Council bosses have admitted they do not know how much it would cost to revamp Aberdeen’s schools.
A new report sheds little light on the city’s school estate and said there were “challenges” with providing an accurate picture of the education estate.
The document said construction and energy costs and changes in school rolls were to blame.
It said “more time” was required to understand the impact of rising prices in the building industry.
The document is going to be considered by the education committee when it meets next week.
No mention of potential costs
The report comes after the city’s education convener Martin Greig admitted that there might not be enough cash to compete with the administration’s ambitions.
He previously said: “Cost is going to be a huge issue. There are huge pressures on public sector budgets now and in the coming years.
“Very careful and balanced financial planning will be essential in order to make the right decisions for each school.”
Although there is no mention of the overall cost of transforming schools in the school estate plan.
It looks at other factors like the current state of certain sectors.
‘Uncertainty’ and ‘challenges’ highlighted
The document asks councillors on the education committee to note the “unprecedented uncertainty” in the building industry.
It also asks members to ask local authority officers to provide an update at the committee’s following meeting in September.
The report mentions changes in school rolls which led to “challenges” in providing potential improvement projects.
It said: “There is unprecedented uncertainty and market fluctuation in
relation to construction costs and energy costs, and uncertainties relating to
school roll forecasting following changes in patterns of school enrolment, have
led to challenges in providing an accurate and robust set of recommended
actions within the School Estate Plan.”
Need to update school roll forecasts
The report also highlights that Aberdeen City Council’s school roll forecasts are out of date.
It said that the latest data that was collected in 2020 with work now under way to provide a more accurate picture.
The document said that having up-to-date numbers will mean officials know which potential project to prioritise.
It said: “Officers are currently working on the next update to the school roll forecast,
which will be based on actual pupil numbers in 2021/22, and will take greater
account of the above recent changes to patterns of enrolment.
“This will provide a higher degree of certainty in the predictions for future school occupancy levels, allowing the recommendations within the School Estate Plan to be
updated accordingly.”
The education committee will meet at the Town House on Tuesday.
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