TWO new primary schools have been given the go-ahead, along with changes to several catchment areas to help accommodate families expected to move into new housing developments.

Plans for a ‘through’ school at the new settlement of Blindwells have been scaled back to a primary school only, with plans to put secondary school-aged children from the community into Preston Lodge High School, Prestonpans. There are also plans to increase the catchment for St Gabriel’s RC Primary in Prestonpans to cover Blindwells.

At a council meeting on Tuesday, it approved recommendations, following consultation, for the new primary school at Blindwells and a new primary school at Craighall, Musselburgh.

Plans to host children who will attend the new Blindwells school at Cockenzie Primary until the new school is built were also approved. Pupils who will go to Craighall will be hosted at Stoneyhill Primary in Musselburgh while it is built.

Approval was also given to extend the catchment areas for the proposed primary school at Letham Mains in Haddington, removing this area from the Haddington Infant School and King’s Meadow Primary School catchment areas. Plans to alter the catchment area of Pinkie St Peter’s Primary in Musselburgh to include allocated land at Levenhall were also approved.

Concerns were raised about the decision not to push ahead with secondary provision at Blindwells.

Fiona Robertson, the council’s head of education, said it had been felt secondary pupils from the new settlement would be able to access better programmes and activities at Preston Lodge and transport arrangements would be put in place to ensure they were able to safely travel across theA199.

The Courier understands that a secondary school could still be built in future if additional phases at Blindwells are approved.