Published: Thursday, 4th December, 2008 15:35
Dunfermline kids set to be bused to 'virtual' school
By Matt Meade
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Inverkeithing Primary School
PARENTS in Dunfermline’s eastern expansion (DEX) could see their children bused to a ‘virtual school’ at Inverkeithing Primary as the council continues its search for a site for a new building.
They will be taught there temporarily but function as a separate unit, with their own school identity, staff and headteacher.
Only when a new building is opened in August 2010 will children move back to the Duloch area.
Parents will still have the chance of opting to make a placing request to any other primary school of their choice.
The proposal was made due to an “unprecedented” number of applications for Primary 1 places in Duloch and Masterton primaries.
Around 120 pupils look to enter Primary 1 at Duloch next August but the school has space for only 50.
One affected dad said the council had not thought out the proposed solution properly, claiming kids from the same family would be split because of new catchment boundaries.
He blasted, “The communication has been badly handled, the solution is half-baked and I still think people are very uncertain about what will realistically happen to them.
"When the new school is built half the kids at Inverkeithing won’t even be in the catchment area for it.
“A lot of kids at Duloch (Primary) have younger siblings and when the new catchment boundaries are drawn there’s every chance those younger siblings won’t go to the same school because they’ll suddenly be out of catchment.
"It’s a total mess.”
Regarding the temporary school at Inverkeithing, he said, “The theory for the virtual school is there will be no real fraternisation between the kids from Dunfermline and those from Inverkeithing.
“They’ll be kept separate, will have no name on their uniform and will have no idea where they are to end up, and half of them will not even go to the same place.
"It will disrupt them.”
A sum of £10 million has been approved to build a new primary school for East Dunfermline but the council says that finding a suitable site has proved “extremely difficult”.
It had considered siting the school on the grounds of St Columba’s High School but backtracked after a massive protest.
Duloch and Masteron school parents were invited to information sessions on Monday and Tuesday and Masterton parents will be given a further opportunity to discuss their options at a public meeting tonight (Thursday).
Education manager Garry Crosbie said, “The children of Duloch Primary had a similar experience when they were bused to King’s Road Primary a few years ago before their new school was built.
“This means that when the children do move to their new building they will be moving with their classmates, teachers and headteacher and only the learning environment will change.”
He stressed that no formal decision had been made on the proposals until January’s education and children’s service committee.
Councillor Douglas Chapman, the committee’s chairman, said, “The money for a new Dunfermline primary school is guaranteed and as soon as a site is identified, we will pull out all the stops to get the school built as quickly as possible but at the same time we need to ensure that the school is built in the right location and to the highest standards of modern design to make it a school fit for 21st century education.
“We have been meeting with parent councils to ensure they are fully aware of what the options are.”
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