School rolls in 'Learning Town' Dumfries may be capped

The Dumfries Learning Town project would see an overhaul of the four secondaries in the town

Pupil numbers at schools in Dumfries will be capped under plans to transform education in the town.

Limits will be imposed on S1 numbers at all four secondary schools in 2016/17 as part of the Dumfries Learning Town project.

The town's 25 primary schools will also be subjected to restrictions on their primary one intake.

Council officials said they need to reduce the town's school estate by 1,000 pupils "to reflect demographics".

It is likely to mean that the most popular schools in Dumfries will be forced to turn some prospective pupils away.

At Dumfries High School, which accepted 165 first years last year, the roll will be capped at 141 pupils.

Laurieknowe Primary School's P1 class will be restricted to 54 children, limiting its total roll to 364.

Without capping, its roll was expected to rise to 384 in August 2016.

In a report to members of Dumfries and Galloway Council's education committee, officials said historical data and the design of planned new schools pointed to the need to cap rolls.

They added: "Capping will enable us to plan for change, work creatively across associated schools supporting the key aim of Dumfries Learning Town to ensure equality irrespective of where you live in the burgh."

According to the council's projections, the cap will have little effect at most schools and they will have space to enrol additional pupils.

However, there is likely to be a high demand for places at at least three primary schools where the "capped" school roll will be lower than the predicted demand for places.

The report revealed that about 70% (1,711) of secondary age students in Dumfries do not attend their designated catchment school.

Just under 200 leave the town to attend Wallace Hall Academy in Thornhill.

More than half of pupils (389) from north-west Dumfries do not attend their local school, Maxwelltown High.

A total of 1,585 primary pupils (45% of the total) do not attend their designated catchment school.

Under plans for the Dumfries Learning Town, new "learning campuses" would built at Maxwelltown High and Dumfries High. St Joseph's College and Dumfries Academy would be refurbished.

It would also involve the creation of a "learning hub" offering specialist higher academic and vocational studies.