Consultation on the proposal to relocate Thurso High School, Pennyland Primary School and Miller Academy Primary School

Consultation on the proposal to relocate Thurso High School, Pennyland Primary School and Miller Academy Primary School

Highland Council is carrying out a statutory consultation on a proposal to relocate Thurso High School, Pennyland Primary School and Miller Academy Primary School.

On the 3rd June 2026, the Highland Council Education Committee agreed to consult on a proposal for the relocation of Thurso High School, Pennyland Primary School and Miller Academy Primary School.

The proposal is to:

• provide a new secondary school for Thurso as part of a Community Point of Delivery
• provide a new primary school of up to 16 classes, located within or adjacent to the Community Point of Delivery site
• provide Early Learning and Childcare provision within the new primary school, with existing provision at Pennyland Primary School and Miller Academy Primary School to be discontinued and re-established within the new setting
• discontinue Gaelic Medium Education at Mount Pleasant Primary School and provide Gaelic Medium Education provision associated with the new primary school
• retain Mount Pleasant Primary School for English Medium Education
• discontinue education provision at Pennyland Primary School
• discontinue education provision at Miller Academy Primary School
• discontinue Additional Support Needs provision at the Miller Academy site, with specialist provision to be re-provided within the new model of provision associated with the Community Point of Delivery

Before any final decision can be taken, a formal consultation is required in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.

Consultation

The purpose of this formal consultation is to gather the views of those who would be affected by the relocation of Thurso High School, Pennyland Primary School and Miller Academy Primary School.

The consultation will run from:

Wednesday 19th August 2026 until Wednesday 30th September 2026

All comments received during the consultation period will be presented to the Highland Council’s Education Committee for consideration.

Your Views

We want to hear your views on this proposal.

You can take part in the consultation by:

• Completing the online questionnaire - http://www.highland.gov.uk/schoolconsultations
• Emailing your comments to Education.Consultations@highland.gov.uk
• Writing to Education Services at the following address:

Education Business Support Team

Highland Council Headquarters

Glenurquhart Road

Inverness

IV3 5NX

All comments must arrive no later than 30th September 2026

More details regarding the process for submitting responses are available in the letter to stakeholders.

Consultation Documents

The key documents relating to this consultation are available below:

• Proposal Paper
• Site Plans*
• Letter to Stakeholders

*These show the location of the existing Thurso High School campus, which has been identified as the preferred location for the future Community Point of Delivery, subject to statutory consultation, together with the locations of existing primary schools within Thurso. The precise layout and configuration of facilities would be developed following consultation.

Printed copies are also available for inspection at the following locations:

• Thurso High School
• Pennyland Primary School
• Miller Academy Primary School
• Thurso Library

Public Meeting

A public meeting was held on Thursday 27th August at Thurso High School to discuss the implications of this proposal.

Further information

If you have any questions regarding this consultation, please contact the Education Business Support Team:

Education.Consultations@highland.gov.uk

This consultation is being carried out in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010