Moray’s two worst secondary school buildings could be in line for replacement.
Councillors will be asked to consider applying for Scottish Government funding to rebuild Forres Academy.
There is also an option to seek money to replace Buckie High School as well.
Members were expected to make a decision at a meeting this week on submitting an application to the third phase of the learning estate improvement programme.
However, the education, children’s and leisure services committee was cancelled following the death of the Queen.
The matter will now be discussed at a meeting later in September.
Any application for funding must be submitted by close of business on October 31.
There is an expectation any projects seeking funding should be completed by the end of 2027.
That is sooner than the 2028-29 time frame the council has for replacing the schools.
Forres Academy is in a worse state than Buckie High – but not by much. Its replacement is priority for the local authority.
It has a D standard for the condition, which is the worst a school can be rated.
Buckie is deemed to be poor with a C mark, but that assessment was done five years ago. There are fears it could have fallen into the lowest category since then.
£5m spent on Forres Academy
Both are below the minimum requirement of a double B mark for condition and suitability.
Forres is ranked as B in terms of the size and flexibility of classrooms for learning and teaching, while Buckie has a C rating.
However, that is likely to drop because of the declining condition of the buildings.
Over the last eight years the council has spent almost £5 million trying to sort out problems at Forres but it has continued to deteriorate.
A successful bid to the fund would see up to 50% of the cost met with the rest footed by the local authority, which has to find budget savings of £20 million in the next two years.
Options to replace Forres Academy include a new secondary school and community hub for £79.2 million, and another for a three to 18 community campus incorporating Applegrove Primary costing £87.4 million.
A major refurbishment and extension is also up for consideration. However, at a projected cost of £91.1 million it is unlikely to be the preferred choice.
3 to 18 campuses being considered
A different site from the current one will be needed for a new Forres Academy. Roysvale common good land is the preferred choice.
There is no refurbishment option for Buckie.
A new build secondary with community hub would cost £84.1 million and a combined three to 18 campus totalling £95.7 million.
Both would have to be constructed within the current school boundary.
In his report programme manager for the learning estate Andy Hall said: “There are benefits of delivering both projects earlier then currently planned.
“However the delivery of Forres Academy earlier would mitigate the risk relating to the current school condition on terms of school operation and annual repair and maintenance costs.
“The target date of the end of 2027 to deliver either project is challenging.
“The criteria to prioritise the acceleration of one project over the other shows that the difference between the Forres Academy and the Buckie High School projects are small.
“However it is the current and future condition comparison that is viewed as the key factor in favouring one project over another.”
Conversation