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Five years on, has anything changed for Moray’s nine ‘unsustainable’ schools?

Moray unsustainable schools
Beginning in 2017, a series of council reports classified certain schools as ‘unsustainable’, based on building condition, school roll and operating costs.

In 2017, nine Moray schools were labelled “unsustainable” in discussions about local education.

Some were small, all were primary schools.

But what has happened to these schools since then?

The answer is, effectively, “make do and mend”.

Beginning in 2017, a series of council reports classified certain Moray schools as ‘unsustainable’, based on building condition, school roll and operating costs.

The council made a plan to address poor conditions at all of the schools, but challenging costs have forced them to adopt a stop-gap “make do” policy over recent years.

One of the schools has cost the council more than £67,000 over five years, despite being mothballed since 2017.

The council is developing a new learning estate plan to address conditions at these and other schools in Moray. A spokesman said that at least £100 million will go towards improving school conditions over the next 10 years.

The Moray Nine

The nine schools that Moray Council classified as unsustainable are: Findochty, Portessie, Portgordon, Portknockie, Craigellachie, Botriphnie, Crossroads, Inveravon and Glenlivet.

These schools first had their futures cast into doubt back in 2017 and then again in 2019, when reports classed these schools as unsustainable and leaders said closure talks were “inevitable” for some.

With the exception of Portessie, many of the schools regularly have low capacity.

Inveravon has been mothballed since 2017.

A council spokesman said that the council’s overall school occupancy is 68%. He said that’s below the targets set in 2017 and the council is looking at how to use available space more efficiently.

The council has previously discussed closing or merging schools as a way to address excess capacity and poor building conditions.

Inveravon hangs in limbo

Since it was mothballed in the summer of 2017, Inveravon primary has cost the council £67,767. This includes staffing costs in 2017-2018, as well as thousands of pounds in photocopier and telephone bills.

The Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 says mothballing shouldn’t last longer than three years. But Inveravon has been mothballed for almost five.

The council spokesman said that the pandemic caused delays and prevented a full engagement process that would normally take place before any closure decisions.

Moray unsustainable schools
Playground areas at Inveravon Primary are now overgrown. Photo: Jason Hedges/DCT Media

Members of the education committee agreed last November that the school would remain mothballed for now.

The education committee will review a report on the options for the school later this year.

Building conditions the biggest factor

All nine schools have C grades (poor) for building condition. There are 20 other Moray primary schools in poor condition.

Buildings are classed between A and D, with A and B being suitable and C meaning the buildings are either showing major defects or not operating adequately.

A Moray Council spokesman said that building condition was the main factor contributing to each school’s unsustainable label.

In 2014, the community stiffly opposed mothballing the school. Picture by David Whittaker-Smith.

Because of recent rising costs, he said that the council had to postpone plans to upgrade all schools to B or better.

“Due to challenging cost issues associated with this (plan) a stop-gap ‘make do and mend’ policy has been adopted over recent years to ensure the Condition C schools did not deteriorate further.”

What’s next for Moray’s unsustainable schools?

Despite the delays, a council spokesman said that the focus in Moray has now reverted back to improving conditions at all ‘C’ schools.

The council has established a new Learning Estate Team and committed a minimum of £100 million over the next decade. But the council spokesman did not specify any projects at the nine schools.

Council officers expect to complete a full review of the learning estate by early 2024. This review will decide which projects need to be priorities.

The council has committed £3 million to renovation works in 2022/23 and 2023/24. That could rise to £10 million in 2024/25.

Glenlivet Primary School in Moray. Picture by JASON HEDGES

Council officials have discussed the merits of having fewer, better schools in Moray for years. There were even suggestions at one point of creating a single “super-school” for all 12,000 pupils in Moray.

Although the super-school never panned out, a council spokesman said that shared 3-18 learning campuses could prove instrumental to the future of education in Moray.

He said 3-18 campuses provide easier transitions and closer ties to the community.

He added that any steps towards closure or mothballing would require extensive community engagement.

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