Pupil slams 'disgusting' Scottish school toilets plagued by vandalism and racist graffiti

Perth Grammar School has reportedly been plagued by a number of maintenance issues in recent months. Picture: Google Street View

A sixth year pupil at Perth Grammar School says their highlighting of health and safety issues throughout the building has fallen on deaf ears.

One of the boys' toilets blocks has been targeted on a number of occasions with a racial slur daubed on a wall and the walls and ceiling covered in wet paper towels and toilet paper, while commons rooms have been affected by flooding problems in recent months.

Speaking to the Daily Record, the 17-year-old pupil labelled the racist graffiti unacceptable and slammed the school for failing to resolve multiple maintenance issues and health risks throughout the building.

They said: “In the boys’ toilets there is racial graffiti on the walls, and there is also toilet paper stuck to the ceiling and walls.

“That’s a racial slur and you can’t have something like that in any school and it’s not acceptable anywhere.

“The tissues have been there for, I’d say, at least a month. It’s disgusting. Many other pupils think the same.

“In the same toilets there are taps incorrectly maintained and we are forced to use these toilets due to the other toilets being closed for two weeks for maintenance.

“The urinal in the toilet was also blocked for a period of four to six months which is not only unhygienic but also a health risk.

“Some sinks in the toilets are blocked and it’s a consistent issue."

Elsewhere in the building, which is situated across the road from Scottish Water's Perth Area Office, there have been flooding problems, while home economics classes have been hampered by a lack of running hot water.

The pupil added: “We have had flooding issues in the fifth and sixth year common rooms.

“In some classes of home economics there is no hot water which is affecting pupils ability to cook and is also unhygienic and a health risk.

“The standard of cleanliness leaves a lot to be desired.

“At a time where general maintenance was necessary a non-essential expenditure was made on poor quality internal redecoration.

“I have tried to voice these concerns to staff to no avail. Some teachers I have spoke to have said it will get fixed but it has not.

"There is no sense of urgency.”

Scottish Conservatives councillor for Perth City Centre, Cllr Chris Ahern, slammed the occurrence of racist graffiti and the school's maintenance issues, but stressed solutions were in motion.

He said: "I am sure the senior management team will take a very dim view on this, and would have addressed the issue if they had been aware of it.

“With regards to the maintenance and up keep of the school, I do know that the property team will be in the school in the very near future and these problems are known and will be brought up, and that the general up keep of these areas and others are planned for redecoration.”

Scottish Liberal Democrats councillor Pete Barrett, who also serves Perth City Centre, highlighted the apparent difficulty pupils have when reporting issues to senior school officials.

He commented: “There appears to be an issue with maintaining toilets adequately but also of some pupils misbehaving and the frustration this causes others.

“There also appears to be a breakdown in the channel of communication for pupils to report concerns.”