Mould, cold, insects and shards of glass ...welcome to our Dickensian classrooms

MORE than 100,000 pupils are being taught in schools with ‘major defects’, according to new figures highlighting the scandal of Scotland’s crumbling classrooms.

Government reports show 74 secondary schools – one in five across the country – and 302 primary schools, around 15 per cent, are officially in ‘poor’ condition. This leaves almost one in seven of Scotland’s 677,549 pupils in buildings that are in a poor or bad state of repair. An investigation by The Scottish Mail on Sunday has unearthed a damning catalogue of evidence showing the decay and dilapidation blighting Scotland’s schools, many of which are more than 100 years old, including:

Leaking roofs, buckets in corridors, mouldy walls, as well as infestation by insects.

Huts and gym halls used as makeshift classrooms.

Pupils injured by falling panes of glass from dangerous windows.

Teachers forced to bring in electric radiators from their homes to make up for broken heating systems.

Last night, critics warned that pupils’ education is being put at risk by schools which are ‘Dickensian’ and ‘not fit for purpose’, while teaching unions warned the morale of staff and pupils was being damaged.

Jane Peckham, of the NASUWT teachers’ union, said: ‘The cold and wet is terrible for teachers and pupils’ morale but, worse than that, this is a health and safety crisis and a lot of these schools are accidents waiting to happen.

‘There is a real need for greater investment in Scotland. What we need for our teachers and pupils is a real commitment to producing buildings for the 21st Century.’

Opposition politicians claimed the SNP was failing to invest in education. Scottish Conservative education spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘Nothing is worse in terms of the learning environment if there are substandard buildings, cramped spaces and inadequate facilities.

‘It is very clear from these statistics that there is still a long way to go to ensure that all of Scotland’s school buildings are fit for purpose.’

In 2014, 12-year-old schoolgirl Keane Wallis-Bennett was killed when a wall at Edinburgh’s Liberton High School fell on her, months after teachers had

‘Nobody should learn in such conditions’

been warned of the danger. Yet despite the outcry at the time, research suggests the quality of Scotland’s school buildings has barely improved.

In December, official government figures published in the Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland report deemed 302 of 2,034 primary schools ‘poor’, suffering from ‘major defects’. Meanwhile, 20 per cent of secondary schools – 74 out of 359 – were also judged to be poor.

Among Highland Council schools, 72 of the 175 primaries and 13 of the 29 secondaries have major defects. Among the worst is Dunvegan Primary School on the Isle of Skye, which suffers ‘significant deterioration’, flooding and regular drain blockages.

Instead of an office, the head teacher has been forced into a cupboard, which he shares with the school clerical assistant and is fitted with heaters which barely work.

Highland councillor Drew Millar said: ‘In this day and age, nobody should have to learn in such conditions.’

Moray Council was judged to have the worst school buildings in the country, with 35 of its 45 primaries and six of its eight secondaries in poor or bad condition. One of the worst, Forres Academy, requires £600,000 of work to make it fit for purpose.

In the Borders, 23 of 62 primary schools and six of nine secondaries have major defects. A council consultation last year found pupils at Eyemouth Primary School unanimous that the building had ‘reached the end of its lifespan’, while students at Galashiels Academy called for a ‘complete overhaul of the building’.

At Inverness last year, a pupil was injured when an old broken window smashed onto his foot, despite numerous warnings about the state of the building.

In Glasgow, teachers reported mass infestations of silverfish – tiny wingless insects that thrive in damp, decay-

ing conditions. But neighbouring South Lanarkshire is the best area in Scotland, with 112 primary schools out of 124 ranked as good, as well as all its 17 secondary schools.

Falkirk also ranks well, with 26 out of 50 primary schools deemed ‘good’ and each of its eight secondary schools also receiving the highest grade. But the general poor state of Scotland’s schools led education experts last night to call on the Scottish Government to commit more money to new schools and plough cash into redeveloping existing buildings.

Several councils have warned that improving school buildings is no longer an option and they are fighting just to keep them open.

According to a Scottish Borders Council report: ‘Significant enhancement to the quality of existing education facilities will be dependent on the provision of future grant funding by the Scottish Government through the Schools for the Future programme.’

Last night, a Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The proportion of schools reported as being in good or satisfactory condition has increased substantially under this Government, and the proportion of pupils educated in schools in ‘poor’ or ‘bad’ condition has fallen from 37 per cent in 2007 to 16 per cent in 2016.

‘Investment plans are in place to improve the condition and suitability of some 149 schools (primary, secondary and special) currently in poor or bad condition, to the benefit of almost 45,000 pupils.

‘At least one new school project is being delivered in every local authority area in Scotland.’