Families in a housing estate transferred into the North Lanarkshire Council region have found out that their children are still zoned to attend a Glasgow primary school five miles away.
Dunlop Close and eight surrounding streets on an estate in Cardowan became part of the Stepps, Chryston & Muirhead council ward after they were officially moved between the two local authorities at the residents' request in 2019.
But residents have discovered that their catchment primary remains Aultmore Park, located across the M8 in the Wellhouse area of the city, Lanarkshire Live reports.
They will have to submit placing requests for a chance to attend the already over-capacity Stepps and Chryston primaries despite living much closer to the two North Lanarkshire facilities.
They have now lodged an official complaint with the local authority over the issue, fearing that children from neighbouring streets on the estate will be separated and end up at difference schools.
Council officials say that they intend to rezone the estate following next year’s planned completion of an enlarged new Chryston Primary building – but insist that “there is no direct correlation” between local authority boundaries and catchment areas.
Cardowan mum Thipnatee Sansawatt said she was “shocked” to discover the zoning issue when she attempted to register four-year-old son Maxwell for school, and now faces applying for a placing request.
She said: “I wasn’t aware of the catchment area issue as I thought it was settled when our estate was transferred to North Lanarkshire; it was only when I applied for my son to attend Chryston that I was told.
“I’m originally from Thailand and the image I had of the education system in Scotland was very positive, but I never imagined I would have to go through this kind of pressure and hassle just for my son to go to school.”
Another local parent, who asked not to be named, said: “We’ve gone from a mad situation where we were the forgotten part of Glasgow to now being the forgotten North Lanarkshire residents who can’t get into schools.
“The council didn’t want us to be their residents but they happily take our council tax payments.”
The streets are part of an estate built in the past 20 years straddling the border between the two council areas, and their move into North Lanarkshire – affecting nearly 300 electors – followed a 2013 review requested by residents.
A report by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland read: “The majority of respondents cited schooling and in particular issues relating to proximate access to local schools as a reason to support the proposed boundary change.
“Many respondents spoke of the fact that the closest North Lanarkshire primary school is only 1.5 miles away by car while the nearest Glasgow City primary school is five miles away [and] due to the lack of adequate transport links, residents must pass two North Lanarkshire schools before reaching the nearest [in] Glasgow.
“A number of responses stated that positive placing requests were infrequent and only by being resident in North Lanarkshire council area could access to local schools be guaranteed.”
North Lanarkshire’s consultation response to the same review “did not object to the proposals in principle but stated that the council had serious concerns that local schools in the area are currently at maximum capacity.
“They anticipate having to decline placing requests in the future and would be unable to place any pupils from the development within a North Lanarkshire school now or in the near future.”
A spokesperson for the local authority this week told Lanarkshire Live that the boundary change “came about following a prolonged campaign by residents”. They added: “Homes in this development now come under North Lanarkshire Council although their school catchment area remains with nearby primaries in Glasgow, which have more than sufficient capacity to accommodate all pupils.
“We are working on a plan to provide a long-term solution for schooling for residents at this development and work has recently started on building a replacement Chryston Primary which is expected to complete by autumn 2023 and respective homes in this development will be rezoned to this school.
“Some residents have applied for placing requests to Stepps Primary and these have been granted where there has been availability – however, capacity is under extreme pressure and we are currently unable to accommodate all placing requests.”
