Buckie High urged not to shun ‘valuable input’ of community groups as space fears at school voiced
A former regional councillor has urged a local secondary school not to edge out community groups from using its premises.
During a recent meeting at Buckie Community High School (BCHS) regarding future rebuild or revamp plans fears were raised that there was less and less space for community groups as rooms were taken over for educational purposes.
The meeting was told by Moray Council’s Head of Education Vivienne Cross that educational needs would “always be the first priority” for a school over community ones, should the need arise.
Community concerns over provision for local groups at BCHS resonated with former Buckie Grampian Regional Council councillor Gordon McDonald, who was also present at the public meeting.
He stressed that the extension built at the school over 30 years ago was specifically designed to accommodate the wider community.
Mr McDonald said: “What was the community centre in Buckie at the time was closed and everything moved up to the high school, which was to be renamed Buckie Community High School.
“You had the lounge, you had the social areas and all the rest of it. All of that was paid for. There was indoor bowling, too which I remember well as because one of the first things I had a problem with was the bowlers said it wasn't long enough for their bowls, so I had to raise that at a committee and get it sorted.
“Grampian Regional Council clearly set it up to be a community high school and the other thing that they did is that they formed a community education committee. It was a committee that was set up to deal with the social side of things with youth clubs and all the rest of it. The school always was meant to be a community high school, that's why the name was changed to Buckie Community High School.
“The argument I heard the other night [at the meeting] was they need the classrooms and that education comes first. Nobody's arguing about the classrooms, we're arguing about the other social spaces that they have. It also goes without saying that the whole of the Highfield Hall is a part of a community function.
“Unfortunately, there appears to be an attitude with some people that the school is for school education and the joining of that up with the community is something that they're opposed to. I don't understand that because that is all part of education.
“In many ways Grampian Regional Council was ahead of its time.”
During the meeting support for a refurbishment of BCHS as opposed to a new build was expressed.
However, Mr McDonald was adamant that this is not a path that should be trodden.
He continued: “I was very disturbed by the argument that they should just go for a refurbishment.
“If you're negotiating with the council as a community, you should be going for the best option possible.
“You don't chuck half of your argument out the window right at the start.
“I don't understand it. If other areas are all getting brand new schools with state-of-the-art equipment and everything else put in them, why is Buckie not going to get that? It's the old argument again, why is Buckie looking for second best?
“The Scottish Government give councils 80 per cent of the cost of a rebuild but I doubt they’d give the same amount for a refurbishment. For me that’s a crucial argument against a refurbishment-only option.”
Currently, on a scale from A to D, Buckie High is rated as C in condition - meaning the buildings need investment - and B in suitability. The minimum requirement is B for both. Council officers told the meeting that they priced a refurbishment at £75 million and a new build at £100 million, with no price tag attached to a combined new build-revamp option.
