Scottish ‘superschools’ to teach all age groups

Eight councils – Aberdeen, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Ayrshire, Highland, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Perth and Kinross – have submitted plans to the Scottish Futures Trust for “all-through” schools, which will accommodate pupils aged three to 18.

Sharing facilities such as dining rooms and gym halls will allow education authorities to cut costs.

Grant Robertson, associate director of the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), the body which delivers public infrastructure projects on behalf of the Scottish Government, said: “One of the benefits [of all-through schools] is you theoretically don’t need the same amount of space.

“The big spaces, like the dining hall and gym, if timetabled correctly, can be shared. Then you only need one plant room and one janitor.”

While the idea of all-through schools is still relatively new, Scottish schools often taught mixed ages in the same room in the past, particularly in remote rural areas.

The concept ties in with Curriculum for Excellence, which was introduced in 2010 and seeks to create continuity for children aged three to 18. The so-called “broad general education” phase runs from the later years of primary to the time just before pupils at secondary are ready to start sitting exams.

As well as allowing heads and even teachers to move between the primary and secondary sectors, the new schools would also give younger children access to facilities such as science laboratories and technical and home economics departments.

However, education directors have acknowledged that local primaries outside the three to 18 schools will have to be carefully managed to ensure those children feel as involved.

Carol Kirk, director of education services in North Ayrshire, said: “It’s not feasible to make all [feeder] primaries part of the same campus. It would become unwieldy and in some cases you would have to transport children too far. If you are building new and have a blank canvas, I do think this is the way to do it. The curriculum runs from three to 18 and the broad general education [phase] finishes in S3, not P7.”

East Ayrshire plans to merge secondaries James Hamilton Academy and Kilmarnock Academy, with a primary and nursery possibly set to be added to create a “superschool”.

The council already operates all-through campuses at Grange Academy and St Joseph’s Academy, with the former housing a primary, secondary and special school in one building.

In Dumfries and Galloway, the new Dalbeattie High will have a primary school on the same campus.

Last year, Edinburgh City Council announced plans for a £42 million campus project built around the principles of Curriculum for Excellence.

The new James Gillespie’s High School is expected to include an extension to a nursery and improvements to James Gillespie’s Primary.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “A three-to-18 school campus may not be the best option to meet the educational needs of children in every area.

“It is a decision the local authority must take.”