WATCH: Ross-shire and Inverness parents launch campaign to build four schools
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Parents at four Highland Schools whose funding was gutted in the capital budget vote last month have banded together to try to offer pupils and staff what they say the local authority failed to provide – hope.
Members of parent councils and others active in the schools communities have created a Go Fund Me page named Project Hope – Build 4 Highland Schools.
The schools concerned are Beauly Primary, Charleston Academy, Park Primary and St Clement's, which is based in Dingwall and caters for children from across the area with special needs, spurred on by what they see as a lack of action.
Despite only just starting it is beginning to build up a head of steam with Youtube and TikTok videos already garnering more than 4400 views at the time of writing.
Highland Council voted last month to withdraw 10 projects from its school investment budget saying it could only afford to spend in the region of £300m while the actual budget stood at £475m – with much of that projected funds not actually secured.
For Park Primary, £10.8m had been budgeted while £12.2m had been earmarked for the St Clement’s replacement.
Avril Robertson of St Clement's Parent Council said: “We want to do what Highland Council have not done – offer people a little bit of hope for the future of these schools.”
Park Primary was completely destroyed by two fires, with pupils now accommodated within the Invergordon Academy campus.
St Clements school for children with special needs has been the subject of campaigning for more than two decades aimed at securing a replacement for what has been previously described as “Dickensian” accommodation.
Ms Robertson said: “None of us are stupid, we know how hard it would be to raise this amount of cash, that is why we say the key thing here is hope.
“You have a special school that is beyond description, an academy with RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete), asbestos and leaking roofs, a primary that no longer physically exists and another that is too decrepit to describe.
“So it cannot be right that all we are told is ‘the money was never there.’”
Elizabeth McPhail, for Park Primary, said: “It is really sad that it has come to parents having to fundraise in order to provide a safe and effective learning environment for their children. The Scottish Government were elected on their education promises and we live in hope that the Highland Council and Scottish Government will fulfill their promises and make our schools a priority.”
All donations will be split equally between the four schools involved according to Marion Rennie who set up the fundraiser.
“Key to this is being positive just like the name of the campaign: Project Hope – Build 4 Highland Schools,” she said. “We don’t want to get at anyone but we do feel more needs to be done and we are willing to do part of it.”
The campaign page under her name states: “Park Primary burnt down, and the children need a school building, Beauly primary parents state ‘the school is in dire need of replacement’ whilst St Clements is described by parents as ‘unfit for purpose and the lack of facilities a disgrace’.
“Charleston Academy has RAAC and asbestos and pupils say it is ‘depressing’, ‘unsafe’ and has ‘water dripping on our desks’.
“We value the incredible staff at these schools and recognise the importance of the environment they teach and care for our children in.
“Therefore, Project Hope invites us all to get involved to raise money needed to build 4 schools that inspire, enable our children to reach their potential, are safe, are equipped for educational needs in 2023 and to get right for every child.”
Before the council voted to slash the budget, leader Raymond Bremner insisted the authority remained committed to funding all projects originally listed, but that vital government cash had not yet been forthcoming.
“Our vision is to provide the best possible school environments for our pupils, and we will continue to work with our partners, parents, communities and Scottish Government to achieve the investment required,” he said.
