An Inverness councillor has said “radical” measures are needed to solve the city’s problems with overcrowded schools.
Councillor Alasdair Christie suggested that pupils could be bussed from schools in the south and west of the city to quieter rural schools to ease pressure.
He was speaking at a meeting of Highland Council’s education committee, where councillors agreed a list of future investment priorities for schools across the Highlands.
A budget allocation of £48million was set aside to try and ease pressures at a number of schools due to population growth.
School rolls at Cradlehall, Inshes and Lochardil primaries have already been capped – while others are also close to capacity.
Mr Christie, a former chairman of the education committee who represents Inverness Ness-side, said that there was a particular concern along the southern distributor road, with Milton of Leys, Cauldeen and Holm primaries identified as potential future issues.
And he suggested that transferring some pupils to rural schools, such as in villages along the south side of Loch Ness may be one solution.
He said: “The growth we’ve seen from the city in that direction means that these rural schools are not actually that far away for pupils travelling.
“It’s just one idea but we need to do something radical.
“What we’ve assumed in the past does not necessarily work.”
Meanwhile, Councillor Ken Gowans, Inverness South said he was “considerably concerned” that no schools in his ward had been included among immediate projects, despite capping already being in place at Inshes and pressure at others including Milton of Leys.
He told the committee that his ward had a higher percentage of the population under 50-years-old of any in the Highlands which was contributing to the overcrowding.
He said: “Given that the schools are crammed to capacity it was a surprise that they have not been included here.”
Fellow Inverness South Councillor Carolyn Caddick called for a cross-city forum to be established in an attempt to tackle the school rolls issue.
The council’s head of resources, Brian Porter, said that Inverness schools would be included with other projects in a consultation for capital programme investment across the Highlands.