Name confirmed by councillors for new school in bishopton's dargavel village

THISTLE PRIMARY SCHOOL WILL BE THE TITLE GIVEN TO THE ADDITIONAL SCHOOL PLANNED FOR THE MAJOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. JACK THOMSON 14:54, 20 May 2025Updated 14:54, 20 May 2025 A new school

which will be built to cater for demand at Bishopton's Dargavel Village will be named Thistle Primary School, it has been confirmed. Councillors formally approved the title at

Renfrewshire Council's education and children's services policy board after it came out on top during a public vote on three options in March. Pupils at the existing Dargavel and

Bishopton primary schools had previously been asked to suggest names for the facility and a shortlist was drawn up. Residents were invited to vote online while school children cast their

votes in-person, with almost 2,000 recorded in total. The winner – a nod to the nature that surrounds the new school in Craigton Drive – received 735 votes (38 per cent). Councillor Fiona

Airlie-Nicolson, an SNP representative for Bishopton, said at the meeting: "I'm happy to see this paper coming to us for approval. "This school has been known recently under

'new Dargavel', we've had 'the new school', we've had 'Dargavel 2' and it will be lovely to have a name for the school. "I was delighted to see

the level of input in terms of the votes cast, nearly 2,000 people, so [there's been] plenty of consultation and I am looking forward to being able to describe this school by its

name." Thistle was narrowly preferred to Craigton Primary School – suggested because the school is on Craigton Drive and in the proximity of Craigton Burn – which had 723 votes (37.4

per cent). The third option was Rossland Primary School, which relates to a historic area name, and it received 476 votes (24.6 per cent). A new school, which estimates have said could cost

in the region of £45 million, was required after historic errors saw the existing school in Arrochar Drive built far smaller than it needed to be. It is due to open in August 2027 and will

have capacity for 800 pupils as well as facilities for the wider community, including a full-size sports pitch. Speaking about the naming process ahead of last week's meeting,

Councillor Emma Rodden, board convener, said: "We were delighted to see the level of engagement and the number of votes cast – to have nearly 2,000 is a fantastic total and I thank

everyone who contributed. Article continues below "The pupils who came up with the initial longlist of names had some great ideas and we had a tough time narrowing it down to three to

go to the vote. "Being able to give the new school a proper name is an important milestone in the project and a key step towards developing a proper identity before we start to welcome

pupils and parents in two years time." DON'T MISS THE LATEST RENFREWSHIRE HEADLINES – you can sign up to our free daily newsletter here