Craigpark and Southpark schools set to merge

Sep 18 2009 by Lisa Boyle, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

CRAIGPARK and Southpark schools are set for an official merger.

The new school will be renamed Southcraig School as early as January next year.

Proposals for the merger have gone out to parents, but they have already given them the thumbs up.

Parents undertook their own consultation exercise to rename the campus.

But the final decision lies with the council.

Craigpark and Southpark schools share a common campus. They are informally referred to as the Belmont Avenue Campus.

Both schools provide education for pupils aged three to 19.

All pupils have complex additional support needs and in some instances, complex medical and health needs.

At the beginning of the 2009/10 school session the combined school roll was 76 pupils, including five pupils in the nursery class.

In 2008, following a formal consultation with staff, parent councils and trade unions, a joint management structure for the campus came into force.

Although both schools are registered with the Scottish Government as two separate schools, bringing them under a single name would constitute an amalgamation of schools.

The new name would take effect from January next year.

The consultation process will run from Wednesday, September 23, to Friday, November 6.

A meeting will be held at the Belmont Ave campus on October 29 to explain the proposals in detail and give parents, guardians and carers the chance to ask questions.

School stakeholders can make their views heard on the amalgamation by writing to the Executive Director for Children and Community, County Buildings, Ayr, KA7 1DR or email specialconsultation@ea.sayr.sch.uk no later than Friday, November 6.