Parents and carers of children at Hillside School have been sent a letter with information on how Aberdeenshire Council proposes to deal with pressures from a rising roll.
The letter from council officers says that the school has now been operational for two years, with just over a year in the new building. However enrolments have far exceeding expectations.
The school has a published capacity of 372 pupils with a 70-place nursery. It was built with a core capacity of 484. In August 2018 there are 379 pupils enrolled at Hillside for P1-P7.
The classrooms are allocated in two wings of the building in groups of four and five classrooms around three central breakout areas with two larger classrooms, one of which is the nursery.
Currently all out-of-zone placing requests are being refused. Aberdeenshire Council policy also states that two reserved spaces must be retained per year group for in zone pupils likely to move into the catchment area during the course of a school session.
The published school roll forecast predicts that the roll of the school will increase over the coming years, with 582 pupils expected for 2021. The published forecast is updated annually, however the council’s Learning Estates team also maintains a live forecast that is updated regularly throughout the year as new information becomes available. The school roll forecasts incorporates data from NHS and from approved housing developments.
The maximum class sizes are as follows:
P1 – 25 pupils
P2, P3 – 30 pupils
P4, P5, P6, P7 – 33 pupils
Composite classes – 25 pupils
These maximum class sizes can be exceeded when a team teaching approach is employed (i.e. two teachers). This adheres to the ratio of teachers to children, and is used in a growing number of schools across Aberdeenshire. It is proven to have educational benefits for all.
Classroom 30, adjacent to the current nursery, will be used from August to accommodate P1 pupils with a team teaching arrangement. This adopts Early Level practice which is promoted across Scotland.
There are long-term solutions being considered through the Aberdeenshire Council Education Options Appraisal Process. Once this has been completed, further communication shall be issued to parents. The long-term solutions include rezoning, an extension, and/or permanent use of multi-purpose spaces as classrooms.