Opposition councillors in Moray have called for a rethink on how the efficiency of schools is calculated – criticising existing methods as “misleading”.
Figures published by the local authority show that eight of the region’s 54 schools are less than half full.
A further 21 have been graded at being between 50% and 75% full.
The statistics have been used by senior councillors in the past in arguments for reducing the amount of classrooms to make the under-pressure teaching staff stretch further.
However, yesterday, SNP co-leader Graham Leadbitter, said the figures should not be used in isolation.
He said: “It’s not deliberate, but it’s misleading to the public. West End in Elgin has about 200 pupils.
“Its functional capacity is about 260, if you had that many kids there it would be bursting at the seams. I would struggle to see where they would go.
“It’s calculated in terms of square metres, and I’m sure most parents don’t think of their children at school in that way.”
Speyside Glenlivet councillor Derek Ross added: “Quite often these empty rooms are used in smaller schools for teaching drama and music. That’s not reflected in those calculations.”
The figures were included in Moray Council’s performance report for 2017, which was presented to yesterday’s meeting of the audit and scrutiny committee.
Chief executive Roddy Burns explained the document was not intended to be “definitive”.
He added: “A great deal of other figures can be applied to get the true value of a school.”
The council has already agreed to run a three-month consultation about the future of education in the Buckie area.
Meanwhile, the performance report revealed “targeted investment” has slowed the decline of the region’s crumbling school estate.
The authority faces a repair bill of more than £100million to get the buildings back up to minimum standards.
There are currently only 11 schools in Moray which are rated above the minimum standard for condition with the majority rated C, which is classed as “poor” and means they are showing “major defects”.
