Big idea for new school makes the grade with city parents

Published on Wednesday 19 March 2008 09:25

THE first images of how a refurbished Boroughmuir High School would look were revealed today – much to the delight of parents.

The project to carry out a major on-site refurbishment of the school – drawn up by city architect Malcolm Fraser – would see classroom provision at the school rise by almost a third.

And despite the fact that the main complaint about the school on its current Viewforth site is that it is too small, the refurbishment will also see a new sports block, more facilities and extra playground space created.

Along with the on-site refurbishment, the council is considering two new-build options – one on Scottish Water-owned land at Fairmilehead and the other on the Astley Ainslie Hospital site in The Grange.

But parents believe these options would be years down the line, and their main aim is to see Boroughmuir refurbished in the quickest possible time frame.

Polly Purvis, chair of the Action for Boroughmuir campaign group, said: "We would absolutely love to have a brand new school on a new site, sitting with its own playing fields surrounding it. The issue is that practically, it's a bit of a pipe dream.

"This is a pragmatic solution. Malcolm Fraser has come up with really creative plans in terms of giving the school more space."

City author Ian Rankin – whose teenage son attends the school – has backed the "ingenious" plans for an on-site refurbishment, particularly welcoming the extra sports facilities. The option for a rooftop basketball court is included in the plans.

Mr Rankin believes Mr Fraser's plans to refurbish on-site are the most "realistic" option.

He said: "The priority for the parents is to know that something is going to happen, that their kids aren't going to be squeezed into a building that's far from ideal.

"One of my big bug-bears as a parent is that to do PE, they have to jump on a bus and go elsewhere, so it would be great for them to be able to do more on-site."

Boroughmuir school has a school roll of just over 1100 pupils but was designed to deal with some 900. Parents say it does not meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act, and gym, recreation and communal areas are "severely restricted".

Mr Fraser's plans, which he drew up in conjunction with fellow parent Neil Smith, would transform the school's existing one-storey technical building into a five-storey classroom block.

A new dinner hall and the creation of a "street" within the grounds is intended to give children somewhere to socialise during lunch breaks.

Mr Fraser, who lives opposite the school and has a daughter there, said: "It would break my heart to see the school not well used, not repaired, and to see the building fall into disrepair.

"They're just not getting the potential out of what is a rather good building.

"Why abandon a building like that when a small amount of money could secure its future for hundreds of years?"