Consultation on proposals to discontinue education provision at St Margaret's RC Primary School

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the main purpose of the proposal?
Why are you considering closing a school now with all the house building and growth?
How will future catchment areas be affected?
Who will make the final decision about the proposal and why is there only one option to close as opposed to increasing the size of the school roll through effective marketing?
Why are the cost savings not taken into account as part of the decision making process?
What will happen to the staff currently in the school?
What will happen to the school building and the land if this proposal goes ahead?  Will it be sold or used for an alternative council purpose? Could it be deemed suitable for asset transfer to the community?
Will offering to transport pupils to either St Mary’s RC PS or another school in the catchment increase our impact on climate change?
How will children get the right support they need in an increased class size?
The council suggested that St Margaret’s might be closed and this is why the roll has fallen.

What is the main purpose of the proposal?

The main purpose of the proposal is to enter into formal consultation to discontinue Primary Education Provision at St Margaret’s Roman Catholic Primary School from 1 July 2022.  We are also proposing that the catchment areas of St Mary’s, St Matthew’s and Sacred Heart RC Primary Schools be extended to include the current catchment area of St Margaret’s RC Primary School. We must consult in line with the statutory duties set out in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

Why are you considering closing a school now with all the house building and growth?

Midlothian, as one of the fastest growing local authorities, has rising school rolls across both primary and secondary schools and our Roman Catholic schools play an important role in providing capacity, particularly in areas of significant pressure such as Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith, Gorebridge and Mayfield.  To date there are no Primary 1 pupils enrolled at St Margaret’s for the coming school year. The St Margaret’s RC PS school roll as at August 2021 was two pupils. As at the 14 September 2021 there were no pupils enrolled at the school. 

How will future catchment areas be affected?

We are also proposing that the catchment areas of St Mary’s, St Matthew’s and Sacred Heart RC Primary Schools be extended to include the current catchment area of St Margaret’s RC Primary School.

Who will make the final decision about the proposal and why is there only one option to close as opposed to increasing the size of the school roll through effective marketing?

While it is Midlothian Council’s Children, Young People and Partnership Directorate that is conducting the consultation, it is for the elected councillors on Midlothian Council to decide following the conclusion of the statutory consultation period. They will be asked at a meeting of the full Midlothian Council to adopt the proposal, withdraw it or seek to consult on another proposal. 

The statutory consultation is designed to encourage maximum participation. This will allow the views of all members of the community to be included in the consultation report which will be used by councillors to make an informed decision.

The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 places a legislative duty on the council to ensure the adequate and efficient provision of school education across its area and it must consult on certain changes in such arrangements before it can commit to delivering them. The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 sets out the statutory consultation that must be undertaken when proposing a permanent change to any of our schools. 

The principle of the Act is “... to provide strong, accountable statutory consultation practices and procedures that local authorities must apply to their handling of all proposals for school closures and other major changes to schools.” 

The statutory consultation process must be based on a proposal that is viable and deliverable and represents the very best educational outcomes for its young people. 

From previous experience, it is not believed that the school roll for St Margaret’s will increase enough to support the best educational outcomes for its children. 

Why are the cost savings not taken into account as part of the decision making process?

The act indicates we can provide information on costs but decision-making should be as described above, and based on what supports the best educational outcomes for young people.

What will happen to the staff currently in the school?

Staff will be fully consulted and supported to consider employment in alternative educational settings within Midlothian.

What will happen to the school building and the land if this proposal goes ahead?  Will it be sold or used for an alternative council purpose? Could it be deemed suitable for asset transfer to the community?

The council has an agreed process for this.  The directorate that operates the premises will consider if they require the building or land for an alternative purpose, if they do not, they declare it surplus and other directorates within the council can put together a business case for its use.  If the council has no purposeful use for it, it can be considered for sale.
As St. Margaret’s RC PS is on a shared campus with Loanhead PS, any option for potential future use would have to be carefully considered with all relevant council departments and stakeholders being fully consulted.

Will offering to transport pupils to either St Mary’s RC PS or another school in the catchment increase our impact on climate change?

School transport will be provided for all children affected, where there is no safe walking route to school and/or the distance from home to school is more than two miles, therefore not everyone may need transport.  If the proposal goes ahead we are committed to ensuring safe routes to school, and to addressing the carbon neutral plan.

How will children get the right support they need in an increased class size?

Children moving school will be supported with a tailored transition plan to support them in the initial transition but also in their ongoing education. This will take into account: good practice, educational principles, managing change, small group work, learning support needs and confidence levels.

The council suggested that St Margaret’s might be closed and this is why the roll has fallen.

In 2019 an informal pre-consultation was held on the future of denominational school provision across the whole of Midlothian. The pre-consultation was held to find out what stakeholders and the community thought. Information about a range of considerations was presented along with 8 discussion models. These models ranged from retaining the status quo with seven primary and one secondary schools, to one all-through (combined primary and secondary) school. We took into account what we heard during this pre-consultation along with other factors, including looking at the pupil roll at each of the schools, when deciding the model to propose and carry out formal consultation on. Following the pre-consultation the rolls of the other six primary schools remained stable. There is more information on the pre-consultation, the feedback received and the decision on the proposed model in the Denominational Review paper to the meeting of Midlothian Council on 29 June 2021.