Proposal to Establish a New Stage of Education Within a School - New Additional Support Class (ASC) Within Strathallan Primary School, Kirkcaldy

Date 

Time 

Location 

Wednesday 29 January 2025 

8.45-9.30 am 

Strathallan Primary School, Strathallan Drive, Kirkcaldy, KY2 5YP 

Wednesday 29 January 2025 

2.45-3.30 pm 

Strathallan Primary School, Strathallan Drive, Kirkcaldy, KY2 5YP 

Wednesday 29 January 2025 

5-6.00 pm 

Strathallan Primary School, Strathallan Drive, Kirkcaldy, KY2 5YP 

Date 

Time 

Location 

Wednesday 29 January 2025 

6-7.00 pm 

Strathallan Primary School, Strathallan Drive, Kirkcaldy, KY2 5YP 

Q 

Why is this consultation taking place now? 

A 

A review of the number of ASC (Additional Support Class) provisions across Fife was carried out to ascertain: 
 

• the number of current pupils with additional support needs (ASN) across Fife requiring enhanced support within an additional support class (ASC) provision   

• the locality of the current ASC provision, and   

• the projected number of pupils who could require this provision in the next 10 years. 

It was determined following this review that the number of places required in enhanced provisions did not match up to the number of places currently available across the Kirkcaldy area.  With the addition of new housing across the town, there is and will be a shortage of place across the Kirkcaldy area, therefore the proposal to establish a new provision was created. 

Q 

Who will be involved in this process? 

A 

A range of individuals and organisations require to be consulted as part of the process. These include:  

• Parents/carers of children who live within the catchment area for Strathallan Primary School; 

• Parents/carers of children who attend the ASC within Valley Primary School 

• Parent Council of Strathallan Primary School 
  Community Council;  

• Pupils  

• Staff within Strathallan Primary School 

The Headteacher of Strathallan Primary School has been involved in the review process. 

Q 

What is the timescale for this consultation? 

A 

It can normally take about 5 months from start to finish. The Education Directorate is required to seek approval from the Cabinet Committee to undertake a consultation. This meeting was on 5 December 2024.  The formal period of consultation will be at least 30 school days, not including pupil holidays or in-service days. There will be involvement from Education Scotland and they require 3 weeks to review the proposal and consultation process. If the timescale stays on track, it is hoped that a decision will be made by the Cabinet Committee on 29 May 2025. 

Q  

Have these decisions already been made and the consultation process is just a sham? 

A 

No.  

Currently, at this stage, the only formal decision from elected members is the agreement to consult with the public on the proposals. The consultation process will last 6 weeks, including at least 30 normal school days, after which a report on the consultation will be prepared, which will include a report from Education Scotland.   The Education Directorate is required to complete a statutory consultation and as part of this process there are key aspects that we must adhere to for a proposal of this type.  The proposals presented are the first step of a consultation process with parents, staff and pupils and other interested stakeholders.  We cannot pre-empt decisions by a future committee of the council.  No decisions have been made to implement the proposal.  The decision will be made on 29 May 2025.   

Q 

Are the drop-in sessions part of a statutory consultation process? 

A 

No. We are not required to hold drop-in sessions as part of the statutory consultation process, but we know that people find these informal sessions useful to find out more about the proposal and to inform their view on it. It is also an opportunity for people to have their say on the proposal by completing a Consultation Response Form.  

As part of the consultation process, the Council is required to have one public meeting. For this consultation, the Council has scheduled a public meeting in Strathallan Primary School on Wednesday 29 January 2025.  The drop-in sessions will be held on the same day at 8.45-9.30 am, 2.45-3.30 pm and 5-6 pm.  Our experience has shown that some parents/carers prefer to have 1-2-1 conversations with officers at drop-in sessions as these sessions may suit parents/carers as they are held in an informal setting and there are times to suit individual family circumstances. 

For the avoidance of doubt, the discussions with Officers at the drop-ins are not recorded in the same way as oral representations made at the public meetings and if people wish to have their views recorded they can complete the Consultation Response Form or otherwise submit their views in writing by emailing sustainableschoolestate.enquiries@fife.gov.uk and/or attend the public meeting. 

Q 

What will you do with all the feedback from parent/carers? 

A 

All comments received on consultation response forms, entered online or written comments submitted will be included in a report to Education Scotland. The report from Fife Council will assist HMI Education Scotland in reviewing the educational benefits of the proposal and will be included in the Consultation Report and taken account of by Officers in consideration of their recommendation on the proposal following consultation. This Consultation Report will be submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet Committee on 29 May 2025. 

Q 

Are you planning to talk about any plans with pupils? 

A 

As part of the Statutory Consultation process we will consult with pupils at the affected school.  We plan to talk to around 20% of P4-P7 pupils in Strathallan Primary School.   Pupils will be asked if they want to participate, and parents will be asked to give their consent to these discussions.  In addition, we will also engage with pupils attending the ASC within Valley Primary School to gather their views on the proposal. 

Q 

When will the consultation period end and what will be the next stage? 

A 

The end of the consultation period is Friday 21 February 2025, and the Education Directorate will accept any consultation response forms or comments on this day. The feedback from these forms, any written representations submitted, and the minutes of the public meeting will be forwarded to HMIE Education Scotland to allow them to draft their report. The entire consultation process takes approximately 20 weeks from start to finish.  

It is expected that the Consultation Report will be published early May 2025 and this report submitted to the Cabinet Committee on 29 May 2025 for a decision.   

Q 

Why have you chosen Strathallan Primary School and not another Primary School in the Kirkcaldy area? 

A 

As the school roll is expected to decline at Strathallan Primary School based on catchment pupils, there will be classrooms in future not being used.  The classrooms identified would enable the provision to be accommodated without any impact on the rest of the school.  Other schools in the locality do not have any projected space available in due course. 

Q 

Will Strathallan Primary School still have sufficient space for pupils from the catchment area?  

A 

Yes. Strathallan Primary School benefits from having 2 halls, a number of multi-purpose areas and the school will still have 11 dedicated spaces for mainstream pupils.  The school roll is projected to decline to 10 classes long term, therefore the setting up of this provision into 2 of the classrooms will have no impact on the learning spaces for mainstream pupils. 

Q 

Have you considered the impact on mainstream pupils as a result of this proposal? 

A 

Included within the proposal document under section 4 are a number of educational benefits which we believe will be demonstrated from the proposal.  There will be no impact on the allocation of resources to meet the needs of mainstream pupils.   
 
We will carry out a full impact assessment on Strathallan Primary School as a result of this proposal.  This will include a community impact assessment.  

Q 

Have you considered the impact of new houses being built across the Kirkcaldy Area? 

A 

Future roll projections are calculated for all primary and secondary school rolls across Fife.  In addition, the percentage of pupils that require an enhanced provision has been reviewed and the proposal to establish a new provision in Strathallan Primary School takes account of the projected increase.  There is no large scale housing expected within the Strathallan Primary School catchment area, therefore 11 mainstream teaching areas are sufficient for the projected school roll.  In addition, there remains a number of multi-purpose facilities which will not be impacted by the proposed new provision. 

Q 

Who makes the final decision about the proposal to create this new provision in Strathallan Primary School? 

A 

The Consultation Report, which details Officers’ recommendations and the feedback of the consultation process, will be submitted to the Cabinet Committee of Fife Council. The elected members who are members of that committee will make the decision. 

Q 

Why is there an educational benefit statement? 

A 

Any proposal that is being considered is required to include educational benefits for each of the affected schools. An educational benefit statement would form part of the report that HMIE are required to complete, which forms part of their analysis of any consultation on school closure.  

Q 

What happens to the pupils who currently attend Valley ASC provision, if the proposed changes go ahead? 

A 

There will be no impact on the pupils who currently attend their catchment school for part of the week and attend Valley Primary School for their placement.  These placements will continue until transition to high school.  However, if the team around the child agree that a change of placement to the new provision would be of benefit, then transition would be well planned to meet the needs of the child. 

Q 

Will my child be given free transport to the new ASC provision? 

A 

Where identified by the team around the child, transport can be provided for children to the enhanced provision and their mainstream primary school.  Any transport arrangements will be regularly reviewed with this team.   

Q 

After the consultation is complete, what happens next? 

A 

Following this process, the final report will be taken to the Cabinet Committee, on 29 May 2025, in order that elected members can look carefully at the findings of the consultation and make the decisions on whether to implement the proposal.  If a decision is made to implement the proposal, parents/carers will be advised of the decision of the Cabinet Committee.  

Q 

Is the Council decision the final decision or can this decision be called in under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010? 

A 

The decision by the Cabinet Committee is subject to a call-in by elected members. If this is the case, the consultation report would be heard by the Fife Council Committee.  

If the Fife Council Committee approve the report, it then becomes the final decision of Fife Council.  

The proposal on which Fife Council is deciding is not a proposal which is subject to call in by the Scottish Government and is not subject to review by the School Closures Review Panel.