SNP told 'save schools with class size U-turn'

Published on Saturday 7 February 2009 18:33

EDUCATION chiefs and politicians last night urged the SNP Government to help solve the crisis of crumbling schools by ditching their class size pledge.

Following the launch of a campaign by Scotland on Sunday last week, in which we revealed dozens of schoolswith leaking roofs, filthy toilet blocks and condemned facilities, council education officials have revealed one of the key reasons why they cannot upgrade them.

Education chiefs say they face a stark choice between providing new school buildings or meeting the Government target for maximum class sizes. They called on SNP ministers to dump the election promise in favour of better schools.

Scotland on Sunday has been contacted by parents, teachers and MSPs since launching the campaign to improve schools.

Many of them were appalled at the standards in the 77 schools that are declared category D and "economically expired" – meaning it would cost more to repair than it would to start again – and councils have no plans for their refurbishment. Parents also highlighted the appalling condition of more schools ranked as being rated category C, "poor".

Bruce Robertson, director of education for Aberdeenshire – Scotland's worst authority for crumbling schools – said meeting the key pledge of class size target of 18 for primary one to three classes was costing 22m, detracting from funds to repair the 45 substandard primary schools in the area.

He told a teachers' publication: "This is placing us in acute difficulties. We need to build new roofs over new heads and this cannot be done as well as reducing class sizes."

Steven Purcell, leader of Glasgow council, told Scotland on Sunday: "Education departments across the country are facing a difficult choice: do we put in money to reduce class sizes or do we tackle the crumbling estate that is left?"

Ken MacIntosh, Labour spokesman for education, said: "The school environment for every pupil is more important than an arbitrary campaign to get class sizes down to 18."