Bats come first as Grantown Grammar School roof repairs are put on hold
Grantown Grammar School is now on holiday and the workmen are ready to move in to make the most of the chance to complete a repair job that has been due for years.
But all the excitement of parents and pupils at the likelihood of the leaky roof finally being sorted once and for all has had to be put on hold because of another group of parents, who have decided to raise their young not in the local belfry but at school.
A Highland Council spokesperson told the Strathy: “Plans to repair the roof at Grantown Grammar School have unfortunately been delayed due to the discovery of bats in parts of the school.
“The presence of bats requires a 30-metre exclusion zone around the roof and multiple statutory surveys to be completed several weeks apart.”
The school’s parents council has been campaigning for longer than it cares to remember about a number of problems at the Strathspey school.
But there is no alternative but to wait, with bats a highly protected species - be they pipistrelle, brown long-eared or Daubenton’s.
But the education authority spokesperson pointed out: “A structural engineer has confirmed that the structural integrity of the load bearing components of the roof is not compromised, and discussions are currently ongoing around other repairs that can be completed in the interim.
“The project team is working closely with the school and partners to ensure works to repair the roof can progress as soon as possible.”
Tim Artus, chair of the parents council, said: “Let's hope the bat situation is resolved quickly and the other problems are sorted.
“There is a need to proactively improve the overall fabric of the school.”