School numbers to be capped

The move is designed to support the £72 million Dumfries Learning Town Project, which will see new builds for two of the four secondary schools in the town and the other two refurbished.
A report which appeared before councillors yesterday said there had been a ‘significant’ decline in the number of Dumfries secondary pupils over the past 20 years, while primary rolls stand at 3475 against a total capacity of 4882.
And councillors were told that changes to the four secondary schools will alter their student capacities.
It said: “There is a need to manage the annual intake of S1 students to avoid over or under capacity at each school and provide a consistent education for every student in Dumfries.”
As a result, councillors agreed to recommend that the number of S1 students at Dumfries High School be capped at 140 a year – even though the average intake between 1996 and 2015 stood at 173.
Dumfries Academy will be capped at 130 S1 pupils, despite an average intake of 137.
Meanwhile, Maxwelltown High School will see its intake placed at 90, against an average 66, and St Joseph’s College put at 130, against an average 127.
Most primary schools will see their cap pegged above the average intake in almost every case.
Roles for Lochside and St Ninian’s are set to be combined, while Loreburn’s intake is based on future capacity as part of the Central Campus Development with Dumfries Academy.
Maximum intake for both primary and secondary schools will be reviewed each year.