Council 'fiddle' keeps schools off crumbling buildings list

EDINBURGH schools waiting to be replaced or refurbished have been left off an official list of crumbling buildings.

Scottish Government statistics show Edinburgh has three secondary schools and nine primaries whose buildings are judged to be "poor" and none which are in "bad" condition.

But the list does not include any of the five schools included in the stalled £160 million "wave three" of the city council's modernisation programme.

Boroughmuir, James Gillespie's and Portobello high schools, St Crispin's Special School and St John's Primary School are all officially classed as "satisfactory".

Today the council said it was because the information supplied to the Government was based on a 2003 survey of the city's schools, which it claimed was in line with official guidelines.

But the Government said it expected councils to update their assessment of school buildings each year. And Lothians Labour MSP George Foulkes claimed the statistics were "a fiddle".

The 2008 School Estate Statistics shows Edinburgh has six secondaries, 15 primaries and five special school considered in "good" or category A condition, defined as "performing well and operating efficiently".

Fourteen secondaries, 70 primaries and four special schools are in "satisfactory" or category B condition, defined as "performing adequately but showing minor deterioration". And three secondaries and nine primaries are in "poor" or category C condition, "showing major defects and/or not operating adequately". No city schools were categorised as "bad" or D, "economic life expired and/or risk of failure".

Mr Foulkes said: "We think there is some fiddle going on and they are trying to cover up the fact these schools are in a sorry state."

A report by school inspectors last year said Portobello High's poor heating and ventilation was affecting the performance of students.

Mr Foulkes said: "We know these schools are in a bad way, but this has not been reported by the city council. I think this is because they want to try to minimise the pressure on them for replacement. But you cannot disguise the reality."

A council spokeswoman said the information provided to the Government dated back to 2003. She said: "There are guidelines to say that information can last for five years and we are now in a rolling programme to update the information."

But a government spokesman said: "There seems to have been a mix-up at their end."


REPORT CARD FROM 2003
School buildings rated as "poor" (based on 2003 inspections)
PRIMARIES

Bruntsfield
Craiglockhart
Murrayburn
Royston
St Cuthbert's
Hillwood
Ratho
Westburn
Ferryhill

SECONDARIES

Castlebrae High
Craigroyston Community High
Tynecastle High



Councillors await MacLaren report findings
A DAMNING report into the actions of embattled education leader Marilyne MacLaren will be released to councillors later this month.

Councillor MacLaren accused a parent of leaking information to the Evening News and has been urged to apologise to Lynda Flex, whom she then expelled from the group set up to discuss school closures.

The confidential findings of an internal investigation have already been obtained by the Evening News, and published, but it remains unclear what action will be taken. Opposition politicians have called for her resignation.

At a meeting of the full council on September 18, chief executive Tom Aitchison said he hoped to report to councillors "next week", but that deadline has already passed. Jim Inch, director of corporate services, said: "The chief executive is currently on leave and in his absence I have been taking matters forward.

"Due to the fact that this matter is still ongoing, Cllr MacLaren has been unable to make any comment. I can confirm that the chief executive will report on the investigation at the first opportunity, which will be the next council meeting on October 16."

Mrs Flex has made a complaint to the Standards Commission, which has the power to censure, suspend or ban councillors from holding public office for up to five years. Its investigation is ongoing.