Aberdeen City Council today (Thursday 25 November) approved a bold new community-based education model for the city’s future schools.
The Education Operational Delivery agreed the plans that will see Community Campus model principles underpin future education and service provision within the city and reflected in the School Estate Plan scheduled for presentation to the committee in June 2022.
The model entails a ‘one campus’ approach with spaces in future schools designed to support the entire learning journey for a child from 3-18 years old, breaking down traditional age and stage ownership of spaces and allowing staff skills and specialisms to be shared across the campus.
The report presented to the committee outlined how the model could be applied to education provision in the growing Countesswells catchment area to cater for the increasing school-age population.
Committee Convener, Cllr M Tauqeer Malik said, “This is an exciting, transformational strategic approach to education in Aberdeen which puts the community at the heart of learning and helps us achieve our vision of the city as a place where everyone can prosper and based on the principles of self-sufficient sustainable communities.
“The Community Campus model adopts a collaborative and place-based approach to our public services, incorporating the shared aims of Aberdeen City Council and our key partners such as NHS Grampian and Police Scotland in meeting local needs employing net zero carbon and digital transformation strategies”.
The place-based approach has been adopted by Aberdeen City Council in collaboration with strategic partner Hub North Scotland and builds on the views expressed in consultations with stakeholders such as pupils and teaching staff as to learning settings and preferences.