Proposal to rezone the catchment areas of Kirkcaldy West and Dunnikier Primary Schools

Closes 7 Mar 2025

Opened 21 Jan 2025

Overview

On 9 January 2025, the Cabinet Committee of Fife Council authorised the Education Directorate to undertake a statutory consultation in terms of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 on the proposal to rezone the catchment areas of Kirkcaldy West and Dunnikier Primary Schools from Friday 4 July 2025.

The statutory consultation with stakeholders will start on Tuesday 21 January 2025 and run until Friday 7 March 2025 with the consultation period covering 30 school days.

This proposal is to rezone the catchment areas of Kirkcaldy West and Dunnikier Primary Schools from Friday 4 July 2025.

The rationale for the proposal is based on the projected over occupancy of Kirkcaldy West Primary School due a number of proposed brownfield development sites that are expected to come forward in the Kirkcaldy West Primary School catchment area. These sites are currently unable to be advanced due to inadequate education capacity in the respective catchment areas. This proposal would allow the catchment area of Kirkcaldy West Primary School to be rezoned, to ensure that pupils currently living in the catchment area can attend the catchment school that would be assigned to their household address/postcode.

There are a number of public events being held where interested parties can:

  • hear more about the proposal
  • ask questions about the proposal
  • have their views recorded so that they can be considered as part of the consultation process
  • complete a Consultation Response Form

Timeline for public events

Public meetings

Two separate public meetings have been arranged at different locations.

  • Kirkcaldy West Primary School
    Monday 3 February 2025 from 6-7pm
  • Dunnikier Primary School
    Monday 10 February 2025 from 6-7pm

Informal drop-in sessions

There will also be informal drop-in sessions held to allow a number of parents/carers, an opportunity to hear about the proposal and ask questions of the officers available. 

Informal drop-in sessions will be held at the following locations:

Location Date Time
Kirkcaldy West Primary School Monday 3 February 2025 8.45am – 9.30am
Kirkcaldy West Primary School Monday 3 February 2025 5.00pm – 6.00pm
Dunnikier Primary School Monday 10 February 2025 8.45am – 9.30am
Dunnikier Primary School Monday 10 February 2025 5.00pm – 6.00pm
Kirkcaldy West Primary School Tuesday 11 February 2025< 2.45pm – 3.30pm
Dunnikier Primary School Tuesday 18 February 2025 2.45pm – 3.30pm

Interested parties can also respond to this proposal document by making a written representation (by letter, email or completion of a Consultation Response Form) on the proposal, before close of business Friday 7 March 2025, to any of the following:

  • Completing the online Consultation Response Form by following the link below
  • By emailing sustainableschoolestate.enquiries@fife.gov.uk
  • By letter to Kirkcaldy Catchment Rezoning Proposal, Education Directorate, Fife Council, 4th Floor (West), Fife House, North Street, Glenrothes KY7 5LT.

map of proposed zones

The full proposal document can be accessed below. 

Frequently asked questions

Why is this consultation taking place now?

There are a number of brownfield development sites within Kirkcaldy Town Centre and there is a desire by Fife Council to support town centre regeneration and to reduce the housing emergency in this part of Fife.  In addition, if the proposal is approved, the catchment rezoning will enable the Education Directorate to reconfigure the facilities within Kirkcaldy West Primary School, to help enable the Scottish Government aim of delivering free school meals for all primary stage pupils.  By reconfiguring classroom areas, space will be created which will enable the school to deliver free school meals, while continuing to deliver the full breadth of the curriculum, which has been a challenge to deliver within this Victorian building for a number of years.

Who will be involved in this process?

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 Kirkcaldy West and Dunnikier Primary Schools;
  • Parents/carers of children who attend Kirkcaldy West and Dunnikier Primary Schools;·
  • Parent Councils of all affected schools.
  • Community Councils;
  • Pupils
  • Staff within each of the affected schools.

What is the timescale for this consultation?

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 approval was provided on 9 January 2025.  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, which requires 3 weeks for review of the proposal and consultation process. If the timescale does not require any amendment, it is hoped that a decision will be made by the Cabinet Committee at the end of May 2025. 

If the proposal is approved, the changes to catchment areas would be implemented from Friday 4th July and would apply to all applications for enrolment, including placing requests, made from that date.

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

No. The only formal decision that has been made to date, by elected members, is the approval to carry out a statutory consultation.  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.  The proposal presented is the first step of a consultation process with parents, staff, pupils and other interested stakeholders.  We cannot pre-empt decisions by a future committee of the council. 

Currently, at this stage, there is only 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.

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

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 2 public meetings, one at each of the affected schools.  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 normally held at school/nursery drop off, straight after the school day and prior to the public meeting.  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 one of the public meetings.

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

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 HMIE, 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.

Are you planning to talk about any plans with pupils?

As part of the Statutory Consultation process we consult with pupils at the affected schools.  We plan to talk to around 25% of P4-P7 pupils in each of the primary schools. Pupils will be asked if they want to participate, and parents will be asked to give their consent to these discussions. 

When is the close of the consultation process and what will be the next stage?

The end of the consultation period is Friday 7 March 2025, and the Education Directorate will accept any consultation response forms or comments received up to and on this day. The feedback from these forms, any written representations submitted, and the minutes of the 2 public meetings 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 in early May 2025 and this report submitted to the Cabinet Committee on 29 May 2025 for a decision. 

Have you considered the impact on the local community by rezoning the primary school catchment areas?

We carry out a full impact assessment for every proposal that involves rezoning the school catchment areas.  The consultation forms part of that assessment. The full assessment will be included in the consultation report.

Have you considered the impact of the new brownfield developments sites on the proposed catchment areas of Kirkcaldy West and Dunnikier Primary Schools?
Would there be sufficient capacity for future pupil numbers?

We calculate the number of pupils projected to attend each of our primary schools based on the births in the catchment area, percentage of placing requests and pupils from known housing sites.  We have analysed the potential impact of new pupils from the additional brownfield sites and we are confident that Dunnikier Primary School will have the capacity to accommodate all of the pupils living in the proposed new catchment area.  At present, none of the brownfield sites or the Kirkcaldy West SDA has planning consent.  It also should be noted that new pupils would arrive over a number of sessions.

Who makes the final decision about the rezoning proposal involving Kirkcaldy West and Dunnikier Primary School catchment areas?

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.

Why is there an educational benefit statement?

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, Education Scotland is required to complete, which forms part of their analysis of any consultation on school closure.

What happens to the pupils who currently attend one of the affected schools, if catchment changes go ahead?

Children who currently attend these schools will be unaffected by the proposed changes, as any enrolled pupil is not asked to move schools.  All of the pupils in the Dunnikier Primary School catchment area, currently zoned to Dunnikier Primary School, will continue to be so.

If rezoning goes ahead, what will happen to children in the same family not yet at school, where their brother or sister currently attends Kirkcaldy West PS?

For children from the same family, parents can make a “placing request” to attend the same school.  For nursery aged children due to start Primary One in August 2025, they will continue to enrol in January-March 2025 in their existing catchment school.  The Education Directorate will endeavour to work with parents/carers to try and secure places, where possible, within available accommodation.

Will my child be given free transport to another school?

In line with the council’s current policy, all primary children are entitled to free transport to their catchment school where the school is more than one mile away from home.

If you change the catchment area to take into account the proposed brownfield housing sites, how do we know if the walking route is available?

As part of any proposal, officers will look at all aspects.  Walked Route Assessments will be carried out during the consultation process to identify available walked routes from the furthest part of the proposed catchment area.  These assessments will be carried out in accordance with approved criteria.

After the consultation is complete, what happens next?

Following this process, the final report will be taken to the Cabinet Committee, at the end of May 2025, in order that elected members can look carefully at the findings of the consultation and make the decisions on whether or not to implement the proposal.  The decision of the Cabinet Committee will be subject to the Council’s internal governance procedures before it becomes final.

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

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 approves the decision, it then becomes the final decision of Fife Council.

 

Why your views matter

Participants should expect to have their views included as part of the consultation process. Their views will have an impact on determining the outcome of the consultation. We would welcome all interested stakeholders to submit their views.

Any stakeholder who submits their interest and provides their email address, will be advised of the outcome of the consultation once the process has reached it's conclusion.

Give us your views

Areas

  • Ward 09 - Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy
  • Ward 11 - Kirkcaldy Central

Audiences

  • Parents, Carers and Guardians

Interests

  • School estate