At a time when staff at ramshackle rural schools are having to drag out buckets when it rains, Aberdeenshire education bosses insist they still want to spend tens of millions on a new Peterhead community campus.
However, as pressure grows on the cash-strapped local authority, its elected leaders admit they “can’t rule out” abandoning the troubled scheme altogether.
The local authority spent around £375m on schools last year – almost half of its overall annual spend.
But, the council is facing a £26 million black hole and leader Gillian Owen warned that “things would have to stop” as accountants scramble to “salami slice” the budget.
Councillors will meet in three weeks to set their spending plan for the year ahead, and have warned about an impact on education…
As well as the Peterhead Community Campus warning, they told us:
- How things will have to change at rural schools where teachers “get the bucket” out to collect rainwater during inclement weather
- Teachers could be at risk amid an expected decline in the number of primary school pupils
How much does it cost to teach Aberdeenshire children?
Aberdeenshire Council has started a review across all of the schools it manages, evaluating the scores of buildings it operates all over the north-east.
In particular, the local authority will focus on the 150 primary schools it is responsible for.
Five are to close for good within the next three years while 40 are potentially under threat as pupil numbers dwindle and classrooms sit “half-empty”.
On average, it costs Aberdeenshire Council just over £261,000 to run a small school – which estimates to around £13,000 per pupil.
Larger primary schools cost over £2 million per year – around £5,000 per child.
‘We want less buckets next year…’
Education chairman, councillor David Keating, said the authority “fully supports rural education” but admitted things will have to change.
“We probably have a lot of really underused schools, but we have 150 schools and all of them need maintenance.
“One is too many and we have got more than one where the buckets come out when it rains so that is just not acceptable.”
While the review process could result in school closures, it could also see some merged.
Whatever happens, Mr Keating hopes it will result in “slightly less buckets next year”.
What schools are already being merged?
At the moment, the council is working on plans to join Tipperty and Foveran schools together.
The local authority had initially hoped to build a brand new replacement facility in Foveran with capacity for 300 pupils.
But this idea has since been scrapped due to ongoing cash woes with both of the existing buildings to be retained and used instead.
Mr Keating said: “Just before Christmas I had the task of chairing a very lively meeting at Foveran, parents from both schools were there.
“I’ve done about five of these and I think the biggest one before this had three or four people.
“This had around 40 people attending, so a very passionate community.”
But, conversations around the merger continue.
“Will they get absolutely everything that they want? Truthfully, no they won’t, but we are going to do the best we can,” Mr Keating admitted.
“Above it all, it’s about educational attainment and making sure our young people are getting the best education we can give them.”
What is happening with the Peterhead Community Campus?
Speaking of new schools and mergers, the council is still pressing ahead with its plan to build a £71m state-of-the-art Peterhead Community Campus.
The project came to an unexpected halt last summer after contractor Robertson Group pulled out of the project.
Ideally, the council would like to see the facility completed by 2028 “at the earliest”.
The site would become the new home of Peterhead Academy and Anna Ritchie School, along with the merged Meethill and Dales Park schools.
Mr Keating revealed officers are now reviewing all of the options available to them and these will be up for consideration in the near future.
But is there a particular reason why the project has stalled?
The councillor believes building costs and inflation could be to blame, saying they have “just gone mad, frankly”.
He added: “We know that other councils across Scotland are either deferring, reconstructing or continuing – they are all having to face the same decisions.
“It is a major project with implications for the whole of Aberdeenshire and we need to take the time to work it out properly.
“Officers are working hard on this but it is an extremely big and complex decision.”
Could Aberdeenshire Council stop Peterhead Community Campus project?
Could the Peterhead campus project be scrapped altogether?
Mr Keating, for one, hopes it won’t… But he stopped short of making any guarantees.
“I’m conscious of the condition of the schools in Peterhead and that will form a significant part of the conversation,” he said.
“I don’t want to rule it out, but I don’t see it as an acceptable option simply because we know the condition of Peterhead Academy.
“Something has to be done.”
Could teachers be cut?
A public survey was launched back in October, giving residents the chance to have their say on a number of budget cut proposals.
One of the options put forward was removing extra teachers in primary and secondary schools that had been taken on after the pandemic.
But, this particular cut was not too popular as 41% of participants said they “definitely disagreed” with it.
Mr Keating said the council was aware of the public’s opinion and will take that on board.
“No decisions have been taken but we are cognisant that it is something people see as a risk,” he stated.
“We are aware that teacher numbers are important, but in the next five years we are expecting a 10% reduction in primary school pupil numbers.”
However, the council is still facing recruitment struggles when it comes to finding secondary subject teachers.
“We regularly talk to the Scottish Government to say that we really need something to change because Aberdeenshire is not getting the sort of teachers that it needs,” Mr Keating added.
Read more:
- Aberdeenshire residents won’t face shock 20% council tax rise – but ‘salami-slicing’ bosses warn cuts will be worse than last year
- £400,000 Aberdeenshire gritting spend revealed – as council bosses warn of extreme cash crisis
- Stonehaven councillor tells people to save their own homes from flooding amid threat to stop sandbags
Conversation