Closed education consultations

The enlarged new 434-capacity school is set to be built on the current open space and football pitch located between Woodneuk Avenue and Johnston Road, Gartcosh. 

Public consultations were held on Wednesday 8 March 2023 in Gartcosh Primary School. Staff meetings were at 3.30pm and the public meeting was at 7.00pm.

A ninety minute drop is session was held at Gartcosh Primary School, Wednesday 26 April at 15:30 for any stakeholders to attend and ask officers questions.

How long will the new school be fit for purpose?

The asset time attributed to school builds is currently 60 years. However there are three key measurables when assessing a school’s state:  The condition of the building (60 years); utilisation (space used) and suitability (how suitable the school is in relation to learners, staff, and other users). 

On what basis could this proposal be refused?

Officers put forward the proposal to Elected Members and they make the decision. A report is put to Committee that includes all stakeholder views such as Education Scotland. Elected Members make the decision.

Will it be the case that the lowest bidder gets the contract, and that quality is not a factor?

No, this is not the case. There is a cost: quality ratio in the tender. The council only uses Tier 1 contractors and ‘award winning’ Architects.

Will there be a change to the catchment?

No, this is not within the scope of this consultation. The proposal is modelled on the existing catchment.

Does the 434 roll include the 60 Language, Communication & Speech Centre (LCSC) places and 48 Early Years (EYs) places and are you confident this is sufficient (ie using accurate projections)? Capacity is a key question?

The council has confidence in their figures with the new projection.

Will the community centre be retained for community use (eg pensioners’ lunch club). The village is struggling for community facilities such as GP surgery?

Once the new community centre is decanted to the new build, the old community centre becomes surplus via the council’s surplus asset process where empty buildings are offered to internal council services before going external (assets & disposals).  

Do you have plans to acquire the adjacent field?

No the red line boundary shown in the presentation is the site that the new campus would occupy.

Will the council be maintaining the land south of the access road?

This is not known at this time but is out with the scope of this consultation.

Do you have a plan B?

We have considered many options over the years, and this is the best proposal and the ‘plan  A’ which is being proposed. The ‘plan B’ would be to build two smaller schools and split the catchment area.

What about transport, how will the children travel to school?

The Contracts & Provisions service within Education will oversee the process that will assess the walking routes to ensure they are acceptable.

What about the planning permission for the modular units in the current school, when does that expire?

The current planning permission for the modular units (3 1/2 years) will extend beyond the new build completion date.

How will the children be accommodated till the new building has been built?

We are currently investigating temporary solutions to meet the increased capacity needs of the current school until such time as the school relocates (If the proposal is accepted).

Will the building be accessible out with school times?

The operating model and aspiration for all NLC community hubs is that they are open from dawn till dusk and open to the wider community.

If it takes 18 months to design and 18 months to build, when will the proposal be approved?

We will not have legal approval until after the statutory consultation is complete. The consultation is a 6-week process, within which time representation can be made, and it is expected that the recommendation will be presented to the Education, Children & Families Committee for approval in September 2023.

What about Gartcosh United, where will they play?

We have reached a unilateral obligation with Gartcosh United to build an 11-a-side pitch with training facilities at the social club. There will be access to other facilities if the pitch is not ready on time (sub-station to move).  

Can the wider community use the outdoor space?

We would look at the risk as all schools need to be secured, but if, for example, we had a MUGA, there would be a separate entrance for daytime for the school and for the wider public in the evening.

Will consideration be given to the noise?

Acoustic specialists are part of the design team and Pollution Control will make sure that we meet the standards.

Will the community centre be next to a community garden?

Access to the outdoor space for the community is a consideration that would be will be developed during the design process in collaboration with the Landscape Architects.

When will the new school be ready? Why is the land only available now?

the council have been looking at land since 2016 and have looked at 9 sites in total, including the social club site.  Discussions with Balfour Beatty were prolonged due to legalities and Covid-19.   There was also a non-disclosure agreement in place with which blocked us from updating on the situation within the public domain.

However, the council has access to the site investigations, and the architects have block planned the site so we know that the school can be built on the site.

What are the predicted problems and challenges within the project?

There is a lot of background work that has already been carried out and we are highly motivated to deliver. We have expert mechanical, electrical, construction and traffic consultants within our wider build team to ensure we deliver high quality, carbon neutral facilities that support children's learning and teaching. We have looked at traffic modelling and a lot of challenges have already been mitigated through discussions with the Education Authority, Roads Department and Planning service. 

We want children to understand what a new school can look like

There are many ways in which the experienced consultants can engage with children, including dialogue and images which will be supported by teachers.   This will be done sensitively to take account of pupils who will have transitioned to secondary by the time the new build is complete.  Engagement with the architects is a key factor in the ultimate design of the school. 

During the consultation the early years provision was referred to as a ‘nursery class’. This terminology, in my mind, alludes to a term time only model; can you confirm this is the only model being considered and thus the building will be designed as such? I am concerned the building will be designed to fit only this type of model yet, in time, it's likely to become apparent that those from the area looking to use the establishment will have a need for a non term time model. 

The nursery is proposed to be a ‘term time model’ – there would be no major changes required to the design, should it be deemed that a 48 week model is more appropriate in future years.

Who is being approached regarding the designs for the early years provision? I realise the current head teacher will be involved for the school side of things. However early years is a very different set up and so input will be needed from someone with experience in that area to consult on the design to ensure needs are met. Similarly for the LCSC set up. 

The design team involve early years professionals in the design elements of each hub provided and this will be the case with the Gartcosh Community Hub proposed.

Additionally has there been any thought to who is heading up the school? Will they be expected to head up the LCSC and Nursery Class?

There are other establishments in North Lanarkshire which house primary, early years and ASN provision within the same campus – and the Head Teacher is responsibility for the management of all learning and teaching elements within the campus – this is what is proposed within the Gartcosh Community Hub.

Are there any plans for the community space to include a library? We have baby, toddler and pre-school groups who'd likely move from the current community centre into the hub so having access to a space like a library for them would be invaluable. Not to mention the benefit to the community overall. 

It is not within the proposed scope of this project to include a dedicated community library.  The library to serve this community is located within the Chryston High School campus.

Can you advise again on how we might go about having the NHS approached for the building that will become vacant if the surplus procedures are triggered?

This is not within the remit of North Lanarkshire Council and it is not for council officers to comment.  Constituents are advised that their elected representatives for the area (Councillors, MP, MSP) would be the best place to make such enquiries. It is expected that, if the proposal is accepted, this building will be declared surplus to requirements when the new hub is opened. There is a defined process which will be followed in order to declare the building surplus, if and when appropriate to do so.

At the consultation it was highlighted that the proposed access road at the 'north side' (Johnston Rd) includes Blades Court and a resident voiced her concerns about the size and shape of the road. Are you anticipating that this is a deal breaker for planning? 

This is not within the scope of this consultation, which is about the moving of the school from one location to another.  If the proposal was approved, the design including access and egress, would be subject to planning approval and it is through this process that any concerns could be raised.

Ultimately if this isn't used for vehicle access, can you elaborate on what is imagined for the 'south side' access as this involves roads leading to the M73. 

This is not within the scope of this consultation, which is about the moving of the school from one location to another.  If the proposal was approved, the design including access and egress, would be subject to planning approval and it is through this process that any concerns could be raised.