no preference.

3.13 25 participants intimated that they support Meethill School moving to the new community campus, 38 do not support the move, and 12 have no preference.

3.14 32 participants intimated that they support the merging of both Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the new community campus, 37 do not support the move and 6 have no preference.

3.15 Pupil engagement was carried out at Dales Park and Meethill Schools. Feedback has been received from both schools and their responses are attached as Appendices A4 and A5.

3.16 At the end of the consultation period all written submissions along with the minutes of the public meeting were provided to Education Scotland. Education Scotland have written a report on the consultation and is attached as Appendix A6.

3.17 Officers within Education and Children’s Services have carefully considered all responses to the consultation and have made recommendations within Appendix A to this report.

3.18 On 22 June 2021, Buchan Area Committee considered the consultation responses regarding the proposal. In relation to Meethill School, members had differing views and did not come to a consensus, however, the following comments were put forward:

That the current Meethill School be retained on site and not merged with Dales Park School and should not become part of Peterhead Community Campus for the following reasons (i) having listened to the views submitted by the parents and carers in response to the public consultation exercise, (ii) having noted the concerns raised in relation to road safety issues, including the distance and (iii) having noted the strong opposition to the merger and relocation given the current leadership and culture of Meethill School and that the school is “the heart of the community.

We should listen to the local community and reject the proposal to close Meethill School and merge with Dales Park School at the new Community Campus, and reject recommendation 2.3 to continue to engage with the stakeholders of Meethill School regarding road safety and safe walking routes to school, for the following reasons (i) having taken note of the responses received to the consultations in that overwhelmingly it is the wish of the Meethill community that the amalgamation of the two schools should not take place given the increased travel distance, road safety concerns, the size of the new campus will make it large and impersonal, children of different ages being together, staff being unwilling to teach in such a large

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environment, the loss of the sense of community currently provided at Meethill School, and concerns raised regarding the future use of the building and grounds should the school be vacated, and (ii) large schools do not always make for better schools.

In commending the excellent report, concerns raised in relation to road safety and safe walking routes to school were noted, and the question was raised whether further consideration could be given to providing transportation for pupils in Primaries 1-3 who are not otherwise entitled to free transport.

Prior to the ‘Save our School’ Campaign, there was a sizable minority in favour of the proposal, and therefore, should the merge and relocation take place, it may be that some parents/carers will opt to request that their child(ren) attend the new Community Campus and not remain at Meethill School, putting capacity pressure on the new Campus

The educational experience for each child must remain the paramount priority in considering this proposal

Whilst noting the schools’ concerns, it was also noted this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for Meethill to have a new build school, and consideration should be given to any negative results for Meethill pupils further down the line

In noting that Education Scotland accepts the proposal will let the Council make best use of its resources in terms of ‘best value’; to highlight that difficult decisions have to be made, whilst they are affected by the views of the community, the wider picture is the regeneration of Peterhead, and the huge financial investment this represents. The mixed views are noted but the positive ones may have got lost and it is disappointing that more positive messages have not come through from the community

To request that consideration be given to making an approach to Scottish Futures Trust to clarify if by removing Meethill from the proposal will have a negative impact on the delivery of the Community Campus project in terms of funding or the proposed timeline, and that any response be made available to the Buchan Area Committee Members for information

In relation to Dales Park School, that the Committee, as a whole, is happy with the proposals as put forward

4 Discussion

4.1 The proposal for the merger of Dales Park and Meethill School has emerged from a wider engagement process regarding the community campus.

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4.2 To ensure a holistic approach has been adopted, officers engaged widely to explore ways to improve educational, social and related opportunities for all children, young people and the wider community in Peterhead. Accordingly, engagement with Dales Park and Meethill School staff, parents and carers was an essential part of this process.

4.3 Parents/carers and stakeholders have significantly different views regarding the proposal and have legitimate concerns regarding road safety and safe walking routes to the proposed new school.

4.4 Education Scotland agree that discontinuing education provision at the existing Dales Park and Meethill Schools has potential educational benefits. Pupils would benefit from a new building that supports learning and teaching styles of the 21st Century. The larger professional community created will promote opportunities for joint professional learning and increased collaboration.

4.5 Education Scotland also agree that the proposal will assist to deliver ‘Best Value’ through making more efficient and effective use of its resources.

4.6 Officers recommend continued engagement with stakeholders of Dales Park and Meethill Schools to address their concerns regarding road safety and safe walking routes to school.

4.7 Officers also recommend the proposal should continue to close both Dales Park and Meethill Schools and merge both schools at the new Community Campus at Kinmundy Road, Peterhead.

5 Council Priorities, Implications and Risk

5.1 This report helps deliver the following Council Priorities:

Pillar PriorityOur People Education

Health & WellbeingOur Environment Infrastructure Our Economy Estate Modernisation

5.2 This report helps deliver the Council’s key principles: right people, right places, right time; responsible finances; climate and sustainability; Community Planning Partnership Local Outcome Improvement Plans; human rights and public protection; tackling poverty and inequalities; digital infrastructure and economy. This report helps deliver the following Strategic Priorities: “Education”, “Health & Wellbeing”, “Infrastructure” and “Estate Modernisation”.

5.3 This report helps deliver against Aberdeenshire Children’s Services Plan Priority – Delivery of the Peterhead Community Campus.

5.4 The table below shows whether risks and implications apply if the recommendations are agreed.

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Subject Yes No N/AFinancial xStaffing xEqualities and Fairer Duty Scotland

x

Children and Young People’s Rights and Wellbeing

x

Climate Change and Sustainability

x

Health and Wellbeing xTown Centre First x

5.5 An Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) has been submitted with this report (Appendix B).

5.6 The following Risks have been identified as relevant to this matter on a Corporate Level: ACORP009 Operational Risk Management (including health & safety) Corporate Risks Register.

5.7 The following Risks have been identified as relevant to this matter on a Strategic Level: ECSR003 To have improved business support and resource management arrangements in place across ECS: to deliver the Peterhead Community Campus. This includes the merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools. This proposal will ensure that a stimulating and secure educational environment will be delivered. An integrated community campus will meet the needs of pupils in the Peterhead network and prepares them for work, life and lifelong learning in the 21st Century. Directorate Risk Register

6 Scheme of Governance

6.1 The Head of Finance and Monitoring Officer within Business Services have been consulted in the preparation of this report and their comments are incorporated within the report and are satisfied that the report complies with the Scheme of Governance and relevant legislation.

6.2 The Committee is able to consider this item in terms of Sections E.3.3 of the List of Committee Powers in Part 2A of the Scheme of Governance as it relates to the power to consider, comment on, make recommendations to Services and any other appropriate Committee on any matter or policy which impacts its Area.

Laurence Findlay Director of Education & Children’s Services

Report prepared by Maxine Booth, Quality Improvement Manager, Learning Estates Team and Gail Dick, Project Officer, Learning Estates Team Date 30 July 2021

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List of Appendices

Appendix A - Merger of Dales Park and Meethill School Final Report

Appendix A1 - Merger of Dales Park and Meethill School Proposal Appendix A2 - Minutes of Public Meeting Appendix A3 - Online Survey Summary Appendix A4 - Dales Park School Pupil Engagement Appendix A5 - Meethill School Pupil Engagement Appendix A6 - Education Scotland Final Report

Appendix B - Integrated Impact Assessment

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APPENDIX A

CONSULTATION REPORT REGARDING

THE MERGER OF DALES PARK AND

MEETHILL SCHOOLS

2021

This Consultation Report has been issued by Education and

Children’s Services of Aberdeenshire Council in accordance with

the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

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– Contents –

1. The Proposal

2. Public Engagement

3. Written Responses

4. Education Scotland Report

5. Education Authority Response to Written and Oral Representations

6. Errors, Omissions and Additional Information

7. Compliance with Section 9(1) of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

8. Conclusion

9. Recommendation(s)

– Appendices –

Appendix 1 – Merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools Proposal Document Appendix 2 – Minutes of Public Meeting Appendix 3 – Online Survey Summary Appendix 4 – Dales Park School Pupil Feedback Appendix 5 – Meethill School Pupil Feedback Appendix 6 – Education Scotland Final Report

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1. The Proposal

1.1 At its meeting on 3 December 2020 Education and Children’s Services Committee authorised the launch of a statutory consultation regarding the Merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools.

1.2 The Proposal Document included as Appendix 1 to this report, was issued to those individuals and bodies listed under Distribution within the proposal document. The Proposal Document was also published on the Council website: http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/education-consultations/

1.3 The proposal on which the consultation took place was that:

Education provision at the existing Dales Park and Meethill Schools should be discontinued with effect from July 2025.

Existing and future pupils of Dales Park and Meethill Schools should continue their education within the new Peterhead Community Campus located at Kinmundy Road, Peterhead from August 2025.

1.4 This would mean that both Dales Park and Meethill Schools would close and merge into one new school with a new identify at the new Community Campus at Kinmundy.

1.5 The Proposal Document made clear to consultees that the consultation period would run from 7 December 2020 until 26 February 2021. This adequately covered the required minimum of 30 days term time consultation.

1.6 On 31 October 2013 Education, Learning and Leisure Committee approved the adoption of a set of principles in relation to the Learning Estate. It was agreed that a workshop should be held with elected members and stakeholders to apply strategic principles to the Peterhead network.

1.7 On 26 March 2015 the Learning Estates Strategy was presented at Education, Learning and Leisure Committee which stated the approach in Peterhead, following extensive local engagement, provides education and other benefits for pupils, parents and the wider community in a way which is sustainable in the longer term.

1.8 Peterhead Community Campus project has been a Council priority since 2016 and has been a project within the Education and Children’s Services Service Plan 2016-2019.

1.9 Extensive engagement of stakeholder events have taken place since 2016 as part of the development process for the campus. In February 2017 Aberdeenshire Council agreed to bring the Peterhead Community Campus Project forward through the Asset Management Development Group and thereafter to Committee.

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1.10 At Education and Children Committee and at Communities Committee in March 2017 it was agreed that two options would be further explored.

1.11 At the full meeting of Aberdeenshire Council on 8 February 2018, the new community campus at Peterhead was agreed for the Aberdeenshire Council’s Capital Plan, and at its meeting on 27 June 2019 the site at Kinmundy was approved.

2. Public Engagement

Public Meeting

2.1 All parents/carers and stakeholders were invited to a public meeting which was scheduled to be held during the consultation period to discuss the proposal. The meeting was scheduled to be held on 3 February 2021 at 6.30pm within the Theatre, Peterhead Leisure and Community Centre, Balmoor Terrace, Peterhead.

2.2 Attendees were going to be given the option to attend the meeting in person booking a place through Eventbrite or to attend the online meeting. Details on how to book a place or access the online meeting was to be published on the Aberdeenshire Council school consultation web page one week prior to the meeting.

2.3 However, due to the change in COVID-19 restrictions officers were unable to hold the face to face public meeting. Communication was sent to all parent/carers and stakeholders informing them that the face to face public meeting could no longer take place and the meeting would be held online. A link to the meeting along with guidance on accessing the meeting was also provided.

2.4 The meeting was chaired by Councillor Owen and was attended by parents, staff, elected members and members of the community. A total of 41 people attended the meeting. The minutes of the meeting are attached as Appendix 2.

2.5 During the meeting there were questions and comments that covered the following topics;

Other schools considered for the proposal Safety of pupils crossing Meethill Road Class structure and sizes Upgrade of current school Capacity of proposal new primary Proposal on schedule Distance from Meethill catchment to Kinmundy

2.6 Meethill Parent Council had previously provided the Learning Estates Team with a set of questions, these were addressed at the meeting, and are detailed within the minutes.

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2.7 The Parent Council Chairs at both Dales Park and Meethill Schools were offered meetings to discuss the proposal in an informal setting. Meethill Parent Council representatives met with officers on 23 February 2021. This gave officers invaluable insight into the concerns of the Meethill School parents.

Online Survey

2.8 During the consultation period parent/carers, stakeholders and community members were invited to take part in an online survey to express their opinion on the proposal.

2.9 The survey provided a summary of the proposal to the merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools. Participants were also given the opportunity to leave comments regarding the proposal.

2.10 A total of 554 people took part in the survey. A full summary of the online survey is attached as Appendix 3.

Discussion with Pupils

2.11 As part of the consultation process, Head Teachers at Dales Park and Meethill Schools discussed the proposal regarding the Merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools. Some of the comments that were made are listed below and the full comments are attached as Appendices 4 and 5.

Dales Park School

Positive Aspects More people to play football with, help mend/improve relationships

between Meethill and Dales Park Schools, get to make new friends More room, more fun, more people, bigger games hall, more

opportunity for sports Make new friends, more teachers

Negative Aspects Relationships might be difficult to start with, travelling to the school,

might be too far Scared, unknown, might be harder to learn in a big school Difficult for the older Dales children that have already settled into their

environment, re zoning might be an issue, it might not be built in time

Meethill School

Positive Aspects More space, more friends more people to go up to the academy with More money because of selling land Meeting old friends Not be lonely and have more friends

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Bigger things and new playground New teachers New electronics and science stuff Looking out for younger siblings Get better at socialising

Negative Aspects More fights, bullying Too much people, too big Knocking into people in the playground Really busy and don’t know if it would be scary Might get lost Crossing a road Teacher might not come Might not fit in

2.12 Pupils from Meethill School also made comment on what the new school name might be and the new uniform.

Staff Engagement

2.13 Staff provided their feedback through the online survey, there were nine responses received. The majority supported the move for Dales Park School and did not support Meethill School moving to the campus. None of the staff that responded were in favour of the schools merging together.

2.14 They felt that Meethill School will lose it’s sense of community, it would be too far for some pupils to walk, they also felt that the capacity of the new primary school was too large.

2.15 Staff also indicated that the current staff at the schools had applied to work in smaller schools and not a school of possibly 20 classes or more. They also expressed concern regarding redundancies.

2.16 They also felt that Meethill Road is an extremely busy road and expressed concern at pupils having to cross the road.

3. Written Responses

3.1 On 28 January 2021 correspondence was received from Meethill Parent Council regarding the proposal. It contained questions from the Parent Council, a map of the green space around Meethill School and results of a survey that has been conducted by Meethill Parent Council.

3.2 The survey was dated 22 May 2020, which is out with the official consultation period for the consultation, therefore has not been considered as part of the final analysis.

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3.3 The main concerns that were raised are listed below, these concerns were also addressed at the public meeting on 3 February 2021

School Transport Road Infrastructure Safe routes to school Timescale of project Upgrade of existing schools Primary School size Class sizes Staffing

4. Education Scotland Report

4.1 The Education Scotland report is produced in full, attached as Appendix 6.

4.2 Education Scotland recognises that proposal will assist the Council to deliver ‘Best Value’ through making more efficient and effective use of its resources. They also agree that the proposal to provide 600 places in the primary school in the new community campus is sufficient to meet the projected combined rolls of both schools should they merge.

4.3 Education Scotland agrees the council has set out a reasonable case in support of its proposal. There will be a number of potential educational benefits for children and staff should the proposal go ahead. These include the opportunity to develop a sense of belonging, engagement and ownership for all pupils and staff across an inclusive campus. The provision of a modern, purpose built campus offers an improved learning environment designed to suit the demands of a 21st century curriculum. Flexible learning spaces will encourage staff to work collaboratively, provide more opportunities for children to work cooperatively and allow a range of teaching and learning approaches including, active, interdisciplinary and outdoor learning. The inclusion of new community sports facilitates on the campus will significantly enhance opportunities for physical education and related activities. The new campus will offer greater flexibility for a range of school activities, including before and after school.

4.4 Education Scotland reports that pupils from Meethill School will benefit from a range of resources not currently available to them, including a sensory room and life-skills area as well as easier access to specialist classrooms within the wider campus. Both schools will benefit from dedicated nurture spaces which support individual and small group work. Dales Park pupils will benefit from increased circulation space and additional space to support collaborative activities. Dining facilities for both schools will be improved.

4.5 Education Scotland further reports that the proposal identifies potential benefits for staff, including an improved working environment and access to modern resources and facilities. Being part of a larger professional community, including primary, secondary, special school and enhanced provision will promote opportunities for joint professional learning and increased opportunities for leadership development. There will be a broader range of staff

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expertise and allow for better sharing of good practice, materials and resources. Staff will be able to work more collaboratively and effectively on improving professional reflective practice and self-evaluation.

4.6 Education Scotland indicated that the children, staff and parents from Dales Park School who met with HM Inspectors recognise the potential benefits of the proposal. They like the idea of working in a modern building that is designed to promote accessible and inclusive learning. Staff and parents felt this will be particularly beneficial to children with additional support needs, including those who attend the Enhanced Provision currently based in Dales Park School. They recognise the proposed flexibility of learning spaces and identified the potential to work more collaboratively with colleagues. Staff recognise the potential benefit for children transitioning to Peterhead Academy if the primary was on the same campus. Children saw the proposed merger as an opportunity to make new friendships, meet new teachers and have more space in which to learn. Access to improved physical education accommodation and facilities were seen as attractive.

4.7 Education Scotland also indicated that the staff and parents from Meethill School who met with HM Inspectors feel that Meethill School is still fit for purpose and see limited benefits to the proposal. They are not supportive of the inclusion of Meethill School in the proposal. They do, however, recognise the benefits of the new campus for the other schools involved. Staff and parents acknowledge that Meethill School would require some upgrading should it remain open. Key areas of concern are the proposed campus being too large and impersonal, children of different ages being on the same campus, increased travelling distance and road safety concerns. Parents and staff feel that Meethill School is the heart of the local community and that this would be lost should the school close. They also have concerns about what will happen to the Meethill School site should it be vacated. Children from Meethill School were more positive about the proposal. They were excited about the prospect of improved facilities, such as a bigger library and sports facilities.

4.8 Finally Education Scotland reported that representatives of the Anna Ritchie and Peterhead Academy schools including staff, young people and parents were in favour of the proposal. They believe the shared campus will encourage greater collaboration between children and young people across the campus. They think transitions for children will be enriched and that a better understanding of diversity and attitudes to inclusion will be improved.

5. Education Authority Response to Written and Oral Representations

Merging of Dales Park and Meethill School

5.1 Aberdeenshire Council looks to the maximum capacity of a primary school to be no more than 600 pupils. According to government guidelines within the Scotland’s Learning Estate Strategy “Connecting People, Places and Learning” Guiding Principle - The Learning Estate should be well managed and maintained, making the best of existing resources, maximising occupancy and representing and delivering best value. Education and Children’s Services want

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to deliver improvements for the estate that will impact the greatest number of buildings, and the council aims to reduce the overall number of buildings which will result in a reduction of carbon footprint and energy consumption. Burnhaven School was not included after the options appraisal stage.

Distance

5.2 Dales Park Nursery will also be included within the Kinmundy site for the proposed new Community Campus. The nursery will be a separate building located on south eastern part of the site. Dales View Drive will provide vehicular access to the nursery. The existing Dales Park School is located to the south east of the proposed site on Dales View Road. This presents an opportunity to have various access points to the proposed Peterhead Community Campus which will be located at the north part of the Kinmundy site.

5.3 The distance from Meethill Road to the Kinmundy site access on Kinmundy Road is approximately one mile. The distance from Meethill School to the access point via Dales View Drive is approximately half a mile. If there are various access points to the Kinmundy site, this will help shorten travel time to and from school from the current Meethill School area.

Safe Walking Routes to School

5.4 Planners and design teams in collaboration with the Roads Department will ensure that safe walking routes to schools are an integral part of the process. This will look at the town as a whole due to the catchment of the primary and the secondary. Currently there are crossing islands within Meethill Road further calming measures within Meethill Road would need to be addressed. However, there are already a substantial number of children crossing Meethill Road due to having placing requests at either Dales Park or Meethill School and living in the catchment area of the other school.

Road Infrastructure

5.5 New roads and parking infrastructure, off-road walking and cycling routes to the campus will be designed and built, following best practice guidelines and Aberdeenshire Council standards. All new infrastructure will be determined through the planning process including consultation with the Roads Department team to ensure the provision is appropriate. Involvement from the Transport Strategy Team and Public Transport Unit will also take place to ensure safe routes to school and the wider community campus are planned and identified.

Class Sizes

5.6 Should the proposal go ahead class sizes will continue to follow national class size maxima, however, the number of classes per cohort will increase.

P1 – 25 pupils P2 - P3 – 30 pupils P4 - P7 – 33 pupils Composite classes – 25 pupils

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Staffing

5.7 All existing staff at both Dales Park and Meethill Schools will have the opportunity to transfer to the new school at the Community Campus. Additional staff may be required because of the extra housing and children. However, if the merger does go ahead there will be one Head Teacher.

Upgrade Existing Schools

5.8 The Conditions of this funding is predicated on achieving outcomes. The benefits of this integrated approach also include the reduction of carbon footprint, reduction of number of buildings, and to become fully digitally enabled throughout all learning spaces.

5.9 If all elements of the campus are not delivered including the merger of the primary schools then there is likely to be a significant impact on the availability of government funding. In this scenario there would need to be further dialogue with Scottish Futures Trust and the Scottish Government.

5.10 All schools in the learning estate are subject to condition and suitability assessments, these together with school roll forecasts form the basis of the Council’s own investment programme. The Council must prioritise this budget across its entire estate and given other priorities in Aberdeenshire it would be unlikely there would be opportunity to invest in these two existing primary schools.

5.11 The ongoing repair and maintenance programme of the school estate will continue, however, other investment is not available or prioritised at this time at Dales Park or Meethill Schools.

Size of Kinmundy Site

5.12 The Kinmundy site is 30 acres. It is large enough to accommodate the Academy, a large Primary School, a Special School, a Nursery and pitches. Community facilities can also be fully accommodated if this is the agreed site for them.

Vacant Buildings

5.13 Aberdeenshire Council has an Asset Disposal Policy which must be followed when assets become surplus to requirements. If Dales Park and Meethill School were to join the Community Campus then there would be no requirement for either of the current school buildings to continue as a school. It would be the intention of Education and Children’s Services to declare the building surplus to requirement, other council services will be approached to express an interest in the site. There will be opportunities for the site to be developed as green space and/or playing space. This would have to be fully assessed through the asset disposal procedure. Thereafter any surplus council sites can be subject to a Community Asset Transfer Application.

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School Transport

5.14 In Aberdeenshire and across Scotland transport is available to pupils who live two miles or more from a primary school and three miles or more from a secondary school. Looking at the geographic spread of the catchment for Meethill and distance to the new Kinmundy site, all pupils currently zoned to Meethill School would be living within two miles of the new campus.

5.15 There will be increased car parking compared to what is currently at Dales Park and Meethill Schools. There will also be designed pick up and drop off points.

Transition for Pupils

5.16 Careful transition planning will ensure a positive transition for pupils to the community campus. Individual plans will allow for enhanced transitions.

School Day

5.17 Start and end times of the school day will be considered by the Campus Management Team as part of the Access Strategy for the building. Lunch and break times can also be at different times, detailed engagement will take place with pupils, parents and staff as the project develops.

6. Errors, Omissions and Additional Information

6.1 During the consultation period no errors or admissions were brought to the attention of officers. The only change in the consultation was the delivery of a meeting with the Meethill Parent Council.

6.2 The online public meeting held during the consultation is compliant with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, which states the Council must hold and be present at a public meeting and give advance notice of the date, time and venue of the meeting to relevant consultees and Education Scotland.

Out of Zone Pupils

6.3 Currently there are 257 pupils at Dales Park School (seemis extract 23 April 2021). Of this total there are 80 (31%) out of zone pupils attending the school.

6.4 Currently there are 201 pupils at Meethill School (seemis extract 23 April 2021). Of this total there are 76 (38%) out of zone pupils attending the school.

6.5 A number of pupils at both Dales Park and Meethill School live out with the school catchment area. Pupils who do not attend their zoned school are not entitled to school transport, parents/carers are fully responsible for transporting their child(ren) to and from school. Some of these pupils would be required to cross Meethill Road to attend their chosen school.

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Social Media

6.6 On 16 February 2021, a “Save Meethill School” page was created on social media, receiving in excess of 400 followers. The page gave a link to the online survey, requesting supporters to help save Meethill School.

6.7 The social media page was supported by some members of the community who reside out with the Peterhead area, they will not be affected by the result of the proposal. An additional 479 response were received after the launch of social media campaign.

6.8 Prior to the survey being shared on social media, 75 people had taken part in the survey, these participants have children at either Dales Park or Meethill School or have children that attended nursery.

6.9 Of these 75 participants, 47 intimated that they support Dales Park School moving to the new community campus, 16 do not support the move, and 12 have no preference.

6.10 25 participants intimated that they support Meethill School moving to the new community campus, 38 do not support the move, and 12 have no preference.

6.11 32 participants intimated that they support the merging of both Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the new community campus, 37 do not support the move and 6 have no preference.

7. Compliance with Section 9(1) of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

7.1 Section 9(1) of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 states that:

After the Education Authority has received HMIE’s report, the Authority is to review the relevant proposal having regard (in particular) to

(i) written representations received by the Authority (from any person) during the consultation period,

(ii) oral representations made to it (by any person) at the public meeting,

(iii) HMIe’s report.

7.2 Officers of the Education Authority have listened carefully to the points made at the public meeting and have considered equally carefully the written representations. The Education Authority’s position is set out in this document.

7.3 Section (10) (3) of the 2010 Act also places a requirement on the Council to provide details of any inaccuracy or omission within the Proposal Paper which has either been identified by the Council or raised by consultees.

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7.4 This section of the 2010 Act also requires the Council to provide a statement on the action taken in respect of the inaccuracy or omission, or, if no action was taken, to state that fact and why.

7.5 Officers are required to publish its response to representations made during the consultation period within its final Consultation Report. The Council’s detailed responses to the alleged inaccuracies is set out within this Consultation Report in Section 6.

8. Conclusion

8.1 The Council now has the following options:

Continue to progress the proposal to merge Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the Community Campus; or

Relocate one school to the Community Campus at Kinmundy Road.

8.2 Officers have outlined a number of educational benefits within the proposal document for current and future pupils at both Dales Park and Meethill Schools. They believe that that balance of educational benefits outweighs the number of concerns raised in opposition to the proposal.

8.3 There is likely to be significant impact on the availability of government funding if the proposal to merge Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the Community Campus does not proceed.

8.4 Education Scotland agree that discontinuing education provision at the existing Dales Park and Meethill Schools has potential educational benefits. Pupils would benefit from a new building that supports learning and teaching styles of the 21st Century. The larger professional community created will promote opportunities for joint professional learning and increased collaboration.

8.5 Education Scotland also agree that the proposal will assist to deliver ‘Best Value’ through making more efficient and effective use of its resources.

8.6 Officers recognise that the communities of Dales Park and Meethill hold significantly different views regarding the proposal and have legitimate concerns regarding road safety and safe walking routes to the prosed new school.

8.7 Officers recognise the need to continue to engage with all stakeholders to address concerns regarding road safety and safe walking routes to the proposed new school.

8.8 Should the proposal go ahead, officers recognise the need to continue to consult and communicate effectively with staff, children, parents and the wider community in engaging with them fully in the future planning and design stages of this proposal.

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8.9 Should the Council agree to the proposal, as this would involve the permanent closure of two primary schools, the decision will be subject to Call-In by Scottish Ministers. Members of the public will have the opportunity to request that ministers review the decision. Details of the timescales for this process will be published on the Aberdeenshire Council website once the decision has been made by Full Council.

9. Recommendation(s)

9.1 The recommendation of Officers is to continue to engage with stakeholders of Dales Park and Meethill Schools to address their concerns regarding road safety and safe walking routes to school.

9.2 The recommendation of Officers is that Aberdeenshire Council should continue with the proposal to permanently close both Dales Park and Meethill Schools and merge into one primary school at the new Community Campus at Kinmundy Road, Peterhead.

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APPENDIX A1

EDUCATION & CHILDREN’S SERVICES

DECEMBER 2020

PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

MERGER OF DALES PARK AND MEETHILL SCHOOLS WITHIN

PETERHEAD COMMUNITY CAMPUS

Consultation open between 7 December 2020 – 26 February 2021

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If you have difficulty reading this document please contact the Learning Estates Team on 01771 676600 or

LearningEstates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Proposal for the future provision of primary education within the Peterhead area

This document has been issued by Aberdeenshire Council in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. The Act requires that changes to the school estates, include the proposed relocation and merger of schools are subject to rigorous statutory consultation.

The schools affected by this proposal are:

Dales Park School Meethill School

DISTRIBUTION

A copy of this document is available on the Aberdeenshire Council website: http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/education-consultations/ or by e-mailing: LearningEstates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

This document will be provided to: - Parent Councils of Dales Park and Meethill Schools Parents of nursery/primary pupils of Dales Park and Meethill Schools Pupils at Dales Park and Meethill Schools Staff at Dales Park and Meethill Schools Relevant users of Dales Park and Meethill Schools Early Years Partner Providers within Peterhead Pupil Councils at Dales Park and Meethill Schools Education Scotland Peterhead Community Council Trade Union representatives of the above staff Local Councillors

A copy of this document is also available from:

Aberdeenshire Council, Buchan House, St Peter Street, Peterhead, AB42 1QF Peterhead Library, St Peter Street, Peterhead, AB42 1QD (subject to COVID-19

restrictions) Peterhead Leisure and Community Centre, Balmoor Terrace, Peterhead,

AB42 1EP (subject to COVID-19 restrictions) Learning Estates Team. Call 01771 676600 or email

LearningEstates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk to request a copy

SUMMARY PROPOSAL

It is proposed that:

Education provision at the existing Dales Park and Meethill Schools should be discontinued with effect from July 2025.

Existing and future pupils of Dales Park and Meethill Schools should continue their education within the new Peterhead Community Campus located at Kinmundy Road, Peterhead from August 2025.

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1 Legislative Background

1.1 The proposal is advanced within the context of all applicable legislation. Amongst other duties, education authorities are required to secure adequate and efficient provision of school education (Section 1 of the Education Act 1980); and to endeavor to secure improvement in the quality of school education in schools that are managed by them (Section 3 of The Standards in Scotland’s School Act 2000).

2 Introduction

2.1 Aberdeenshire Council strives to allocate its resources in a way that ensures the quality of all its services. It attaches particular importance to providing the best possible educational experience for all pupils in its schools.

2.2 On 31 October 2013 Education, Learning and Leisure Committee approved the adoption of a set of principles in relation to the Learning Estate. It was agreed that a workshop should be held with elected members and stakeholders to apply strategic principles to the Peterhead network.

2.3 On 26 March 2015 the Learning Estates Strategy was presented at Education, Learning and Leisure Committee which stated the approach in Peterhead, following extensive local engagement, provides education and other benefits for pupils, parents and the wider community in a way which is sustainable in the longer term.

2.4 Peterhead Community Campus project has been a Council priority since 2016 and has been a project within the Education & Children’s Services Service Plan 2016-2019.

2.5 Extensive engagement of stakeholder events has taken place since 2016 as part of the development process for the campus. In February 2017, Aberdeenshire Council agreed to bring the Peterhead Community Campus project forward through the Asset Management Development Group and thereafter to Committee.

2.6 At Education & Children’s Committee and at Communities Committee in March 2017 it was agreed that two options would be further explored.

2.7 At the full meeting of Aberdeenshire Council on 8 February 2018 a replacement Community Campus at Peterhead was agreed for the Aberdeenshire Council’s Capital Plan and at its meeting on 27 June 2019 the site at Kinmundy was approved.

2.8 On 3 December 2020, Aberdeenshire Council Education & Children’s Services Committee were asked to agree to the commencement of a statutory consultation. No decision will be taken by the Council on the proposal contained within the document until after the end of the consultation period. The Council will then receive a report on the consultation and will make a decision on the proposal.

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2.9 The Peterhead Cluster consists of ten primary schools, Boddam, Buchanhaven, Burnhaven, Clerkhill, Dales Park, Longhaven, Meethill, Peterhead Central, Port Errol and St Fergus. One secondary school, Peterhead Academy and one special school, Anna Ritchie School. All schools are located within the Buchan area of Aberdeenshire.

2.10 Longhaven School is currently mothballed and the subject of a separate engagement.

2.11 This proposal document is focused upon two primary schools within the Peterhead Cluster, Dales Park and Meethill within the town of Peterhead.

2.12 The distance between Dales Park and Meethill Schools is 0.5 miles, both Schools are approximately one mile from the Peterhead Community Campus.

2.13 This consultation focuses solely upon the merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the Peterhead Community Campus. Other elements of the campus will be subject to separate engagements.

2.14 This proposal does not impact upon secondary provision at Peterhead Academy.

2.15 This proposal document contains maps. Pdf copies of all maps will also be available on the Aberdeenshire Council website at the address given at the beginning of this document. Printed copies of the maps will also be available at Peterhead Library, Peterhead Leisure and Community Centre and at Aberdeenshire Council, Buchan House, Peterhead.

2.16 The consultation will run from 7 December 2020 until 26 February 2021. A public meeting will be held to discuss the proposal ay 6.30pm on 3 February 2021 within the Theatre at Peterhead Leisure and Community Centre, Balmoor Terrace, Peterhead, AB42 1EP. A link to the meeting will also be made available and can be found http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/education-consultations/

2.17 The consultation process for this proposal is set out in detail within Section 12.

3 Reason for Proposal

3.1 A series of stakeholder events regarding Peterhead Community Campus have taken place since 2016. During February and March 2019 informal engagements were held within Peterhead to give stakeholders the opportunity to comment on the project.

3.2 The current proposal follows informal discussions between Aberdeenshire Council officials, local elected members, and community members. Informal meetings with the community were held during October and November 2019.

3.3 On 1 and 2 October 2019 the Learning Estates Team hosted two engagement drop-in sessions for parents/carers of Dales Park and Meethill Schools within Peterhead.

3.4 For further engagement an online survey was also circulated to all nursery and primary school parents/carers within the Peterhead Cluster on 11 October 2019, enabling them the opportunity to express their views on Primary School provision at the proposed new Community Campus.

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3.5 On 29 and 30 January 2020 further assemblies were held for pupils showing the facilities that are within a new build primary school. Further engagement sessions were also held on those days for parents of pre school pupils and evening workshops took place to encourage parents to share their views.

3.6 These informal meetings and survey results proved very useful as participants expressed views on the merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the Kinmundy site.

3.7 The questions raised during the various informal engagement sessions and online survey were addressed within Appendix 1. This document was also distributed to all parents/carers concerned on 13 March 2020. A particular concern was the use of the existing site at Meethill School. Accordingly officers will work with parents and the wider community to identify appropriate uses for this site, adhering to the council disposal policy, in a way which will may add to the local facilities. All options will be considered including using the area for recreational use.

3.8 Of the 10 Primary Schools within the Peterhead Cluster six are within the town of Peterhead; Buchanhaven, Burnhaven, Clerkhill, Dales Park, Meethill and Peterhead Central.

3.9 As part of the Peterhead Master Plan a 120 place nursery is currently under construction at the Kinmundy site which will be completed in August 2021.

Dales Park

3.10 Dales Park School is situated in Berryden Road, Peterhead, at the South West of Peterhead. The school is an open plan building constructed in 1978. Between 2000 and 2005, the water tank was replaced as well as an upgrade to the kitchen ventilation system, boiler, lighting and windows. It has also received some general maintenance and minor upgrades.

3.11 Dales Park School is the designated Enhanced Provision Centre for the Peterhead area with adapted facilities for pupils with additional needs. The school complies with the Equality Act (2010).

3.12 The catchment area for Dales Park School is shown in the Map 1 below. Map 1 – Catchment area of Dales Park School

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3.13 Dales Park School has capacity for 317 pupils. There are currently 13 classes as the current roll at Dales Park School is 251 pupils (SEEMIS extract on 21 September 2020). This represents 79% use of capacity.

3.14 The nursery at Dales Park School runs two sessions per day and has capacity for 40 pupils during each session, their current roll is 63 pupils. The 1140 hours will be introduced at the nursery from August 2021.

3.15 Dales Park School is divided into four separate teaching areas, with the library dispersed throughout the school. There is also a large multi-purpose hall and open plan dining area. There are two courtyard areas, one is being developed as a garden area. The other includes a climbing frame and is used by Early Learning (ELCC) and Early Stages for outdoor learning.

3.16 The extensive playground is mostly grass with several tarred areas, some marked with playground games. The front of the school is used by the ELCC as an outdoor learning area. Bulbs have been planted around the playground and planters are cared for by different pupil groups. A small seating area is available, including benches with wheelchair access.

3.17 The school includes a Multi-Sensory Room, Therapy Room and Life Skills Room as additional learning spaces to meet the requirements of enhanced provision.

3.18 The Enhanced Provision caters for a maximum of ten pupils with a range of additional support needs. For the majority of the curriculum these pupils access mainstream classes and receive additional support for literacy and numeracy.

3.19 Prior to March 2020 Dales Park School ran a breakfast club. It is hoped that this will re-instated when COVID-19 restrictions change.

Meethill School

3.20 Meethill School is situated in the south of Peterhead in School Road, Peterhead, and opened in 1973. The school has been well maintained and received an upgrade to the nursery during 2000 and the kitchen ventilation in 2005, as well as general maintenance and minor upgrades.

3.21 The catchment area for Meethill School is shown in Map 2 below. Map 2 – Catchment area of Meethill School

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3.22 Meethill School and has capacity for 279 pupils. There are currently 11 classes as the current roll at Meethill School is 202 pupils (SEEMIS extract on 21 September 2020). This represents 72% use of capacity.

3.23 The nursery at Meethill School currently has two sessions each day and the capacity for 40 pupils at each session, currently there are 43 pupils attending the sessions. The 1140 hours will be introduced at the nursery from August 2021.

3.24 The accommodation incudes the main school building and a separate built nursery unit. The main building comprises of two open plan teaching areas, administration offices, the main hall, a learning hub, a quiet room, staff room and a dining hall. The nursery block is also open plan in design.

3.25 The outside area consists of a concrete playground surrounding the school with a grass and playing equipment to the front of the school and an additional grass area to the rear of the school.

3.26 Meethill School does not operate a breakfast club or after school club.

3.27 Suitability is a measure on whether a school is fit for the purpose of delivering the education curriculum. Dales Park School overall suitability grading is “A (86.78%) – Good”, performing well and operating efficiently (school buildings and grounds support the delivery of the service).

3.28 Meethill School overall suitability grading is “B (71.73%) – Satisfactory”, performing well but with minor problems (school buildings and grounds generally support the delivery of services).

3.29 The existing condition of a school is concerned with the current state of the fabric of the school and with safety and security. Dales Park and Meethill School are scored “B – Satisfactory”, performing adequately but showing minor deterioration (physical element carries out function satisfactorily, many show signs of age and including consideration of some transverse elements) for condition.

3.30 Suitability and condition are both outlined in the Core Facts returns that are submitted annually to the Scottish Government.

3.31 Both Dales Park and Meethill Schools are classed as “other urban” by the Scottish Government, settlements with population between 10,000 and 124,999.

3.32 The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 requires that when a school is to be relocated then a consultation must be undertaken with all relevant stakeholders.

4 Details of the Proposal

4.1 Since 2016, a number of options have been explored for the possible location for the Peterhead Community Campus, including site investigations. Following a number of engagement sessions during February and March 2019 the vast majority of the public voted for the site at Kinmundy as the preferred location for the new community campus. In June 2019 the site was approved by Aberdeenshire Council.

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4.2 The Council has approved the replacement of the current Peterhead Academy as part of a new campus development, funded by the Scottish Government, and at its full meeting in February 2018 the Peterhead Community Campus project is within the Council’s Capital Plan.

4.3 The community campus gives opportunity to include primary education therefore this proposal is to merge both Dales Park and Meethill Schools into a single primary school at the new Peterhead Community Campus.

4.4 To ensure a holistic approach has been adopted, it was important to engage widely and consider ways to improve educational, social and related opportunities for all children, young people and the wider community. Accordingly, informal engagement with both Dales Park and Meethill School staff, parents and carers was an essential part of this process. This engagement process identified opportunities for both Schools.

4.5 The Kinmundy site is within the Dales Park School catchment area and is approximately one mile from both Dales Park and Meethill Schools. It will have minimal impact on travel time for pupils attending the new school who are currently transported by bus or by car. There may be an increase in travel time to school for pupils who walk or cycle to and from school. Pupils from the current Meethill catchment will have to cross Meethill Road.

4.6 Concerns have been raised regarding pupils crossing Meethill Road to the Kinmundy site. A full and thorough assessment of safe walking routes to school would be required and any safety measures identified would need to be implemented before the new primary school opens.

4.7 In accordance with Aberdeenshire Council Policy, pupils living out with two miles of the new school at the Kinmundy site would have an entitlement to school transport.

4.8 The location of the existing Dales Park and Meethill Schools, catchment areas and the site at Kinmundy are shown in Map 3 below. Map 4 shows the Kinmundy site in proximity to Dales Park and Meethill Schools.

Map 3 – Catchment areas of Dales Park, Meethill School and Kinmundy site

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Map 4 - Kinmundy site in proximity to Dales Park and Meethill Schools

4.9 The name of the new merged school and the uniform would be subject to further engagement prior to the opening, as the schools are merging it may not be appropriate to name the new school either ‘Dales Park’ or ‘Meethill’. The pupils at the school and the local community would be involved in deciding what the new school name and uniform will be.

4.10 Table 1 and 2 below show the current school roll forecast for Dales Park and Meethill Schools. These figures are working data based on the rolls during census week (21 September 2020). These differ from the 2019 published school roll forecasts which can be found on the Aberdeenshire Council website at https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/school-info/admissions/school-roll-forecasts/

Table 1 – Dales Park

Table 2 – Meethill School

4.11 The combined school roll forecast for Dales Park and Meethill School is shown in Table 3 below.

Table 3 – Combined Dales Park and Meethill

Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027

Total Roll 251 279 327 346 369 372 374 359

Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027

Total Roll 202 197 212 210 200 205 195 187

Year 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027

Total Roll 453 476 539 556 569 577 569 546

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4.12 The primary element of the community campus will be designed for the capacity of 600 pupils. An assessment of school catchments can be carried out before the opening of the campus to ensure it does not exceed capacity and to ensure the sustainability of the remaining schools.

5 Educational Benefit Statement

5.1 Scotland’s Learning Estate Strategy ‘Connecting People, Places and Learning’, which was developed by Scottish Government and COSLA, contains ten guiding principles. Local Authorities are required to take account of these principles in planning changes to their school estate, namely; Learning environments should support and facilities excellent joined up

learning and teaching to meet the needs of the learners; Learning environments should support the wellbeing of all learners, meet

varying needs to support inclusion and support transition for all learners; The learning estates should be well managed and maintained, making the best

of existing resources, maximizing occupancy and representing and delivering best value;

The condition and suitability of learning environments should support and enhance their function;

Learning environments should serve the wider community and where appropriate be integrated with the delivery of other public services in line with the place principle;

Learning environments should be greener, more sustainable, allow safe and accessible routes for walking, cycling and wheeling and be digitally enabled;

Outdoor learning and the use of outdoor learning environments should be maximized;

Good consultation about learning environments, direct manage with learning and communities about their needs and experiences, and an involvement in decision making processes should lead to better outcomes for all;

Collaboration across the learning estate, and collaboration with partners in localities, should support maximizing its full potential;

Investment in Scotland’s learning estate should contribute towards improving learning outcomes and support sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

5.2 In 2013 Aberdeenshire Council set minimum standards for the various elements of educational buildings to achieve optimal educational benefit, which were approved by committee; Accommodation should ensure delivery of the curriculum in accordance with

modern standards and in particular physical education (two hours minimum national standard); play spaces; social spaces; dining experience;

Provision for pre-school and ante pre-schools Provision for pupils with Special Educational Needs; Full compliance with the Equalities Act 2012; Provision of on-site playing fields; Provision on on-site car and bus parking and turning areas, with good

segregation of pedestrians and vehicles; Provision of accommodation for non-teaching staff and non-class contact

elements of the work of teaching staff

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5.3 In October 2018 the ECS Committee approved a Strategic Approach to the Learning Estate for Aberdeenshire Primary Schools.

5.4 The proposal presents an opportunity to develop a sense of belonging, engagement and ownership for all pupils and staff across an inclusive campus with a richer cultural and learning experience. Co-location of specialist and mainstream schools could promote wider staff awareness, understanding and celebration of diversity and raise expectations of professional behaviour and practice.

5.5 Opportunities for inclusive and collaborative learning (where appropriate) through access to flexible learning spaces can further promote positive attitudes to diversity and difference.

5.6 The proposal would provide an improved wireless-enabled learning environment to allow use of mobile devices throughout the campus, and promote digital literacy and independence in learning. Further, the increased use of mobile devices would promote the use of specialist and alternative technologies for pupils with speech, language and communication needs as they access the wider learning environment across the campus.

5.7 The new building will be fully responsive to future learning requirements and the design process will ensure that all spaces support learning and teaching styles of the 21st Century. It will be designed to be an inspiring learning environment which is fully able to support new and innovative digital learning and engage pupils with the curriculum.

5.8 The proposal will enhance learning for all pupils across the campus by improving the depth, breadth, coherence, relevance, challenge, and enjoyment provided by the curriculum.

5.9 Facilities such as science labs, technology workshops, music suites, drama suites, dance studios and libraries will support and enhance learning as well as supporting transitions. These facilities will also benefit pupils who access mainstream/Enhanced Provision learning arrangements across the wider campus. With carefully considered timetabling, pre-school and primary-aged pupils would have access to these spaces and facilities across the campus.

5.10 Both pupils and staff will benefit from access to a range of learning spaces and resources, such as science labs, technology workshops, drama suites, dance studios and libraries. Access to these resources would facilitate a personalised approach to curriculum delivery as well as supporting transitions.

5.11 Primary pupils will have access to all spaces and facilities across the campus, although consideration would need to be given to the movement of younger children around the campus through careful timetabling.

5.12 The new campus will provide a high-quality learning environment offering greater flexibility for a range of school activities, including before and after school. This level of holistic care ensures pupils are supported to develop personal and wider achievement.

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5.13 A new campus with shared and flexible learning spaces would encourage staff to work collaboratively and provide more opportunities for pupils to work co-operatively supporting depth, pace, and challenge to learning.

5.14 Spaces for learning will be designed in such a way as to allow a range of learning and teaching approaches including active, interdisciplinary, and outdoor learning. New and flexible learning environments inspire pupils and have a positive impact on health and wellbeing. They can also increase ethos, aspirations, attainment, achievement, and positive destinations beyond school.

5.15 The new campus will ensure that accessibility for all including learners with disabilities complies with the Council’s Accessibility Strategy and the Equality Act (2010). It will be designed in such a way as to promote accessible and inclusive learning which will meet the needs of all learning including those with Additional Support Needs.

5.16 The new Peterhead Community Campus will include new community and sports facilities which will significantly enhance opportunities for Physical Education and related activities. Pupils will have the opportunity to receive all their educational entitlement at the same location supporting them to make links within and across disciplines through interdisciplinary learning adding depth and relevance to experiences. It would be expected that these improvements in facilities and the associated impact on practices would have a positive impact on Health and Wellbeing.

5.17 The proposal will provide an improved working environment and access to modern resources and facilities. Being part of a larger professional community, including primary, secondary, special school and enhanced provision will promote opportunities for joint professional development and increased opportunities for leadership development. A greater concentration of teaching staff in one location, with a broader range of staff experience will allow for better sharing of good practice as well as a broader range of materials and resources. Staff will be able to work more collaboratively and effectively on improving professional and reflective practice and self-evaluation.

5.18 The new campus will provide excellent facilities for children, families, and other users out with core school hours and will support engagement across the community.

5.19 A wider pool of community support and expertise will be available. This extended network will provide opportunities to enhance learning, support after school activities and ensure pupils have access to community and business opportunities which will support the development of skills for learning, life and work.

5.20 There could be an opportunity to provide a Breakfast or After School Club within the campus.

5.21 Pupils from Meethill will benefit from a range of resources not currently available to them including a sensory room, dark room, nurture, and life skills areas as well as low stimulation areas, disabled parking and disabled toilets. Pupils will further benefit from improved dining facilities and an increased range of state-of-the-art sports resources as well as improved access to digital learning.

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5.22 Both schools will benefit from designated nurture spaces which support individual and small group work.

5.23 Pupils, parents, carers and the extended community from Dales Park and Meethill would benefit from cross generational learning, activities and wrap around care which could be supported by the campus. This opportunity to enhance partnerships, co-operation and collaboration places learning at the heart of strong community partnerships and ambitions for the future.

5.24 Dales Park pupils will benefit from increased circulation space, improved dinning facilitates and additional space to support collaborative activities as well as state of the art sports resources and improved access to digital learning.

5.25 Pupils from both schools will be able to work collaboratively to develop and personalise their identity as a newly formed school community. They will be supported to identify existing partnerships they wish to sustain and to identify key values and ways of working they want to embody in the life and work of the community campus.

5.26 At both schools pupils are encouraged to participate in a range of pupil groups. Currently Dales Park have Pupil Council, House Captains, Rights Respecting School and an Eco Committee. Meethill School have Pupil Council, House Captains, Eco Committee and a P7 Buddy System.

5.27 Within the larger school pupils will have the opportunity to develop wider relationships and friendships which will see them better prepared to meet the social and learning opportunity and challenges ahead in the context of a secondary school with the capacity of 1400 pupils. This is important in terms of developing their education through their school journey.

5.28 There will be a greater number of staff than at either Dales Park or Meethill Schools. This will result in an increased range of staff specialism. Knowledge, expertise, skills and talent as well as increased scope in the deployment of staff to meet the needs of respond to the differing interests and curricular choices of individuals. There will also be an opportunity to share experiences with staff from Anna Ritchie School.

5.29 Through a newly reformed Parent Council, parents from both schools will have the opportunity to become part of a large parent community, providing more opportunities to engage in their children’s learning and development. The benefits of parental involvement in their children’s education are clearly recognised and any increased in parental involvement has the potential to directly benefit children and their learning.

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6 Alternatives to the proposal

6.1 A range of alternative possibilities have been considered as noted below;

Continuing the status quo with Dales Park and Meethill School remaining in situ.

Relocate one primary school only. The inclusion of other primary schools within the community campus.

6.2 These have been discounted for the following reasons;

Government Guidelines within the Scotland’s Learning Estate Strategy “Connecting People, Places and Learning” Guiding Principle states that “The Learning Estate should be well managed and maintained, making the best of existing resources, maximising occupancy and representing and delivering best value.”

The council’s aims to provide the best possible education opportunities for the young people educated within the schools.

School criteria of combined capacity, locations, pupils rolls and trends, and the learning estate core facts.

The council aims to reduce the overall number of buildings which will result in a reduction of carbon footprint and energy consumption.

Education and Children’s Services want to deliver improvements for the estate that will impact the greatest number of buildings

7 Effect on the local community

7.1 This proposal will not negatively impact on local, social or economic activities.

7.2 The new school co-located in the community campus will have access to comprehensive purpose-built community and leisure facilities as part of the complex.

7.3 The community campus will extend and enhance availability for groups and individuals to make use of the facilities available through the letting system. Members of the community will be able to access the community and leisure facilities and a range of specific facilities located at the Community Campus.

8 School Transport

8.1 Currently there are eight pupils who are transported to Dales Park School by an “In house” vehicle to Dales Park School.

8.2 There are no pupils currently receiving school transport to Meethill School.

8.3 Given that the site at Kinmundy is approximately one mile from both Dales Park and Meethill Schools, it is not anticipated that there will any changes to current school transport arrangements.

8.4 Travel times for pupils commuting to the new Community Campus on foot would vary from the commuting time to either Dales Park or Meethill Schools, this would either be an increase or decrease depending on where they reside.

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8.5 Travel times for pupils commuting to schools by either bus or car would also change slightly depending on where they reside.

8.6 As mentioned in paragraph 4.6 above concerns have been expressed regarding pupils crossing Meethill Road. A full and thorough assessment of safe walking routes to school would be required and any safety measures identified would need to be implemented before the new primary school opens.

Map 5 and Table 4 below shows the distance to either Dales Park or Meethill School compared the distance to the Kinmundy site.

Map 5

Table 4 – Distance to Dales Park or Meethill Schools

9 Sustainability

9.1 Sustainability is a key factor in the design of the new school and is being incorporated into every feasible aspect. This ranges from the materials used in construction, to the heating system and the lighting provided, and the landscaping of the external site to encourage biodiversity.

Post CodeDistance to

Meethill School

Distance to

Dales Park School

Distance to

Kinmundy Site

AB42 2TS 0.7 miles - 0.9 miles

AB42 2YP 0.5 miles - 1.2 miles

AB42 2YG 0.4 miles - 0.6 miles

AB42 3PT - 1.1 miles 0.4 miles

AB42 2FY - 0.2 miles 0.8 miles

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9.2 The new schools design, construction and operation will be environmentally and energy efficient; contributing directly to delivering the year-on-year reductions in greenhouse gas emissions introduced by the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

9.3 The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2019 sets targets to reduce Scotland's emissions of all greenhouse gases to net-zero by 2045 at the latest, with short-term targets for reductions of at least 56% by 2020, 75% by 2030, 90% by 2040. The Council have an essential role in supporting the Scottish Government in meeting its targets.

9.4 Managing and reducing carbon footprints forms part of the Council’s Carbon Reduction Strategy in order to generate a substantial CO₂ emission and energy consumption reduction and as a result significant costs savings.

9.5 Expansion of outdoor learning and increased use of outdoor learning environments will have an essential impact on reduction of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable learning environments will support adaptation to continuous climate changes.

9.6 Any changes to transport arrangements will be minimal which will have a minimal environmental impact.

10 Equal Opportunities

10.1 An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) is a statutory requirement of the Council to assess the policies and practices necessary to meet the requirements of anti-discrimination and equalities legislation. It also affords an opportunity for the Council to consider the impact on the education service. In addition, an EIA can provide more information to develop and deliver services that meet the needs, in this case, of children and parents.

10.2 The aim of an EIA is to examine policies and practice in a structured way to make sure that adverse effects on equality target groups are avoided. It is also a tool to enable the Council to assess what positive steps it can take to promote equality of opportunity and measure the results of the actions that have been taken.

10.3 Careful transition planning will ensure positive transition to the community campus. Individual plans will allow for enhanced transitions.

10.4 As part of the consultation process the Council will consult with a range of stakeholders, including staff, parents/carers and children, and will address comments about equality during this consultation.

10.5 Under the Equality Act 2010 education providers must not treat disabled pupils less favorably and should take reasonable steps to avoid putting disabled pupils at a substantial disadvantage. Existing arrangements in place for pupils with additional support needs within either Dales Park or Meethill Schools will continue. The new Peterhead Community Campus will be fully accessible and designed to be inclusive and would not have a negative impact on any child who has a disability.

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11 Implications for staff

11.1 On completion of the new community campus at Kinmundy it is anticipated that teaching and support staff based at the existing school will transfer to the new school, in line with their existing contract and HR & OD policies and procedures.

11.2 There are no anticipated negative implications for school staffing beyond relocation of workplace.

11.3 Further consultation is required with reference to catering and janitorial staffing, and officers will liaise closely with relevant staff members within the context of the wider project development.

11.4 Consultation will take place with individual members of staff themselves and with Trade Unions representing these staff at a time closer to the opening of the new school, should this proposal be accepted.

12 Consultation Arrangements

12.1 At its meeting on 8 October 2020 Aberdeenshire Council’s Education & Children’s Services agreed to adopt the proposal to relocate Peterhead Academy to the new Community Campus at Kinmundy.

12.2 At its meeting on 3 December 2020, Aberdeenshire Council Education & Children’s Services Committee were asked to agree to the commencement of a statutory consultation. No decision will be taken by the Council on the proposal contained within the document until after the end of the consultation period. The Council will then receive a report on the consultation and will make a decision on the proposal.

12.3 As this consultation is occurring as part of wider capital building project, activity will continue in terms of the planning process to ensure that if this proposal is accepted the building programme will be able to finish within the timescales required set for securing the funding from the Scottish Government.

12.4 The period for consultation will extend from 7 December 2020 until 26 February 2021 which covers a minimum period of 30 school days.

12.5 A copy of this document will be issued free of charge to all of the consultees listed on the first page of this document and it will also be published on the Council’s website: http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/education-consultations/

12.6 A public meeting will be held to discuss the proposal at 6.30pm on 3 February 2021 within the Theatre, Peterhead Leisure and Community Centre, Balmoor Terrace, Peterhead. Anyone wishing to attend the meeting must book a place through Eventbrite. Details on how to book a ticket at the face to face public meeting or to attend the virtual meeting will be available one week prior to the meeting on the following web page http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/education-consultations/. Anyone who has difficulties booking a place should contact the Learning Estates Team at LearningEstates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or 01771 676600. The meeting will be convened by the Council and the Council will present the reasons for bringing forward the proposal.

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12.7 A meeting will be organised for Dales Park and Meethill School staff to discuss the proposal and opportunities will be arranged for all current pupils at the school to engage in the consultation.

12.8 An online survey will be available as part of the consultation. This can be completed at the following address: OnlineSurvey/MergerDalesPark&Meethill

12.9 The Council will also take into account any written comments which should be emailed to LearningEstates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk. Alternatively, any comments can be hand delivered or sent to Buchan House, St Peter Street, Peterhead, AB42 1QF. Any comments should be received no later than 5pm on 26 February 2021.

12.10 A copy of this document will also be sent to Education Scotland. They will also receive a copy of any relevant written representations that are received by the Council during the consultation period. They will also receive a copy of any oral representations made at the public meeting and a copy of any other relevant documentation. Education Scotland will then prepare a report on the educational aspects of the proposal. In preparing their report, they may visit the school and make such reasonable enquiries as they consider appropriate.

13 Consideration of Consultation Responses

13.1 The Council will review the proposal having regard to the Education Scotland Report, written representations that it has received, and oral representations made to it by any person at the public meeting. The Council will then prepare a report on the consultation, this report will be published in electronic and printed formats and will be available on the Council website and Buchan House, Peterhead. Anyone who has made written representations during the consultation period will also be informed about the report.

13.2 The report will include a record of the total number of written representations made during the consultation period, a summary of the written representations, a summary of the oral representations made at the public meeting, the Authority’s response to the Education Scotland Report as well as any written or oral representations it has received, together with a copy of the Education Scotland Report and any other relevant information, including details of any alleged inaccuracies and how these have been handled. The report will also contain a statement explaining how the Council has complied with the requirement to review the proposal in light of the Education Scotland Report and representations (both written and oral) that it received.

13.3 The Consultation Report will be published at least three weeks prior to the Council making a decision.

14 Decision making

14.1 The consultation report will be considered firstly by the Buchan Area Committee who will be asked to make a recommendation as to whether the proposed changes are implemented.

14.2 Following discussion at Buchan Area Committee, Education and Children’s Services Committee will consider the report and be asked to make a recommendation to Full Council. This is expected to be during Summer 2021.

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15 Conclusion

15.1 There are strong educational and financial arguments in favour of this proposal.

15.2 The Council believes that the measures proposed in this document will enhance the provision of primary education within the Peterhead area.

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APPENDIX A2

Public Consultation Meeting Merger of Dales Park and Meethill School

3 February 2021 6.30pm – Virtual Meeting Microsoft Teams

Officers present: Laurence Findlay (Director of Education and Children’s Services), Anne-Marie Macleod Davies (Interim Head of Service, Resources & Performance), Maxine Booth (Quality Improvement Manager), Rachael Goldring (Learning Estates Team Leader), Mark Mitchell (Estates Programme Manager), Gail Dick (Learning Estates Officer), Anna Zadka-Labus (Learning Estates Officer), Gemma Dacre (Learning Estates Officer and Kelly Tennant (Learning Estates Officer)

Elected Members present: Councillor Gillian Owen, Chair of Education & Children’s Services Committee, Cllr Alan Fakley, Cllr Stephen Calder, Cllr Stephen Smith, Cllr Anne Allan, Cllr Dianne Beagrie, Cllr Alison Evison, Cllr Rosemary Bruce, Cllr Stephen Smith

Thirty three members of the public attended the meeting.

Apologies: Cllr Norman Smith

1. Welcome and Introductions

Councillor Owen opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to the meeting. She introduced the officers present and advised that a minute would be taken by Anna Zadka-Labus and Gail Dick.

Cllr Owen confirmed that the format of the meeting would be an overview of the proposal, a PowerPoint presentation followed by an opportunity for questions and comments from the floor. To ensure that everyone had a chance to be heard, all attendees will be muted until the questions section.

Cllr Owen stated that the pre consultation period was held between October 2019 and January 2020. Fortunately, due to the timing of this the COVID-19 pandemic has not caused the consultation process to be delayed, however, the face to face meetings have been cancelled.

2. Consultation Overview

Anne-Marie Davies Macleod gave an overview of the consultation proposal.

The proposal currently under statutory consultation is the Merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools to the new Peterhead Community Campus. This consultation proposes to discontinue education at the Dales Park and Meethill Schools current locations from July 2025. Existing and future pupils of Dales Park and Meethill Schools should continue their education at the new Peterhead Community Campus located at Kinmundy Road, Peterhead from August 2025. These are the current planned completion dates.

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This proposal has emerged from identifying opportunities for school provision in the Peterhead area following a wider engagement process.

An analysis of options was carried out which considered all primary schools within the Peterhead area, their suitability, condition, location and roll projections. Following this community engagement began for the merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools.

The aim is to relocate Dales Park and Meethill Schools to a purpose-built all-through 4-18 years facility.

The new school will be fully responsive to future learning and the design process will ensure that all spaces support all learning and teaching styles. It will be designed to be an inspiring learning environment which is fully able to support new and innovate digital learning and engage pupils with the curriculum.

Work continues to define specific requirements for pupils, this involves reviewing existing accommodation and interviewing officers, school management and staff to develop a brief for the design. A follow up workshop on the design will then be discussed and tested before being finalised. Parents and staff will be given an opportunity to review and discuss the proposed plans and to consider opportunities and challenges.

This consultation is taking place under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and will run until 26 February 2021.

The Council believes that the measures proposed in this document will enhance the provision of primary education within the Peterhead area.

Maxine Booth presented a PowerPoint that displayed some photographs of Primary School provision within new builds.

3. Questions from the Floor

Before Cllr Owen opened the floor for questions, she stated that the Learning Estates Team had received some questions which would be addressed first.

Q.1 Why are you merging primary and secondary schools at Kinmundy? Why not invest in the current primary schools? MB:- There is a wider masterplan looking at Peterhead as a whole and what is best required for the community. The aim of this project is to provide significant educational benefits through the development of a community campus. This will include relocating the Academy, primary and special schools. Nursery provision will be provided on site albeit in a separate building through separate funding arrangements. There will also be complementary work at the existing Academy site to develop Community Facilities. The Council has secured funding from the Scottish Government on the basis of developing a campus at Kinmundy and subject to statutory consultation. The campus approach is now seen as best practice across Scotland due to its community and educational benefits.

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The Conditions of this funding is predicated on achieving outcomes. The benefits of this integrated approach also include the reduction of carbon footprint, reduction of number of buildings, and to become fully digitally enabled throughout all learning spaces.

If all elements of the campus are not delivered including the merger of the primary schools then there is likely to be a significant impact on the availability of government funding. In this scenario there would need to be further dialogue with Scottish Futures Trust and the Scottish Government.

All schools in the learning estate are subject to condition and suitability assessments, these together with school roll forecasts form the basis of the Council’s own investment programme. The council must prioritise this budget across its entire estate and given other priorities in Aberdeenshire it would be unlikely there would be opportunity to invest in these two existing primary schools. There is currently no government funding available to invest in the existing primary schools as they currently are.

The ongoing repair and maintenance programme of the school estate will continue, however, other investment is not available or prioritised at this time at Dales Park or Meethill Schools.

Q.2 Burnhaven School had the option to merge into the community campus, why are they no longer being considered. MB:- All schools in the town were considered and the main criteria was current roll, combined roll, SRF and location. Burnhaven was discounted at this point. There were some queries from Meethill parents who had suggested Burnhaven to be considered for the campus. However, this was not a viable option.

Q.3 Nursery pupils zoned for Burnhaven attend Meethill Nursery. If the Meethill merge goes ahead into the community campus what will happen to the Burnhaven nursery. MB:- Burnhaven does not have a nursery like many other schools in Aberdeenshire. Nurseries do not have catchment areas like schools. If the proposed merger is to go ahead Meethill Nursery would be merged with Dales Park nursery and this would be delivered at the new Dales Park Nursery building which is currently under construction. There would be sufficient capacity available to accommodate these children and there would be no reduction in places overall as a result of the proposal. Parents will continue to be given the choice where to apply for a Nursery place for their child and will have a range of choices between local authority and partner providers.

Q.4 Meethill School have been strongly and continuously against the merger and still being considered. Why? MB:- The engagement and consultation is required to include as many people from the community as possible. The small number of people who attended the engagement sessions expressed a mixture of views. October 2019 – 52 attended, 38 No Online survey – 59% - yes/don’t know, 41% - No January workshop – 14 attended

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Q.5 Why have Clerkhill School pupils who live close to the new campus not been considered? MB:- As with all primary schools in Peterhead, Clerkhill has been considered as part of the option appraisal process from the outset.

Q.6 Road Safety is a huge concern, what safety measures have been decided? MB:- Planners and design teams in collaboration with the roads department will ensure that safe routes to schools are an integral part of the process. This will look at the town as a whole due to the catchment of the primary and the secondary.

Q.7 How will separate outdoor spaces for Nursery, Primary and Academy be addressed. MB:- The nursery which is currently in the construction stage is a separate standalone building and will be fully secured in its own part of the Kinmundy site. Anna Ritchie, primary and the academy each have their own outdoor spaces. The outdoor spaces are crucial to the learning of all and will be designed as such.

Q.8 Has a decision been made on the re-zoning that will come with the community campus. RG:- Once the outcome of this consultation is known, a decision will be made whether further work is needed to create a catchment for the primary school. This will take into account the agreed capacity of the school l and can be carried out once construction has started if required. This would be a statutory consultation and would need to be approved at Education and Children’s Services Committee.

Q.9 It is still not clear what will be in the Meethill School site if Meethill move to the new campus. It has been mentioned that it would be either a play park or green space. Is this still the case?

Q.10 Currently there is a play park and large areas of green space near Meethill School, is there a need for more? MM responded to both question 9 and 10. Aberdeenshire Council has an Asset Disposal Policy which must be followed when assets become surplus to requirements. If Meethill School was to join the Community Campus then there would be no requirement for the Meethill School building to continue as a school.

It would be the intention of Education and Children’s Services to declare the building surplus to requirement, other council services will be approached to express an interest in the site.

There will be opportunities for the site to be developed as green space and/or playing space. This would have to be fully assessed through the asset disposal procedure. Thereafter any surplus council sites can be subject to a Community Asset Transfer Application.

Parents who attended the informal engagement sessions intimated that they would prefer green space.

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The Chair opened the floor for questions and comments and asked anyone that if they wanted to speak press the raise your hand icon on the app or desktop screen or type a question in the comment box for officers to answer. She also asked everyone to introduce themselves for the minute (e.g. parent, pupil, staff, community member, etc). She said that all attendees would now be able to unmute and we will take your questions and comments one by one, she also asked everyone to press the unmute icon before asking their question or making comments.

Cllr Calder:- The statutory consultation is laid down by the Scottish Government and the money is dependent from Scottish Futures Trust, and that he has to rely on the community to take part in this project. If that part of the project didn't go ahead, because of the community views, would that mean the money wouldn't be available from Scottish Futures Trust?

MM:- The whole project wouldn't be jeopardised if this particular element didn't go ahead, but as mentioned by Maxine Booth, we would have to renegotiate with Scottish Futures Trust on the funding available for the community campus. If we do not merge these two schools there wouldn't be a requirement for the 600 primary places at the campus. It wouldn't jeopardise the entire process, but we see the benefits of putting these two schools together at Kinmundy.

P1 Parent:- My youngest daughter will be affected by the move from Meethill School. All the people who live around the schools, how do they get to the new school if they don’t have transport? Because they live right next to the school and then you move it? Is there transport to be organised for these pupils to get to the new campus?

MB:- In Aberdeenshire and across Scotland there is transport available if pupils live two miles or more from a primary school and three miles or more from a secondary school. Looking at the distances of the catchment for Meethill and distance to the new Kinmundy, they are within that two miles, transport won’t be available.

P1 Parent:- It’s inconvenient, normally schools are placed local to everyone. This will be a large area and a lot of people will need to travel, a lot of car park would be useful.

MB:- - There will be increased car parking compared to what is currently at Dales Park and Meethill Schools. There will also be designed pick up and drop off points.

Member of Staff:- Why would Burnhaven School not be considered as it is a dilapidated building with porta cabins.

MB:- This was part of the options appraisal that we looked at. It was to do with distances and the school roll. We are dealing with temporary accommodation through a separate review, we are trying to remove all temporary accommodation and we will be looking at Burnhaven School separately, following a condition and suitability assessment.

Parent:- How can you be so sure you can control the road network to support such a plan when Buchanhaven School and Clerkhill School is such a nightmare. This would be even worse with a cross of Meethill pupils going to the new campus.

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MB:- The planners need to look at this very carefully, they have already provided safe crossings for children at our new builds. Safety to everyone is crucial and needs to be fully considered and addressed. An example is Ury School in Inverurie, new crossings was put onto a busy road and there were traffic calming measures put in place on the Inverurie to Meldrum road to slow down the traffic to ensure safety. All of these things need to be considered and looked at.

Cllr Owen assured everyone that at the Education & Children’s Services Committee (ECS) Cllr Beagrie raised this concern and it is on the ECS list of outstanding actions. We are aware of that and it is being monitored.

Parent of 3 children at Meethill:- I have attended a number of meetings as it’s about the future of my children. It is frustrating is to hear the same answers being churned out, the same standard answers in response to questions. Concerns of many parents seem to be not taken on board seriously at any level. That is very frustrating as a parent. This isn't really a question it’s a voice for parents out there who are not thinking that this is a good move at all.

Cllr Owen thanked Alice for her comments and explained that the whole purpose of this meeting is to ensure that people are able to raise their questions and comments.

Parent:– My daughters will be moving with the school, so would like to know how the class structure works, if they are going to be mixed together, pupils and teachers?

MB:- If this merger goes ahead then the class sizes are to be set by an agreement. Children would merge, classes would not be bigger, but there would be more classes. Class sizes would be 25 if it was a composite class or P1, 30 for younger and 33 for older children. Parents would be involved in designing a new identity, as what we have done with other new builds.

Cllr Owen:- Have you got children at the school?

Parent:- Yes a P5 so she wouldn’t be affected and a P1 starting this year.

Cllr Beagrie: I am a Councillor for Peterhead North and Rattray so this is not my ward, however, education is important to us all. I’m sure as a parent it’s quite intimidating in a forum with officers and councillors, but please speak up with your views. We are really finding it most helpful to hear your concerns. As Councillors in the ward it is really good to hear your concerns so we can speak to officers on your behalf. Please come forward with your opinions, tonight is all about listening. Please be assured everything you say is taken into consideration. The crossing at the top, needs to be looked at now and for the new campus.

Cllr Owen:- Absolutely correct. Rachael can you talk to us about the consultation.

RG:- It is important that everyone gets involved and lets their view known. We are not seeing that at the moment and what we need is to see is the wide spread views of Meethill and Dales Park parents. Information is fairly mixed from previous engagements. There are views of parents who didn’t want it, and of those who were very interested. I would

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encourage your fellow parents who haven’t been able to attend to provide us with comments. How to contact us can be found in the comments bar. If parents want to be heard, we need them to speak up. This isn’t a foregone conclusion.

Parent:- During one of the other consultations I brought up the problem of drugs and alcohol at the academy. Shona Sellers said that it’s only about 20-30 children who have issues and wouldn’t affect our kids greatly as it’s such a minority. Then there was a meeting attended by press where Shona stated that there is quite a big problem with drugs and alcohol at the academy. Followed by her telling the S2’s that this was all lies, none of what the press said was true. I myself asked the Press and Journal to provide proof of the minutes. Shona stated there was a problem with truancy and alcohol and blamed it on offshore parents not getting their children to attend. How will our children be safe, how can we trust Shona Sellers when the last 4 things she told us were false?

Laurence Findlay: I’m not going to make any comments on staff. The wellbeing of staff and pupils is paramount. Having visited Peterhead on many occasions, there are preventative works they do with partners, NHS, Aberdeen FC, Community Trust and Police Scotland. No concerns about Peterhead Academy and the campus approach is successful across the country. The health and safety and wellbeing is of paramount to all of us.

Cllr Owen:- I agree about the comments on members of staff.

Parent:- I have two children at Meethill and one who will start within the next two years. If the merger didn’t go ahead would the money be put into the existing school. I cannot speak for Dales Park but Meethill has a lot of issues, I know there has been issues with the roof and there are ongoing issues with the playground. Are our hands tied in that if the merger doesn’t go ahead would the money be put into the schools that are there to regenerate them or is the merger the only way we are ever going to see our childing in a new building fit for purpose

Cllr Owen:- I know that SFT funding basically requires certain things to be achieved and if doesn’t go ahead money doesn’t follow.

MD:- As I said earlier all schools are assessed for condition and suitability and that’s how we prioritise work and spend the budget. Meethill and Dales Park are not high up on that list due to priorities elsewhere but they are subject to the normal maintenance and repair budget, which would include things like the roof. The budget is specifically allocated to the new campus we cannot use the funding for other things for the surrounding schools.

Parent:- I have a daughter at Dales Park and a son away to start Dales Park, which will effect him if the merger does happen, I am pro active about the merger and it is really good for the community for a modern school with updated technology. I noticed at one of the consultations the intake numbers in the next five years, Dales Park pupils will go up and Meethill pupils is obviously decreasing, between the schools there would be 550 pupils, but the new school will only have an intake for 600, I just wondered that the reason for it only being 600. As you know with most of the schools in Peterhead are full and it feels like you are taking away two schools when one school extended and keeping one

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the way it is for the numbers, obviously rezoning can take place, this is just one concern that has been brought up by parents of Dales Park School.

RG:- One of the things that we constantly do within the LE team is monitor the school roll projections and is something that is entrenched in everything that we do. The reason for setting the new build size to a 600 pupil capacity is that 600 is the largest size of primary school that we would want to build, anything beyond that sometimes feels too big. In terms of the numbers coming in we are confident that 600 is sufficient for a merger of Dales Park and Meethill based on the number we have got coming in, both currently and projected. A lot of it is dependent upon house building within the area and that is again something we are heavily involved in and keep track of the number of houses and at what rate they are being built, as well as the number of children that are generated from the new houses, 600 is a size that we are comfortable with.

Member of Staff:- Will the staff be affected, for example will there be a reduction in teaching or support staff?

MB:- There will probably be an expansion because of the extra houses and extra children so they’re certainly won’t be a reduction in teaching or support staff. However, if the merger does go ahead there will be one Head Teacher.

Cllr Fakley:- These kind of events can be extremely intimidating, if there is any parents or members of staff within the community feel they can’t bring their questions forward they are most welcome to contact their local councillors. They will ensure that they will direct them to the correct education officer. If they feel they haven’t had the chance to put forward their questions or perhaps come up with a question after the event.

Cllr Owen:- We have put contact details in the chat bar if anyone does have additional comments or too apprehensive about speaking in this particular forum. It is very easy, all they have to do is email the learning estate team at Aberdeenshire council. The address is in the message bar and obviously we would welcome as many comments as possible. It is actually very important that people do take the opportunity and Cllr Fakley is correct in that many people do find it difficult to give their opinion in a forum like this but I am hoping that we have a couple of more questions before we finish.

Cllr Beagrie:- I don’t want to put any of the officers on the spot, I wonder if it would be good if we could get a brief overview of the thoughts of the campus, I realise nothing is set in stone because the consultation is to go forward. Perhaps your thoughts on how Ellon Community Campus works, just to settle some of the minds, as stated before there is a lot going on and to take in. There is so much involved in the big picture, can you give a caption on the vision going forward.

MM:- In terms of what we are looking at the Kinmundy site we have 1400 secondary places, 600 primary places and 70 ASN spaces, we are obviously developing a separate stand alone nursery building on the site which would sit completely separate in a different building but on the same site.

In terms of the design, we are working with a company called Space Strategies which are supporting us on the design of the spaces to ensure that we maximise all spaces within

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the campus and that they are as flexible as possible. In terms of what we know about campus design we would be looking at maintaining separate areas for primary and secondary pupils and a discreet area for Anna Ritchie pupils, albeit all subject to satisfactory conclusion of this process. We would be looking to ensure that primary pupils can access spaces within the academy and vis versa but we would not be looking to have pupils mixing at the same time, as that might be a concern to some of the parents. We would be looking to protect some of the play spaces outside for pupils, we don’t envisage that primary and secondary pupils will be mixing during break and lunch times, and similarly pupils within the special school at Anna Ritchie would have an element of protection around play spaces.

As part of the design and lessons learned we have looked at lots of other buildings across Scotland, and include lessons learned from Ellon, Alford, Mearns and most recently Inverurie. We are looking to develop spaces such as learning plazas which are a new concept in Aberdeenshire, and it is taking that learning space further where we have flexible furniture, modern IT, which can encourage group work, and break out spaces and move away from the cellular classroom. We would also be encouraging pupils who are in the primary to access specific spaces such a science labs, accessing specialised provision such as HE kitchen to really develop the curriculum at the community campus;

Cllr Beagrie thanked Mark for his comprehensive answer

Parent:- Would extra lunch breaks be allowed for children who live further away in Meethill and would like to come home at lunchtime? The reason we moved to Meethill was the close proximity to Meethill school.

MB:- What happens when we have a new school, there will be a parent body who will do the consultation, with the rest of the parents and the community to be involved in making decision such as that. As schools have a lunch time break at the moment if this was to be changed then that would be done through consultation, it would be exactly the same for the new school, parents would be fully involved in making these decisions of how long lunch times and certainly proximity to the school would be part of making that decision.

Parent:- Sorry if this has been answered but is the school on schedule to open on time and what timescale are we looking at?

MD:- I can confirm it is on schedule and the timescale for the accommodation opening is August 2025.

Parent:- Would zoning be changing in 2025, and again if everything was still on time for the campus opening.

RG:- They may well be a further statutory requirement for rezoning but that will very much be determined on the outcome of this consultation and whether the merger goes ahead. It will be predicted on the rolls and the forecasted number of children at that point in time. If we do require to create a new catchment area then that consultation can run as late as the building is under construction if necessary. We will consult on rezoning at the appropriate time if we feel it is necessary once we know the outcome of this consultation.

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Parent:- Do you know where the proposed access to the school would be from? From Dales View Drive or Kinmundy Road. Also with the reduced greenspace is the council looking to have another area to replace what is lost?

MM:- In terms of access to the main community campus building the current proposal is looking to take that off Kinmundy Road, although that has not been fully agreed yet and obviously there is some detailed design process to go through. The Dales Park Nursery building which is due to be built on the Kinmundy site would be accessed through the opposite side of Kinmundy Road, I think that might be Dales View Drive, it’s not a project that I have detailed involvement in, however, I can check with colleagues if required. In terms of green space that is lost due to the campus being built at Kinmundy, obviously we as an authority would be looking to develop the site at Kinmundy with as much green space as possible to support community and support the curriculum for pupils but anything that is lost must be replicated elsewhere in Peterhead and Sports Scotland will be involved in the planning process around that, we need to ensure that what we do lose we somehow put that back into Peterhead. That might be elsewhere in Peterhead certainly the aspiration is to replace anything that is lost.

Cllr Owen:- I think I am correct in saying that there will be many access routes for pedestrians very like Inverurie.

MB:- confirmed this was correct.

Parent and staff member at Meethill:- I am aware that the consultation is open until 26 February 2021. What is the plan of action after this, will we have another meeting to see what the results are or does it go to Councillors after that.

RG:- The standard practice for the statutory consultations is that at the end of the process we access all of the responses that have come in from everybody, that will include all of the questions and comments that we have had tonight, everyone from the online survey, any emails or letters or any correspondence that has been forwarded by elected members as Cllr Fakley mentioned earlier, all of that will be taken into account. We will then provide all of this information to Education Scotland and they in turn will have a look at the consultation and get in touch with parents, pupils, community as part of their own assessment of the consultation process. There will be meetings set up virtually for those groups of stakeholders to join in with Education Scotland shortly after the consultation period has ended, and if parents will want to take in part in that by all means let us know and we can arrange for that to take place. The Head Teachers at both Dales Park and Meethill will be working towards ensuring they get representation from their schools at those meetings. Education Scotland will have their engagement period and they will prepare their report on the consultation once we have received that the learning estate team will be looking at the responses that we have had as well as the Education Scotland report and decide next steps and make an officer recommendation. The standard process with other consultations was that it is taken to Area Committee, in this case it will be taken to Buchan Area committee to get their views, then to (ECS) afterwards to make a decision. However, what we can’t say for certain at this stage is whether those meetings, the report and decision of ECS and the comments from Buchan Area Committee will happen straight away, or there will be enough information that comes out of this process to think again and take things further, and potentially come back for more

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discussions. In theory we would take to the summer to Area Committee but until we see everything we can’t really give an exact timescale.

Parent:- Has it been decided what will happen with the current pool? Will that remain? will there be playing fields at the new campus?

MM:- As part of the funding package that has been secured from Scottish Futures Trust that includes an element for replacing the pool. The pool location hasn’t 100% been decided where that will be, whether it is in the town centre site or Kinmundy. However, all the engagement to date has indicated that there is a very strong preference for the pool to remain in the town centre site. That’s what officers are moving forward with at the moment. In addition to this and subject to the conclusion of the Anna Ritchie consultation, specialist pool provision at Kinmundy in the form of a hydrotherapy pool and a warm water pool will support the pupils of Anna Ritchie school. There will be a split element of pool facilities if the town centre site is the chosen site for the pool. In terms of the playing fields there will be playing fields at Kinmundy we need playing fields to support the schools that will be there, but also the opportunity will be there for the community to use the fields as well. As well as grass playing fields there will be some all weather facilities for all year round ability to access outdoor facilities.

Cllr Calder:- Following on from some of the comments from Meethill primary children crossing the very busy Meethill Road we were told that the roads department will be considering safe routes to school. Once we get the proposals from the roads department and what they propose to do as obviously not everyone from the Meethill area will be travelling by car and we can’t expect everyone to travel by car to school, those that will be walking will have to cross a busy road. The roads department, we have been told are going to come up with a solution for this at an earlier stage than the final report. Will the proposals from the roads department for the crossing of Meethill Road be put back to the parents of Meethill School for consideration.

Cllr Owen:- I think it will be planners and the design team in corroboration with the roads department, road safety is an integral part of the whole process. I also said at the beginning Cllr Beagrie has already put this on the ECS Committee as an outstanding action. I am confident that this point will be covered, and obviously if it is in a planning application it goes out to consultation.

MB:- I re-iterate Cllr Owen’s comments and that officers take safe routes to school very seriously we need to involve the right people in this to get it sorted to give people the reassurance.

Cllr Owen:- This is highlighted in a number of places as it is a concern to many people.

Parent:- For the pupils of Dales Park School or Meethill School that are not actually zoned for Dales Park, when the move happens will they automatically move to the new school. Will all Dales Park pupils move to the new school or just the in zone pupils?

MB:- Yes, all of the pupils that are in Dales Park and Meethill Schools regardless whether they took up that position as an out of zone or in zone pupil will all be entitled to a place at the new build with any siblings following them.

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4. Next Steps

Cllr Owen outlined the next steps in the process. The consultation period will run until 26 February. Any comments you wish to make on the proposal document require to be submitted by 5pm on Friday 26 February 2021.

Comments can be submitted in writing to Gordon House, Blackhall Road, Inverurie AB51 3WA, or by email to learningestates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk. Alternatively, comments could be sent to your nearest school, adhering to COVID guidelines.

We would encourage you to take part in the consultation and give your opinions via the online survey. The link to the online questionnaire is on the Education consultation page on the Aberdeenshire Council website.

We are also involving pupils in our discussions, and head teachers have been asked to work with pupils to gain their views on the proposals.

Once the consultation period is over, all written submissions, minutes of this meeting and pupil discussions will be provided to Education Scotland for their consideration who will produce a report on the consultation.

A final report on the consultation will be presented at Buchan Area Committee and Education & Children’s Services Committee for a decision

5. Close

The Chair closed the meeting and thanked everyone for attending.

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APPENDIX A3

Merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools Online Survey Results

Introduction

The statutory consultation period regarding the Merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools ran between 7 December 2021 and 26 February 2021. During the consultation period parents/carers, stakeholders and community members were invited to participate in an online survey to express their opinion on the proposal.

The survey provided a summary of the proposal to close the current Dales Park School and Meethill School and merge into one new primary school within the new Peterhead Community Campus at Kinmundy Road, Peterhead. The survey was open for all stakeholders to complete for the duration of the consultation period.

A letter containing the link to the survey was sent to all stakeholders from Dales Park and Meethill Schools, all Early Years Partner Providers within Peterhead, as well as the Peterhead Community Council and local Councillors. The survey was also available on the Aberdeenshire Council website.

A total of 554 people took part in the survey with 327 (59%) leavings comments regarding the proposal. Thirty two participants have navigated their way through the survey leaving all the fields blank, these surveys have not been included within the report. The remaining 522 completed surveys have been analysed and are summarised below.

It is recognised that parent/carers may have more than one child, therefore more than one answer has been provided for some of the questions.

Question 1

The participants were asked if they are a Parent, Pupil, Teacher/Member of Staff at either Dales Park or Meethill School, Member of the Community or Other

Chart 1 below shows the results from question one. All 522 participants choose to answer this question. A total of 213 (41%) parent/carers took part in the survey. The participants that chose ‘other’ are Grandparents and former pupils of the schools.

Chart 1

213

419

270

16

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Parent/Carer Pupil Teacher Community Member Other

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Question 2

The participants were asked what year group(s) their children are currently within. Of the participants who chose parent/carer for the previous question, this was analysed further to established which year groups their children are within.

Chart 2 below shows that the highest number of parents that participated in the survey have children currently attending P1-3. More than half of the participants 179 (54%) have children ranging from Pre Nursery to P3.

Chart 2

Question 3

The participants were asked which nursery or school their children currently attended.

Chart 3 below shows the highest number of parent/carers 156 (66%) were from Meethill School, compared with 42 (18%) of parent/carers from Dales Park School. The remainder 16% have children that attend nursery, Buchanhaven School, Clerkhill School and Peterhead Academy.

Chart 3

23

58

98

85

49

14

4 3

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Pre Nursery Nursery P1-3 P4-5 P6-7 S1-4 S4-6 N/A

153 4 1

42

156

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40

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140

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180

Private Nursery LA Nursery BuchanhavenSchool

Clerkhill School Dales ParkSchool

Meethill School PeterheadAcademy

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Question 4

The participants were asked if they supported Dales Park School moving to the new Community Campus at Kinmundy.

Overall as shown in Chart 4, 237 (45%) participants do not support the move, 196 (38%) support the move and 89 (17%) have no preference if Dales Park School moves to the new Community Campus.

Chart 4

Further analysis of the 213 responses from the parent/carers show that 85 (40%) support the move, 82 (39%) do not support the move and 46 (21%) have no preference whether Dales Park School moves to the new Community Campus.

There were 149 responses from parents/carers who currently have children attending nursery through to Primary 3. Analysis of these responses indicate that 64 are supportive of the proposal, 53 are not supportive and 32 have no preference on whether Dales Park School moves to the new Community Campus.

A total of 42 parents from Dales Park School answered the question, of these 31 support the move, 10 do not support and one has no preference.

A total of 156 parents from Meethill School answered the question, of these 64 do not support the move, 47 support the move and 45 have no preference.

Question 5

The participants were asked if they supported Meethill School moving to the new Community Campus at Kinmundy.

Overall as shown in Chart 5, 388 (74%) of the participants do not support the move, 108 (21%) do support the move and 26 (5%) have no preference if Meethill School moves to the new Community Campus.

Chart 5

196

237

89

0

50

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Yes No No Preference

108

388

26

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500

Yes No No Preference

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Further analysis of the 213 responses from the parent/carers shows that 150 (70%) do not support the move, 50 (24%) do support the move and 13 (6%) have no preference whether Meethill Schools moves to the new Community Campus.

There were 149 responses from parents/cares who currently have children attending nursery through to Primary 3. Analysis of these responses indicate that 101 are not supportive of the proposal, 38 are supportive of the proposal and 11 have no preference on whether Meethill School moves to the new Community Campus.

A total of 42 parents from Dales Park School answered the question, of those 19 support the move, 14 do not support the move and 9 have no preference

A total of 156 parents from Meethill School answered the question, of those 127 do not support the move, 25 support the move and four have no preference.

Question 6

The participants were asked if they supported the merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the new Community Campus at Kinmundy.

Overall as shown in Chart 6, 395 (76%) do not support the merger, 109 (21%) support the merger and 18 (3%) have no preference whether Dales Park and Meethill Schools merge at the new Community Campus.

Chart 6

Further analysis of the 213 responses received from parent/carers show that 154 (72%) do not support the merger, 51 (24%) support the merger and 8 (4%) have no preference whether the schools are merged at the new Community Campus.

There were 149 responses from parents/cares who currently have children attending nursery through to Primary 3. Analysis of these responses indicate that 104 are not supportive of the merger, 39 are supportive of the merger and 6 have no preference on whether the Schools are merger into one school at the new Community Campus.

A total of 42 parents from Dales Park School answered the question, of those, 24 support the merger, 17 do not support the merger and one has no preference.

A total of 156 parents from Meethill School answered the question, of those 127 do not support the merger, 22 support the merger and seven have no preference.

109

395

18

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Yes No No Preference

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Comments

Participants were given the opportunity to leave any comments or feedback for officers to consider. A total of 326 comments were received, many of the participants covered more than one topic, they have been categorised and displayed in Chart 7 below.

Chart 7

Distance Too far to travel Kinmundy site is too far away to be considered for Meethill catchment Longer journey for children to walk home themselves in the dark during winter Travel, all areas in Peterhead should have a local primary Don’t drive and Kinmundy is too far to walk Travelling to the campus causes too much disruption for pupils in the Meethill

area Parents without cars will struggle to get their children to school. Further to travel to school. Meethill pupils live too far away from the Kinmundy, they would not be able to

have home lunches. Meethill School is close to my house. Meethill School is a few minutes walk from my house

Road Safety Traffic Control Too many busy roads to cross Traffic on Meethill Road Road Safety implications Busier road No infrastructure in place Crossing Meethill Road No public transport

Dales Park School Both will lose their identity Both schools have an established community and should remain Money should be invested in the current schools, this is an investment in

Meethill Both Dales Park and Meethill Schools should be made fit for purpose It would be more beneficial if these schools were upgraded and extended.

2646

67

113

35 35

97

10

42

020406080

100120

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Meethill School Leave Meethill School it is the heart of the community Brilliant School shame to see it unused Meethill School is a tight knit school Would not like Meethill to move Don’t want things to change, Meethill is a brilliant school Size of Meethill School is to its benefit Don’t fix what isn’t broken Unsure why there is a need to move Meethill Meethill has been there for over 40 years and should stay Meethill has an established community and should remain Meethill School is an excellent school run well No need for the schools to move Both will lose their identity Both schools have an established community and should remain Money should be invested in the current schools, this is an investment in

Meethill Both Dales Park and Meethill Schools should be made fit for purpose It would be more beneficial if these schools were upgraded and extended. Would prefer if Meethill was upgraded but it comes down to costs versus benefit Invest in the current school Funding should be spent on refurbishing the school rather than relocating

Pupils Not safe to have primary school next to the Academy Primary children subject to the behaviour of secondary children Do not agree with Primary and Secondary pupils mixing Young children shouldn’t see what secondary children get up to (language,

smoking, fighting, drug taking and drug dealing) Intimidation of younger children by secondary Primary school should be separate from secondary Might get bullied at the campus by academy pupils Is it safe to have 3-18 year olds mixing? Secondary schools are not an appropriate place for primary school pupils. Primary and Secondary should not be on the same campus Unsettling for pupils who have behavioural issues to be moved to a new

environment Moving to a new campus would bring extra stress to the children. Too much change for children who find change difficult. Some children don’t respond well to change. Children are settled and happy in the school, merging will create confusion Moving to a large school could have a detrimental effect on learning Far too much disruption for pupils at a young age.

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Class Sizes If the schools are merging together how would it work for classes Will Dales Park and Meethill pupils be mixed. At primary level there is no requirement for larger classes. To move to bigger classes, they might not get the right help More children assigned to one teacher, meaning less support provided resulting

in lower quality education Biggar class size Lack of support to pupils in big classes Class sizes are at bursting point at the moment Bigger classes less individual time for pupils Classes are already overcrowded

Community Campus Too big of a school for pupils to attend Too many children in one place Overcrowding Far too big of a school merging them all Primary School will be too big Big school would be overwhelming A large school is not beneficial to children’s education Can’t possibly be enough space for this monstrous building as well as parking Every school that has been merged or relocated is never big enough Alford campus is too small, so merging schools into a campus will be worse. Too long for children to be based at one campus

Staffing Merge will mean some staff will probably lose their jobs Current staff applied to work in an 8-9 class school and not a school of

potentially 20 classes which is very different Will there be two Head Teachers for the merger? If not, what will happened to

the other position What incentives will be on offer to attract new teachers to the area? Aberdeenshire already has a shortage of teachers, so will a shiny new building

be enough incentive

Vacant Buildings What would happen to the existing buildings Schools lying empty for years and antisocial behaviour What is going into the empty site Will the school lie derelict like many other council buildings in the town Vacant building will become an eye sore in the town

Other Comments Effect the housing around schools Merge with Burnhaven, Clerkhill or Buchanhaven Loosing greenspace. Additional primary is needed within Peterhead Campus is a waste of money The school isn’t big enough to merge and support the expansion of Peterhead

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Better to do all years at new venue, not move schools midway through.

Conclusion

On the whole participants of the survey do not support Dales Park or Meethill Schools moving to the new Community Campus at Kinmundy, or to the schools merging together. However, almost half of the parent/carers who have children at pre nursery to P3, support Dales Park School moving to the campus, and are against Meethill School moving to the campus.

The biggest concern to participants of the survey is the distance from the Meethill School catchment area to the new Community Campus at Kinmundy. Although the distance to the Kinmundy site is approximately one mile from Meethill School, they feel this is too far for children to walk, especially in inclement weather.

They are also concerned about pupils crossing Meethill Road. It is thought that many pupils that attend Meethill School independently walk to school, if the school moved to the Kinmundy site they would have to cross Meethill Road. At present there are no crossings or alternative traffic calming measures in place on Meethill Road.

Meethill School opened in 1973 and there is a clear emotional attachment to the school with many parents and grandparents having attended the school over the years. It appears to be a tight knit community and not open to change.

Comments have been made that the current Dales Park and Meethill School have their own communities and investment should be made in upgrading both schools rather than closing them.

Concern has also been expressed regarding primary and secondary pupils within the same building. They feel that the primary pupils would be exposed to unsuitable behaviour and could be subjected to bullying.

It is also thought that the number of pupils per class will increase resulting in less individual time and pupils will not receive the required support. Further comments suggest that classes within the current schools are already overcrowded.

There are conflicting comments regarding staffing, comments have been made that the merger of the two schools will require less staff expressing concern that some staff may not be required. Other comments intimate there is a staff shortage and are unsure if the merge of the schools and a new building would be an incentive to attract new staff.

If the merge of the schools was successful residents are unclear what would happen to the existing buildings, they are concerned that the current Dales Park and Meethill Schools would be left to deteriorate, becoming an eye sore and attract antisocial behaviour.

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APPENDIX A4

Dales Park School Pupil Questions for the Merger of Dales Park and Meethill Consultation

If Dales Park and Meethill Schools move to the Kinmundy site they will be merged into one school. Classes will remain the same size but there will be more of them.

Q. What would be the good things about the schools joining together? A. More people to play football with, help mend/ improve relationships between

Meethill and Dales (apparently there is rivalry), get to make new friends

Q. What would be the bad things about the school joining together? A. Relationships might be difficult to start with, travelling to the school, might be

too far

Q. What might be the advantages of moving to a new school? A. More room, more fun, more people, bigger games hall, more opportunity for

sports

Q. What might the disadvantages of moving to a new School? A. Scared, unknown, might be harder to learn in a big school

Q. Is there anything that worries you about the new primary school? A. Difficult for the older Dales children that have already settled into their

environment, re zoning might be an issue, it might not be built in time

Q. Is there anything that would be exciting about moving to a new school? A. Make new friends, more teachers

Q. Do you want to give any other comments? A. No

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APPENDIX A5

Meethill School Pupil Questions for the Merger of Dales Park and Meethill Consultation

If Dales Park and Meethill Schools move to the Kinmundy site they will be merged into one school. Classes will remain the same size but there will be more of them.

Q. What would be the good things about the schools joining together?

More space, more friends, more people to go up to the academy with

People will not be lonely and have new friends

More friends and more people to go into the academy with

Meet new people and get more friends

Meeting new people, looking out for your younger siblings

You would get better at socialising and making new friends

Q. What would be the bad things about the school joining together?

More fights, bullies

Knocking people over in the playground and more bullies

More people having fights.

Really big and you might get lost

Being open plan, really big

It wouldn’t be as local to people and we don’t know if its open plan or not.

If its two schools within an academy and there is a big age gap.

Q. What might be the advantages of moving to a new school?

More money because of selling land, bigger

More friends, get to know more people. Pick up little siblings if you’re in the Academy and they are in Primary.

More friends, get to know more people,

Bigger things, new playground

New playground, new electronics, new science stuff

You would get to experience the change

There would be also a lot more stuff, e.g. equipment, technology and people

Q. What might the disadvantages of moving to a new School?

Too much people, too big

Really busy and don’t know where to go, scary and weird.

Big

Miss teachers

We will all not know where we are, busy scary

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The teacher might not come, all the stuff in Meethill where will it go

It would feel like you can’t fit in, it would be further away e.g. if you lived next to Meethill and you went to Dales Park

Q. Is there anything that worries you about the new primary school?

Bullies, friends leave for new friends

Bullies, fake friends, hurting feelings

People from my old school could bully me again

Might get lost, won’t know everyone

The little ones because they might get lost

People will feel like they can’t fit in, or they’re not supposed to be there.

They will also have to cross a busy road

Q. Is there anything that would be exciting about moving to a new school?

Meeting old friends

New friends, nice people, more lockers

Friends

Seeing new people, more stuff upstairs

Seeing everyone have fun seeing people enjoying themselves

Q. Do you want to give any other comments?

The name, uniforms

I could go to the co-op and my house

Its scary because of people from my old school

I want Meethill, don’t want to cross a road

I don’t really want Meethill to go because it would be weird seeing nothing because Meethill is awesome

What will happen to the extra building

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Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

Report by Education Scotland addressing educational aspects of the proposal by Aberdeenshire Council to close Dales Park and Meethill Primary Schools and replace these with a new primary school in the Peterhead Community Campus.

March 2021

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1 | Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 Aberdeenshire Council © Crown Copyright

1. Introduction 1.1 This report from Education Scotland has been prepared by Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Education (HM Inspectors) in accordance with the terms of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”). The purpose of the report is to provide an independent and impartial consideration of Aberdeenshire Council’s proposal to merge Dales Park and Meethill Schools within the Peterhead Community Campus. Section 2 of the report sets out brief details of the consultation process. Section 3 of the report sets out HM Inspectors’ consideration of the educational aspects of the proposal, including significant views expressed by consultees. Section 4 summarises HM Inspectors’ overall view of the proposal. Upon receipt of this report, the Act requires the council to consider it and then prepare its final consultation report. The council’s final consultation report should include this report and must contain an explanation of how, in finalising the proposal, it has reviewed the initial proposal, including a summary of points raised during the consultation process and the council’s response to them. The council has to publish its final consultation report three weeks before it takes its final decision. Where a council is proposing to close a school, it needs to follow all statutory obligations set out in the 2010 Act, including notifying Ministers within six working days of making its final decision and explaining to consultees the opportunity they have to make representations to Ministers. 1.2 HM Inspectors considered:

the likely effects of the proposal for children and young people of the schools; any other users; children likely to become pupils within two years of the date of publication of the proposal paper; and other children and young people in the council area;

any other likely effects of the proposal;

how the council intends to minimise or avoid any adverse effects that may arise from the proposal; and

the educational benefits the council believes will result from implementation of the proposal, and the council’s reasons for coming to these beliefs.

1.3 In preparing this report, HM Inspectors undertook the following activities:

attendance at the virtual public meeting held on 3 February 2021 in connection with the council’s proposals;

consideration of all relevant documentation provided by the council in relation to the proposal, specifically the educational benefits statement and related consultation documents, written and oral submissions from parents and others; and

virtual visits to the site of Dales Park School, Meethill School and Peterhead Academy, including discussion with relevant consultees.

2. Consultation process 2.1 Aberdeenshire Council undertook the consultation on its proposal(s) with reference to the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. 2.2 Aberdeenshire Council formally consulted stakeholders between 7 December 2020 and 26 February 2021. Copies of the consultation proposal were made available to statutory consultees. Copies were also made available at local public buildings (subject to Covid-19 arrangements) and on the council’s website. In terms of pre-consultation, engagement visits for staff and children were provided. Fourteen parents of pre-school children attended evening workshops held on 29 and 30 January 2020. Taking account of public health concerns, a virtual

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2 | Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 Aberdeenshire Council © Crown Copyright

public meeting was held on 3 February 2021 and was attended by approximately 40 people. Details of the public meeting were advertised on Aberdeenshire Council’s website, social media platform and through electronic and written communication to statutory consultees. A frequently asked questions document (FAQ) was produced and addressed at the public meeting. This document was populated with questions raised through written responses and consultation engagement activities. Aberdeenshire Council offered a further meeting to Dales Park and Meethill Parent Councils following the virtual public meeting. Representatives of Meethill Parent Council attended this meeting. Five hundred and fifty four consultees responded to the online survey. The majority (73%) of Dales Park parents who responded to the online survey support the proposed move to the new Peterhead Campus. In contrast, 82% of Meethill School parents who responded to the online survey do not support the proposal. Overall, 71% of those responding to the online survey do not support the proposed merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools. 2.3 The council received three online responses representing Meethill parents and the local community. All three raised objections in respect to the inclusion of Meethill School in this proposal. Key areas of concern included: the increased travel distance, road safety concerns, the size of the new school, the loss of the sense of community currently provided by Meethill School, and concerns relating to the future use of the Meethill School building and grounds should the school be vacated.

3. Educational aspects of proposal 3.1 Aberdeenshire Council propose to discontinue education at the existing Dales Park and Meethill Schools with effect from July 2025 and provide education for existing and future pupils of these schools within the new Peterhead Community Campus located at Kinmundy Road, Peterhead from August 2025. The Kinmundy site is within the Dales Park School catchment and is approximately one mile from both Dales Park and Meethill Schools. Roll forecasts between 2020 and 2027 indicate a significant and sustained increase to the roll at Dales Park School. The roll of Meethill School is expected to fluctuate slightly then fall over this period of time. The proposal to provide 600 places in the primary school in the new community campus is sufficient to meet the projected combined rolls of both schools should they merge. The proposal will assist the council to deliver ‘Best Value’ through making more efficient and effective use of its resources. 3.2 The council has set out a reasonable case in support of its proposal. There will be a number of potential educational benefits for children and staff should the proposal go ahead. These include the opportunity to develop a sense of belonging, engagement and ownership for all pupils and staff across an inclusive campus. The provision of a modern, purpose built campus offers an improved learning environment designed to suit the demands of a 21st century curriculum. Flexible learning spaces will encourage staff to work collaboratively, provide more opportunities for children to work cooperatively and allow a range of teaching and learning approaches including, active, interdisciplinary and outdoor learning. The inclusion of new community sports facilitates on the campus will significantly enhance opportunities for physical education and related activities. The new campus will offer greater flexibility for a range of school activities, including before and after school. 3.3. Pupils from Meethill School will benefit from a range of resources not currently available to them, including a sensory room and life-skills area as well as easier access to specialist classrooms on the campus grounds. Both schools will benefit from dedicated nurture spaces which support individual and small group work. Dales Park pupils will benefit from increased circulation space and additional space to support collaborative activities. Dining facilities for both schools will be improved.

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3 | Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 Aberdeenshire Council © Crown Copyright

3.4 The proposal identifies potential benefits for staff, including an improved working environment and access to modern resources and facilities. Being part of a larger professional community, including primary, secondary, special school and enhanced provision will promote opportunities for joint professional learning and increased opportunities for leadership development. There will be a broader range of staff expertise and allow for better sharing of good practice, materials and resources. Staff will be able to work more collaboratively and effectively on improving professional reflective practice and self-evaluation. 3.5 The children, staff and parents from Dales Park School who met with HM Inspectors recognise the potential benefits of the proposal. They like the idea of working in a modern building that is designed to promote accessible and inclusive learning. Staff and parents felt this will be particularly beneficial to children with additional support needs, including those who attend the Enhanced Provision currently based in Dales Park School. They recognise the proposed flexibility of learning spaces and identified the potential to work more collaboratively with colleagues. Staff recognise the potential benefit for children transitioning to Peterhead Academy if the primary was on the same campus. Children saw the proposed merger as an opportunity to make new friendships, meet new teachers and have more space in which to learn. Access to improved physical education accommodation and facilities were seen as attractive. 3.6 The staff and parents from Meethill School who met with HM Inspectors feel that Meethill School is still fit for purpose and see limited benefits to the proposal. They are not supportive of the inclusion of Meethill School in the proposal. They do, however, recognise the benefits of the new campus for the other schools involved. Staff and parents acknowledge that Meethill School would require some upgrading should it remain open. Key areas of concern are the proposed campus being too large and impersonal, children of different ages being on the same campus, increased travelling distance and road safety concerns. Parents and staff feel that Meethill School is the heart of the local community and that this would be lost should the school close. They also have concerns about what will happen to the Meethill School site should it be vacated. Children from Meethill School were more positive about the proposal. They were excited about the prospect of improved facilities, such as a bigger library and sports facilities. 3.7 Representatives of the Anna Ritchie and Peterhead Academy schools including staff, young people and parents were in favour of the proposal. They believe the shared campus will encourage greater collaboration between children and young people across the campus. They think transitions for children will be enriched and that a better understanding of diversity and attitudes to inclusion will be improved.

4. Summary 4.1 Aberdeenshire Council has undertaken this consultation as the proposed ‘merger’ of Dales Park and Meethill Schools. HM Inspectors shared with the council their view that this consultation is seeking views about a proposed closure of the two primary schools with the establishment of a new school, rather than a merger. The council should make this clearer in their final proposal paper. 4.2 Aberdeenshire Council’s proposal to discontinue education provision at the existing Dales Park and Meethill Schools has potential educational benefits. The council’s proposal, if it goes forward, would see children benefit from a new building that supports learning and teaching styles of the 21st century. The larger professional community created will promote opportunities for joint professional learning and increased collaboration. The proposal will assist the council to deliver ‘Best Value’ through making more efficient and effective use of its resources.

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4.3 Parents and staff across the two primary schools hold significantly different views about the educational benefits of the proposal. Most stakeholders oppose the inclusion of Meethill School in this proposal. In taking forward the proposal, the council needs to continue to engage with all stakeholders to address their concerns. This includes addressing stakeholders’ legitimate concerns about road safety and safe walking routes to the proposed new school. Should the proposal go ahead, the council should continue to consult and communicate effectively with staff, children and parents and the wider community in engaging them fully in the future planning and design stages of this proposal. HM Inspectors March 2021

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Aberdeenshire Council.

Integrated Impact Assessment.

Statutory consultation regarding the merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools within the

Peterhead Community Campus .

Assessment ID. IIA-000019.

Lead Author. Gail Dick.

Additional Authors. Rachael Goldring, Anna Zadka-Labus, Gemma Dacre, Kelly Tennant.

Service Reviewers. Rachael Goldring, Maxine Booth.

Subject Matter Experts. Claudia Cowie, Lynne Gravener, Christine McLennan.

Approved By. Anne Marie Davies Macleod.

Approved On. Friday July 23, 2021.

Publication Date. Monday July 26, 2021.

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Section 1. Overview.

This document has been generated from information entered into the Integrated Impact Assessment system.

Education & Children Services have completed a statutory consultation regarding the merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools within the Peterhead Community Campus.

During screening 5 of 10 questions indicated that detailed assessments were required, the screening questions and their answers are listed in the next section. This led to 3 out of 5 detailed impact assessments being completed. The assessments required are:

• Childrens' Rights and Wellbeing • Equalities and Fairer Scotland Duty • Sustainability and Climate Change In total there are 16 positive impacts as part of this activity. There is 1 negative impact, of these negative impacts, 2 have been mitigated and 0 cannot be mitigated satisfactorily.

A detailed action plan with 5 points has been provided.

This assessment has been approved by annemarie.daviesmacleod@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.

The remainder of this document sets out the details of all completed impact assessments.

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Section 2. Screening.

Could your activity / proposal / policy cause an impact in one (or more) of the identified town centres?

No.

Would this activity / proposal / policy have consequences for the health and wellbeing of the population in the affected communities?

No.

Does the activity / proposal / policy have the potential to affect greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) in the Council or community and / or the procurement, use or disposal of physical resources?

Yes.

Does the activity / proposal / policy have the potential to affect the resilience to extreme weather events and/or a changing climate of Aberdeenshire Council or community?

No.

Does the activity / proposal / policy have the potential to affect the environment, wildlife or biodiversity?

No.

Does the activity / proposal / policy have an impact on people and / or groups with protected characteristics?

Yes.

Is this activity / proposal / policy of strategic importance for the council? Yes.

Does this activity / proposal / policy reduce inequality of outcome? No.

Does this activity / proposal / policy have an impact on children / young people’s rights?

Yes.

Does this activity / proposal / policy have an impact on children / young people’s wellbeing?

Yes.

Section 3. Impact Assessments.

Children's Rights and Wellbeing. No Negative Impacts Identified.

Climate Change and Sustainability. No Negative Impacts Identified.

Equalities and Fairer Scotland Duty. No Negative Impacts Identified.

Health Inequalities. Not Required.

Town Centre's First. Not Required.

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Section 4. Childrens' Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment.

Section 4.1. Wellbeing Indicators.

Indicator. Positive. Neutral. Negative. Unknown.

Safe, positive, Yes.

Safe, neutral, No. Safe, negative, No. Safe, unknown, No.

Healthy, positive, Yes.

Healthy, neutral, No. Healthy, negative, No. Healthy, unknown, No.

Achieving, positive, Yes.

Achieving, neutral, No. Achieving, negative, No. Achieving, unknown, No.

Nurtured, positive, Yes.

Nurtured, neutral, No. Nurtured, negative, No. Nurtured, unknown, No.

Active, positive, Yes.

Active, neutral, No. Active, negative, No. Active, unknown, No.

Respected, positive, Yes.

Respected, neutral, No. Respected, negative, No. Respected, unknown, No.

Responsible, positive, Yes.

Responsible, neutral, No. Responsible, negative, No. Responsible, unknown, No.

Included, positive, Yes.

Included, neutral, No. Included, negative, No. Included, unknown, No.

Section 4.2. Rights Indicators.

UNCRC Indicators upheld by this activity / proposal / policy

Article 3 - Best interests of the childArticle 6 - Life, survival and developmentArticle 16 - Right to privacyArticle 23 - Children with disabilitiesArticle 29 - Goals of educationArticle 31 - Leisure, play and culture

Section 4.3. Positive Impacts.

Impact Area ImpactImpact Area Achieving Impact The new school will increase equality of opportunity for children

and young people to participate in a wider range of learning and social opportunities, ensuring equality of access to a range of facilities, resources and programmes available across the wider campus.

Impact Area Active Impact Children will have access to a range of facilities both indoor and outdoor that will promote active lifestyles including within the curriculum and outwith during community and public use of facilities.

Impact Area Healthy Impact Children and young people will be able to have access to modern and fit for purpose facilities which promotes health and wellbeing. Improved and greater facilities will enable more opportunity of activity. External play space and activity space on site will increase participation time.

Impact Area Included Impact Children and young people will be able to enjoy active participation in a wider range of learning and social opportunities, within the school and community life, to allow them to fully reach their potential.

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Impact Area ImpactImpact Area Nurtured Impact A variety of new spaces will enable nurture activities to be

developed. Co-location of partner agencies and support organisations to pupils, families and the wider community will aim to deliver a more positive experience.

Impact Area Responsible Impact The proposal to merge both Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the new Community Campus will present opportunity and challenges for both school’s management and staff teams, and for parent and pupil bodies. This can be achieved through developed strategies and practice guidelines, promoting positive relationships, positive behaviour attitudes of tolerance, inclusion and respect for diversity for all campus users, including children and young people.

Impact Area Respected Impact Parents, pupils, staff and the wider community will all have opportunities to participate in the process ensuring their views and requirements are respected and included.

Impact Area Safe Impact New facilities will foster a safe environment for children and young people to learn and develop.

Section 4.4. Evidence.

Type Source It says? It Means?Evidence Type Internal Data Evidence Source Accessibility

StrategyThe evidence says: Improved access to curriculum, information, environment and opportunities to ensure that children and young people, also those with complex needs, are included, engaged and involved in education.

The evidence means: Opportunity to provide a fully accessible learning environment for children, young people and the community.

Section 4.5. Accounting for the Views of Children and Young People.

As part of the consultation process Officers engaged with pupils from Dales Park and Meethill Schools.

Section 4.6. Promoting the Wellbeing of Children and Young People.

The merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the new Peterhead Community Campus will be an opportunity to promote educational and social inclusion and an opportunity to broaden awareness of diversity, respect and tolerance. With all services located within the campus, the service will safeguard that all children and young people will receive appropriate support and the right help at the right time from the right people.

Section 4.7. Upholding Children and Young People's Rights.

The new primary school will provide the opportunity to improve condition and suitability of both schools. Improves access to curriculum, information, environment and opportunities will ensure that children and young people are included, engaged and involved in education to attain their full potential.

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Section 4.8. Overall Outcome.

No Negative Impacts Identified.

It has been recognised that the proposal has the potential to bring significant educational and social benefits for all children, young people and staff across the new campus including opportunities to develop inclusive practices and partnership working between establishments on the Kinmundy site, opportunity to develop a comprehensive plan for inclusion across the campus, opportunities to align services and supporting collegiate working and professional learning, opportunity to promote equality and diversity in 21st century Scotland.

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Section 5. Equalities and Fairer Scotland Duty Impact Assessment.

Section 5.1. Protected Groups.

Indicator. Positive. Neutral. Negative. Unknown.

Age (Younger), positive, Yes.

Age (Younger), neutral, No.

Age (Younger), negative, Yes.

Age (Younger), unknown, No.

Age (Older),

positive, No.

Age (Older), neutral, Yes.

Age (Older), negative, No. Age (Older), unknown, No.

Disability, positive, Yes.

Disability, neutral, No. Disability, negative, No. Disability, unknown, No.

Race,

positive, No.

Race, neutral, Yes.

Race, negative, No. Race, unknown, No.

Religion or Belief,

positive, No.

Religion or Belief, neutral, Yes.

Religion or Belief, negative, No. Religion or Belief, unknown, No.

Sex,

positive, No.

Sex, neutral, Yes.

Sex, negative, No. Sex, unknown, No.

Pregnancy and Maternity,

positive, No.

Pregnancy and Maternity, neutral, Yes.

Pregnancy and Maternity, negative, No. Pregnancy and Maternity, unknown, No.

Sexual Orientation,

positive, No.

Sexual Orientation, neutral, Yes.

Sexual Orientation, negative, No. Sexual Orientation, unknown, No.

Gender Reassignment,

positive, No.

Gender Reassignment, neutral, Yes.

Gender Reassignment, negative, No. Gender Reassignment, unknown, No.

Marriage or Civil Partnership,

positive, No.

Marriage or Civil Partnership, neutral, Yes.

Marriage or Civil Partnership, negative, No. Marriage or Civil Partnership, unknown, No.

Section 5.2. Socio-economic Groups.

Indicator. Positive. Neutral. Negative. Unknown.

Low income,

positive, No.

Low income, neutral, Yes.

Low income, negative, No. Low income, unknown, No.

Low wealth,

positive, No.

Low wealth, neutral, Yes.

Low wealth, negative, No. Low wealth, unknown, No.

Material deprivation,

positive, No.

Material deprivation, neutral, Yes.

Material deprivation, negative, No. Material deprivation, unknown, No.

Area deprivation,

positive, No.

Area deprivation, neutral, Yes.

Area deprivation, negative, No. Area deprivation, unknown, No.

Socioeconomic background,

positive, No.

Socioeconomic background, neutral, Yes.

Socioeconomic background, negative, No. Socioeconomic background, unknown, No.

Section 5.3. Positive Impacts.

Impact Area ImpactImpact Area Age (Younger) Impact Opportunity to provide a high-quality learning and teaching

environment offering greater flexibility for all school activitiesImpact Area Age (Younger) Impact Improved accessibility and facilities for pupils, staff, parents and

the school communityImpact Area Age (Younger) Impact Improved access to curriculum, information, environment, and

opportunities to ensure that children and young people with additional support needs are included, engaged and involved in education

Impact Area Disability Impact Opportunity to improve condition and suitability of special education provision for children in Peterhead and Mintlaw clusters

Impact Area Disability Impact Opportunity to provide a welcoming and open environment for disabled people and the community

Section 5.4. Negative Impacts and Mitigations.

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Impact Area Details and MitigationImpact Area Age (Younger)

Details and Mitigation

Negative impact identified only around the transition period. Careful transition planning will ensure positive transition to the community campus. Individual plans will allow for enhanced transitions.Can be mitigated

Yes

Mitigation Timescale

Impact Area Age (Younger)Details and Mitigation

Negative impact identified only around the transition period. Careful transition planning will ensure positive transition to the community campus. Individual plans will allow for enhanced transitions.Can be mitigated

Yes

Mitigation If the proposal is agreed to merge both Dales Park and Meethill Schools at the new community campus at Kinmundy. The Campus board will identify priorities for smooth transition and will initiate planning for individual pupils to ensure appropriate strategies are implemented, including enhanced transition. Staff, pupils and parents will be able to visit the new campus and school allowing them to become comfortable and familiar with new settings. The timing of the move is carefully planned to minimise disruption for pupils and staff. The transition processes will, as far as possible, be at the pace of the child, and ensure that the needs of the children and young people are at the centre of the planning.

Timescale 2025 onwards

Section 5.5. Evidence.

Type Source It says? It Means?Evidence Type Internal Data Evidence Source Core Facts:

Condition and Suitability Assessment

The evidence says: Dales Park School scores ‘A’ for suitability and scores ‘B’ for condition. Meethill School scores a ‘B’ for both condition and suitability.

The evidence means: New school will provide opportunity to improve condition and suitability of the pupils attending both Dales Park and Meethill Schools.

Evidence Type Internal Data Evidence Source School Roll Data The evidence says: Dales Park school roll was 205 in 2018 and 228 in 2019.Meethill school roll was 188 in 2018 and 190 in 2019 (excluding nursery pupils).

The evidence means: Importance of monitoring school rolls and liaising with design colleagues to ensure that the design is flexible to support the roll changes in the future.

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Type Source It says? It Means?Evidence Type Internal Data Evidence Source Aberdeenshire

Council School Design Briefs

The evidence says: Good practice from other projects and new builds within the learning estate.

The evidence means: Importance of promotion of community campus models.

Evidence Type Internal Data Evidence Source Accessibility Strategy

The evidence says: Improved access to curriculum, information, environment and opportunities to ensure that children and young people are included, engaged and involved in education

The evidence means: Opportunity to provide a high-quality learning and teaching environment offering greater flexibility for all school activities.

Evidence Type Internal Data Evidence Source Accessibility Design Brief

The evidence says: The new campus will ensure that accessibility for all including learners with disabilities complies with the Council’s Accessibility Strategy and the Equality Act (2010).

The evidence means: Promote accessible and inclusive learning which will meet the needs of all learners including those with Additional Support Needs.

Evidence Type External Data

Evidence Source Informal Engagement Sessions in October 2019 and January 2020

The evidence says: Gather the views of parent/carers and stakeholders.

The evidence means: Opportunity to address the concerns parent/carers have.

Section 5.6. Engagement with affected groups.

Since 2019 informal engagements sessions have taken place with parents, pupils, staff and other community members. Workshops took place in January 2020 and the statutory consultation ran from 7 December 2020 until 26 February 2021, with an online public meeting being held on 3 February 2021.During the consultation process, stakeholders and the wider community were consulted through a range of approaches including an online survey, public meeting and opportunities to give oral and written comments.

Section 5.7. Ensuring engagement with protected groups.

Officers engaged with pupils of both Dales Park and Meethill Schools to seek their opinions on the proposal.

Section 5.8. Evidence of engagement.

Consultation on proposal - 7 December 2020 - 3 February 2021Public Meeting - 3 February 2021Staff and Pupil Consultation - February 2021 Meethill Parent Council - 23 February 2021

Section 5.9. Overall Outcome.

No Negative Impacts Identified.

Education and Children's Services has learned from previous projects. The experience gained will be incorporated in the sensitive and careful transition planning and shared policy and practice

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guidelines development.

The merger of Dales Park and Meethill Schools will significantly increase equality of opportunity for children and young people to participate in a wider range of learning and social opportunities, ensuring equality of access to a range of facilities, resources and programmes. The new school will be a fundamental change in education delivered within the Peterhead cluster, ensuring a holistic approach to more effective learning and teaching.

The new environment will be more attractive to all children and young people and will inspire them to engage with the curriculum.

Section 5.10. Improving Relations.

Regular communication and engagement both pre and post consultation to ensure that all stakeholders are involved and kept informed.

Section 5.11. Opportunities of Equality.

New modern school co-located in the community campus will provide the opportunity for every learner to access all curricular areas and develop skills, attributes and capabilities aligned to the principles of Curriculum for Excellence. All pupils will benefit from a high quality fully accessible learning environment offering greater flexibility for school activities.

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Section 6. Sustainability and Climate Change Impact Assessment.

Section 6.1. Emissions and Resources.

Indicator. Positive. Neutral. Negative. Unknown.

Consumption of energy,

positive, No.

Consumption of energy, neutral, Yes.

Consumption of energy, negative, No. Consumption of energy, unknown, No.

Energy efficiency, positive, Yes.

Energy efficiency, neutral, No. Energy efficiency, negative, No. Energy efficiency, unknown, No.

Energy source, positive, Yes.

Energy source, neutral, No. Energy source, negative, No. Energy source, unknown, No.

Low carbon transition, positive, Yes.

Low carbon transition, neutral, No. Low carbon transition, negative, No. Low carbon transition, unknown, No.

Consumption of physical resources,

positive, No.

Consumption of physical resources, neutral, Yes.

Consumption of physical resources, negative, No. Consumption of physical resources, unknown, No.

Waste and circularity,

positive, No.

Waste and circularity, neutral, Yes.

Waste and circularity, negative, No. Waste and circularity, unknown, No.

Circular economy transition,

positive, No.

Circular economy transition, neutral, Yes.

Circular economy transition, negative, No. Circular economy transition, unknown, No.

Economic and social transition,

positive, No.

Economic and social transition, neutral, Yes.

Economic and social transition, negative, No. Economic and social transition, unknown, No.

Section 6.2. Biodiversity and Resilience.

Indicator. Positive. Neutral. Negative. Unknown.

Quality of environment,

positive, No.

Quality of environment, neutral, Yes.

Quality of environment, negative, No. Quality of environment, unknown, No.

Quantity of environment,

positive, No.

Quantity of environment, neutral, Yes.

Quantity of environment, negative, No. Quantity of environment, unknown, No.

Wildlife and biodiversity,

positive, No.

Wildlife and biodiversity, neutral, Yes.

Wildlife and biodiversity, negative, No. Wildlife and biodiversity, unknown, No.

Infrastructure resilience,

positive, No.

Infrastructure resilience, neutral, Yes.

Infrastructure resilience, negative, No. Infrastructure resilience, unknown, No.

Council resilience,

positive, No.

Council resilience, neutral, Yes.

Council resilience, negative, No. Council resilience, unknown, No.

Community resilience,

positive, No.

Community resilience, neutral, Yes.

Community resilience, negative, No. Community resilience, unknown, No.

Adaptation,

positive, No.

Adaptation, neutral, Yes.

Adaptation, negative, No. Adaptation, unknown, No.

Section 6.3. Positive Impacts.

Impact Area ImpactImpact Area Energy efficiency Impact The new school’s design, construction and operation will be

environmentally and energy efficient, contributing directly to delivering the year-on-year reductions in greenhouse gas emissions introduced by the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

Impact Area Energy source Impact The new school will be equipped with renewable energy installations which will reduce the amount of electricity, compared to how much the current building consumes each year.

Impact Area Low carbon transition Impact Low and zero carbon technology installed across the campus will result in a minimal output of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, specifically carbon dioxide.

Section 6.4. Evidence.

Type Source It says? It Means?

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Type Source It says? It Means?Evidence Type Internal Data Evidence Source Climate Change

DeclarationThe evidence says: It is recognised that the world faces a climate challenge and the Council has a responsibility to move to a more sustainable and low carbon future.

The evidence means: Aberdeenshire Council has a target of 75% by 2030 and Net Zero by 2045.

Evidence Type External Data

Evidence Source Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009

The evidence says: The Act places duties on public bodies relating to climate change. It requires that a public body must act in the way best calculated to contribute to delivery of the Act's emissions reduction targets, in the best calculated to deliver any statutory adaption programme; and in a way that it considers most sustainable

The evidence means: The Act requires Aberdeenshire Council to act sustainably, contribute to carbon emissions reduction targets and to climate change adaptation. Aberdeenshire Council has a target of 75% by 2030 and Net Zero by 2045. The Council has an essential role in supporting the Scottish Government in meeting its targets.

Evidence Type External Data

Evidence Source Scotland's Learning Estate Strategy - Connecting People, Places and Learning

The evidence says: New campuses and buildings support the learning needs of students and the economy and deliver on ambitions for carbon reduction.

The evidence means: New building technologies will ensure energy sufficiency, bringing a variety of benefits such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing energy demand to subsequently lowing costs. The Council must support the Scottish Government in meeting these targets.

Evidence Type External Data

Evidence Source Building Better Schools - Investing in Scotlands future

The evidence says: A sustainable school estate, whose design, construction and operation is environmentally and energy efficient, contributes directly to delivery the year-on-year reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

The evidence means: Schools which are sustainable, energy, waste and water efficient, with low carbon footprints will help to meet the Scottish Government climate change targets. The Council is required to support these aspirations.

Evidence Type Internal Data Evidence Source Council's Carbon Reduction Strategy

The evidence says: Managing and reducing carbon footprints generates a substantial CO2 emission and energy consumption reduction and as a result significant cost savings.

The evidence means: This can be achieved by providing more co-located services in community campuses.

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Type Source It says? It Means?Evidence Type Internal Data Evidence Source Primary School

Design BriefThe evidence says: New Build Projects must fully recognise the views of stakeholder groups which represent the whole community. Community requirements should be identified through the stakeholder engagement process.

The evidence means: This briefing document is a guide for designers providing recommendations on core provision, space standards and essential spaces which can be adapted to suit individual sites and to help reflect any particular needs of the local community.

Section 6.5. Overall Outcome.

No Negative Impacts Identified.

The national and authority position is to build schools or campuses equipped with renewable energy technologies. The aim is to increase flexible use of shared spaces and to increase outdoor learning spaces and activities. Investments in new campuses support the learning needs of students, the economy and deliver on our ambitions for carbon reduction.

Section 7. Action Plan.

Planned Action DetailsPlanned Action Consultation Period Lead Officer Maxine Booth

Repeating Activity NoPlanned Start Monday December 07, 2020Planned Finish Friday February 26, 2021Expected Outcome

Responses will need to be analysed and further report written

Resource Implications

Learning Estates Team staff time

Planned Action Public Meeting Lead Officer Maxine BoothRepeating Activity NoPlanned Start Wednesday February 03, 2021Planned Finish Wednesday February 03, 2021Expected Outcome

Opportunity for stakeholders to engage in consultation process

Resource Implications

Learning Estates Team staff time

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Planned Action DetailsPlanned Action Staff Engagement Lead Officer Maxine Booth

Repeating Activity NoPlanned Start Monday December 07, 2020Planned Finish Friday February 26, 2021Expected Outcome

Opportunity for staff at existing establishment to participate in consultation process

Resource Implications

Learning Estates Team staff time

Planned Action Pupil Engagement Lead Officer Maxine BoothRepeating Activity NoPlanned Start Monday February 01, 2021Planned Finish Friday February 26, 2021Expected Outcome

Opportunities for pupils to participate in consultation process

Resource Implications

Learning Estates Team staff time

Planned Action Education Scotland Involvement

Lead Officer Maxine BoothRepeating Activity NoPlanned Start Monday March 01, 2021Planned Finish Wednesday March 31, 2021Expected Outcome

Feedback from Education Scotland will need to be incorporated into final consultation report

Resource Implications

Learning Estates Team staff time

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