Alarm over condition of Grantown Grammar School roof
Grantown Grammar School parent council is growing increasingly alarmed at the condition of the school’s roof and lack of concern that they say has been shown by the education authority for years.
“This isn’t storm damage,” said chair Tim Artus. “Just years of neglect by Highland Council. The officially 'functional' geography classroom now has desks re-arranged so the children don't get wet, with strategically placed buckets to catch the water when it rains.
“Kids are taught in this room as the rain drips down inside the building, causing water staining, mould and rotten-through plasterboard!
“This has been reported to the estates office by the school management team countless times over the past couple of years, but apparently it's not urgent enough to rectify.
“We wonder how much the fix will eventually cost the already stretched budgets when the plasterboard finally caves in onto the classroom below?”
After Mr Artus was shown the damage by head Claire McGonigal in Dec 24 he wrote to Councillor Bill Lobban and other councillors and the local MSPs.
“Bill's action was the only one that appeared to get traction. He engaged with the council officials and a team came out to assess and undertake work. I continued to chase after Christmas as I see no likelihood of a proper fix.
“It is easy to find multiple cases in the news where ceilings have collapsed in schools in the UK over the last few years, yet it seems almost an accepted risk. Sticking plasters are all that is being added whilst water continues to ingress and continues to damage the structure of the building - and we blindly progress towards a catastrophic headline ‘Grantown Grammar Ceiling Collapse Kills Pupil’.
“It a headline I hope is never written. However, there are significant reasons why I believe it cannot be ruled out and needs to be considered as a potential outcome.”
The roof has been leaking for over a decade - 12 years was stated by head teacher Claire McGonigal at the Parent Council meeting on February 4.
“Water continues to fall through the damaged ceiling in Room 14 as well as run down the walls of other classrooms. And, if this is the case it can be reasonably accepted that more water is being absorbed into the fabric of the school than is running out.
“No one knows the full extent of the damage, meaning, at any time, the ceiling could collapse. This means it is a risk to life.
“If strong evidence to counter these points is available it would be very useful to share with everyone else.”
A Highland Council spokesperson said: "Our properties team will continue to assess the roof's condition and are working to effectively repair the affected area. However, the immediate repair work is weather dependant and it is hoped that this can commence in due course."
