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Highland primary school pupils get special visit from Deputy First Minister

With the minister are MSP Kate Forbes and pupils Rose Mackinnon, Carmen MacAskill and Iseabel MacRae all of Primary seven.
With the minister are MSP Kate Forbes and pupils Rose Mackinnon, Carmen MacAskill and Iseabel MacRae all of Primary seven.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney was invited to visit Broadford Primary School to assess the state of the school and to meet representatives campaigning for a new facility in the south of the island.

The cabinet minister for education and skills met to hear first hand the trials campaigners have endured in pushing for a new facility.

Mr Swinney said: “Local authorities carry the statutory responsibility for enhancing the school estate and I have made clear that local authorities should do all that they can within the resources available to support the prioritisation of school estate improvements.”

“We are in a situation now where 87% of young people are educated in Scotland in good or satisfactory circumstances, that figure was 61% when the government came to office, so we have seen a huge improvement in the school estate – but there is still more to be done.

“I have committed to setting out later on this year a further investment programme that the government will make in the school estate and obviously we look forward to discussing that with Highland Council.”

Rosie Woodhouse, a member of the Broadford Primary Parent Council, said: “We always hear arguments of where money is to come from but our main concern is our children.

“The elective representatives in all of Scotland are playing ping pong with whose responsibility it is and they are not doing anything, yet we are being told to be proactive.”

The deputy first minister encouraged campaigners to make their case to the Highland Council to ensure when the next round of funding for the Schools for the Future campaign is available in 2021, a new facility in Broadford is at the top of the local authorities agenda.

Councillor John Finlayson said: “In Broadford, clearly the infrastructure is crumbling and parents are concerned about their children’s health, as are some staff who have reported experiencing some health issues.

“The environment needs improved and Broadford needs a new school. This has not just been accepted by myself, but by wider community, and the local MSP. There should be equality and fairness in providing learning environments for all.

“The pupils here in Broadford have put up with inadequate conditions for years and I hope when it comes to the Scottish Future Trust Funding, this facility is made the number one priority.”

Kate Forbes MSP has been working closely with the local representatives, including the Broadford Primary Parent Council.

Ms Forbes said: “They are an incredibly hard working group of parents who do so much to support their children’s education.

“At the moment the priority is to ensure the school building is a safe, hospitable and warm learning environment.”