A STUDY has revealed an additional 20 secondary school classrooms will be needed across the local area in the next year to cater for an influx of school pupils.
Research by public sector procurement specialist Scape Group has shown an additional 13 classrooms will be needed by 2020/21 in Renfrewshire as the area is set to gain 400 more pupils.
Meanwhile, seven more classrooms will be required in East Renfrewshire to fit in an extra 200 more pupils, according to the data.
The report, dubbed The School Places Challenge 2019, examines the challenge facing the UK’s school system using Department of Education and devolved authority data, and shows Scotland’s school-aged population is set to rise by 4.8 per cent over the next two years.
Mark Robinson, Scape Group Chief Executive, said: “Scotland needs to build hundreds of school classrooms in a short timeframe.
“The issue of school places delivery is likely to be exacerbated in the coming years if we do not think and act more creatively now.”
On a national scale, an additional 453 secondary school classrooms would be required to cater for the rise in pupils by 2020/21.
Bosses at Renfrewshire Council said they believed they were on track to deal with rising pupil numbers.
A spokesman said: “Our school estate management plan is based on detailed projections of future pupil numbers across Renfrewshire – and these suggest we will have sufficient capacity in coming years.”
An East Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “Ensuring there are sufficient school places has long been a main driver for change in the school estate. The council has made significant investment with new builds and extensions to address this need and will continue to do so.”
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