Renfrewshire Council

On this page:

• what the consultation is about
• what happens next
• why we've been consulting
• background information
• how the consultation was run
• privacy
• notice of correction

What the consultation was about

The consultation started on Monday 29 January, and ended on Tuesday 26 March. Please note our online survey is now closed.

The consultation covered two points: 

1. A proposal to establish a new primary school in Dargavel Village on an 8.5 acre site at the north end of Craigton Drive, 
2. A catchment review affecting Dargavel Primary School and the proposed new primary school to be built at Dargavel Village. 

What happens next 

It is important for us to capture as wide a range of views from the local community as we could. All views submitted to us will be considered.

All feedback will be compiled for inclusion in a final consultation report. All information will be sent to Education Scotland. They then have three weeks to consider our proposal, taking account of all views and their own fieldwork, and make their recommendations to the Council.

We will then publish a final consultation report, responding to issues raised through the consultation process.  It will also include Education Scotland's report and respond to recommendations made.

This report will then be considered by councillors on the Education and Children's Services Policy Board when they meet on 23 May. 

Why we've been consulting on a new Dargavel school 

The current Dargavel Primary School will not have enough capacity for the numbers of pupils expected as the housing development grows in the years ahead. 

Our current pupil-roll projections - based on a tried-and-tested model used by data analytics experts - suggest demand for primary school places in Dargavel could peak at 1,131 by 2033. 

The current primary school has a capacity of 434. Our proposal is to build a new additional school for the Dargavel area, with capacity for 800 pupils, which we plan to open by 2027. 

That means we also need to decide the catchment areas for the new school and the existing school. 

Any plan to build a new school or change an existing catchment is required by law to go through a formal consultation, under the process set out by Education Scotland.

As part of that, we had to present a proposal for the new school and its catchment, on which to consult. 

Background information for the Dargavel school consultation 

You can see below maps showing

• active travel routes and where the proposed site for the new school sits within planned future development in the area
• the current and proposed catchment areas.

See larger version of the map showing active travel routes for the proposed additional primary school in Dargavel (PDF) [1MB] .

See larger version of the current catchment map for Dargavel (PDF) [2MB]  and  larger version of the proposed catchment areas for the current and additional primary schools in Dargavel (PDF) [2MB] .

We have published our consultation on new primary school in Dargavel proposal paper [1MB] . This includes:

• the legal procedure for a public consultation over a new school 
• the reasoning behind our proposal, and the options we looked at when developing it 
• our educational benefits statement, which sets out how we expect our proposal to impact on pupils and the local community, and why we believe it will benefit them 
• the issues we considered when looking at possible sites for the new school
• a list of streets affected by the proposed changes to the catchment.

We have also published  feedback from pre-engagement consultation [1MB] . This includes:

• what people told us during our public survey and other engagement last year over how the proposed new school could be used
• a timeline for the construction of the new school (subject to the outcome of the consultation)
• the vision and objectives for the new school, and plans and images showing examples of how it might look
• a map of all the sites we considered for the new school, and analysis of how each of them was assessed and scored
• active travel and school access considerations

These documents were updated on 19 February 2024 as explained in  Correction Notice Dargavel Consultation [134KB] . 

The documents are available in other formats, such as a different language or accessible format. Email dargavel2consultation@renfrewshire.gov.uk to request another format. 

How the consultation was run 

At the start of the consultation we wrote to all statutory consultees (the people who we are required to consult) with a copy of the proposal paper. They included: 

• parent councils of affected schools (Dargavel, Bishopton, St John Bosco) 
• parents of pupils at those schools 
• parents of children we expect to attend the new school 
• staff and trade unions at the affected schools 
• elected members 
• the local community council and community planning partnership 
• community groups who use the existing Dargavel Primary School. 

We wanted as many people as possible from the local community to take part in the consultation and tried to create as many chances as possible for you to find out more about the proposal, ask questions, and tell us what you think. These included: 

• online and written feedback - including an online survey, which was widely promoted throughout the area
• four information sessions - these were a chance to meet the key officers involved in the project in an informal setting, and raise any issues 
• two public meetings - where we fed back on the issues you raise at the info sessions, discussed how these might be overcome, and took your questions on the proposal
• informal drop-ins - these allowed existing parents and carers at Dargavel and Bishopton Primaries to chat to senior officers and head teachers

All topics raised and questions asked online, in writing, and at the public meetings - and our answers - will be recorded and included in the final consultation report.

Data Protection and Freedom of Information

We needed your details for the purpose of collating responses to this consultation and they will be used for the purposes of the Council's public functions. The council may check your details with other information held and may share these with other council services and Education Scotland.

Consultation responses will be made publicly available on demand. If you would prefer your comments not to be made public please record this on your response.

Please note however, that the council may still be obliged to disclose your response, on request, due to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and so, is unable to guarantee confidentiality.

See further information on how the council handles your personal information.

Notice of correction in terms of s.5(5)(b) of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) ACT 2010 

Details of the correction are in the   Correction Notice Dargavel Consultation [134KB] .