Essential repairs being carried out at Allanton Primary will result in its pupils transferring to Dykehead Primary in Shotts.
The temporary closure will see 80 primary pupils move next week. In addition, 26 early years children housed at the Allanton school’s nursery will also relocate to Newmains Nursery Class within Newmains Primary School.
Transport arrangements are being established to get children to and from their new education centres, with a central pick up and drop off point being arranged in Allanton village.
It’s not yet certain how long these arrangements will be in place, but the council has written to parents/carers and staff to say that they will be kept informed about timescales and developments as they unfold.
Councillor Frank McNally, Convener of Education and Families, regretted the inconvenience this would bring to pupils, parents and staff but stressed that safety had to come first.
He said: “Unfortunately, there is no other option than to move the school and nursery out of their current environment for a temporary period to allow this work to happen.
“We realise that this will result in parents having to make new plans and that some pupils may be unsettled by the move but we’re doing everything we can to make things go as smoothly as possible with minimal impact on our pupils’ education.
“The repairs need to be carried out as soon as possible and we can only do the work while the school building is empty.”
Acting head teacher of Allanton Primary and Nursery, Miss Sheena McFaite, added: “We are a strong and supportive community and I’m sure that everyone will understand that this isn’t a decision which would be taken lightly; it’s clearly essential that this work takes place.
“I know that everyone will rally together to support each other and make the move a success.”
The council took the decision to move pupils from Allanton to Dykehead Primary School and children to Newmains Nursery Class on a temporary basis after a technical inspection identified essential repairs were needed to areas of the external school walls and some of the internal supporting timber frame.
Much of the play area will be sealed off as a precautionary measure and access to the to the school building and grounds will be extremely limited. In addition, the work is noisy and dusty and would have considerable negative impact on teaching and learning.
The decision to move the school temporarily while the work is carried out is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff, which is the council’s number one concern.
Newmains Primary extended a welcome via social media platform Twitter to their temporary lodgers.
It stated: "NLC has taken the decision to move Allanton PS Nursery Class to Newmains Nursery Class on a temporary basis due to necessary repairs in the school. NPS would like to warmly welcome pupils and staff on Monday 18th Oct. We look forward to meeting and having lots of fun with you."
A dedicated webpage has been created to keep people informed with frequently asked questions: northlanarkshire.gov.uk/allantonprimary
Parents and carers can also email allanton@northlan.gov.uk with any questions they have.
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