Full-up Glasgow high school gets extension to make room for pupils

A Glasgow West End high school, which is at full capacity, is getting a £2.2 million extension to make room for more pupils.

The modular extension at St Thomas Aquinas in the Jordanhill area is expected to be ready next month and will offer two classrooms and a changing room.

A number of other schools including Smithycroft Secondary in the north east of the city and Riverbank Primary in the east end are also struggling to make space for pupils alongside St Thomas Aquinas.

A council report said: St Thomas Aquinas has “been operating at the limits of its capacity in recent years, and is expected to remain like this for the next 10 years. There is no capacity in any of the other schools in the West of the City that could assist with this matter.”

The report, which was presented to yesterday’s education, skills and early years city policy committee, said officers are planning to to develop solutions to “address ongoing and sustained capacity issues” at the Smithycroft and Riverbank.

Lack of space to meet demand is also a problem in the city’s additional support needs (ASN) schools.

There has been a rise in the number of children with additional support needs in Glasgow. And the number of parents going to tribunal to fight for places for their children in the city’s dedicated additional support learning needs (ASL) schools has increased.

Director of education Douglas Hutchison told yesterday’s committee said: “The real pressure is probably in children and young people with more complex needs who need the support and staff ratio in our ASL estate. That is under significant pressure.

“That is why we make reference to the number of tribunal referrals because a parent thinks their child should be in an ASL school or a specialist provision and the decision has been made that they have been redirected to a mainstream school for support.

“It is an extremely challenging area not only for us but every local authority in Scotland at the moment.”

The issues were discussed as councillors were given an update on schools buildings in the city.

Among work taking place is a new nursery being built in Milton, a refurbishment of Linburn Academy in Penilee and the replacement of school boilers.