Catchment changes proposed for three primary schools

Plans to ensure schools close to new housing developments can accommodate a likely increase in pupils have been put in place.

At a meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday, elected members agreed to proposals for Fairlie, Mayfield and Montgomerie Park Primary schools.

It will mean that two places will be reserved at each year group stage for pupils who live within the catchment areas of these schools. The report says ‘this will maximise the efficient management of pupil numbers at these schools in particular, in light of the current and projected pressures on catchment places, for example, as a result of house building’.

The report highlights the need to make the change as acceptance of placing request applications up to the capacity of a school year stage can result in there being no places left at that stage for new incoming catchment pupils.

Fairlie Primary pupil roll has risen from 73 in 2018 to 108, Montgomerie Park Primary opened in August 2024 with 79 pupils (5 classes).

The pupil roll is now over 100, with a projected roll of 154 (eight classes) planned from August 2025.

Mayfield Primary has a current pupil roll of 192 pupils, but with 58% attending as a result of a successful placing request. Adjacent to the school, there is a new housing development of 49 homes, with a further 231 homes due to become occupied over the next nine years.

North Ayrshire Council’s education service will monitor pupil numbers closely to ensure this proposal remains appropriate and fit for purpose.