Parents at Edinburgh's overcrowded Boroughmuir High School ask for derelict land to be turned into open space for pupils
‘All we want is a bit of grass - I don’t think it’s too much to ask’ - Karen Galloway
Parents at one of Edinburgh's most overcrowded schools are calling for a neighbouring plot of derelict land to be turned into an open area for pupils to make up for the space that will be lost to new temporary classroom units on the site.
Boroughmuir High School was built for 1200 pupils but currently has a roll of more than 1600 and projections suggest that could rise to 1800 by 2028.
Karen Galloway, chair of Boroughmuir Parent Voice, told the education committee that the school faced a "structural spatial crisis".
She said: "When our school was first planned the site was smaller than standard statutory space guidelines for its initial target roll of 1200 pupils. In fact, the capacity flaw was so glaring from day one that an extension was required before the building was even complete. The site was undersized before the doors even opened.
"Boroughmuir is, we believe, on the smallest footprint of any secondary school of its size in Scotland - not something we should be proud of."
She said the roll was now projected to reach 1800, a 50 per cent increase in the number of pupils. "Operating at this density violates the national guidelines designed to protect pupil welfare, recreation and safe movement."
And she said: "It feels that there is a lack of vision, a lack of understanding and ultimately a lack of willingness to look beyond the spreadsheet at what's really happening."
A previous proposal for Boroughmuir pupils to be sent to Tynecastle High for some classes to tackle the overcrowding was scrapped following backlash from parents and school staff.
Ms Galloway accepted that the plan for modular units was "probably the only viable solution from a teaching and learning perspective" but said it was nevertheless "another classic sticking plaster solution".
She said the units would steal from the already limited outdoor recreational and social space. But she said there was land next to the school which had been vacant since Boroughmuir moved there.
"It makes absolutely no sense for land to lie unused for decades while our children and staff are squeezed into a site failing basic space standards. We formally urge this committee to break the cycle of repeated temporary fixes and commit to utilising adjacent land to permanently expand the school's footprint."
After the meeting, Ms Galloway told the Evening News she understood the derelict land was earmarked for housing. She said: "As part of any housing development there will have to be some form of recreational space. We would be asking the developers, together with the council, to look at releasing some of that land rapidly for us to use.
“A housing development could take another five or six years, we're looking for a quick solution to give us access to land where young people can kick a ball or sit and have their lunch when it's a sunny day. All we want is a bit of grass - I don’t think it’s too much to ask.
“We have been told the land is contaminated because it was an industrial site. It’s earmarked for housing so if it is contaminated there must be a decontamination plan.”
Education convener James Dalgleish thanked Ms Galloway for her "powerful" deputation and said it was not satisfactory that young people faced pressures from overcrowding.
An official told the committee he understood work was due to start on the derelict site this year. But he added: "If there were an opportunity to make use of part of that site in some way then we would absolutely go for it." He said he would provide an update to the committee with more information on the site.
The committee approved plans for temporary classrooms at Boroughmuir from August 2027.