Catholic church praises council’s commitment to reducing overcrowding at city school

The Roman Catholic church has praised a “clear commitment” by Aberdeen City Council to reduce overcrowding in a school.

St Peter’s RC school on the city’s Dunbar Street has an official maximum capacity of 198 pupils but will begin next term with a role of 261.

Children are being taught in temporary huts in the playground, the school’s library has been converted into a classroom and classes are even taught in nearby Old Aberdeen House – the home of the city’s archives.

Pupils already taught in library and huts… Now overcrowding could lead school to use janitor’s lodge as classroom

Councillors on the education committee will this week consider further measures to tackle the ongoing problem including potentially converting the disused former janitor’s lodge into a learning space or staff room.

St Peter’s has a high number of pupils studying English as a foreign language and school rolls have grown dramatically over recent years due to new arrivals from eastern Europe.

St Joseph’s and Holy Family Catholic schools are listed as being far below capacity.

Yesterday opposition councillors demanded “long term solutions” for the overcrowding at St Peter’s with the SNP’s David Cameron dismissing the lodge plan as a “sticking plaster”.

But last night a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen said the roll was “stabilising” and thanked staff and parents.

The spokesman said: “The roll is stabilising and the school should be able to accommodate the children this session within the current 11 classroom spaces.

“We are immensely grateful for the energy and engagement of staff and parents in St Peter’s.

“We are conscious of the clear commitment of Aberdeen City Council to achieve substantial progress in this matter both in short and long term considerations.

“We hope that the most urgent short term improvements in accommodation will become evident within weeks”.

St Peter’s RC Primary School was founded in April 1833, on Constitution Street, by Father Charles Gordon who was the parish priest of the local St Peter’s Church.

The school moved to its present premises at Dunbar Street in 1983.

The school had been threatened with the axe but this year a plan for a new three-stream school to replace was defeated at the education committee.