New £30m Aberdeen school gets go-ahead

ABERDEEN City Council was today given the go-ahead from the Scottish Government to close the Kincorth and Torry academies and build a new amalgamated secondary school on a site at the Bobby Calder Park at Cove.
The Aberdeen City Council plan for the new school has been approved. Picture: GettyThe Aberdeen City Council plan for the new school has been approved. Picture: Getty
The Aberdeen City Council plan for the new school has been approved. Picture: Getty

The new £30 million school will accommodate all pupils in the current Kincorth Academy and Torry Academy catchment zones.

Councillor Jenny Laing, the convener of the council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee, welcomed the Government’s decision to rule out calling in the plan to close the two secondaries and replace them with a new academy on the south side of the city.

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She said: “We need a school that is fit for purpose in the 21st Century which will provide pupils that live in Torry, Kincorth and Cove with the best possible chance to receive the quality of education they deserve.”

Councillor Laing pledged: “We will continue to work with the children, parents and schools in the Torry, Kincorth and Cove areas to ensure that they are kept informed of developments as they progress.

“Attainment is a key ambition of this council and this new school will go a long way to providing local young people with better life chances and opportunities.”

The new school, which will accommodate up to 1450 pupils, is expected open in the school session 2016-17. The City Council will meet one-third of the estimated £30 million costs and the remaining two-thirds will be funded by the Scottish Government.

A Scottish government spokesman said: “Local authorities are responsible for decisions on the school estate within their area and Scottish Ministers may only call in a school closure decision for investigation if there is evidence to suggest a failing of an authority’s statutory obligations. In respect of this decision no such evidence was found.”

He added: “Ministers are grateful to those who made representations on the issue and have sought assurances from the council that there will be further engagement with interested parties to work through the concerns that have been raised.”