COUNCILLORS have agreed that a new Kirn primary school will be built on the site of the current school. The new school – a significant investment in Dunoon’s school estate – will be funded by a contribution from the council alongside Scottish Government funding.  

This follows consultation with the local community on two other options for primary education in the town – a three-school campus on the current St Mun’s site, or a two-school campus with Dunoon primary school refurbished.

Argyll and Bute Council’s Policy Lead for Education, Councillor Aileen Morton said: “We have a great opportunity to invest in our schools at the moment with the Scottish Government funding that is available. Today we have agreed to make the most of this opportunity and make sure that Dunoon is able to benefit from it.

“During the consultation the community made its views clear. We’re now taking forward a proposal that ties in with the views expressed and that is deliverable.  As well as making sure that Dunoon doesn’t miss out on the investment that’s available, this proposal ensures that the community will have a brand new school which will help it meet its aspirations.

“I can assure the people of Dunoon that high quality education for all pupils in the community remains a key priority for us.”

Additional information:

The council was granted funding in 2009 under the Schools for the Future programme. The funding is available for new builds and cannot be used for refurbishing existing schools. Projects funded from this have to be completed and operational by March 2018.

A number of options were considered before two were shortlisted for consultation in February this year – a three-school shared campus on the existing St Mun’s site, and a two-school campus at the same location with refurbishment of Dunoon Primary School.

The consultation results showed no clear consensus in terms of options which would address all three schools – but the community made clear its opposition to a shared campus.

A new-build Kirn Primary School would have an indicative school roll of 350 plus 30 nursery spaces. Indicative cost is £6.68m - £3.35m Scottish Government funding plus a contribution of £3.33m from Argyll and Bute Council