Dundee’s children and families service convener has “categorically” rejected rumours that Braeview Academy and Craigie High School are to merge.
Following calls by Labour councillors to give a “cast iron” guarantee, Councillor Gregor Murray said there were no such plans.
Rumours were said to have been circulating for a long time and played a part in a gymnastics club currently based at Braeview Academy this month submitting a planning application to open premises at Faraday Business Centre.
A planning statement submitted on behalf of the club explained: “The club is also looking to the future.
“It anticipates that, by 2021-22, Dundee City Council as an education authority will look to merge Braeview Academy and Craigie High School.
“No decision has yet been made regarding the options of a new-build school or an upgrade.
“However, the club has to avoid uncertainty and is therefore looking, now, for a move to a suitable premises which will secure its future.”
Councillor Charlie Malone, from Labour’s education team, said the uncertainty needed to stop.
He added: “We need a cast-iron guarantee. The convener of education and family services should commit in public that the SNP administration will not close or merge Braeview and Craigie high schools in the coming years.”
Labour councillor Michael Marra expressed fears that the schools could follow the example of Menzieshill High, which closed in 2016 with the pupils transferred to the new Harris Academy.
Mr Marra said: “Despite council protestations at the time it is 100% the case that the closure was purely a cost-cutting measure.
“It would not surprise me if the same flawed logic was being applied to schools in the east of the city.”
However, the convener said the rumours of Braeview’s closure had been circulating for a very long time, with no actual plans ever being put into place.
The SNP member added: “I remember hearing them (the rumours) when I attended the school 15 years ago.
“There are, categorically, no plans to merge the schools.
“We bring a full report to the committee every year which lays out our plans for the school estate.
“The last one was in October 2016. The school estate is something that we continually have to keep under review to ensure that all of our pupils are getting the best possible outcome, but also that achieve that within the most efficient use of public funds.
“It is demonstrably untrue that Menzieshill High School was closed for financial reasons, and repeating an untruth does not make it true.
“As we saw from last week’s news, the number of subject choices open to pupils has a correlation with the number of pupils in a school, and we must ensure that all pupils have the best opportunities available to them.”
