Cap on school numbers

Schools in Inverness face a cap on pupil numbers in the new year as the city’s rapid growth threatens to leave classrooms bursting at the seams.

Plans for a new primary at Ness Castle are being brought forward and a second Gaelic-medium primary will be required in the near future as the language gains in popularity.

Councillors will discuss the issues facing schools across the Highland capital at a meeting of the education, children and adult services committee tomorrow. Members will be asked to approve proposals to carry out further studies into school rolls.

Extensions will also be considered for some sites, but committee chairman Alastair Christie said this would be weighed up against whether other facilities, such as dining halls and toilets, could cope with extra pupils.

Last night Mr Christie said: “We’re seeing massive pressure for places in certain parts of Inverness.

“Where the simple answer maybe to add on extra classrooms to accommodate extra pupils, that’s not always the best answer.

“That doesn’t take into account the rest of the nonteaching space in schools like dining halls and toilets. We’ve got to consider the overall package and that’s what we will do.”

Education chiefs say pressures on space have been exacerbated by housebuilding in the south of the city in the past decade, which has brought a rapid influx of families to the area. The council has been forced into extending a number of new primaries following increases in pupil numbers.