The building would be refurbished to provide accommodation and facilities for Mavisbank School. 

Public consultations were held on Tuesday 7 March 2023 in Mavisbank School. Staff meetings were at 3.30pm and the public meeting took place at 7pm.

A ninety minute drop is session was held at Mavisbank School, Thursday 27 April at 3:30pm  for any stakeholders to attend and ask officers questions. 

How many pupils will be moving to the new school?   

The current roll of 29 pupils will transition to the new school.   

Will there be an increase in capacity in the future? 

This is dependent on needs of pupils.  Any child will have access if required however we are not planning in increasing the capacity. 

It doesn’t make sense to move 29 pupils into a school that can take 253 pupils when there is the pressure to place ASN pupils and no spaces.  It states in the paper that out of authority pupils will be placed in North Lanarkshire schools.   

We have no plans to increase capacity.  There may be children who are allocated a place in the coming years, as the Closer to Home policy is a key council priority as part of the 2019 review and we are committed to ensuring that current North Lanarkshire pupils who are out of authority are brought back into North Lanarkshire to attend schools close to where they live. This would be anywhere across the school estate.   

Will the staff move with the children?

Yes, staff will be moving with the children but ultimately, it will be their choice.  HR will meet with staff to discuss.  

There are a lot of houses with cars parked outside the main entrance to the school.  How will buses get in and out of the entrance? 

Officers will look at the roads to ensure safe access is provided, including turning circle within school. The Council’s Planning department will notify residents of all appropriate works required. 

This is a big amount of money to be spending for 29 pupils? 

The council has money for capital spend, and we see this opportunity as a key priority for the ASN sector.

How can our children put their opinions in?  Some of our pupils are non-verbal and need their parents/carers to speak for them. 

Officers will work with staff and the Head Teacher to ensure that all pupils, who want to, can contribute with their views. 

Are we getting a pool? 

There potentially will be limited capital, and we will need to make decisions on where it is best spent. 

Has consideration been given to the privacy for children as it is overlooked by houses? 

The fencing could be changed and the campus could be zoned, we can also consider solutions such as screening.   

The Carnbroe plan shows 13 rooms, how many are allocated to Mavisbank, and will there be another school? 

This statutory consultation is only for children and staff of Mavisbank. 

Is the space in Carnbroe actually bigger?  

Mavisbank School is approx. 300 sq. m and Carnbroe PS is approx. 1000 sq. m. The current school roll is 29 in Mavisbank School and 263 in Carnbroe PS, therefore there is sufficient space to accommodate the current Mavisbank cohort. 

Due to the changing needs of children, can you give commitment that the cohort of pupils will not change?   

We recognise the needs of children are changing and it is impossible to say what this will look like in 5 years.  Nationally we are seeing different trends with a local priority being the ‘Closer to Home’ agenda of bringing children back into their local communities.  Where children’s needs have changed, we will upskill, and support staff as required.   

Can you guarantee staffing?

The expectation is that the current staff will move. If additionality is required, this will be addressed. If approved colleagues from HR will meet with staff one a one to one basis.

What are the next steps? 

Consulting with stakeholders is the first process which is fed into Education Scotland.  During each step we will work with you.  Transitioning of pupils will be done from completion of the building and the needs of pupils will be paramount in this process, if approved.

Will children be able to have access to vocational educational such as We Aspire College? 

There will be a vocational offer moving forward we are looking at different provision of the vocational offer for various ASN schools and this is part of the We Aspire model.