Parents in Kinross and Perth are being forced to compete to secure proper 21st century schooling for their children.
Decrepit, damp and outdated, despite being little more than 50 years old, both Tulloch Primary School and Kinross Primary have reached the end of their lives.
Funding exists to replace just one of the schools, however, with an independent review under way in to whose need is the greatest.
That dilemma will pit the two schools against each other and the Kinross Primary parent council has already launched a campaign to secure a new school for the town. It does so with a heavy heart, in the knowledge that success would come to the detriment of another school.
Kinross-shire councillor Willie Robertson said the issue needed to be addressed while Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Liz Smith said she will be looking to see whether additional Scottish Government funding could be made available to enable both schools to be replaced.
Perth and Kinross Council said there was funding available within the council’s capital programme to “improve and upgrade” school buildings, but would not be drawn at this stage on how that will affect the two schools.
“An independent review of the buildings at both Tulloch and Kinross primary schools is currently under way,” a spokeswoman said.
“This will enable decisions to be made regarding appropriate improvement works.”
Both Tulloch and Kinross are examples of the so-called “CLASP schools”, which were built in the late 1960s using pre-fabricated concrete sections and light steel frames.
It was a pioneering technique that proved hugely popular, being used in the construction of schools and office buildings across the country.
The design has proved to be flawed, however, and many have suffered from serious building issues. The construction method is shared with Perth’s Oakbank Primary School, which is being replaced at a cost of £8.5 million.
Speaking to The Courier, Ms Smith said: “It is very concerning that both the Tulloch and Kinross primary schools have reached the end of their lifespans.
“I do not think it is healthy to set one community against another and I hope that the council will consider putting together a joint bid to replace both schools.”
Ms Smith said she had written to Cabinet Secretary for Education Mike Russell MSP to outline the current situation and attempt to facilitate a meeting with Perth and Kinross Council.
She hopes the local authority will be able to present the case for additional Government funds to enable the replacement of both schools.
“Councils across Scotland face a huge challenge when it comes to the school maintenance backlog,” she added.
“It is clear, however, that in both these cases new schools are needed and I hope both will be able to be progressed to benefit the pupils and teachers in both communities.”
In recent months, parents at Tulloch Primary have noted a deterioration in the building’s condition and have begun to call for improvements.
The calls are now coming even more loudly from Kinross, where the Kinross Primary Parent Council has had a report prepared on the school building’s shortcomings, which it has now supplied to the council.
Councillor Robertson praised the parent council and said he was “fully supportive” of their objectives.
“The parent council does not want this to be a competition,” he said.
“The best possible outcome would be for both schools to be replaced and I think we should be lobbying the council and Scottish Government to find a way of securing more funds.
“Residents simply don’t understand how it is that in this country we cannot find proper schools for our children.”
Perth and Kinross has invested heavily in recent years in an ambitious programme of school replacements.
Funding has been secured from the Scottish Government to enable that to continue, but it is likely the money available will only provide for one further replacement primary.
An independent options appraisal will be carried out over the next few months to inform the council’s decision.