Name of Edinburgh's new primary school confirmed after council's biggest naming survey

The name of the new school in Morningside will be Canaan Lane Primary School, the education committee has confirmed.

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The move was agreed unanimously following a survey which asked people to rank three names in order of preference.

Canaan Lane Primary School came top with 462 first choice votes; North Morningside Primary School was the runner up with 329 first votes; and Saroj Lal Primary School came in third with 234.

The school is due to open in August 2022

When the second preferences of those who voted for Saroj Lal were allocated, Canaan Lane secured 62.1 per cent compared to North Morningside’s 37.9 per cent.

Education convener Ian Perry said: “I don't think there is any dispute about what the local community and the education community want and that is Canaan Lane.

“This was probably the most participated naming we've ever done and we've consulted as widely as we possibly could, both in the school community and in the local community and both communities agreed that Canaan Lane was the best name for the school, so we thank everyone for taking part.”

The result was a big disappointment for campaigners who had hoped to see the school named after the late Saroj Lal, one of Edinburgh’s first ethnic minority teachers.

She died last year aged 82. Her son Vineet Lal had worked hard to encourage people to vote for Saroj Lal Primary School.

The new school is due to open to nursery and primary one pupils in August 2022.

The catchment area is made up of sections from the catchment areas of three existing primary schools - Bruntsfield, South Morningside and James Gillespie's.

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