ALMOST half of Aberdeenshire’s schools have not been inspected by the Scottish Government in at least ten years, new figures reveal.
Statistics released by the Scottish Government show across the region, 48% of primary schools, academies and additional needs schools haven’t been inspected in the past decade.
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From a freedom of information request by the Scottish Conservatives, schools such as Fraserburgh Academy, Banff Academy, Westhill Academy, Laurencekirk School and Ellon Primary all haven’t been checked since at least 2014.
Education Scotland, a Scottish Government agency, is responsible for carrying out regular inspections on the country’s schools and nurseries to identify safety, performance and improvements.
A total of 22 schools (33%) from Aberdeen’s 67-school estate also haven’t been inspected in the last ten years. These include St Machar Academy, Bucksburn Academy, Ferryhill School and Seaton School.
In Moray, 19 out of 54 schools haven’t been checked in a decade while in the Highlands, the figure stands at 84 out of 258 (33%).
Across Angus, 23 schools (41%) hadn’t been inspected for the same period while in Dundee, 16 out of 48 schools (33%) haven’t been checked in the 10-year timeframe.
Scottish Conservative North East MSP and shadow education secretary Liam Kerr said the figures expose the “staggering” scale of the region’s depleting school estate.
He believes the Scottish Government’s abandonment of North East inspections leaves parents in the dark over any improvements which may be needed at their children’s school.
Liam Kerr MSP said: “The fact that around half of Aberdeenshire’s schools haven’t been inspected by Education Scotland in a decade is scandalous and again shows the North East has been abandoned under the SNP’s watch.
“We need a rigorous, reliable and, above all, regular inspection system so parents are aware of how their child’s school is performing and any improvements which are needed.
“These staggering revelations show there will be thousands of pupils who have gone through their entire primary or secondary school journey without a single inspection taking place.
“This is inexcusably poor and the current regime simply shouldn’t be allowed to continue like this.
“These issues are in keeping with the long litany of education failures the SNP have presided over, in addition to the poverty-related attainment gap, plummeting teacher morale and escalating classroom violence.
“Under the Scottish Conservatives, we would establish a new independent body for inspecting our schools which would restore confidence in the system.”
