Last week we revealed three primary schools in Clydebank had been earmarked for potential closure or merger — Duntocher’s Carleith Primary, Dalmuir’s Clydemuir Primary and Linnvale Primary, alongside 11 schools from neighbouring Dumbarton and the Vale.

A shake-up of schools in the area has been on the cards since January, but the catalyst follows a Scottish Government decision to foot the bill for the new Our Lady and St Patrick’s (OLSP) High in Dumbarton.

However, the £8.150m in funding will only be made available if the council used the saved cash for regenerating primary schools in the area.

At a meeting on Wednesday, councillors agreed to move forward with the ‘Schools Strategy: Regenerating Learning’ policy, which could see several schools closed or amalgamated.

The future of at least one school, as yet unknown, will be decided at next month’s Educational Services Committee meeting.

At last week’s meeting councillor Patrick McGlinchey (pictured), of Clydebank Central ward, stood up to first congratulate pupils and staff from the area’s five high schools on the authority’s “best ever exam results”.

Cllr McGlinchey added: “We know that education is not just about bricks and mortar but this funding gives us the opportunity to improve just that.

“In West Dunbartonshire, we currently have 14 schools, not including Aitkenbar and St Peter’s in Dumbarton, with a category C rating [D being the lowest].

“This is not about any individual schools, this is about underpinning a commitment to improving the primary schools estate as and when the money is available.

“If we get this right it will not only mean more investment in our communities but will also feed into our commitment to increase the life chances of people in the area.” His fellow ward councillor Dennis Agnew, said he welcomed regeneration plans, but urged council to consider how far pupils from Clydemuir and Carleith primaries would have to travel should those schools be closed.

Councillor George Black, expressed concerns and urged the council to be up front about any closure or amalgamation plans.

He said: “I‘ve got reservations about supporting these recommendations. I don’t want to fan the flames and create panic, but there is specific reference to removing schools from the estate in this report.

“That doesn’t leave much wiggle room. Later on in the report it mentions amalgamations, again, that’s pretty specific. I’d appreciate that if we’re going to embark on a programme of closures and amalgamations we were honest about it.”​ The report which was approved at the meeting highlights low pupil rolls amongst the principal reasons behind the proposals. It read: “This under occupancy and higher cost per pupil represents a burden on the education budget. Significant savings should be possible if the costs per pupil of the councils primary schools estate can be moved, over time to the Scottish average.” In addition, the report also stated there are ‘significant recruitment challenges’ in terms of finding head teachers, which a reduction in schools would also help alleviate.

One of the ideas also on the table is to incorporate nurseries into any new school buildings — there are currently 21 stand-alone facilities in the area which the report states is ‘not sustainable in the long term’.

Terry Lanagan, the executive director of education, confirmed a report into the future of at least one primary school in the area will now be brought before the Educational Services Committee on September 3.