A row has broken out over proposals to discuss the solution to Garioch’s rising school rolls in private – after years of public engagement.
Pupil numbers in the area are expected to soar over the next five years due to an influx of housing and stay-on rates, putting Inverurie Academy under increasing pressure.
Plans for a third secondary school in the area have been on the table for years, with Aberdeenshire Council keen to provide a more permanent solution.
A group was set up in 2012 to consider the future of secondary provision in the “A96 corridor” – including the possibility of a new Garioch Academy at Kintore.
Community councils, parent councils, staff and interested residents have been taking part in the discussions.
But now it has emerged that the results of the Garioch Academy assessment study are likely to be discussed in private at today’s Garioch area committee meeting in Inverurie.
Last night there were calls for the decision to be made in a “transparent and open” way.
The Press and Journal understands proposals for a third secondary school will be sidelined in favour of rebuilding Inverurie Academy to create a larger capacity.
A new secondary school would require a large-scale rezoning exercise to take in pupils from both Inverurie and Kemnay.
Brian Johnstone, chairman of Kintore Community Council, which was briefed about the situation last week, said it was disappointing that the Garioch area committee were due to discuss the best solution in private, but accepted there may be financial reasons behind the move.
East Garioch councillor Martin Ford has written to Aberdeenshire Council’s director of education Maria Walker and director of infrastructure Stephen Archer to raise his concerns.
He said: “The Garioch area committee needs to discuss future secondary provision in the A96 corridor in public. This is a crucial decision for the area and the decision-making process must be transparent and open to public scrutiny.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said: “Committee reports are prepared in advance by council officers and, as part of this process, consideration is given as to whether the content should be discussed by councillors with the press and public excluded for reasons of confidentiality. Even if a report is prepared as confidential, it is ultimately a decision for the committee to take at the beginning of the meeting whether or not to take it in private.”