Dundee primary school closure saga: Why does decision hang in balance and what happens next?.

Last month, Dundee councillors approved a proposal to close St Pius X Primary School, but the decision might be reversed by an independent panel.

CR0053812, Andrew Robson of Dundee. Parents at St Pius PS in Dundee plan to protest the school’s scheduled closure this afternoon. DCC’s decision is due next week.

Picture shows a general view (GV) of the school sign and main entrance at St Pius Primary School, Banchory Road, Dundee on June 17, 2025. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson.

The projected closure of St Pius Primary School in Dundee may be reversed after the Scottish Government requested a review.

The education committee of Dundee City Council agreed to close the Douglas school at a meeting last month.

The decision meant that St Pius X Primary would cease operations at the end of the 2025/26 academic year. Children would instead attend St Francis Primary in Whitfield.

However, the judgement may potentially be overturned after it was ‘called in’ for review by Scottish Government ministers.

But what does this entail, and why may a decision taken by Dundee councillors be reversed? The Courier investigates how we got here and what happens next.

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Closure plans first tabled last year

In October 2024, plans to close St. Pius Primary School initially surfaced.

According to the local government, the closure plans were made due to a number of factors, including a deteriorating school building and a falling student body.

However, the proposals were controversial from the beginning, and the city’s Catholic community voiced concerns, which led to the postponement of a scheduled consultation. Last year, the consultation was scheduled for November 4–December 17.

At a meeting of the education committee in October, however, council members decided to postpone the exercise in order to have more conversations.

Council delegates met with the Bishop of the Diocese of Dunkeld in the weeks after the October conference.

The two sides decided to cooperate in order to examine a “wider strategic approach” to the city’s Catholic school system.

After that, in January, the education committee convened and decided on new consultation dates. In the end, this started in January and continued until February 19.

Protests held against closure

Audrey May, the head of Dundee City Council’s education department, wrote a report on the consultation.

According to the study, the local authorities received representations from over 100 individuals. Class sizes at St. Francis and the continuation of faith-based education were questioned.

But it also mentioned how expensive it is to operate St. Pius, one of the city’s oldest schools.

In its conclusion, the report suggested that council members approve the closure of St. Pius Primary School.

Parents, guardians, and students protested this, congregating outside the school to denounce the action.

At a June meeting of the education committee, council members decided to close the school in spite of popular resistance.

Council closure decision ‘called in’

In a letter dated June 24, Dundee City Council informed the Scottish Government of their plan to close St Pius Primary.

The decision was then reviewed by Scottish ministers, who also looked at the report from Education Scotland, the consultation report, and the objections to the closure. On August 4 and 8, DCC also gave additional details.

If a local authority wants to close a school in their jurisdiction, they must follow the guidelines set forth in the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. Ministers have the authority to “call in” the closure decision if there is proof that the conditions outlined in this legislation have not been fulfilled.

Ministers later came to the conclusion that there were good reasons to “call-in” the closure proposal in the St. Pius Primary case.

Why could the decision be overturned?

According to the 2010 Act, a “clear educational benefits statement” must be included in the report on a proposed school closure.

This should outline the proposal’s educational impact, the justification for anticipated advantages, and the steps taken to minimise potential negative consequences. Scottish ministers concluded that the following was absent from Dundee City Council’s report on the proposed closure of St Pius:

In response to a request from representatives of the Scottish Government, Dundee City Council later supplied more details.

However, material was not made available within the designated consultation period, which “limited consultees’ ability to respond meaningfully” and evaluate the impact of the closure.

It “looked Dundee City Council may have failed to comply with the requirements of the 2010 Act,” according to the ministers’ conclusion. They concluded that the closure proposal “warrants further independent scrutiny” as a result.

What will happen next?

The convener of the School Closure Review Panel was tasked with reviewing the request to close Dundee’s St Pius X Primary School.

Established to “enhance and strengthen the process of local authority school closures in Scotland,” this statutory body is independent of the government.

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