Pupil move on cards for school works

Fourth to sixth year pupils will be moved into the council's Darroch building, half-a-mile away from the Marchmont school, for two years if the proposals get approval from parents.

Pupils in S1 to S3 would remain on site, but would be restricted to specific buildings to allow construction of the replacement James Gillespie's High to take place.

The decant would begin in 2012/13 when building work on the new school gets under way.

Although pupils would be moving into a council-owned building, the decant would still cost 2.4 million in total.

The Darroch Secondary School in Tollcross closed in 1972 when it merged with Boroughmuir and has been used for previous decants, as well as formerly being used as an annex for Gillespie's pupils.

The Darroch building itself would need more than 1m spent on it to make it a suitable home for the James Gillespie's pupils.

The council would also need to pay for the hire of temporary classrooms units for the pupils remaining at the Marchmont site during the construction. Moving the senior pupils to a different site and keeping the younger pupils on site throughout the work is the preferred option for education bosses.

They have discounted other options, such as moving all pupils into the old Tynecastle High and retaining all pupils on site.

Ann Henderson, chair of James Gillespie's parent council, said parents also believe the new decant plans are the best option, but added that there have been a number of concerns raised.

These include splitting up the junior and senior schools, the condition of the Darroch building and the disruption for younger pupils during construction.

Ms Henderson said: "There is an understanding that this is the best option. Reassurances are required about how it will actually work but people are quite excited and optimistic about the new school proposal."

Education chiefs are launching a consultation into the decant proposals next Thursday, which will run until 1 July.