Fraserburgh school merger moves forward
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Plans to merge two Fraserburgh primary schools and relocate them to a new £18m state-of-the-art facility in the town have taken a step forward.
Aberdeenshire Council has been working on a proposal to join Fraserburgh North and St Andrews schools together since 2014.
Plans for the new multi-million pound primary school, to be built next to Fraserburgh Academy, were approved back in 2021.
The new facility will have capacity for 450 pupils and could welcome youngsters by autumn 2025.
A public consultation on the merger was launched in December and ended in February.
An online survey was made available for residents to have their say on the proposal and an in-person meeting was also organised, however just one person turned up.
As part of the consultation, staff and pupils at both schools as well as Fraserburgh Academy were asked for their opinions.
Most of the primary children were positive about the move to a new building and said it would allow them to make new friends.
But, worries were raised that young people at the academy could bully the younger children or influence them to take up bad habits such as smoking.
However Aberdeenshire Council has stated that measures would be taken to prevent any potential issues like this from cropping up.
They even said there is potential for the academy pupils to “become positive role models” by supporting the new school.
Members of the Banff and Buchan area committee received an update on the consultation today.
Chairwoman Doreen Mair noted there had been some reservations from staff as they were worried they would lose the “homely atmosphere” of their schools.
However, she said that was “turned around” following a joint visit to another new school in the area.
Fraserburgh councillor Seamus Logan said it was a “red letter day” for the town, and he hailed the the latest update as “another step along the journey” for the long-running project.
Fellow ward member James Adams also welcomed the report.
He said: “The school estate at Fraserburgh is aging and it’s been quite a while since we’ve had anything new and positive.”
A final decision on the merger will be determined by full council in September.
Meanwhile, concept designs for the new school will be available to view next week.
Aberdeenshire Council will hold a drop-in session at Fraserburgh Community and Sports Centre on Thursday from 4-7pm.
Members of the public are invited along to see what the new facility could look like and learn more about the proposal.
The two-storey building will feature a hall, dining area as well as a music and drama room.
It is also expected to have a therapy room, quiet area and sensory room, along with a multi-use games area, outdoor learning spaces and garden.
The new school will be kitted out with the latest IT technology to ensure youngsters have full access to digital learning.
It has been designed to promote “accessible and inclusive” learning to meet the needs of all learners, including those with additional support needs.
The proposed school will also be environmentally friendly and energy efficient to help the local authority meet its net zero targets.
Other sites for the school were considered including Kessockbank and Memsie, the JIC building on Albert Street and the current school sites.
But these were subsequently ruled out.
Teaching and support staff will transfer over to the new school but just one head teacher will be appointed.
A rezoning exercise will be carried out before the school opens to prevent it exceeding capacity in the future.
The new school’s name and uniform will be chosen at a later stage with pupils and the local community to be involved in the discussions.
Commenting Councillor Seamus Logan (SNP: Fraserburgh and District) welcomed the plans:“Despite the difficult times that we all face, it is great news for Fraserburgh that these plans are progressing.
"We all look forward to the development of a modern school for the town, one which bodes well for the future education of our children, and I hope that the proposed timetable for the new build can be delivered as planned.”
