Perth school for troubled children on the market

Fair City residential facility being sold after 70 years of use

A Perth school for troubled children is selling its main building after more than 70 years of use.

Balnacraig School on Fairmount Terrace is selling up to finance a more modern care model.

The school is a residential facility for children and young people who are not able to cope with mainstream education because of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The B-listed property originally cost the trustees just £5,000. While selling agents Savils have not put a price on the building, the average house price on Fairmount Terrace is more than £570,000.

It’s understood that selling the main Perth building will free capital to allow the school to buy several smaller properties, in addition to ones which they already own in Errol, Blairgowrie and Pitlochry.

Alison Morley, chief executive of Balnacraig School, said: “In recent years care has been increasingly provided in smaller therapeutic environments away from Balnacraig which has proved very successful in delivering improved outcomes for the young people living there.

“This decentralised approach more closely resembles a traditional family home, providing consistent staff and close individualised support, preparing young people for transition to independent life after care.

“It is anticipated that current staff will move to support the young people either in their care setting or in education.”

The property is being sold with 1.6 acres of garden ground and the building itself comprises more than 19,000sq ft.

Savills believes that interest is likely to come from similar institutional users or developers interested in refurbishing the properties for housing, retirement living or leisure uses.

This... approach more closely resembles a traditional family home. SCHOOL CHIEF EXECUTIVE ALISON MORLEY

Balnacraig School.