Temporary classrooms for 240 pupils could be brought in to tackle overcrowding at an Aberdeen secondary school.
City education chiefs are considering the use of a two-storey portable unit to help ease congestion at Bucksburn Academy.
According to planning documents, the projected school roll for 2026 is 945 pupils but this could be reached by 2024.
The unit would have eight classrooms and would be in place for the next five years while “proposals are finalised for a longer-term solution.”
Concerns were raised about children being huddled together in temporary buildings last year unless extensions were built.
Pupil numbers to ‘increase steadily’
The planning application said that a 330-pupil extension is likely to be needed permanently.
Although a permanent solution is featured in Aberdeen City Council’s capital plan it is yet to be approved by councillors.
The capacity of Bucksburn Academy is 683 but the roll is expected to reach 880 next month with an influx of new first-year pupils.
A report alongside the planning application said the school roll would hit future projections early.
It said: “In 2018, the projected school roll forecast for 2022 was 803 pupils with 881 pupils projected for 2024.
“Projections to 2026 are 945, however, it is anticipated that this could be reached by 2024 given that the previous 2024 projection has been reached in 2022.
“Pupil numbers are expected to increase steadily over the next few years as residential development continues to be built out nearby and the school catchment population increases.”
‘Capacity for 200 pupils’
There will be four classrooms on each floor of the modular unit and they will feature smartboards for teachers.
According to the planning documents, the units could provide capacity for around 240 pupils.
This would increase Bucksburn Academy’s capacity to about 923.
The report said the cabin would not impact how the school operates.
It said: “The additional eight classroom temporary accommodation could provide additional capacity for circa 240 pupils based on 30 per classroom, increasing the overall capacity to around 923.”
Our recent investigation into school spending showed that Aberdeen City Council had spent the least on school infrastructure during the last decade than any other council in the north and north-east.
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