A new £11.5m primary school for Whitfield, Dundee is being proposed by Dundee City Council to replace the current Whitfield and Newfields primaries and Whitfield Community Early Years Centre.

The council's education committee will discuss a recommendation on Monday that formal consultation is held over the plan to build a new three stream primary.

Education convener, Cllr Laurie Bidwell said: "A new school would represent a significant investment in education in the area for the future and we want pupils to be able to benefit from improved facilities. This proposal would provide a building to meet the challenges of education in the 21st century and support our drive to help more children succeed at school.

"There is a determination to take Whitfield forward through regeneration and a new school would have many advantages for pupils, their families and the wider community. Consultation over this proposal would obviously determine the next steps to be taken."


A report to the committee details how a new school would help improve education through a purpose-built flexible learning and teaching environment. Inclusion of the Whitfield Community Early Years Centre would enable the school to provide a comprehensive range of services on one central site.

The committee will be told that the proposal is linked to the Whitfield Design Framework's vision that the area will be a popular, safe and attractive place to live with a strong positive identity.

A new primary would be a focal point to enhance the other new facilities to be provided in the area as part of the regeneration programme. Facilities in a new school for Whitfield would include 21 classrooms, an 80 place nursery, a gym hall, drama/stage facilities, a music room, group rooms and break-out spaces.

The committee will hear that the project can be funded through a combination of £3m from capital receipts, £5.03m prudential borrowing from revenue savings and developers' contributions of £3.47m.

The project could be started in 2010 with a completion date the following year. The school would take up a site central to the regeneration developments. The report to committee shows that Whitfield and Newfield primaries are currently operating at 43% and 51% capacity respectively.

(GK/JM)