New Dargavel Village school name confirmed after pupils and parents cast vote

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%).

Councillor Fiona Airlie-Nicolson, an SNP representative for Bishopton, said at the meeting on Thursday: “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%).

The third option was Rossland Primary School, which relates to a historic area name, and it received 476 votes (24.6%).

A new school, which estimates have said could cost in the region of £45m, 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.

“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.”