Labour’s private school VAT plan will need divine intervention - John McLellan

Edinburgh’s Boroughmuir High School was just about full with a roll of 1560, but now apparently has space for 1680, says John McLellan

I may have misled readers into thinking there is no capacity in Edinburgh’s secondary schools and there is nowhere for pupils leaving the independent sector because of Labour’s VAT threat, but how wrong could I be.

No, far from bursting at the seams, pupils at the most popular schools must be spreading themselves out wondering what all the fuss is about, because a staggering 4688 extra places have been found. Come on over, private school parents… don’t listen to the doomsters and gloomsters, there’s tons of room!

The council’s information page on school roll projections has not been updated, perhaps because expected pupil numbers have not changed from last year, but a report published in April revealed the new capacities.

In just a year, without a widespread building programme, ten secondary schools which were due to be overcapacity this year now have vacancies. And of the 14 schools projected to be bursting at the seams in 2026, there is now only one, James Gillespie’s. And even then, it’s only four pupils above its new 1869 capacity.

This time last year there were 23,060 places at Edinburgh secondary schools, a “notional capacity” but nevertheless that was the number on which future planning was based. But now that has increased to 27,784 places, the equivalent of building three completely new schools the size of The Royal High with its new inflated figure.

Yet the council’s current building programme only amounts to replacing four schools − Currie, Liberton, Trinity and Wester Hailes – and extending four others, so it appears 13 schools are expected to cope with more pupils without any significant expansion.

A look at those schools where no major work is expected is revealing. Boroughmuir was just about full at 1560, but now apparently has space for 1680. Broughton was rammed at 1200, but is now a roomy 1449. They thought Firrhill was chocka at 1150, but it turns out it can take an extra 278. Holy Rood has expanded by 291 places to 1491 and Portobello by 182 from 1400, but the real miracle is at St Thomas of Aquin’s, a constrained city centre site which must be a Tardis if it can accept another 181 pupils.

Strangely, Royal High is getting an extension, yet its capacity is only going up by 169.

But what’s odd is I know of a parent, considering taking her child out of private school because of rising costs, calling one of these newly spacious schools only to be told it is full up and there is no guarantee of a catchment area place.

The extra capacity is explained away as “revised planning capacity” which sounds very like just cramming them in or, like the NHS, teaching the kids in corridors.

And indeed, an April 2023 report reveals the trick is “flexible timetabling” and ending “the traditional ‘one classroom, one teacher’ approach” which sounds a recipe for chaos.

For more use of community facilities read “yes, we really are full”, and with Scottish weather good luck with better use of “outdoor spaces”. Maybe the plan is for branded cagoules and umbrellas? It’ll need divine intervention for this to work.