Locals are being called to voice their opinions on the proposed primary school and nursery development in Prestonpans, Edinburgh, during the consultation period starting next week, 20 August.

The proposal intends to close the existing Prestonpans Infants and Prestonpans Primary schools and establish a new primary school.

The new school would operate from the existing school buildings on West Loan and Preston Road, under a single management team.

The consultation period will run for 6 weeks until 02 October.

Elected members of the council will decide whether to adopt the proposal, withdraw it, or consult on another proposal. The decision will also be subject to approval by Scottish Ministers who reserve the right to 'call-in' the proposal for further consideration. Education Scotland will also report independently on the proposal.

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Cabinet member for Education and Children's Services, Cllr Shamin Akhtar said: "Our first priority is to ensure that we provide the best educational experiences and outcomes for the children and young people of Prestonpans. The consultation process will focus on how we do this through an educational benefit statement.

"We have already informed the Chairs of the respective Parent Councils of this proposal. All parents, carers and the wider school community will have the opportunity to comment on the proposal once the consultation has been published and the statutory consultation period begins on Monday. There will be a number of open public events and a range of ways that people will be able to participate."

Fiona Robertson, East Lothian Council's Head of Education, added: "We are absolutely committed to continuously improving the quality of education provision across both Prestonpans Infant and Prestonpans Primary Schools. Our Education Service Local Improvement Plan sets out a range of key outcomes, one of which is to ensure consistency in our approaches to planning learning, teaching and assessment. We believe that the proposal to establish a single school operating under a single management team offers the best solution to ensuring this consistency, improving transitions for children and will deliver considerable educational benefits to all of the schools' children and young people."

(CM/MH)