Author Rankin gets write behind school

WRITER Ian Rankin has thrown his weight behind the campaign to sort out Edinburgh's school crisis.

Boroughmuir High School is one of five across the city that has recently had refurbishment or rebuilding pledges thrown into doubt. Rankin's 16-year-old son Jack attends the school, which is said to be overcrowded, unsuitable for modern teaching and partly rundown.

The world-famous author, who lives nearby, said: "As a parent with a child at Boroughmuir, I am of course concerned about the fabric of the building, classroom sizes, playground size and amenities and arrangements for sports and music. The staff are terrific, but they can do only so much given the current situation."

Rankin's comments come as other parents at the school have set up a campaign group, Action for Boroughmuir, which has approached the council calling for the school to be refurbished on the current site rather than moved to another area in the south-west of the city.