Statutory Consultation – Formal Closure of Original Site of CoPECC
Perth and Kinross Council · 12 November 2025
Back to Learning and Families Committee — 12 November 2025 and its agenda
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities Committee or Board: Learning and Families Committee Date of Meeting: 12 November 2025 Report Title: Statutory Consultation – Formal Closure of Original Site of City of Perth Early Childhood Centre Report Number: 25/308 Report Author: Eve Moran – Quality Improvement Manager (Perth City) (FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk) Organisational Lead: David Macluskey, Strategic Lead – Education and Learning 1. Purpose 1.1 This report informs the Learning and Families Committee of the outcome and findings of the statutory consultation exercise undertaken in respect of the formal proposal to close the original site of City of Perth Early Childhood Centre (CoPECC) and formalise the permanent delivery of the service from the current site at Goodlyburn Primary School from January 2026. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Background/Context 4. Statutory Consultation Exercise 5. Education Scotland Report 6. Proposals 7. Conclusion 8. Impact and Value Assessment 9. Appendices 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Notes the contents of the Consultation Report (attached as Appendix A). 2.2 Approves the formal closure of the original CoPECC site at McCallum Court as proposed.
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2.3 Approves the continuation of delivery of CoPECC from Goodlyburn Primary School from January 2026. 2.4 Approves the amendment that consultation continues with stakeholders to consider options that will address the issues raised during the consultation. 3. Background/Context 3.1 On 29 January 2025, the Learning and Families Committee approved proposals (Report No. 25/18 refers) which sought approval to move towards formal closure of the original site of CoPECC. This report presented an Options Appraisal detailing the reasons behind seeking approval to formally close the original site of CoPECC and formalise delivery at the current site of Goodlyburn Primary School. 3.2 The site of the original CoPECC at McCallum Court flooded severely several times at substantial cost to insurers and Perth and Kinross Council (PKC). Following the last flood in August 2020, the site has subsequently been deemed as uninsurable, and as such, PKC will not be able to develop this site with any permanent structure. In October 2021, due to significant vandalism in the building, it was agreed that the building would be demolished as soon as possible. As a result, CoPECC can no longer be located on this site. 3.3 Since this decision, an interim arrangement has been in place by combining the current nursery at Goodlyburn Primary School with CoPECC to become Goodlyburn and CoPECC which is located within Goodlyburn Primary School and managed by the CoPECC Centre Leader. This service continues to deliver an almost full year of 50-week Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) service to 74 children, aged 2-5 years old, at any one time providing continuity of service for families in the community of north Perth and enabling all eligible children to access high quality ELC. 3.4 The duties of local authorities in undertaking a statutory consultation on the closure of a school or ELC setting are outlined in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. 3.5 The main considerations relating to the proposal are fully explained in the published Proposal Paper. 4. Statutory Consultation Exercise 4.1 A link to the Proposal Paper was published on the Council’s website. 4.1 The consultation period ran from 24 April 2025 until 6 June 2025, a total of 31 school days (a period of at least 30 school days), in line with statutory requirements. 4.2 Two meetings were held to discuss the proposal. The first was a staff meeting held on Tuesday 13 May 2025 where 12 members of staff attended. The second was a public meeting held on Thursday 22 May 2025 where no
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members of the public attended; however, 2 members of staff were in attendance. 4.3 During the consultation period, interested parties were invited to respond to the proposal by making written, electronic or online submissions on the proposal by no later than close of business on 6 June 2025. An online response form and generic email account was set up by PKC to receive representations and enquiries on the proposal. 4.4 Overall, 13 online response forms were received for the proposal. There were 2 responses which agreed with the proposal and 11 responses which disagreed with the proposal. However, within the 13 online responses, 8 were invalid as they failed to provide a required name, address or email address to validate the response. Within the remaining 5 validated online responses, 1 response agreed with the proposal, and 4 disagreed with the proposal. There was 1 written representation received which disagreed with the proposal. Within the validated responses, this resulted in a total of 1 response in agreement and 5 in disagreement. 4.5 Consultation also took place with a group of children at Goodlyburn Primary School. 4.6 The Consultation Report, attached as Appendix A, is PKC’s response to the issues raised during the consultation period on the Proposal Paper. 4.7 The Consultation Report was published on the PKC website from Wednesday 17 September 2025 to Friday 10 October 2025. This allowed for a full three-week review period of the document prior to final submission to the Learning & Families Committee on Wednesday 12 November 2025. 5. Education Scotland Report 5.1 Education Scotland were provided with the options appraisal and proposal paper. They attended the public meeting held on 22 May 2025, visited the previous site of CoPECC at McCallum Court and they discussed the proposal with relevant consultees during a visit to Goodlyburn Primary School. They also received a copy of all written representations and the minutes of the meetings. Education Scotland prepared a report on the educational aspects of the proposal in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. 5.2 The purpose of Education Scotland’s report is to provide an independent and impartial consideration of PKC’s proposal to close the former site of CoPECC and formalise delivery from Goodlyburn Primary School. 5.3 The Education Scotland report is reproduced in full within the Consultation Report (Appendix A, Appendix 6). 5.4 The Education Scotland report supports the proposal. PKC welcomes the report and accepts its findings.
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6. Proposals 6.1 On 29 January 2025, the Learning and Families Committee approved Report 25/18 which sought approval to move towards formal closure of the original site of CoPECC. This report presented an Options Appraisal detailing the reasons behind seeking approval to formally close the original site of CoPECC and formalise delivery at the current site at Goodlyburn Primary School. 6.2 Following formal consultation, it is proposed that the former site at McCallum Court is closed. As the building has already been demolished and the service is established at Goodlyburn Primary School, there are no risks to this proposal. 6.3 The second part of the proposal to formalise the continued and permanent delivery of the service from the current site at Goodlyburn Primary School from January 2026 is also presented as an action, but with the amendment that consultation continues with stakeholders and options are considered to address the issues raised regarding the environment at the current site, which impacts upon delivery of an Early Childhood Centre (ECC). 6.4 Continuation of delivery at Goodlyburn Primary School supports continuity of a high-quality service for children and families within the community. There are no unmitigated risks deriving from this option; however, there are some concerns around the setting environment. The amendment allows for some time and consideration to be given to address the issues and make improvements. 7. Conclusion 7.1 The key points from the statutory consultation are as follows: • The report from Education Scotland acknowledges that the proposal has clear educational benefits for pupils. This includes providing a consistent, high-quality, learning experience to children who already attend Goodlyburn Primary School and CoPECC. • The merged service is well-established, and children are accessing high quality ELC provision within Goodlyburn Primary School and CoPECC. • During the statutory consultation, staff at CoPECC highlighted that the closure of the previous site at McCallum Court caused sadness and impacted upon their wellbeing. Staff felt unsupported by PKC during this time. • PKC’s proposal to close the former CoPECC site at McCallum Court have generally been supported by those who participated in the statutory consultation. • PKC’s proposals to formalise the delivery of CoPECC at Goodlyburn Primary School have received some resistance from stakeholders due to the layout and facilities of the current site at Goodlyburn Primary School.
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7.2 On the basis of the feedback received, and taking account of the educational and social benefits of the proposal, it is recommended that the Council approves: • Formal closure of the original site of CoPECC at McCallum Court, as proposed; and • Formalises the continued and permanent delivery of the service from the current site at Goodlyburn Primary School from January 2026, but with the amendment that consultation continues with stakeholders and options are considered to address the issues raised regarding the environment at the current site, which impacts upon delivery of an Early Childhood Centre (ECC). 8. Impact and Value Assessment 8.1 The Impact and Value Assessment (IVA) undertaken in relation to this report can be viewed on the Perth and Kinross Council website via the link: Statutory Consultation Formal Closure of Original Site of City of Perth Early Childhood Centre The Equality and Fairness Impact Assessment (EFIA) undertaken in relation to this report can be viewed in the Equality and Fairness Impact Assessments area of the Perth and Kinross Council website. 9. Appendices 9.1 Appendix A – Consultation Report