Buckie High School revamp plans teeter on the brink as crunch council meeting approaches
The fate of much-needed revamp work on a secondary school will be discovered within the next few days.
Buckie Community High School (BCHS) - described by a local councillor as being one of the “worst” in Moray in terms of condition - had previously been thought to be in line for a revamp and/or partial rebuild.
It had initially been hoped that the crumbling school would qualify 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 from Moray Council for the cash.
However, a bombshell was in store in February when even the scaled-back refurbishment proposals appeared to be kicked into the long grass.
A paper presented to the education, children’s and leisure services committee on Tuesday, February 19 saw councillors told that due to the “significant reduction of capital” available to the local authority it was now the case that the “existing refurbishment options are not affordable”.
A final report is set to be placed before councillors on the education committee on Tuesday, May 13 when it is expected that any significant upgrades for BCHS will be shelved for the foreseeable future.
A spokesperson for Moray Council said: “The council agreed to cut its capital budget within an affordability cap, as a result there’s £32.32 million less than previously planned in the three-year capital budget for the learning estate.
“Therefore, the council has had to reassess the existing plans, including for Buckie High School.
“No decision has been made yet on the way forward for Buckie High School.
“We’re looking at different options to make sure the school can be maintained to the required standards within the available budget. However, as reported at the ECLS Committee on February 18, a new build or significant refurbishment isn’t financially viable within the capital plan approved by the council, and so alternative affordable options must be considered.
“We’re reviewing lower-cost options, backed by additional feasibility works and investigations. A more detailed report, with a proposed way forward in terms of affordability is planned to be submitted to the ECLS Committee in May 2025 for its consideration.
“Any proposal will seek where possible to the meet the existing planned timescales for the Buckie High School project, which was originally targeted for completion by 2030.”
The deteriorating state of Buckie High and its impact on students and staff has already been flagged up to Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Jenny Gilruth by local MSP Karen Adam. In a letter to the Cabinet Secretary, she voiced “significant concerns” about the condition of the facilities at BCHS.
This included worries over capacity issues the school, which has seen spaces initially earmarked for community use being pressed into use as classrooms or for other educational purposes.
The actual condition of areas of the school buildings themselves have long been a concern.
Connectivity problems - described as a “major challenge” by Ms Adam - have also been highlighted, with reports of students having to wait up to 20 minutes to log on.
