Moray Council to lose £8.3m in Scottish Governent funding after plans to extend Elgin high school thrown out

Councillors have voted against building a previously-planned extension to Elgin High School.

Instead, at a full council meeting on Thursday, members agreed with officer recommendations to repurpose underused parts of the existing building to create new classrooms and teaching spaces.

The project to expand Elgin High has been ongoing since 2023 due to an anticipated rise in the school’s roll.

However, the number of pupils at the school is expected to remain below 900, compared to the original forecast of 1,150 pupils by 2028.

The decision, though, was not taken without debate. Elgin City South Councillor John Divers (Labour) wanted to proceed with building a new extension but at a reduced size.

He was concerned that, by not building an extension, the school would reach capacity again in a few years.

He added that he does not trust the forecasted numbers, saying they have been wrong “time and time again”.

Cllr Divers was seconded by Councillor Derek Ross (Speyside Glenlivet, Independent) and Elgin North Councillor Sandy Keith (Labour) agreed with the pair.

He said: “We built a school that is too small.

“We got it catastrophically wrong in the past.”

However, service manager for the education estate, Andy Hall, explained the forecasted numbers were thoroughly checked and the school would be able to accommodate the smaller-than-expected pupil roll.

He added that four new classrooms would be created, the staff room would be repurposed to create more teaching spaces and a new smaller staff room would be made, along with a new library space.

Cllr Divers’ amendment lost by 19 votes to five.

The decision will see the loss of £8.3m in funding, which had been set aside for the original extension by the Scottish Government.

However, with a price tag of £1m, repurposing the school is still the cheapest option for Moray Council.

The works will mostly be completed during school holidays to minimise disruption and are estimated to be completed by the end of 2027.