Dargavel Primary School

Information about Dargavel Primary school, including location and head teacher, school capacity, and how to contact the school.

On this page:

Location and head teacher

Dargavel Primary School is on Arrochar Drive in Dargavel Village, Bishopton.

The head teacher is Gerry Carlton.

The associated secondary school is Park Mains High School.

Dargavel Primary School will not have capacity for every child expected to start primary school as the Dargavel development grows in the years ahead. The Primary 1 (P1) intake was limited to 75 pupils for those starting school in August 2024, and we expect this to continue in 2025 and 2026.

When a school is oversubscribed, we apply our admissions policy, which gives priority to pupils who already have sisters and brothers in the school, and then pupils who, for medical reasons, would have difficulty being educated elsewhere.

If, after applying this criteria, the school is still oversubscribed, then we move on to a ballot process. Pupils who do not get a place will be offered one at the nearest alternative school, which in this case is Bishopton Primary School.

If your child is due to start P1 in August 2025, you will be invited to register them in November 2024. Should a ballot be required, this will likely take place in early 2025, and we will keep affected parents informed directly.

We expect Dargavel and Bishopton primaries will between them have capacity for all children who are due to start P1 in 2025 and 2026.

New additional primary school

We are currently working to build a new (additional) primary school in Dargavel, expected to be open for August 2027.

The new school will have capacity for 800 pupils and will be built on the site shown on the map below.

Dargavel site map - updated July 2024
Map showing school sites

See larger version of Dargavel map [3MB]

We also own land next to the existing school (shown on the map) which could allow the school to be expanded in future, if needed. We are currently looking into how this land could be used as a drop-off area to help improve traffic flow around the school.

The location and catchment area for the new school were decided after a formal consultation with the community, which ran in early 2024.

You can see the agreed catchment areas for the new and existing primary schools in Dargavel on the map below.

Map showing proposed catchment areas for the current and proposed primary schools in Dargavel
Map showing agreed catchment areas

Larger version of the map showing the agreed catchment areas for the new and existing primary schools in Dargavel. [2MB]

These new catchment areas will come into effect when the new school opens in 2027. Until then, the existing Dargavel Primary will continue to be the catchment primary school for all of Dargavel Village.

Parent and carer updates

We are keeping parents and carers updated directly on our work to increase school capacity in Dargavel.

If you would like to receive these updates you can sign-up for our Dargavel community email newsletter.

You can read our previous updates below:

Accounts Commission

The Accounts Commission published a report of their findings into the council's handling of school provision in the Dargavel area on 18 January 2024. You can read the full report on their website.

A statement from Renfrewshire Council in response to the report reads: "The Council is confident it will provide the Controller of Audit and Commission members with the reassurance they require through our swift and ongoing response to the Bowles recommendations. The areas of focus detailed in the Report reflect the council's existing action plan, which is being delivered at pace, and we appreciate the Commission's recognition of this. The Council understands the Commission's desire for further reassurance.

"We note (and accept) criticism of our initial engagement on the council's decision to extend Park Mains, but the rationale for this and the financial and educational impacts of the alternatives have since been shared in detail, and we can evidence wide and positive engagement as we have progressed our planning. The decision to extend the school is welcomed by the majority of the Park Mains school community.

"We fully accept it will take time to rebuild trust, and communities have the right to be angry at the situation. We remain committed to getting things right for families in Dargavel and the wider Park Mains school community, to expanding school capacity and providing then best possible educational experience for local children, and to ensuring all local stakeholders are engaged and their voices heard.

"If approved by councillors, the next step will be to launch a comprehensive formal consultation on our proposals to deliver a new primary school for August 2027 through which the local community will have every chance to give us their views. We will continue to update Audit Scotland and all stakeholders on our progress."

Contacting the school

If you have questions about general school matters, you can email or phone the school by using the contact details below.

Dargavel Primary School

Children's Services

0300 300 0170
cssupport@renfrewshire.gov.uk

Renfrewshire Council