‘Significant concerns’ over Buckie High condition flagged up to Education Secretary by local MSP
The Scottish Government have been asked to intervene and come to the rescue of a crumbling Moray school.
Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP Karen Adam has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Jenny Gilruth MSP to voice her “significant concerns” about the condition of and facilities at Buckie Community High School (BCHS) - described by a local councillor as “one of the worst in Scotland”.
The school had initially been in contention for funding from the Scottish Government's Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) Phase 3 project, which would have seen a much-needed new school built. However, Forres Academy ended up getting the nod, although it was widely believed at the time that BCHS be in line for a range of possible refurbishment options, including a partial rebuild.
However, Buckie councillors and the local community were left poleaxed in February when it was revealed by Moray Council that cuts to the capital budget totalling £32.32 million meant that the likelihood of any substantial work being done on the school looked an increasingly forlorn prospect.
In her letter to Ms Gilruth, Ms Adam said: “This has caused a great deal of worry within the community, as they feel the current school is not able to meet the needs of pupils and falls below the minimum standard.
“My constituents have highlighted a number of pressing issues regarding the school’s capacity, condition and connectivity. I am advised that as the school is currently at capacity, community rooms, which were intended to be available for public booking and use, are unavailable as they are required by pupils/staff.
“Further, I am told that connectivity remains a major challenge, with network access taking up to 20 minutes, which is a substantial loss of valuable learning time. Additionally, the school swimming pool, which is integral to both the curriculum and community well-being, is facing further closures.
“I am advised that the library, which constituents’ expected to be included in the new Buckie High development, remains in poor condition and is now among the five worst libraries in Moray.”
Ms Adam went on ask the Cabinet Secretary if the Scottish Government was reassessing school building and conditions and, furthermore, if there was any possibility of additional LEIP funding. She went on to suggest potential alternative sources of funding, such as allocating some of the Moray Growth Deal cash to BCHS and accessing Just Transition money for improvements.
The Banffshire and Buchan MSP added: “I have significant concerns for the learning environment for our Buckie High pupils and staff.
“They deserve a school that is fit for purpose, but one that also supports morale, which is just as important. I wish the council would recognise this and prioritise our Buckie community when making spending decisions.”
Her intervention was warmly welcomed by Buckie councillor Sonya Warren, who had previously condemned the likely row back on BCHS refurb funding, stating that the school and wider community had been “shafted again”.
She said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Karen has become involved and is doing all she can to speak up for Buckie High.
“I’d like to see answers and that extra funding will be made available for areas of the community which have been left behind by previous decisions.
“In terms of condition and facilities Buckie High is one of the worst schools in Scotland, never mind Moray and it’s certainly not getting any better. In the midst of all this we have young people at BCHS working so hard and the teachers going above and beyond as a matter of course to produce excellent attainment figures.
“Our kids and teachers deserve the same standard and facilities as other schools in Moray. It’s heart-breaking to see other schools rebuilt or refurbished to a high standard but not Buckie High and I want to see cash from the Scottish Government to address this.”
Councillor Warren went on to stress that BCHS was not only a school but the town’s community centre and a vital hub for many local groups. She also urged the eco impact of the school’s future to be factored in to any future plans, noting that while some of Buckie High’s current infrastructure needs to be swept away there were many areas which could be updated and remain in service for many years into the future.
“Unlike many communities Buckie doesn’t have the luxury of a separate community centre,” Councillor Warren continued.
“Many groups can struggle to get good and affordable meeting spaces and the opportunity for accessing this at BCHS has been significantly reduced due to the need to use those spaces as classrooms.”
The previous policy of “make do and mend” in respect to the various issues afflicting Buckie High was no longer an option, she stated.
“There’s been too many patch-up jobs which have become an intrinsic part of the current problem.
“In Buckie over the last few years there’s only been one major piece of investment in the school estate by the council and that was the revamp of Millbank Primary.
“Buckie High needs to be fit for the 21st century. Things are changing so much, so fast and we have to be able to provide digital learning. Kids now are going out to do jobs that didn’t exist 20 years.
“The last 15 years of austerity budgets mean that there’s nothing more left to give in local authority budgets. However, there are lots of avenues that can be explored and that’s what we should all be working together to achieve.
“To be honest, I think that anyone who stands for the Buckie area in next year’s Scottish Parliament election should have a commitment to secure funding for Buckie High as an absolute priority.”
