All options to either refurbish or replace Buckie High School have been ruled “unaffordable” by Moray Council with no solution in sight.
The school was one of the next in line for a multi-million funding package but lost out in a crucial vote against Forres Academy in 2022.
Work had been due to finally begin on designs for the new Buckie secondary school next year.
It had been hoped pupils would have been reaping the benefits of the investment by 2029/30, either in the form of a major refurbishment, new-build or combination of both.
However, senior education officials have now ruled the project in any of the current options “unaffordable” after Moray Council slashed £32 million from the cash it planned to investment in schools over the next three years to balance the books.
That decision came amidst warnings the region already has “one of the worst” learning estates in Scotland in terms of condition and the lack of spending could increase the risk of unexpected school closures.
Senior officials say they will now prioritise spending at Buckie High where it is needed to “make sure the school is safe” and other targeted areas.
Why Buckie High School needs investment
The latest Scottish Government statistics show Buckie High School is currently graded C for condition, meaning it is below the minimum standards.
Meanwhile, classrooms are at 87.5% of capacity, making it one of the busiest schools in the whole of Moray.
Speaking to the Press and Journal, Buckie councillor Sonya Warren highlighted numerous issues with the school building including roof problems, repeated leaks and delays of up to 15 minutes to access the internet.
She said: “This is really concerning for our pupils and Buckie because there are significant issues, not just with the state of the building which is relatively quite poor, but also with capacity and suitability issues.
“It’s taking our pupils 15 to 20 minutes to log on to the internet. That’s a huge loss of teaching time.
“There’s not just one issue at Buckie High, there are multiple issues.
“We need to have a building fit for future education, we need it to be on an equitable standard for the rest of Moray.”
‘No current solution to improve Buckie High School’
Andy Hall, Moray Council’s learning estate programme manager, told councillors this week there is currently “no solution” to finding an affordable way to refurbish or replace Buckie High School.
Work on a detailed report on the situation is being done in the coming months with a report expected to be presented to councillors in May.
Mr Hall described the problem as a “very difficult and complex situation”, adding work was being done to look at how costs in any refurbishment or new-build project could be reduced.
He said: “We were looking at a new build (at Buckie), we were looking refurbishments, we were looking at a hybrid of new build and refurbishment.
“Clearly with that additional cut in the budget we’ve had to reassess. All of those current options on the table are unaffordable to us.
“At this time we’re unable to say what the solution is.”
Conversation