Education Executive at their meeting on Tuesday 11 November approved proposals to launch a review of non-denominational school catchments at West Calder High School, The James Young High School in Livingston and Winchburgh Academy.
The non-statutory pre-consultation review will look at options to better match pupil numbers with school capacity. This is necessary as forecasts for pupil numbers at West Calder High School show it will not be able to accommodate all the children currently attending the associated primary schools in the future.
The school was recently extended to take the capacity to 1,320 pupils, which will ensure places for all catchment young people in the short-term while a long-term solution is agreed.
Members of the Education Executive approved a motion to increase the options being considered in the non-statutory pre-consultation to four:
1) Move Calderwood Primary School catchment to The James Young High School
2) Move Calderwood Primary School catchment to Winchburgh Academy
3) A new East Calder High School
4) A further extension to West Calder High School
It is proposed that any changes to school catchments would come into effect for pupils starting S1 in August 2027, which is the current P6 cohort.
The non-statutory pre-consultation will start from Monday 17 November 2025 to 12 December 2025, with the results from this process reported back to the Education Executive meeting on 13 January 2026.
These discussions will allow council officers to share information, acknowledge and address the views of the communities affected, and finalise an informed proposal to take forward to the statutory consultation phase.
It is then proposed that a statutory consultation would take place in between January and March 2026, and that following receipt of Education Scotland's report, a final decision would be taken by Education Executive in June 2026.
