ANGRY parents at an ageing city high school claim the council's consultation into its future is biased, saying it has not been "even-handed" in its support for the two options on the table.
Education leader Marilyne MacLaren has agreed to extend the deadline for consultation over the proposals for Boroughmuir High School from Monday to Friday, after concerns that parents had not been given enough time to respond to the various options.
The Action for Boroughmuir group had also asked the council to hold public meetings so parents could get more information to make an "informed decision".
The council has put forward two options for the future of the school, which is one of five waiting to be modernised under the "wave three" programme.
One option is to refurbish and extend the school on its current Viewforth site, while the other is to build a brand new school on Scottish Water-owned land at Fairmilehead.
Action for Boroughmuir is favouring the on-site refurbishment option, as it believes it is the "only affordable, deliverable option".
However, it claims that the council, in its consultation document, has put a stronger case forward for the new-build school.
In it, the council points out that an on-site refurbishment could take four years, while building a new school would take just two years. It also points out the fact that refurbishing at Viewforth without decanting children to another school would cause them "substantial disruption".
Polly Purvis, chair of the campaign group, said: "There isn't much even-handedness in the consultation. They put forward the worst case scenario for the Viewforth site based on the fact that they can't decant."
The campaign group has now issued its own information to parents, highlighting the plus points of an on-site refurbishment and the negative aspects of building on a new site.
The Action For Boroughmuir letter says: "If the council chooses the Fairmilehead option and then fails to secure the site, we will end up with no school at all. This is a very real risk."
The group added: "The council briefing suggests that a new build site will be more sustainable.
"We would argue to the contrary, that the refurbishment of a solid Edwardian structure which is likely to remain for another century is more sustainable than a new build which is, on past track record, likely to have a shelf-life of only a few decades."
Meadows and Morningside councillor Paul Godzik said: "They feel quite strongly that the information that's been put out by the council isn't really balanced and doesn't give a good account of the (refurbishment] proposal."
Cllr MacLaren, Convener for Education Children and Families, said: "I've listened to parents and instructed officers to extend the deadline for consultation until Friday, November 7.
The whole point of this exercise was to get a parental steer before we make a final decision.
I have an open mind on the options available at Boroughmuir and I am keen to listen to the whole school community to find out their preferences."
The full article contains 514 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
