Seven primary schools in Inverness will have pupil numbers capped next year due to mounting pressure on classrooms and worrying school capacity forecasts.
Last night, councillors restated calls for the local authority’s ruling administration to prioritise upgrading the school estate to tackle an overcrowding “crisis” which is migrating to the city’s secondary schools.
The administration, which faces a £45 million cut to its annual capital spend, is due to discuss its budget on February 15.
Kinmylies, Duncan Forbes, Smithton, Hilton, Holm, Lochardil and Milton of Leys primary schools will be capped for a second year running in 2018-19.
A council spokeswoman said priority will be given to pupils in the catchment area, and then to siblings of pupils already in the school.
Inverness South councillor Ken Gowans said: “It just underlines the crisis that Inverness schools find themselves in, in terms of capacity.
“I am hoping the capital budget will reflect the need to invest in the school estate in the Inverness area in particular. We have a statutory obligation as a council to provide quality education and we can only do that if there is somewhere to properly accommodate pupils.”
Last month’s council projections indicate that Culloden Academy currently has 50 pupils more than its 968 capacity and in four years’ time will have 229 pupils too many, with a projected 144% overcapacity by 2032/33.
The new Inverness Royal Academy has a total capacity of 1,474 but is projected to exceed this in 2025.
Charleston Academy’s total roll is forecast to exceed its 802-capacity in 2020-21 – and the school is expected to be 124% over capacity by 2032.
Millburn Academy is also expected to exceed its 1,200-pupil capacity in 2020/21.