New school will be in Foveran, not Balmedie

By Garrett Stell

February 2 2023, 1:37 pm

Thursday's decision is just the latest development in a debate over education in the Formartine area that has lasted for over a decade. Image: Chris Sumner/DC Thomson

Aberdeenshire Council’s Education and Children’s Services Committee voted to replace Foveran School with a new, 300-pupil campus.

Council officers said that, although a site isn’t secured in the area, there have been positive conversations with a local landowner and they expect to be able to easily secure one of multiple available sites.

Thursday’s decision is just the latest development in a debate over education in the Formartine area that has lasted for over a decade. It means that there won’t be a new school in Balmedie village.

Instead, the council will redraw the boundaries for Balmedie School and the new Foveran School to balance the rolls at each.

Balancing placemaking in Balmedie with ‘urgent’ need in Foveran

The education committee considered two options in Formartine, neither of which was endorsed by the local area committee at their most recent meeting.

The approved option involves building a new school for Foveran and redrawing the boundaries.

The discounted second option called for an additional primary school in the village of Balmedie.

There have been many calls recently for a new school to replace Balmedie Primary. Councillors have also made repeated requests to build that new school in the Blackdog area.

We Need to Talk About Balmedie: Where are hundreds of extra kids going to be taught?

Councillor Andrew Hassan had been part of a spirited debate over a possible Blackdog school at last month’s Formartine Area Committee.

After a recent visit to Foveran, however, he decided that the need there should take priority.

“It was quite evident that there is a desperate need for a school [in Foveran]. There’s housebuilding already going up there at a much faster pace than in my own ward.

“I still agree that we do need to revisit provision in Belhelvie parish. But the urgent need is for the school at Foveran.”

‘No justification’ for a school in Blackdog

Councillor Louise McAllister proposed a motion on Thursday to reject the two options.

“This is a hugely contentious issue which has been rumbling along for a long, long time and long before my time.”

She added: “I think it’s hugely important that we make the right decision here and now for the future of our schools.”

But she still asked fellow members not to make a decision too quickly. She argued that neither the new Foveran School nor a second Balmedie School fits with the “place ethos” of either community.

The site in southern Balmedie marked “OP1” was considered for a second school in the village, but education committee members rejected the option. Image: Aberdeenshire Council.

She asked instead to consider a new report on possible education provision in Blackdog.

Director of education and children’s services Laurence Findlay made it clear, however, that his team had already investigated and rejected those possibilities.

“We totally understand local members’ interest in a school in Blackdog. However, the officer’s recommendation is that there is no evidence to justify it.

“Given financial constraints, we feel that the two offers on the table offer the best educational solution and the best value here for the council.”

The council voted 11-5 to move ahead with a new Foveran School.

Redrawing the map for Foveran and Balmedie

The question of a new school is an urgent matter because both Foveran and Balmedie are in danger of overcrowding.

Council officers expect Foveran School to fill up by the 2023-24 school year. The school holds 47 pupils with a current roll of 45. But that number is expected to grow to 52 next year and hit 86 (182% capacity) by 2027.

Aberdeenshire Council‘s current policy is that all new schools should have a minimum capacity of 200 pupils. With loose plans for a 300-pupils school at Foveran, it would mean a huge increase in the size of the school in the area.

Balmedie’s current roll is 407, with a capacity of 484. The roll could exceed that capacity by 2026, and there is expected to be a surge in housing coming to the area.

Redrawing the catchment area could relieve some of the pressure at Balmedie and make room for Foveran to accommodate ongoing housing developments. But any rezoning would require public consultation and agreement from parents and stakeholders.

Time was running out

From the start of Thursday’s meeting, it was clear that time was of the essence with regard to Formartine education. Chairwoman Gillian Owen opened the debate by urging members to think of what was best for education, not planning benefits or developer obligations.

“I’ve very keen that we progress to a solution to a school provision in South Formartine as soon as possible,” she said, and gave her support to the Foveran plan.

She added that she was supporting the plan despite the fact that building the new Foveran School and expanding the catchment area would put more strain on school transportation and stretch the council’s carbon footprint.

Following Thursday’s decision, education officers can now begin securing a site, considering floorplans and school space and making room in the capital plan for a new Foveran School.