Gaelic school to cost further £2m

PLANS to create a dedicated Gaelic school in the city have been thrown into jeopardy after it emerged attacks by vandals had pushed up the cost of converting a former primary by £2 million.

Education bosses revealed earlier this month that they wanted to set up a new Gaelic primary school in the former Bonnington Primary in Leith rather than extend the existing Gaelic Medium Education (GME) unit within Tollcross Primary, where it is currently based.

But after a further survey was carried out at the school - which has been lying empty since December 2008 - it emerged that the costs involved in refurbishing the building will be 3.6 million, not 1.6m as previously thought.

According to a report written by education director Gillian Tee, the extra costs have arisen as a result of the "serious deterioration" in the condition of the old Bonnington Primary "as a direct result of vandalism and damage to the roof". This has led to water ingress and "significant internal damage".

News of the 2m hike will force education bosses to rethink their plans to open the new school and they are now in talks with the Scottish Government to see whether or not it will meet the extra costs.

Ministers previously told council bosses in Edinburgh they would pay 1.4m towards bringing the old school back into use.

Councillors will have to make a decision on the future of Gaelic education in the city at a full council meeting next week but further survey work will need to be carried out, which is estimated will take up to five weeks.

City education leader Councillor Marilyne MacLaren said: "Mindless attacks on our buildings, whether they are in use or not, are absolutely appalling and totally unacceptable.

"The former Bonnington Primary is an important asset in our considerations for the development of Gaelic and the impact of this damage is of serious concern."

A public consultation asking for views on the future of Gaelic provision in the Capital received 598 responses, with 94 per cent stating their preference for a dedicated school. In the past six years, the number of pupils in the GME unit at Tollcross has risen from 90 to 158.

As a result of the new information on the condition of the building, education chiefs have ruled out being able to get it up and running by August next year, which was the intention, as repairs would take significantly longer than first thought.

This means the GME unit must continue at Tollcross and alternative arrangements are now being investigated to ensure that children who want to start P1 in the unit next August can have a place at the school.

Alasdair Cameron, chair of Comann nam Prant, said: "This is a very disappointing development for the many current and future families of children in Gaelic education, who were looking forward to the establishment of a Gaelic school in our capital city.

"Given the huge positive response to the public consultation it is clear that there is great support locally and nationally for Gaelic in Edinburgh."

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