Elgin High School in Moray forced to bring in temporary classrooms to ease overcrowding

Temporary classrooms are being brought in to ease overcrowding at a high school in Moray.

Elgin High School, which opened in October 2017 following a £30m investment, initially began with a roll of around 600 pupils.

The new facility replaced the old building, which was described as being in the worst state of any school in Scotland.

The new Elgin High is capable of coping with up to 825 pupils.

However there are now 848 children at the secondary school, with the number expected to reach almost 900 over the next five years.

At a meeting of the full Moray Council last week, members agreed to buy a two classroom modular unit to ease the situation.

The matter was discussed in private.

An increase in the number of pupils with additional support needs from across Moray who are schooled at Elgin High, and more children than predicted coming from new housing developments in the catchment area has prompted the move.

Labour councillor for Elgin South John Divers said: “The classroom unit is definitely needed.

“It’s a shame it’s got to be done but we are where we are.”

The cost of the unit has not been made public as a procurement strategy has still to be finalised.

It will provide an extra 66 spaces and is expected to be in place by October.

There are proposals for an extension to the school that will increase capacity to over 1,000, but that is not expected to be built for another four years.

Once Elgin High is finished with the unit, it is likely to be used at other schools with overcrowding problems.

A spokesperson for Moray Council said: “The number of pupils with additional support needs – enhanced provision has increased and the number of pupils from residential house development is higher than forecast, which is why the temporary building is required ahead of the date for the planned extension.

“Plans for a permanent extension to the school building, which will increase the capacity to 1,150, are underway as a result of the additional residential development planned over the next ten to 15 years within the Elgin south area.

“The temporary building will ensure teaching staff can continue to provide high-quality education with minimal disruption.

“We will continue to monitor the capacity of our schools and work to manage the challenges that may arise from fluctuating school rolls.”