Plans revealed for major redesign of Johnstone’s primary schools and possible new site for Johnstone High

Renfrewshire Council has revealed new proposals which could see a major redesign of Johnstone’s primary school estate and a possible relocation of Johnstone High School.

The council first announced plans to review and redesign the town’s school estate in October 2025. It has now contacted parents and carers to outline what potential school mergers could look like as the project moves to the next stage.

Parents and carers across the town were sent an update on Thursday 5th March 2026 outlining potential changes as part of the council’s long-term Learning Estate Strategy.

Council officials say Johnstone currently has seven primary schools but only around 68% of the available capacity is being used, with pupil numbers expected to fall further over the next decade.

As a result, councillors are being asked to consider merging several schools and making better use of newer buildings already in the town.

Under the proposals, Cochrane Castle Primary and Fordbank Primary would merge into a single school in the existing Fordbank building.

St David’s Primary and St Margaret’s Primary would merge into a single school based at the West Johnstone Joint Campus building.

Meanwhile Auchenlodment Primary and Thorn Primary would merge into a new combined school, with several potential locations being considered.

Four possible options are being looked at for that new school. These include building a new school on the existing Thorn site, extending and upgrading the current Auchenlodment building, constructing a new school on the Auchenlodment site, or building a completely new school on open land at Poplar Avenue.

The proposed combined school would also include nursery provision and community spaces.

St Anthony’s Primary School would remain unchanged under the current plans.

Council officials say three of the existing schools – Auchenlodment, St Margaret’s and Thorn – have already been identified as priorities for investment.

However, they say replacing Thorn Primary on its own would not represent good value for public money due to falling pupil numbers.

According to council projections, Thorn Primary is currently less than half full and could fall to around 31% capacity by 2038.

The council said that if the merger proposals go ahead, pupils from both the Thorn and Auchenlodment areas would eventually move into a new-build school.

At the same time, Renfrewshire Council is also examining options for the future of Johnstone High School, which has already been identified as a priority for investment.

Three possible options are being considered: refurbishing the existing building, replacing it with a new school on the current site, or constructing a new high school at a different location.

If a move away from the current site was chosen, one possible location identified is Beith Road Playing Fields on the south-west edge of the town.

Council officials say each option is still being developed and assessed.

The proposals will be considered by members of the council’s Education and Children’s Services Policy Board on Thursday 12th March 2026.

If councillors agree the next steps, detailed business cases for the preferred options would be prepared by early 2027.

Any school mergers, catchment changes or relocation plans would then go through a formal public consultation before final decisions are taken.

The council says no primary school mergers would take place before 2028 at the earliest, and it could be into the early 2030s before any new school buildings open.

Gerard McLaughlin, Head of Education at Renfrewshire Council, said the plans aim to ensure pupils and staff learn in modern facilities while making better use of existing buildings across the town.

Photo caption: Maps published by Renfrewshire Council showing existing school locations in Johnstone and possible sites being considered for future school developments