Campaigners push to secure funding for new £50m Tain campus

PARENTS, pupils and teachers pressing for a state of the art Easter Ross campus to replace school buildings slammed "not fit for purpose" will ramp up pressure for a vital funding package that would provide the catalyst for the transformational project.

As details of a new £1billion Scottish Government funding package to build and refurbish schools from 2021 emerged this week, campaigners pushing the case for a new £50m campus to replace Tain Royal Academy and its feeder primary schools have left Highland Council's new chief executive and budget leader in no doubt as to their aspirations.

With doubts still hanging over the funding package needed for a state-of-the-art facility that would cater for children right through their primary and secondary education, Tain Royal Academy's parent council last week grabbed the opportunity to raise their concerns with the local authority's new chief executive Donna Manson and its budget leader, Alister Mackinnon.

Parent council chair Wendy Hennem said: "One of the overriding positives that came out of the meeting was the need to get our young people actively engaged in the project much more and to hear their voices about why it is so important for a new school to be built in Tain as soon as possible and for them to highlight the current state of their schools and how this impacts on their overall education.

"The longer we debate the new school the longer they have to wait for what they rightly deserve, a school that they can be proud of rather than schools that are no longer fit for purpose. To this end the voices of our young people will be actively sought and we will be looking at ways in which we can get these out in the community and to a wider audience both at Highland Council and possibly even Scottish Government."

A site at the existing Craighill Primary in Tain has emerged as the front-runner. Ms Hennem said that while the finer details of a Scottish Government successor to the Scottish Futures Trust funding scheme are awaited, momentum should not be lost. She said: "This shouldn’t stop us from pushing forward still and getting to a shovel-ready position as soon as is practically possible. In order to do this we need the whole community to work together to this end and show a united front."

Budget leader Cllr Alister Mackinnon acknowledged there is no Scottish Government funding in place for the scheme at present and that the council faces tough challenges maintaining and refurbishing its extensive school estate. He said: "It was a positive meeting and I have always been upfront with the parent council."

Tain and Easter Ross ward councillor Fiona Robertson said: "This was an opportunity for Donna to hear about the many, many issues we have with the Tain Royal Academy building, and indeed with all our schools in Tain.

"Parents and staff at the meeting were reassured to hear of Donna’s commitment to getting a new 3-18 campus for Tain; it would have been blindingly obvious to Donna that Tain schools are in an appalling condition and it is getting to crisis point with our primary and secondary school buildings. How much longer can we continue to send our children to be educated in such sub-standard buildings? We also have capacity issues in our primary schools and this is becoming a major headache for Highland Council and people within Tain."

A stakeholder meeting is planned for December with a report on the consultation to go to the January Care and Learning committee.

A Highland Council spokesperson said: “The council commenced a statutory consultation process earlier this year, to gather views on a new campus and site location. The consultation phase has closed, and the council is in the process of reviewing and considering all comments received, before making a final recommendation to council. The timing of that recommendation has still to be confirmed, pending clarification of funding.

"The council in March of this year identified Tain campus, along with a number of other schools, as priorities for bidding to Scottish Government, and is awaiting clarification from Scottish Government on when funding opportunities will be available. The council will be updating the local stakeholder group on progress before the end of the year.”

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