Grantown Grammar School’s roof finally to be fixed - toilets next?
Grantown Grammar School’s parent council is celebrating the ‘great news’ that after years of problems the roof of the building is finally to be fixed - once a new problem has been addressed. Bats!
“It is great that local councillor Bill Lobban has received confirmation from Highland Council officers that the area affected by damage on the roof would be replaced in its entirety over the summer break,” said parents’ chairman Tim Artus.
“It is just unfortunate that the work will be delayed again meantime. We have just received an update that the work on the roof will be delayed because bats have been found.”
The story of the roof has been a long one and hopes are high that a resolution will be found, especially in light of the education authority’s response to a recent Freedom of Information question submitted by Mr Artus.
“We wanted full details about the roof defects reported to them since response In relation to this, on March 14, I submitted an FOI to Highland Council regarding roof defects reported to them since January 1, 2013 and the answer was very revealing.
“No fewer than 81 times in 12 years, the roof has been reported as being defective and needing fixing.
“We wonder how a pattern hasn’t been spotted here, that could have led to long-term savings being made by fixing it properly in the early days.
“Of course, we can predict that THC has a culture that prioritises restrictive, in-year budgets and seeks to fix things as quickly as possible for as little as possible – hence missing the wider issues that need more money short-term, but save huge amounts in the longer-term.”
It was great news that a proper fix was now being promised, he said, but “the good news stops there and other issues remain to be resolved.”
The council had confirmed to head teacher Claire McGonigal last year that the school’s toilets, in need of replacing, would be fixed over that summer.
“But it didn’t happen” said Mr Artus.
“Neither did the council say when the work would subsequently be undertaken and we are still awaiting a response on just what is going to happen.”
The provision of additional special needs (ASN) assistance is another issue causing concern, the parent council chairman said: “Kingussie is the provision for the strath, which means the Grammar School receives less support.
“Anecdotally, we are aware that recently there has been a significant increase in pupils with ASN arriving at Grantown, with many coming from KHS.
“We submitted a Freedom of Information request to Highland Council for details on the number of pupils and staff for GGS and KHS since 2020 but we are still waiting even for a response, despite having chased them up after the statutory 20-day reply period.
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“It is frustrating that FOI requests appear to have no legal clout behind them and organisations can choose not to respond, claiming they are too busy.”
Mr Artus became chair of the parent council in November but told the Strathy: “It has been frustrating.
“We did hasten the urgent fixing of the ceiling that had been leaking for a year, but everything else has struggled to progress.
“That said, when it comes to what we can, as a PC and School, achieve it has been much more positive.
“We have successfully financed the establishment of a new textile room, equipped with 11 new sewing machines and extra kit and fabrics, that will provide new qualification and curriculum options for GGS pupils next year and onward, as well as increasing extra-curricular opportunities across the board.
“Adding to that, we are establishing an annual fund for new library books and resources, as well as supporting a book swap facility to encourage more engagement with books (reading or listening).
“We are looking to the future for bigger projects as well and Strathy readers can watch this space on those. Focusing on what we can control, things are good. Outside of that, the territory remains challenging.”
Highland Council has been asked to comment.
