New SW Fife/Inverkeithing High School FAQs

We would ask the school to ensure that they carefully manage the transition from the existing school site to the new proposed site, for all pupils with additional support needs. For any child where there is a concern about how they will cope with transition, an enhanced transition process can be arranged which may involve extra visits, to ensure the child is familiar with their new school environment.

Once the new site is confirmed, and construction has started, Transportation will assess walking routes for all pupils. If a pupil is over two miles from the new site, they will be entitled to receive free transport. Where a child is no longer entitled to free transport (ie. under two miles), Transportation will notify parents as early as possible that their entitlement would end prior to relocating to the new school.

Pupils who do not meet the distance entitlement to qualify for free transport to Inverkeithing High School are able to apply for an NEC card, which will allow them to travel on buses free of charge.

There are a number of buses that regularly stop at Admiralty Road, Rosyth and pupils with their NEC card will be able to access these services before and after school. For example, the numbers 7, 7A, 7B and 7C currently run between Aberdour, Dalgety Bay, Inverkeithing and Admiralty Road, Rosyth. Pupils may have a short distance to walk, should they wish to take up registered bus services. There are bus stops located at Brankholm Road and a number on Admiralty Road from Kings Road Primary School area to the roundabout at the M90 junction.

Yes, in the long term. The school is being built to accommodate 1735 pupils.   Based on current school roll projections, the projected school roll for the relocated school is expected to initially exceed the planned maximum capacity of the new school.

However, the Education Service is confident that, although the figures show the roll exceeding capacity for an initial period, the additional flexible accommodation across the building can be used for this interim period to accommodate all the school pupils. In addition, there is flexibility within the timetable to manage this level of occupancy during this initial period. As shown above, the school roll in 2033 is projected to decrease to be around 1397 pupils.

The Council will not build additional accommodation for pupils living outwith the Inverkeithing High School catchment area. However, if there is space available as a result of catchment pupils choosing other schools, these additional places will be allocated to those who make placing requests. This is in accordance with the current Schools Admissions Policy.

The existing Inverkeithing High School, at the Hillend Road site, is Historic Environment Scotland Category ‘B’ listed. Therefore, prior to any plans being considered for future use, discussions will be required with Historic Environment Scotland. There is unlikely to be any future plans for the site for educational use and, therefore, the site would be reviewed by the Council’s Estate Service (Enterprise and Environment) to establish any other appropriate use.

If no other Council use is identified, and the site is recommended for disposal, any capital receipt is incorporated into the Council’s Capital Receipt Fund in line with existing Council process.

In terms of the Community Use building, the Communities Directorate will consider the future use of the Community Wing. The current community programme, with the exception of swimming, is expected to move to the new school in August 2026. There are currently no plans for a swimming pool to be included at the relocated secondary school site. Fife Council will seek to transfer existing swimming provision to other facilities within the authority area.

As with all Council buildings, emergency repairs to the fabric and maintenance of the overall building will continue until the building is closed to pupils and staff.

Community Use is a key stakeholder, and we will work with teams to ensure that their facilities within the new school are sufficient for the needs of the community. Most of the existing community use activities will transfer to the relocated secondary school site.

No, but the Council has submitted a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN 23/00769) giving notice to the Planning Authority of the intention to submit a formal Planning Application in due course. As part of this process, there will be separate public information events to gather views / comments from the public prior to any submission.

The cost of the school development is expected to be approximately £85m, inclusive of site purchase costs. This budget has been approved within the Council’s investment plan.

There are statutory processes to be followed, and also time required to design and construct the facility. The current programme is to deliver the new facility for the summer of 2026.

There are many benefits to relocating Inverkeithing High School, from its current site to the proposed site in Rosyth. These are included in the Educational Benefits section of the proposal paper.

The condition and suitability of the existing school sites are rated as “C” (poor). The current accessibility rating for the school is ‘D’, which is the lowest rating. The building is inaccessible and unable to be reasonably adapted to be made accessible. As the school is unable to be adapted to be accessible throughout the school, a number of catchment pupils have to be accommodated in other schools.

This proposal will ensure the school is a modern school with high quality facilities, completely accessible for all building users and will have a condition and suitability rating of ‘A’. All pupils from the catchment area, regardless of their additional support needs or mobility, will be able to be accommodated in this new school.

The Council owns the southern part of the site but not the northern part. The Council are currently negotiating an options agreement with the owner which will give the Council the option to proceed with the purchase of the land on certain terms. It is then for the Council to determine whether to proceed with the purchase or not.

This would be a planning consideration as part of the planning application process. As with any new building project, the Council will have to comply with Planning Policy and any conditions relating to any consent.

The Council will await the outcome of the Consultation Report and planning considerations before deciding to proceed with the purchase part of the site, which will allow the project to progress.