Community councillors offered their unanimous backing this week after seeing a report on the school which condemned it as "appalling" and "disgraceful" and so run-down that it is not fit for 21st-century education.

In fact, the school was regarded as being in such a poor condition that it prompted local Highland councillor Graeme Smith to suggest a desperate solution during Tuesday night's community council meeting.

He said: "The best thing would be for the school to be hit by lightning – there would then be an obligation to replace it."

As reported in Wednesday's Caithness Courier, the Wick High dossier of dilapidation was drawn up by the building subcommittee of the parent council and was the subject of a presentation by parent Sabine Richards in the school on Monday night.

The major hurdle facing campaigners, however, is how to find the millions of pounds required to refurbish the school – described as "the worst in my constituency" by Far North MSP Jamie Stone – or finance a replacement.

They are pinning their hopes on intervention by First Minister Alex Salmond. He has been invited north to see at first hand the poor state of Wick High, which on rector Alister Traill's own admission makes him "cringe with embarrassment" every time he welcomes visitors.

Mr Stone highlighted Wick High's predicament in the Scottish Parliament yesterday (Thursday) and called for a new school as "a fast-track priority". He was unfazed by the knock-back he received and pledged to keep up the fight.

It emerged at the parent council's campaign launch on Monday that the capital involved is so considerable – around £7 million – that the Scottish Government is the best hope of putting matters right. The support of the Highland Council is also being sought, although financial assistance from that source is unlikely, given the huge sum involved.

The campaigners are to ask the local authority to hear the presentation given by Mrs Richards.

Councillor Smith reiterated during the community council meeting that they could not expect capital funding from the Highland Council.

He maintained that Wick High was not suitable for refurbishment and that the only solution was a new school.

Chairwoman Coreen Campbell agreed and added: "It would be easier, I think, to flatten the present building and start again."

The community council saw copies of the report which presents a depressing catalogue of defects in the school: rusted radiators and rotten window frames, peeling paintwork and damp patches on walls, cramped classrooms with little or no storage space, inadequate changing and toilet facilities, water leaks, external cladding falling off buildings, a poor decorative state and a lack of social areas and IT facilities.

In addition there are safety fears about the high-alumina cement concrete in the swimming pool beams which support the gym.

A report following an inspection in 1975 recommended that a water-resistant paint be applied but the work was never carried out. The situation is aggravated by condensation from the pool, which is said to be "almost unusable".

Mrs Campbell, who joined a tour of the school on Monday night, said the building appeared to be "falling to pieces". She concluded that it was definitely "not suitable for the 21st century" – which prompted Mr Smith to retort: "It wasn't suitable for the last century either!"

Community councillor David Dunnett said that he remembered, when he was a pupil, buckets having to be put in place in the school hall to catch leaks and chunks of external cladding coming away.

Fellow member Jenny Bruce believed that it must raise health-and-safety issues and said the "disgraceful situation" was stressful for teachers and pupils. Refurbishment would involve decanting pupils into other units, which would only add to the pressure.

Earlier, Mr Smith had warned that trying to persuade Mr Salmond might be difficult because, if he acceded to Wick High's request, more than 200 other schools in the Highlands would be queuing up with similar pleas.

Mrs Campbell replied: "It will have to be a case of first come, first served." She added that they had a duty to support Wick High.

Local councillor Bill Fernie – who is chairman of the Highland Council's education, culture and sport committee – warned that there were many schools competing for assistance and if it wasn't possible to get a brand new school then a phased upgrading may be the answer.

But he agreed: "The present situation is absolutely disgraceful. I don't see why anyone should have to put up with that."

The parent council's invitation to Mr Salmond to visit Wick was delivered by Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MSP Jamie Stone, who urged the First Minister to intervene.

Along with a letter to Mr Salmond, Mr Stone enclosed a copy of the parent council's findings and stated: "I have no doubt that you will agree that it makes disturbing reading."

Mr Stone claimed that no school in Scotland should have to tolerate such an abysmal educational environment, which put the staff and pupils at a disadvantage.

The Lib Dem MSP told Mr Salmond: "This is entirely unacceptable. The rights of pupils are the same Scotland-wide – be they in schools in Glasgow, Banff, or Caithness... they should not be in a school in this condition."

Mr Stone continued: "Your personal interest in this issue would make a very great difference in terms of getting this school to the top of the spending agenda where it should have been years ago."

Mr Stone displayed a copy of this week's Courier front page – bearing the headline "Wick High slammed as 'depressing dump'" – during question time in the Scottish Parliament yesterday as he stressed the unacceptable conditions that pupils and staff have to contend with.

Mr Stone asked Maureen Watt, the minister for schools, to "instruct senior Scottish Government officials to visit the school and come back with proposals about how a state-of-the-art school, suitable for the 21st century, can be fast-tracked".

However, Mrs Watt poured cold water on Mr Stone's plea and passed the buck back north.

She said: "The member well knows that, as in the case with other councils, it is for the Highland Council to determine its priorities. It is not for the Scottish Government to intervene to decide on the council's priorities."

Commenting on Mrs Watt's reaction, Mr Stone said: "While her reply is not helpful, to be charitable, it may be because she does not yet appreciate just how bad the physical state of the school is."

He added: "The fact remains that the state of the school is a disgrace. In this day and age, it should indeed be on Scotland's conscience."

Mr Stone pledged to continue to fight for Wick High at every opportunity.

Meanwhile, Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Peter Peacock has expressed his disappointment that the minister has declined his invitation to meet parents at Wick High.

Mr Peacock had suggested that Mrs Watt could hear at first hand of the problems faced by pupils and staff. He said he was very disappointed at her response that the school was the council's responsibility.

"The minister washed her hands of the problem and held out little prospect of Wick advancing," Mr Peacock said. "I will continue to press the Government for action and will work with parents to make representations to secure extra money for Wick.

"I asked if the school could expect to get extra cash from the Scottish Futures Trust, which is the SNP's still-awaited alternative to PPP (public/private partnership) funding, but she gave no answer.

"It is vital that the Government finds a way to deal with the conditions at Wick High School – the money made available to the Highland Council simply doesn't cover it."

* Highlands and Islands SNP MSP Rob Gibson has called on the Highland Council to find new ways to fund school improvements. He made the suggestion in the wake of the Wick High campaign launch and added his support.

But Mr Gibson claimed that the deteriorating fabric of Wick High and other schools should have been rectified earlier, and blamed "eight years of inaction" by the former Labour/Lib Dem Executive.

Mr Gibson said that, given the huge amount of money required to overhaul the school, the council needed to "think out of the box". He suggested that a system of community bonds could be introduced to raise the necessary funds, and he plans to pursue the possibility with Councillor Fernie.

Mr Gibson maintained that PPP was not a viable option as it "mortgages the future to the hilt".

n.donaldson@nosn.co.uk

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