Council approves proposals for new 3-18 community campus for Tain.

A new 3-18 community campus for Tain on the site of the current Tain Royal Academy got the go-ahead from The Highland Council today (12 March 2015) as members approved recommendations made by the Council’s Education, Children and Adult Services Committee to improve education provision in Tain.

The recommendation followed a formal statutory public consultation process which started in September 2014.

Members have agreed:

• To discontinue education provision at Craighill and Knockbreck Primaries and St Duthus Special School and to relocate to a new 3 - 18 campus to be developed on the site of the existing Tain Royal Academy.
• As an interim measure, until the proposed 3 - 18 campus is available, to relocate current pre-school provision from St. Duthus School (English Medium) and the Knockbreck Primary (Gaelic Medium) to temporary modular accommodation on the current Craighill Primary campus.
• To establish a new 3 - 18 community campus on the site of the existing Tain Royal Academy comprising Early Years, Primary, Secondary, Additional Support Needs (ASN) and Gaelic Medium provision to replace all other local authority education provision within Tain, including the existing Tain Royal Academy building and Community Complex.
• To combine the existing school catchment areas of Craighill and Knockbreck Primaries to become the catchment area of the new combined Primary School within the 3 - 18 campus.

Councillor Alasdair Christie, Chair of the Council’s Education, Children and Adult Services Committee welcomed the decision to provide a new community campus for Tain, he said:

“This development proposal, which local members and the community have generally positively supported, will greatly improve the educational and community benefits for the Tain area by providing better modern facilities. The opportunity to include enhanced community facilities within the development will also be beneficial to the local community and visitors to the area.”

The Final Report and associated papers for the new campus can be viewed on the council’s website

Under the requirements of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, the Council will advise Scottish Government Ministers of the decision that has been reached on the Statutory Consultation, and will also publish a notice on its website advising of the decision made, and how any person wishing to make representations to Scottish Ministers under call-in procedures can do so.