BCHS storm damage highlights 'desperate need for new school'
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A BUCKIE councillor has raised concerns following the closure of the town's high school due to storm damage.
Buckie Community High School was closed for the day on Friday, February 17 as Storm Otto swept through the north, bringing with it high winds and rain.
While a total of four schools in Moray were closed as a result of the storm only one – BCHS – was forced to do so as a result of structural damage.
While the school was open again on Monday morning, Councillor Neil McLennan (Buckie, Independent) stated that the incident only served to highlight once again the case for a new build schools to replace the current BCHS.
There was disappointment for Buckie when Moray Council u-turned in November last year on prioritising BCHS for a new build replacement to be funded by the Scottish Government's Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP). Forres Academy was instead given the nod as the council's lead project in the scheme.
Councillor McLennan said: "We were faced with some storm...however only one of our schools had to close because of storm damage – Buckie High.
"I have already raised concerns about the number of times Buckie High is closed because of estates and maintenance issues. We now have another closure of the school.
"Moreover, that closure did not just affect school students but also impacted on others. This time temporary road closures had to be put in place.
"This further closure highlights again the desperate need for a new high school for Buckie. A note has already gone to chief executive of Moray Council regarding the school. Suitability and conditions surveys of the school may show certain grades, however the clear evidence of the number of closures must be taken into consideration on this serious matter.
"It is vital that young people in Buckie have continuity of learning and sound learning facilities – at present we have evidence of closures as a result of school estate and maintenance issues."
Councillor McLennan described BCHS as the "most closed school in Moray" due to estate or maintenance issues.
Speaking at the last full council meeting on Thursday, February 2 he said that over the past three years, Buckie High had suffered three full-day closures, statistic he went on to brand "staggering".
