Save St Francis of Assisi Primary School from Closure

North Lanarkshire Council propose to close St Francis of Assisi Primary School in order to save money and they believe pupils will benefit educationally. We believe the closure of St Francis of Assisi is misguided and short-sighted.

100 new homes will be built in the Westfield area and with work ongoing in Collingwood and Smithstone as well as the upgrading of the A80 more families will be attracted to this area of Cumbernauld, thus putting more pressure on the remaining schools one of which is already over capacity (with 3 classes being accommodated in portable cabins or huts). With better management of the school catchment areas the imbalance in school roles could have been avoided.

We strongly disagree that pupils will benefit educationally by moving to larger schools. St Francis of Assisi Primary School has the highest national test results in the local area and offers a variety of extra curricular activities.

We believe that the closure of the school will be detrimental to the community of Westfield. Causing distress and harm particularly as the children are transferred to two separate schools, with no account being made for pre-existing childcare arrangements.