School buildings in rural Scotland are more than twice as likely to be in a poor or bad condition than those in urban areas, according to “deeply alarming” figures.
The School Estates Statistics 2023 reveal that 13.2% of primary, secondary and special schools inspected in rural councils were not up to scratch compared to just 5.2% of those located in urban councils.
Much of the money for upgrading school buildings comes from local councils, who have found their funding from the SNP Government squeezed in recent years. The resultant challenge is greater for local authorities in rural areas because they tend to have greater numbers of schools per head than built-up areas because of the wider population spread.
In addition, the Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) – a collaboration between Scottish and local Government to finance school upgrades – gave no grants to Highland Council schools during its most recent phase.
These figures come against a background of a significant number of rural schools closing in the last five years and schools in rural areas suffering a crucial loss of 322 teachers between 2010 and 2022.
Shadow education secretary Liam Kerr says the figures are symptomatic of more remote parts of Scotland being forgotten by the SNP-Green coalition.
Scottish Conservative shadow education secretary, Liam Kerr MSP said: “The dilapidated state of many school buildings is yet another black mark against an SNP Government that is destroying Scotland’s once-proud reputation for education.
“The SNP have presided over Scotland plummeting down the world rankings, failed to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap and done little to address soaring classroom violence.
“The condition of the school estate is deeply alarming – and it’s both unacceptable and entirely in keeping with this nationalist coalition that the situation is far worse in forgotten rural Scotland.
“Councils in remote areas have a greater number of schools per head because of the geographical spread of the population.
“After years of brutal SNP Government cuts, all councils are struggling to meet costs. Yet again, rural areas are being disproportionately short-changed.
“Rural students and schools deserve the same attention, resources, and funding from the SNP as those in urban areas. Yet not one school in the Highlands received LEIP level 3 funding.
“For too long the SNP have disregarded Scotland’s rural communities. It is completely unacceptable that rural children’s education must suffer more simply because of where they live.
Notes
Schools in rural areas twice as likely to be in a poor or bad condition than schools in urban areas. Data from the school estates survey reveals that 13.2% (135 out of 1,023) of primary, secondary and special schools in rural councils (breakdown available on request) are in poor or bad condition. This compares to 5.2% (89 out of 1,439) of primary, secondary and special schools in urban councils which are in poor or bad condition. (School Estates Statistics 2023, 5 September 2023, link).
Primary Schools in rural areas twice as likely to be in a poor or bad condition than schools in urban areas. Data from the school estates survey reveals that 12.3% (107 out of 867) of primary schools in rural councils are in poor or bad condition. This compares to 5.2% (59 out of 1,127) of primary schools in urban councils which are in poor or bad condition. (School Estates Statistics 2023, 5 September 2023, link).
Secondary Schools in rural areas twice as likely to be in a poor or bad condition than schools in urban areas. Data from the school estates survey reveals that 19.1% (27 out of 141) of secondary schools in rural councils are in poor or bad condition. This compares to 8.4% (18 out of 215) of secondary schools in urban councils which are in poor or bad condition. (School Estates Statistics 2023, 5 September 2023, link).
*one secondary school in West Lothian was not inspected
*three special schools in Dumfries and Galloway were not inspected
*one special school in Aberdeen was not inspected
*one special school in the Scottish borders was not inspected
No schools in Highland Council got funding in the Learning Estates Investment Programme phase three. Funding in LEIP phase three was given to schools Aberdeen city, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Moray, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Shetland and West Lothian. (Scottish Government, 30 October 2023, link).