Parents call for expansion of Glasgow Gaelic School

Parents of pupils at Glasgow's only Gaelic secondary want the city's council to revisit plans to expand the site.

The call follows an assessment by the high school's management team that the suitability of the building was "poor" overall but with some areas "bad" - the lowest rating.

Parents say the 460-pupil capacity site, which is part of the wider Glasgow Gaelic School campus, is "jam-packed" and the roll is expected to rise to more than 700 by 2030.

Glasgow City Council, which scrapped previously agreed expansion plans in June, said growth of Gaelic pupils was expected to be slower than previously anticipated and the secondary could "easily accommodate" pupils at current levels.

The campus in Berkely Street, Finnieston, provides Gaelic medium education (GME) for three to 18-year-olds and has a nursery, primary and high school.

Glasgow City Council had proposed moving the primary school to a new location and expanding the secondary across the whole campus following concerns around a rise in pupil numbers.

But in June council officials decided there was "sufficient capacity" and no need for an additional standalone Gaelic school in the city.

It has since emerged a suitability assessment carried out by Glasgow Gaelic School's management and submitted to the council has raised concerns about facilities - including toilets and outside social spaces - and the state of a perimeter fence.

Catriona MacIsaac, of the parent council, said she was "very surprised" Glasgow City Council did not share the assessment's findings with parents during discussions on the school's future.

She said there were already too many pupils for the available facilities.

"You have children entering that building aged three and leaving aged 18." she said.

"Trying to do that with one dining hall, one assembly hall, one sports hall, a very limited number of toilets."

Glasgow City Council said it was committed to GME and had invested almost £16m in its primary school estate in the last five years.

It said the investment was in addition to the new £24m Calton Gaelic primary school.

The local authority said £390,000 had been earmarked for upgrades to the Glasgow Gaelic School campus, and said the site met statutory requirements for numbers of toilets.

A share of the funding for Gaelic school buildings and development in the city comes to councils from the Scottish government.

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: "Recent roll projections, carried out by an education specialist, indicate slower growth across the sector than anticipated.

"All our GME primary schools remain under capacity with 63% use."

They added: "The projected impact on secondary school roll will not materialise and the status quo at Berkely Street can be easily accommodated."

The spokesperson said school roll data would continue to be reviewed.