Last week revealed 11 primary schools in Dumbarton and the Vale were on a shhortlist of potention closures and mergers because the buildings have been given a C in a four-grade system, D being the worst.

The schools are: Gartocharn, Jamestown, Ladyton, Levenvale, Renton, St Kessog’s, St Martin’s, St Ronan’s, Highdykes, Haldane and Braehead.

According to the school rolls, this accounts for 1,430 pupils in total.

Three schools from the Clydebank area have also been included in the plans.

A shake-up of schools in the area has been on the cards since January but the catalyst for it moving forward has come from the Scottish Government who has agreed to cover 100 per cent of the cost of the new Our Lady and St Patrick’s (OLSP) High.

This will free up £8.1m in funding, which will only be made available if the council puts it towards 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 these 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.

Councillor Patrick McGlinchey, Clydebank Central ward, stood up to address the meeting by first congratulating 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, with a category C rating.

“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.” However, Dumbarton councillor George Black, who was first elected on the back of a campaign to save Milton Primary school, urged 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 school 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 on the table is also to incorporate nurseries into any new school buildings — there are currently 21 stand-alone facilities in the area.

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.