Scottish Government funding announced for a school proposal that could replace Braeview Academy and Craigie High School is being welcomed.
Formal consultation has already been carried out on the plan, which will be considered by the children and families service committee in the New Year.
Up to 50% of the cost will be contributed to the £60 million project if it is agreed.
Reports have confirmed that pupils at Braeview and Craigie, who account for 16% of the city’s secondary population, are currently receiving their education in “poor condition” schools.
Braeview Academy suffered a catastrophic fire in September 2018 which has resulted in the creation of temporary cabin accommodation for pupils.
City council children and families service convener Stewart Hunter said: “With a report due to be considered by committee soon, confirmation that a major part of the financial jigsaw would be available should this be approved is great news.
“We have carried out thorough consultation on the proposal to close both current buildings and replace them with a new secondary school and community learning campus.
“I believe that this ambitious plan would help us transform secondary education in areas of the city facing significant challenges with poverty.
“Pupils would benefit through advantages of scale at a community campus that the current schools cannot offer.
“It will now be up to the children and families services committee to make a final decision. The report that they will consider will help to reassure them that a major Scottish Government financial contribution would be in place if they approved it.”
The council was recently told that the estimated cost of a replacement school, if approved, is £60m.
Funding would be split between borrowing by the council and revenue funding following a successful bid to Scottish Government for partnered support through the Learning Estate Strategy.
A full report on the consultation around the proposal for a new school to replace Braeview Academy and Craigie High School is available here
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
