Extra classrooms brought in to ease overcrowding at Elgin High School

Temporary classrooms are being brought in to ease overcrowding at Elgin High School.

The £30 million secondary opened in October 2017 with a roll of around 600 children.

It replaced the old building which was described as being in the worst state of any school in Scotland.

The new Elgin High is capable of coping with up to 825 pupils.

But there are now 848 children at the secondary . That number is expected to reach almost 900 over the next five years.

So now, talks have turned to extra classrooms for Elgin High.

At a meeting of the full Moray Council last week, members agreed to buy a two classroom modular unit to ease the situation.

‘We are where we are’

The matter was discussed in private.

An increase in the number of pupils with additional support needs from across Moray who are schooled at Elgin High has partly prompted the move. The other main factor is more children than predicted coming from new housing developments in the catchment area.

Labour councillor for Elgin South John Divers said: “The classroom unit is definitely needed.

“It’s a shame it’s got to be done but we are where we are.”

The cost of the unit has not been made public as a procurement strategy has still to be finalised.

The extra classrooms for Elgin will provide 66 spaces and are expected to be in place by October.

There are proposals for an extension to the school that will increase capacity to over 1,000. However, that is not expected to be built for another four years.

Once Elgin High is finished with the unit, it is likely to be used at other schools with overcrowding problems.

A spokesperson for Moray Council said: “The number of pupils with additional support needs – enhanced provision has increased and the number of pupils from residential house development is higher than forecast, which is why the temporary building is required ahead of the date for the planned extension.

“Plans for a permanent extension to the school building, which will increase the capacity to 1,150, are under way as a result of the additional residential development planned over the next 10-15 years within the Elgin south area.

Elgin High extension planned

“The temporary building will ensure teaching staff can continue to provide high-quality education with minimal disruption.

“We will continue to monitor the capacity of our schools and work to manage the challenges that may arise from fluctuating school rolls.”

The extra classrooms for Elgin are a short-term solution after the opening of the new school in 2017.