Elected members will consider a report that proposes a public consultation to be carried out gathering feedback from the community, parents, and other stakeholders. The consultation report will then be presented to a future meeting of the Executive for a final decision.

It is also proposed that the consultation will run from 16 September until 8 November alongside a public meeting.

Education Scotland would also be involved in the consultation process, attending the public meeting and reviewing all submitted feedback.

Currently Blackness is run as a single class with one teacher and the report details the rationale behind the proposals stating that better educational opportunities could be offered for the pupils at Grange Primary School given it has a larger roll and greater resources available.

The report also suggests that pupils will have better chance to interact with peers of their own age that will help in the transition to secondary school.

Financial Considerations

The financial implications are also considered in the report. Educating a pupil at Blackness Primary costs more than the average for Falkirk Council schools.

In the 2023/24 academic year, the cost per pupil at Blackness Primary was £25,004, compared to the council-wide average of £5,815.

The proposal estimates that closing Blackness Primary would save the council £203,460 annually.

Jon Reid, Director of Education said:

"Our proposed consultation would see the local community given an opportunity to offer their views on a potential closure of the school based on the facts that are presented on the report. We hope elected members can discuss these plans in full at the forthcoming meeting."