Half of school buildings in Moray in poor or bad condition: Is your local school among them?

DOZENS of Moray schools have been classified as being in poor or bad condition according to Scottish Government figures.

The figures show that 27 of Moray's 52 schools are not up to the required standard.

The majority of these have been graded as poor.

However, Forres Academy and Alves Primary School were graded as bad, the lowest mark possible, which the Scottish Government defines as “Economic life expired and/or risk of failure.”

Find out what condition your local school is in by using the search bar below.

The national average for the number of schools in good or satisfactory condition is 90.7 per cent for 2023. Moray falls well below that figure.

Earlier this month, Moray MP Douglas Ross demanded funding to bring Moray schools up to standard.

And while Moray Council was successful in securing funding for a new Forres Academy school building, Buckie Community High School missed out.

Mr Ross said: "There are clearly widespread problems across Moray and the local authority simply does not have the budget to bring these school buildings up to their required condition on their own."

Unsurprisingly, newer builds such as Elgin Academy, Lossiemouth High School and Elgin High School are all in good condition.

And Moray Council will launch a sweeping review to assess the remaining schools in an effort to correct issues elsewhere.

A council spokesperson said: "The council is focused on improving the condition of school buildings throughout Moray and is currently undergoing a sustainable learning estate review that will look at each of the associated school groups and examine ways to ensure all schools meet the minimum B (satisfactory) condition standard as set out by Scottish Government.

"A 15 year costed upgrade plan is in development for around 30 schools. A number of condition upgrade projects are being earmarked for investment for the next financial year 2024/25."

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.