School merge plans survey

Education bosses at the city council will hold a series of public meetings starting this Wednesday.

A consultation period began last week into plans to close or merge seven additional support for learning (ASL) schools.

Council chiefs said the public meetings are to give parents more information about the plans.

It will affect St Albert’s primary in Pollokshields as well as Lourdes in Cardonald, St Raymond’s in Castlemilk, Gadburn primary in Springburn and John Paul II in Castlemilk.

Greenview Primary School in Ruchill and Barmulloch Primary are also involved.

A GCC spokeswoman told The Extra: “The public meetings are an ideal opportunity for parents and the local community to come along and find out information, ask questions and take part in the consultation process”.

The plans would see the 39-pupil St Raymond’s close and an ASL unit in John Paul II primary open with space for 15 children.

Further ASL units would then be situated at Lourdes and St Albert’s.

Youngsters from Gadburn would move to a new unit in Barmulloch primary, which had a £75,000 revamp in 2009 but is at just 29 per cent capacity.

Pupils from Greenview school in Ruchill should have moved to Hampden Primary, but the building was destroyed by fire in April last year.

It is now proposed Greenview pupils move to the empty St Raymond’s building.

The first meeting will be at Gadburn on January 26, then Barmulloch on January 27 and St Raymond’s on February 1.

Consultations will also take place at John Paul II on February 2, Lourdes on February 3, St Albert’s on February 8 and Greenview on February 9.

St Albert’s is Roman Catholic school but the majority of pupils are Muslim or Sikh.