Council planners have recommended that a threatened Aberdeen Catholic school be spared the axe.
A consultation has been running on proposals to build a new school in Tillydrone to help tackle St Peter’s overcrowding problem, with the school running at 150% capacity.
Residents and parent groups have been quizzed for their views on two options: either the creation of a new shared campus school, incorporating St Peter’s, or the construction of a new non-religious school in the city.
Now a new consultation document from planners recommends a new non-denominational school is constructed on the site of the former St Machar School and former Tillydrone School, and to relocate Riverbank School to this new building with hopes to open in January 2020.
Education director Gayle Gorman’s report also recommends “that St Peter’s School remains at its present site and officers to assess how best to alleviate short term capacity pressures.”
The plan to demolish the Dunbar Street school and move it to Tillydrone had proven unpopular with both the parent council and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen.
A statement from the parents council reads: “We want purpose-built premises for St Peter’s in an area close to our school’s current site and we welcome your invitation to start looking at workable alternatives to the options included in this consultation.
“We understand that this may mean some delay to us getting a new school and that we will have to remain in our current buildings in the meantime.”
Education convener Angela Taylor said the issue would be discussed at a committee meeting in around three weeks and encouraged any interested people to make their views known.
She said: “We have to go through the document and will decide at a Labour group meeting our position as to the recommendations.
“Obviously we want what’s best for the parents and pupils here and across the city. “