Forres Academy has been chosen as Moray Council’s priority school for Scottish Government funding.
Members at a special meeting of the education, children’s and leisure services committee today voted by 10 to four in favour of the secondary ahead of Buckie High School.
A second vote on the topic at a meeting of the full council immediately after, resulted in members voting by 17 to eight in favour of Forres Academy.
All eight members who backed Buckie High asked their dissent at the decision be noted.
The schools are both below recommended standard, with Forres judged to be one of only two schools in Scotland rated at the lowest level D for its condition.
The local authority has submitted bids to the third phase of the Learning Estate Investment Programme to help fund new buildings for the two schools.
However, funding criteria requires local authorities to identify a school to take precedence if bids are made for more than one.
To underline Buckie’s dire need for assistance, the school was closed today because of problems with its heating.
‘We’re in a difficult position having to pit one community against another’
Conservative councillor for Forres Paul McBain put forward the motion that Forres Academy be the council’s priority project, while acknowledging it was a “very difficult and emotive subject”.
He was seconded by independent member for Speyside Glenlivet Derek Ross, who said: “We’re in a very, very difficult position as councillors having to pit one community against another.”
SNP councillor for Buckie Sonya Warren put forward an amendment for Buckie High be the priority project.
She said: “Buckie High is not open today because the heating is not working again.”
Mrs Warren added that the school was “teetering on the brink” of falling into the D category for condition.
She raised concerns that land needed to be secured for Forres, while a replacement Buckie secondary can be built within its existing campus.
Conservative member for Fochabers Lhanbryde Marc Macrae seconded the amendment.
He recalled in 2017 the then head of education advised there was a “shovel ready plan” for the coastal secondary, but Buckie had since “fallen off the map”.
Calls were made for members to look at the condition of the schools.
SNP member for Forres Scot Lawrence said: “This is not a vanity contest between Buckie and Forres.”
His colleague for Elgin South Graham Leadbitter asked for a “bit of pragmatism”.
While Forres was chosen as the priority for funding, there was unease among councillors over the rules.
‘Invidious situation’
Labour member for Elgin North Sandy Keith said councillors were being put in an “invidious situation” by the Scottish Government.
Ben Williams, Labour member for Fochabers Lhanbryde, called it a “tragedy” that the council had to pitch a priority school.
Independent member for Heldon and Laich John Cowe told the meeting Buckie High had previously been up against Lossiemouth High in a similar situation.
Lossiemouth now has a new high school and swimming pool.
Mr Cowe said: “We’re all Moray councillors and we all want the best for Moray, and here we’re having to make a choice of is it Buckie or Forres.
“I would have preferred to see both schools going forward at the same time.”
A decision on choosing which secondary should take priority was supposed to be taken by councillors at a meeting on September 14.
But that was cancelled following the death of the Queen and rescheduled for September 28.
However, at the last minute it was felt the matter should not be debated in public for fear of influencing the outcome of a by-election in Buckie, which was held on Thursday.
‘Tragedy’
Applications for funding had to be submitted by the end of October, with the council agreeing with fund managers their priority project would be decided following the by-election.
While Forres Academy is in a worse state than Buckie High, it is not by much.
It has a D standard for condition, which is the worst a school can be rated.
Buckie is deemed poor with a C mark, but as that assessment was done five years ago there are fears it could have fallen into the lowest category.
Although suitability is not a condition considered for funding, Forres ranks as B in terms of the size and flexibility of classrooms for learning and teaching, while Buckie has a C rating.
‘Bit of pragmatism’
There is space for the coastal secondary to be built within its existing boundary.
Land will have to be acquired to accommodate a new Forres Academy, with Roysvale common good land the preferred choice.
However, that process could add six months on to the timeline for construction.
If the bids are successful it could fund up to 50% of the costs of replacing the schools, but a completion date of December 2027 is a condition of the money being approved.
The price of building a three to 18 campus at Forres is put at £87.4m, with one at Buckie expected to be £95.7m.
There are also options for secondary schools with community hubs costing £79.2 m at Forres and £84.1m at Buckie.
Regardless of any funding, the council is responsible for bringing schools up to a minimum B standard for both condition and suitability.
Conversation