Plans for a new “super-school” in Dundee East have taken a major step forward after councillors agreed to formally consult on a potential merger.
The proposal would see a new campus created in Dundee East for pupils of Craigie High and Braeview Academy.
At Dundee City Council’s children and families services committee last night councillors voted to progress the plans, which would mean a new
£60 million building being built at the former St Saviour’s High on Drumgeith Road.
It is hoped the new joint secondary school/community learning campus would be operational from August 2024.
It is part of wider plans to address high capacity issues at several schools across the city.
Council leader John Alexander described it as a “genuinely exciting” plan.
He said: “It’s not just a school. It would work with D&A College as well as continuing Braeview’s fantastic work with Michelin through the new innovation centre.
“A solution for the two schools is much-needed.”
Braeview was hit by a huge fire in 2018, meaning some pupils are being taught in portable cabins, while Craigie High has become rundown in parts since opening in 1970.
The local authority has spent millions in recent years maintaining the schools, however it is widely acknowledged they need to be replaced.
The condition of the two buildings triggered talk of possible solutions last year leading to an informal consultation on the possibility of merging the schools.
The results showed the majority of parents who responded wished to retain separate schools but the small sample size threw up more questions than answers.
Labour councillors including leader Kevin Keenan questioned the £60m price tag.
Children and families services executive director Paul Clancy said “inflation” must be taken into account as the school would not be built for several years.
The proposal also includes creating a senior phased education centre for pupils with additional support needs.
A new school would mean the catchment area for Grove Academy would be increased to include the Craigiebarns Primary School catchment area.
The consultation will begin on February 10 and will run until the end of March.
