Plans to revamp Peterhead’s under-pressure school network are expected to be given final approval today.
The proposed overhaul of catchment zones in the north-east’s biggest town has been in the pipeline for months.
Now members of Aberdeenshire Council’s education committee are expected to sign off a package of changes to the area map.
Today’s meeting follows a lengthy public consultation and a discussion with Peterhead’s elected members.
Councillors from the Buchan town endorsed amended plans last month, and these will be presented to the group.
Last night committee chairwoman Isobel Davidson said she did not anticipate any obstacles to the proposal being approved at today’s meeting.
Ms Davidson said: “It is important that it goes through because we need to start making sure that there is capacity in our schools for the children in Peterhead.
“It takes some time for this to feed through, because we don’t move any children that are in school at the moment, so it could take up to seven years for it to get through the system.
“The parents have been very supportive. I think they appreciated that we did an informal consultation first so we got their ideas before we did the formal part. We asked parents what they thought should happen and that’s pretty much what was implemented.”
In a report to members, education boss Maria Walker says: “Officers within education and children’s services have carefully considered all of the responses to the consultation and have made a recommendation in their report.
“The recommendation is that the education, learning and leisure committee should adopt proposals 2-11 in the consultation document but maintain the current boundary between Meethill and Burnhaven schools.”
A suggestion that the boundary between Meethill and Burnhaven could be redrawn provoked concerns among parents, amid fears children would be forced to cross the town’s busy South Road.
The proposals have been drawn up after figures showed only two of the town’s 10 primary schools were inside their capacity range.
If approved, the changes will come into effect from August. No child already at a school will be moved and the new zones will only apply to children starting school for the first time or moving into the area from outside Peterhead.