BY Ian Dunn | February 28 | 
0 COMMENTS 
print
Five Catholic schools in Motherwell Diocese face closure and amalgamation by councillors
Five Catholic schools in Motherwell Diocese face closure and amalgamation as part of a North Lanarkshire Council multi-million pound plan to create new modern campuses.
The council has released plans that include two Catholic secondary schools in the diocese being replaced with a new ‘super-school’ on the site of the former Ravenscraig steel works.
An amalgamation of Taylor High School and Our Lady’s High School in Motherwell, incorporating a joint campus with a new Bothwellpark High, which caters for youngsters with additional needs, has been proposed for the Ravenscraig site. Should the plans go ahead, locals says there may well be a desire among parents to keep the 140-year Our Lady’s High School name, as Taylor High was only built in the early 1980s, and took over part of Our Lady’s High catchment area.
In Airdrie, the proposals are to amalgamate St Dominic’s and St Edward’s with a new primary school on Craigneuk playing fields.
In Coatbridge, a consultation will be carried out on the proposed amalgamation of Carnbroe and Sikeside primaries with St Stephen’s Primary in a new build joint campus school on land next to Calder Community Centre. This may prove controversial as shared campuses between Catholic and nondenominational schools are not the Scottish Church’s preferred option for the provision of Catholic education.
Michael McGrath (above), director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, said the Church would be paying close attention to the proposals.
“The Church will consider the full proposals and listen carefully to the views of parents,” he said. “It will work to ensure that the Catholic community continues to have access to quality Catholic education.”
Andrew Sutherland, executive director of Learning and Leisure Services for the council, said the changes would benefit young people.
Consultation reports on the latest proposals are now available on the council’s website ahead of a special meeting on Monday.
If councillors approve the proposals, the public will have until Friday May 2 to take part in the consultation to raise any concerns.
—This story ran in full in the February 28 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.
RSS Feeds