Inverness parents say overcrowding at Inverness Royal Academy poses an immediate health and safety risk to pupils.
Inverness councillor Alasdair Christie shares their concerns that pupils could be crushed as up to 1,000 throng down the central staircase at lunchtime.
Some parents say their children are afraid to use the stairs at all.
The P&J can exclusively reveal that school staff raised safety concerns with Highland Council when the new Inverness Royal Academy first opened.
But six years on, nothing has changed.
Last week, the parent council wrote to Inverness councillors inviting them to come and see the “dangerous” staircase for themselves.
Four of those councillors have told the P&J they intend to press for urgent action.
Murray Ferguson, parent council chairman, says something must be done before a major accident happens.
Crush risk in the canteen
The problem area is the open plan atrium and canteen, which features a large, steep central staircase.
Inverness Royal Academy has around 1,400 pupils on the school roll. At peak times, the parent council say at least 1,000 descend down the stairs, into a very cramped area at the bottom.
As illustrated in the photo below, the canteen tables and chairs further cut into the landing area.
“Parents have shared with us that their children are afraid to use these stairs given the press of people,” says Mr Ferguson. “Having personally witnessed the overcrowding, we are of the view that there is potential for a major accident to happen.”
The parent council says it’s aware that staff at Inverness Royal Academy raised a “red flag” over safety as much as six years ago, but say “nothing has been done to deal with this danger.”
Over the last two weeks, Inverness councillors have taken up an invitation to see the problem for themselves.
Councillor Alasdair Christie has first hand experience of the issue.
“My daughter attends Inverness Royal Academy so I know the risk,” he said. “It’s verging on a health and safety issue, specifically the risk of a crush. This problem is occurring every day and the council needs to find a solution.”
Nine in ten pupils can’t get a seat at lunchtime
Unfortunately, this is not the only problem facing the new school. Inverness councillors and parents also say that fewer than one in 10 pupils can get a seat to eat their lunch.
Parent council secretary Alasdair MacLeod explains that despite the school accommodating 1,400 pupils, there’s only seating for 100 at the bottom of the stairs and another 50 further along the building. He describes the design as “utterly bonkers”.
Councillor Chris Ballance, deputy leader of Inverness area committee, also visited the school this week. He said: “I’m grateful to the parent council for showing us the problems which exist in the building.
“It is extraordinary that a school for around 1,500 pupils should have been built with only 150 seats for pupils to sit and eat their lunch, and only narrow staircases for them all to come down to the canteen.”
During his visit, the head girl and head boy showed him round the school. “There were pupils eating lunch in every nook and cranny, even sitting on the floor,” he said. “It’s clearly not an acceptable state of affairs.”
Mr Ballance said there is “no easy solution” but that local councillors and Highland Council officers need to work something out.
‘Concerns fell on deaf ears’
But what can be done to resolve the problem?
In the short-term, Mr Christie suggests a large, covered outdoor seating area for pupils. Inverness councillor Isabelle Mackenzie told the P&J she thought a modular extension could help.
Both those options would address the health and safety risks for now. However, the parent council says there’s a far bigger problem here.
“Along with Culloden and Milburn Academies, school capacity is also a very pressing issue at Inverness Royal Academy,” says Mr Ferguson. “The school is projected to be over-capacity in less than three years’ time. This is going to compound the already dangerous problem.
“Indeed, the parent council would welcome interaction with the other Inverness secondary schools to push for a long-term solution to these capacity issues. This is likely to involve the council to identify a new site and funding for a school for the south part of Inverness.”
The parent council emphasises that they want to work constructively with the council, and understand the budget constraints. They also don’t want to cause parents any unnecessary alarm.
However, they say virtually nothing has happened in the many years since they raised the red flag about safety at the school.
Inverness councillor Isabelle Mackenzie told the P&J: “I understand the school headteacher raised these issues six years ago, and it obviously fell on deaf ears.
“It is a health and safety issue. Pupils are not adequately provided for… The school is full.”
Highland Council did not respond to P&J questions relating to safety at Inverness Royal Academy. When asked to confirm figures around the school capacity and canteen seating, Highland Council said those figures could be obtained by submitting an FOI.
With regards to Inverness school capacities, a spokeswoman commented:
“The Highland Council are currently carrying out a feasibility study to ascertain the capacity and projected school rolls within secondary education settings across Inverness city.
“Inverness Royal Academy is projected to reach capacity over the coming years and Millburn Academy currently has places capped due to capacity. Mitigations and options to increase capacity across the city are being worked on by the council’s estate team and will be reported to parents and stakeholders in due course.”
More from the Schools & Family team
Sneak preview: First sculpture revealed for The Big Hop Trail
Conversation