Increasing rolls, space constraints and the lure of possible cost reductions have prompted the Catholic Education Office to investigate moving its St Mary's School in Mosgiel to a new site.
But the move will not be far. The school's new home would be across the road at the former Holy Cross Seminary site, Catholic Education Office director Tony Hanning said.
The years 1-8 school has been on its present site for about 110 years.
However, Mr Hanning said the school's roll had grown to about 160 and indications were the roll would increase during the next decade.
The school already had limited grassed area for pupils to play on and, at the moment, they had to cross the road to use grassed areas on the opposite side of Church St, a very busy road, he said.
"Moving into the former Holy Cross Seminary site would make everything much more compact.
"We want to put the school closer to our church - the Immaculate Conception Church on the Holy Cross Conference Centre site.
"It's a better site for today's financial and educational situation. There may be some economies of scale servicing facilities on one site rather than two, and it overcomes the long-held difficulties accessing green space."
Mr Hanning said many of the buildings at the Holy Cross site would be used for teaching space, and some building of "ancillary facilities" would need to take place before the school could move.
All going to plan with procedures and consents, he believed the move would take place in 2013.
As yet, the cost of the move was not known.
"It's still early stages for planning, but the proposal is creating some genuine excitement in the community parish," he said.
