Plans to change the face of education in Thurso remain at the centre of the Highland Investment Programme – worth £2.1 billion over 20 years, with planning expected to be ramped-up this year.
The proposal could result in more activity and jobs in the town as the council looks at creating Points of Delivery – dubbed PODs – to concentrate more services under one roof.
Thurso High School is in need of upgrading. Picture: Matthew Reiss
The proposals will be developed further and augmented through a wider place-based approach to maximise the use of assets and improve service delivery in Thurso before it is consulted on and a decision is arrived at in June.
So far that “initial assessment” has five distinct categories and each “would have a range of sub-options based on using either existing sites or any other sites that may be identified as suitable”.
The first is a 3-18 campus (one primary school): Thurso High, a combined primary school, Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) provision and Additional Support Needs (ASN) bases all located on one campus.
The second is a 3-18 campus (two primary schools): which is as above but with primary school provision split between the 3-18 campus and one other primary school located elsewhere and with revised catchment areas.
Retain the status quo: three primary schools (with ELC) on separate sites from the high school, each with ASN bases as required.
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The fourth is separate campuses (one primary school): as above but one combined primary school on a separate site from the high school.
And finally, separate campuses (two primary schools): as above but two separate primary schools with revised catchment areas.
Dingwall has already gone through much of this and in the case of the Ross-shire town it is looking like it would get three PODs – community, office (essentially shared space between, for example the council and the NHS) and a depot POD.
The latter could amalgamate sites used by agencies that have approximately similar needs – for example Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Services – but this is yet to be determined.
A long-list for a so-called community POD has been developed by Highland Council officials that has concentrated on education – other options would be an office POD and a depot POD for multi-agency storage or maintenance facilities.
The idea is underpinned by common-sense objectives to place as many services and amenities under one roof as possible to provide ease of access for the public and staff and save money on unneeded facilities.