PLANS to change the catchment areas of Newfield and Stonehouse Primary Schools will be put to parents and local residents.

A consultation will be launched after South Lanarkshire Council’s executive committee agreed to look at realigning the boundaries.

Currently, the much smaller catchment area for Newfield PS is surrounded by that of Stonehouse PS and the proposals would seek to eliminate the “doughnut” nature of the catchment areas.

Proposals presented to the council’s executive committee on Wednesday, August 28, would see the area which makes up the South West section of the catchment for Stonehouse re-zoned to Newfield.

Executive director for education resources Tony McDaid said: “The purpose of the report is to seek approval from executive committee to undertake a statutory consultation on realigning the catchment areas of both Newfield and Stonehouse Primary Schools in Stonehouse.

“We will come back to committee with the outcome of the consultation. The intended effective date of any revised catchment realignment would be from the school session starting in August 2020.”

The change would mean that housing developments currently underway in the area would be included in the catchment for the geographically-closer Newfield PS.

Both schools have capacity for around 240 pupils and the pupil role is expected to drop in the coming years.

The changes would not affect current pupils of either school and younger siblings would still be able to attend the same school.