Buckie High School needs ‘massive refurbishment or replacing’ says Moray Council chief executive Karen Greaves

Moray Council’s chief executive has said Buckie High School is in need of “massive” work, but added that the building is “very well looked after”.

Karen Greaves, who has been in post since April, said that the council will either have to replace the entire school or undertake big refurbishment work.

Buckie High is currently rated as ‘Category C’ on a scale of A to D, which means it is in need of investment. Pictures which surfaced last month appeared to show the state of disrepair within the school.

The school missed out on rebuild funding late in 2023, with the council choosing to focus on building a new Forres Academy.

A meeting is to be held at Highfield Hall, within Buckie High, on Tuesday, June 17, at 6.30pm to discuss the school’s future. The meeting is ticket only.

On the state of the school, Karen Greaves said: “It is definitely needing massive refurbishment, or replacing.

“The school is very well looked after on the inside.

“It's more the roof, the plumbing, the electrics and the heating systems that are getting very old and coming to the end of their life.

“We've got to plan to replace the school or do the massive refurbishment and that is being actively worked on so that when funding becomes available we'll be able to bid in for it.”

In a wide-ranging interview, Karen Greaves also touched on the Sports and Leisure Review, which could have an impact on the future of Buckie Swimming Pool and Forres Community Centre, among others council-run facilities.

She said the next stage is for the council to speak to members of the community and find out “what they value most”.

Watch Karen talking about the leisure review below.

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