Fife Council has welcomed the announcement the army will be coming to Fife but officials insisted it would be wrong to speculate what impact this might have on services.
Fears have been expressed that school rolls in parts of North-East Fife could plummet, after it emerged Leuchars is to receive about 500 army personnel fewer than first promised.
However, an army source told The Courier that a “significant population” of children could be attached to the families of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards who will relocate to Leuchars from Germany.
Ongoing uncertainty over the type and scale of any future military presence at Leuchars had been causing a significant headache for Fife Council officials trying to plan for future services, such as education, health and housing.
From 2015 Leuchars will be home to the Scots Dragoon Guards, an REME battalion and the Royal Military Police.
Community concerns have been expressed that the 800 troops now promised was around half of the 1,600 that might have been expected at Leuchars if the RAF was staying and 500 fewer than the army numbers promised in 2011.
Some 65% of primary school children and 64% of nursery children at Leuchars Primary School have parents working with the RAF. At Guardbridge Primary School, 40% of pupils have parents working with the RAF.
Fife Council area education officer John Laughlin welcomed the army announcement and said discussions were already under way to identify and support families who would be affected by the transition.
He told The Courier: “The announcement is welcomed, as it provides certainty.
“In terms of education, it is imperative that we effectively deliver the needs of families who will be leaving Leuchars and families that will be coming in from Germany.
“The information we now have with regard to the armed services will allow us to deliver a plan for the next three to five years in North-East Fife.
“However, until we get the numbers, it would be wrong to speculate on what any impact on schools might be. The education service is already working with the MoD on this.”
Mr McLaughlin said once families had been identified, information would be sent to Leuchars-bound parents in Germany to prepare them for life in Fife and give them a deeper knowledge of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence.
It was possible, he said, that children in the latter stages of secondary education in Germany may be allowed to sit English board exams to allow continuity when they move across.
He revealed that Fife Council has made a £3 million application to the MoD education fund to help with the costs of educational transition.
Meanwhile, Fife Council’s Executive Committee has approved additional priority for HM forces applicants to support the council’s Armed Forces Covenant.
It was agreed that the number of housing allocations given to HM forces applicants will increase.