Councillors yesterday claimed the rising school rolls in Garioch strengthened the case for a new north-east academy.
Aberdeenshire Council’s Garioch area committee said the increasing pupil numbers at Kemnay Academy only heightened the need for a new secondary in Kintore.
The Kemnay facility has room for 700 students, but is expected to reach 155% of its capacity by 2022 with an estimated 1,087 pupils.
Currently, there are 793 at the school, with a recently-completed extension allowing it to take in up to 1,000 pupils. The council figures estimate it would exceed this by 2020.
At the moment, youngsters in Kintore are zoned to Kemnay Academy. But, last month, councillors decided to continue with talks about the possible purchase of land which could house Kintore Academy at Midmill.
It comes after the council’s school roll figures indicated 26 primaries and secondaries were at more than 100% capacity.
East Garioch councillor, Martin Ford, said the issues at Kemnay “tie in with site provision in Kintore”, adding: “The present arrangement is (it will be) full at Kemnay in 2020. There are possibly a number of ways of dealing with that.
“Clearly, we have to think about that and it has to include the option of accommodation on a site in Kintore.
“We are at the end of 2016 now. The issue of the school being full is in 2020.”
Committee chairman and fellow East Garioch councillor, Fergus Hood, also called for action at Newmachar School, which is currently 111% above its capacity and is expected to be 154% by 2022.
Mr Hood urged the council’s education service to provide a report on “its thinking” for measures to address the rising roll at the primary.
He added there was a site allocated in Aberdeenshire’s local development plan for a “second school” in the village.
Mr Hood said: “I think parents in Newmachar would expect some kind of update on thinking around the timescales or what option might be coming forward.”
Garioch area manager, Doug Milne, added: “The service has its eyes on the Newmachar ball. It is pretty much over capacity as we speak.
“There are a number of potential solutions, but it depends on what comes forward in the LDP.”
Kintore’s Midmill Primary recently opened its doors to house pupils from neighbouring Kinellar while it is in the process of being built.