RAACing up the costs at St Kentigern's Academy

On Tuesday, the council’s education executive heard that the cash has covered everything from repair work to primary schools, to providing emergency accommodation for the largest secondary, St Kentigern’s.

Councillor Andrew McGuire, chairman of the education executive, has invited Holyrood’s Education Cabinet secretary to meet him at St Kentigern’s becuase of the need to “urgently identify solutions to ensure this situation can be rectified”.

The Blackburn high school, with more than 1300 pupils, is now facing a partial rebuild after more than a third of the building was closed last year after RAAC planks were discovered.

A proposal to demolish the parts of the school affected and construct a new wing has been approved by the council’s executive, with the potential costs estimated at up to £35 million.

The council has committed £20 million to the works and an approach has been made to the Scottish Government regarding the rest of the funding required.

The council’s depute chief executive responsible for education, Dr Elaine Cook, told the meeting: “West Lothian Council has taken a proactive approach to dealing with RAAC. It has gone through a process of identifying RAAC properties since the beginning of 2020.

“It was reported to Council Executive in June 2021 that five schools were identified as having issues with RAAC and since the regular updates have been provided.”

She gave the council’s Education Executive details of the schools affected and the work being carried out. While none of them are in the Journal and Gazette’s patch – they’re in Bathgate and Livingston – Linlithgow is in St Kentigern’s catchment area so local pupils will be affected.

In his letter to Cabinet Secretary Jenny Gilruth, Councillor McGuire sought an answer on funding being made available and asked her to meet him and council officers at St Kent’s.

Outwith the education estate, the council has also had to commit around £10 million to help rectify problems with RAAC plank roofs which were used in community centres in Fauldhouse, Whitburn and Livingston.