Secondary-source transcript

5 May request: the initial evidence behind the proposal

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Banchory-Devenick School - Press Briefing and FOI Evidence Pack - Prepared by Kevin Forbes
[Campaign compilation heading omitted: it labels 5 May as a response date. The body below identifies this as the request date.]
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 ("The Act")
We refer to your request dated 05/05/2026 10:28, for the following information requesting details around Banchory-Devenick School.
We confirm that the Council holds the following information, which we believe satisfies your request.
1. Options Appraisal and Internal Decision-Making
The full options appraisal referenced in the Committee report (January 2026)
All reports, briefing papers, and presentations submitted to:
Education & Children's Services (ECS) Leadership Team
Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
Any internal documents or communications which consider or recommend the permanent closure of Banchory-Devenick School
For question 1 points 1 to 3, documents are attached as Appendix 1.
Minutes and notes from meetings where the future of the school was discussed
Parents meeting can be found on our engage page https://engage.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/banchory-devenick-school
There was a report relating to Banchory-Devenick School included on the agenda of the Education and Children's Services Committee 
meeting held on 26 March 2026.  The report is publicly available and can be accessed via the following link (Item 9):
https://aberdeenshire.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=153&MId=8653&Ver=4
Please note that the minute of this meeting has not yet been approved by the Committee. However, the draft minute from that meeting is 
available to view (Item 3) at the following link:
https://aberdeenshire.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=153&MId=8400&Ver=4
2. Financial Information
Detailed breakdown of the estimated £530,000 works, including itemised costs
Any cost-benefit analysis comparing:
Repair/refurbishment of the existing school
Closure and redistribution of pupils
Any modelling of long-term financial savings associated with closure
This will be prepared for the statutory consultation document and is not available at this time.
Transport cost estimates associated with relocating pupils
Current costs for the routes as per below:
Route to Lairhillock - £152.99 per day
Route to Fishermoss - £87.87 per day
Route to Hillside - £87.87 per day
These are for the current temporary contracts ending this term. They will be retendered over summer for long term contacts until 2029 
(unless anything happens to terminate early) so those costs will not be known until possibly July as we haven't done the tender yet.
3. Building Condition and Technical Reports
Full condition surveys relating to the school building
Technical reports relating to:
Boiler condition and lifespan
Flue deterioration
Oil tank and pipework compliance
Electrical systems
Roof condition
Any independent or external assessments commissioned
For all information relating to question 3 please find attached as Appendix 2.
4. Educational Impact and Justification
Any documents, analysis or reports assessing the educational impact of closure
This will be assessed and will be part of the forthcoming statutory consultation documentation which will be shared with all stakeholders in 
due course.
Comparative data on educational outcomes between Banchory-Devenick School and proposed receiving schools
We have completed a full search for this information and can confirm that this information is not held.
Any assessment of the impact on:
Attainment
Attendance
Wellbeing

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Banchory-Devenick School - Press Briefing and FOI Evidence Pack - Prepared by Kevin Forbes
Additional support needs
We have completed a full search for this information and can confirm that this information is not held.
5. Pupil Numbers and Projections
All data and modelling used to project future pupil rolls
Any assumptions underpinning projections (including housing, migration, placing requests, etc.)
You can view our published 2025 based school roll forecasts here: 
https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/school-info/admissions/school-roll-forecasts/
The webpage also explains what information is used to prepare the forecasts.  Please note, these are 2025 based and we use a live 
forecast which keeps up to date information about pupil movement, any changes to housing build out rates etc, to allow us to respond in 
real time to situations.  We prepared live forecasts for the drop in session on the 14th May which included the movement of Banchory-
Devenick pupils to the different schools within the cluster and Lairhillock School. Please note these were shared at the public drop in 
session.
6. Transport and Accessibility
Any transport impact assessments undertaken
School Transport send details of all current contracts to the Learning Estates team for their consideration, as well as information on what 
requirements would be for new transport and estimated costs.
Estimated journey times (door-to-door) for affected pupils
Route to Lairhillock - estimated total journey time 30 mins
Route to Fishermoss - estimated total journey time 14 mins
Route to Hillside - estimated total journey time 10 mins
School transport policy for Primary pupils is they can travel for a maximum of 45 minutes, so these are all well within the guidelines.
Road safety assessments relating to proposed route?
They do not safety assess every school transport route unless required. The operator will do a safety assessment and if they have any 
concerns will make us aware so we can also do an assessment and find a suitable alternative if required. If a parent / member of the 
public has a concern they can also raise this with us directly so we can have a safety assessment undertaken by the road safety team.
7. Integrated Impact Assessment
The full Integrated Impact Assessment (Appendix 1 referenced in the Committee report), including all supporting analysis
The IIA in the committee report, which is publicly available and can be accessed via the following link (Item 9):
https://aberdeenshire.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=153&MId=8653&Ver=4 was completed when it was expected that a 
school within a school would be the temporary solution.  This will be updated as part of the formal statutory consultation in due course.
8. Alternative Options
Any documents identifying, assessing, or rejecting alternatives to closure
This will be assessed and will be part of the forthcoming statutory consultation documentation which will be shared with all stakeholders in 
due course.
Evidence demonstrating how the Council has complied with its duty to give special regard to viable alternatives in relation to a rural school
This will be assessed and will be part of the forthcoming statutory consultation documentation which will be shared with all stakeholders in 
due course.
Please contact me as the officer responsible for responding to your request if you have any further queries.
If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with this response, please refer to the further information below.
Yours faithfully